This is the Message Centre for Afrabian the scribe wow po nX

This is the Message Centre for Afrabian the scribeHello, I've seen you on the Iraq thread and was interested enough in the points you raised to stop by and say hello. It sounds as if you have had quite a nomadic existance and a very interesting life to date. I was particularly interested to read about your experiences in the middle east, after all, it gives you an insight that I for one, and most of the people posting here, do not have. especially with regard to current events. I must admit my foreign travel experience is limited to holidays, but my interest in foreign affairs is pretty active. If you drop by to my user space, you will see that at the moment I am concentrating my efforts on bringing up my baby daughter, but I did used to be a fully functioning member of the human race. honest!Hi there Thanks for your kind words. I have travelled quite a lot in Africa and other such places, I like to think apart from earning a living I made some sort of contribution to the people around me. I joined the Iraq thread because I can see that there are a great number of well meaning people who are against the present madness. But for me it goes much further than that. I always enjoyed my time in Baghdad, I did have Iraqi friends and daily contact through my work. I was liked and respected by not only those people but the folks in the British Embassy including the Ambassador. This allowed me to do things that others could not. I am a commercial man and have spent my life in a commercial environment. But as a "political animal" too I was constantly reminded of the role this plays in defining sometimes if a person should live or die and that is serious. But don't get me wrong I am a humorous guy too and I am about to start a new thread which I will call "The real news". I do this for my friends who are avid readers and they are always badgering me to do more so watch out for this in the next few days. I take an irreverent look at politicians and their decisions I introduce some rather black humour but I have found this has a big effect on the puffed up egos of those who control us! I call myself a scribe because the one thing I enjoy most is writing. I have long finished a fictional novel about Iraq and believe it of weapons of mass destruction , long before Bush found it to be fashionable. The hardest part of all is finding a literary agent who will follow it. I have written three books to date and a biography which I am currently adding to. I am pleased to know that you like the words that I write and I can always go one on one with you I have many tales to tell having been working in some pretty wild places in my life. I also write short stories as well. If you would like to know more I would be very happy to tell you I am not a computer whizz kid so I will have to find out how to read your profile. I hope this will do for the moment.Hello again, Nice to hear back from you. If you want to find my user space, click on my name (above this posting) and it will lead you there, alternatively click on this link U193976 and it will do the same. My sign off was chosen because that is my trade (or at least graphic design and illustration are). However, writing and editing have also formed a large part of my career. My work was in the medical sector, and my expertise lies in the ability to translate medical jargon into plain english. no mean feat at times. I'd really like to hear about your experiences, and viewpoint, it sounds as if you held a unique position and therefore must have a really interesting perspective. I am one of those well meaning subscribers to the Iraq thread that is definately against the current insane approach, but with little real knowledge of what life in the middle east is really like, especially in Iraq. My husband spent the early part of his life in Ghana, his father went over from England to work at a newspaper. His tales of life there fascinate me. I suppose having been based in SW London for all my life has made me all the more interested in life outside its confines. If you would like to go 'one on one' I would be delighted to hear from you and to read anything you want to send my way. Speak soon no doubtHi It was nice to hear from you again. You know it is easy to take 'positions' at issue in this ME situation and yes I am able to look at it fairly objectively having lived and worked there for seven long years in total wow po. Injustice is the same wherever you live and hypocrisy and cynism can sometimes rule over plain common sense. I suppose when you have stood at the ancient city of Hatra in Iraq and experienced the buildings and the awsome silence (no tourists here)! Then let the mind flow to the activities which must have been taking place in the daily lives of the people who lived there. Then you see this upstart nation the USA which is trying to dictate to a people who have more to show the world than a mighty war machine. Iraqis are not ogres, they are by and large, warm, friendly and above all urbane and intelligent people. They are not represented by the "rent a mob" so often shown on the Wests media, that is strictly for Saddams benefit. I travelled extensively in the country in particular into Kurdistan to the ancient city of Mosul, Sulamaniah, Arbil and also the oil rich Kirkuk. My work took me the vast dam projects where I am glad to say the Iraqi engineers used the heavy earthmoving equipment that my company provided. But it wasn't all work and no play. Our office was in a huge villa in the expensive Mansour district of Baghdad and I lived there together with a bunch of Brit engineers. The social life was pretty good, we had our own pub which was renowned for it's karaoke nights and sixties music. We had an official licence to go to the brewery to get the beer (providing we took the empties back!) We would often have visiting politicians came to our small oasis of fun. Amazingly there was no control on drink