A reality from Hawler

-
Add caption
This photo was taken in 2004 in Hawler. Please note the sign behind him.

  A man his age should be telling stories to grand kids at home, not sell rosaries on some sidewalk :(

This photo taken in 2010 of the same guy in the same exact spot in Hawler

I asked if he remembered me buying rosaries from him in 2004? After a long conversation, I learned more about his personal life.  I decided to buy a few more rosaries, however, he refused to accept anything in return despite his poverty!

Comments

  1. MiriamAugust 12, 2010 at 6:45 PM

    COOOOL XD

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 12, 2010 at 7:23 PM

    Amazing story, this is truly an example that one does not have to live with luxury to be happy in life.
    Many times, the happiest people in life are the most humble and poor in material wealth.
    For though they are poor in wealth, they are rich in spirit.
    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Helen SairanyAugust 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM

    Yes Jeffery..you hit is hard dear. If you want to live happy, live simple =) I bet you this old man (which I called him by mama) is far happier than many leaders who run the region and acquire money in an illegitimate way.

    ramazan peruzbe =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownAugust 12, 2010 at 8:52 PM

    Our Culture is Based on Respect and Money Is No thing what Beautiful is that he say i need no thing and may be he is working all day long to get 10 dollars and still he want to give An American Kurdish Girl A gift .

    ReplyDelete
  5. Helen SairanyAugust 12, 2010 at 9:01 PM

    Or perhaps he was too happy to get attention from a customer? Imagine sitting in the sun selling rosaries all day long for a living?..I keen him nothing but admiration and respect. God bless him and his kinds ..amen to that =)

    Our conversation was rather fun and needless to say he enjoyed ma broken sorani to the fullest =P

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousAugust 12, 2010 at 9:20 PM

    I'm proud yes, but not surprised. our Kurdish culture is full of similar stories. When you see such an old man still working it does not mean that no one wanted to help him, or he is going to die otherwise. But it's his personality or thinking. By the moment he stops working he feels that the is dead. So I don't think that he is living from what he earns. He is living because he is working.
    Shwan

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownAugust 12, 2010 at 9:56 PM

    Beautiful pictures and your story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I'm happy that the man is selling prayer beads rather than begging in the street, though. Judging by the reactions I've experienced as an American in Kurdistan, I'm sure he was PROUD and HONORED to give beads to an American, ESPECIALLY a Kurdish American!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousAugust 12, 2010 at 10:56 PM

    Beutiful images. each of speak 1000 words. Your dedication to Kurdish cause is admirable.

    KA

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mina Saad MemanAugust 13, 2010 at 12:50 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dalawr ChalabiAugust 13, 2010 at 6:07 AM

    Yes, it had nice face of humanity and satisfactionary.
    But, in the other hand, I disagree with some of the comments. This man should have a better life, and should not be suffer in the cold & hot weathers.
    We should be realistic, this man need smile, air, water, nice place to live, good food, etc. I'm not sure if he got all!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Helen SairanyAugust 13, 2010 at 7:41 AM

    Kak Shwan, I very much disagree with your comment abt him not needing help. Nothing is wrong with working and I agree that wanting to work is perhaps a hobby in many elderly retired men. But look at the work conditions that he is under. I talked to him and he did indicate that he makes a living out of selling those rosaries. And he is surprised that some ppl even bargain over the few dinars that he profits from selling those rosaries.

    Plus please explain me this article that I am attaching to my comment,
    http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=16055

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jimmy M. EspanaAugust 15, 2010 at 7:51 PM

    Interesting post, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Huseyin AktasOctober 15, 2010 at 11:43 AM

    Good Job as always Helina!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousNovember 4, 2010 at 10:35 AM

    Well done Helene, good luck
    Regards
    Rebeen

    ReplyDelete
  15. hunerApril 9, 2011 at 6:02 AM

    Zor Shaza Dast Xosh Sarkawtubet

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousJune 20, 2011 at 5:33 AM

    nice blog :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Start of an Academic Year in Kurdistan

-
Image
The Start of an Academic Year in Kurdistan,  Students hanging out in the college yard before class starts As you walk through the bazaars and along the streets here in Kurdistan, you will see parents with their kids, busy buying school supplies, sewing school uniforms, and getting ready to have whatever it takes for a successful academic year. College students are also busy buying new clothes, thinking of how they should dress and what to expect out of their courses this year. As for myself, I am a lecturer and being brought up in America, other things are of bigger concern to me. I am worried more about the expectations students have of me. I am worried about the first day. What should I expect? I called every friend I have to explain my worries about the first day of teaching. Will they understand my English, I asked? Will we have a nice professor-student relationship? Will they respect my class rules and regulations? Afternoon traffic in the Duhok city The first th...
Read more

A Quest for Identity

-
It should be known that the murder of any identity is our own murder, regardless of what our language, religion or identity might be. To me, my identity is what makes me unique. Well — at least this is the pride I nurtured deep inside me growing up in America. Being expelled from my own culture as a child was traumatic.  My family and I were forced to leave everything behind and head to a place where the culture, language, and people were so different from my own. As a teenager, I was already going through the turmoil of discovering my own personality. Now imagine the added complication upon changing continents, cultures, languages, etc. The difficult transition from a very strict, patriotic cultural background, where the practice of double standards is prevalent, where the superiority of men over women is a given, and where females are not encouraged to seek education, to a culture where females were routinely given opportunities and rights only made life more difficult for a youn...
Read more