driving and it was somewhat hairy to go visit another bar and to wend your way home. But the streets were quite safe because the army and Saddams security services abounded. As your hubbys dad I'm sure would recount the expat style of life can be one of enjoyment too. Generally counter balancing some of the most difficult times. My worst ME experience was not in Iraq but in that hell hole Saudi Arabia! I spent four years there and it was dreadful. The Saudis have nothing to offer, they are educated no doubt but it is a country of double standards in every way. I just read an expats account in Saudi as he tried to import a Christmas tree. He should not have wasted his time! I once went to a Saudi post office and behind it they were busy torching a mountain of Christmas cards sent by families and well wishers. I was a CEO then for a large Dutch truck manufacturer. I would not live in a compound which is nothing short of being in jail. Instead I rented a block of flats for me and my senior staff and in Jeddah where at least we could get to the sea or to the mountains of Taif. I found the Saudis incredibly arrogant and pretty heartless. Hardly the kind of people who would keep a dog as a pet for instance. The Kuwiatis too are much the same just oozing money and little real culture. I suppose that's why Iraq struck me as being a nice place in total contrast to heavy presence of the "religeous police" in Saudi, Iraqis practiced their Christianity quite openly. Women drove cars, they are very good looking too I must say. For me Baghdad has one other notable feature. This is where I met my wife! She is Polish and was working for her company a major road building company. Her story how she got there is quite unusual for a woman that is, one day I will relate. SW London eh! I had it fixed that you were in Australia what with the G'day and all that. Now I don't want to bore you and as you can see I do go on a bit. I am a Londoner in fact a cockney lad born in Poplar, but a lot of water has flowed under the bridge of life since I left there. Write again if there is anything you'd like to know about life in such countries as Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa I was there too for 12 happy years. Regards AfrabianHello again, Thanks for the last posting, it made very interesting reading. The ex pat life has always intrigued me, hubby's life was very privileged in Ghana and his tales seem like something from the Raj in the 1890s rather than Africa in the late 1960s early 1970s. Our own sprog has a far more grounded life. She is our one and only and is just 20 months old. She is something of a stunner I am told and gets lots of attention whenever we are out and about. This is something that concerns her father as (obviously) no boy will ever be good enough for his little angel. An analogy I heard the other day was that handing your daughter over to some grubby git of a boyfriend, is like handing over your stradivarious to a gorilla. Still, he'll have to cope with it at some point wow gold, just not too soon hopefully! As far as the ex-pat life goes, I have to say there are countries that are more enticing to me than Saudi. especially as I do not possess my own pair of testicles which seems something of a hinderance over there. The kind of religious law that is in place there would probably see me stoned, clapped in irons or whatever other joys could be thought of as soon as I opened my mouth. I'm not terribly in favour of certain interpretations of the Koran (sp?) as far as womens rights are concerned! Hubby's parents and youngest brother live in NZ now, and his two other brothers in Australia so if we were to become ex-pats it would probably be a very safe home from home. I would be fascinated to hear of life in Africa, and indeed Poplar. My family comes from that neck of the woods and I was born over that way, but not within the sound of any particular bells. By the way, graphics and medical writing/editing came about when a medical charity took me on as their publications manager. Guess who got the job? I started writing general articles for the members magazine and it got more and more technical until I was editing patient information books and the magazine itself. I'm now a member of the NUJ and am hoping to do some courses with them (once the sprog is at nursery) to become a tad more professionally qualified. I suppose, like you, I found I had a flair for the written word, shame I haven't got the imagaination to become the next JK Rowling. It's so nice to have a small girl like that I had one and she was my "boojum" that was until she grew up became a boorish teenager (I guess we all do that course). Mine have grown up and I often think of the times I played scrabble with em and how they used to hate me for getting those seven letter words. Always was good at that, became a reigning champ at that game in Malawi too! I don't remember too much about Poplar as we up stakes and left to go live in Bedford where I spent my formative years. Not much to write about there I guess, a small country town with small country town ways. But I always was that bit more adventurous and once school was out of the way I tried a number of things to make my mark in life. She quite likes the UK but shes a city gal and Warsaw is not such a bad place these days. Unlike before the changes here, when I used to fly in with a huge suitcase containing a couple of pairs of underpants and socks and 25 kilos of meat, bananas and any other thing (which was most things) that'd not be available here. Now strangely enough I find myself carting food parcels to England funny old world eh! Today is Ladies day in Poland and everywhere you see men, young and old carting around their bunches of flowers and gifts for the ladies. Mine was no exception and I was swiftly reminded of this at sparrow this morning. Still plenty of snow around but it was a glorius day. So we went and "did Ikea" I don't like this shop too much but after all I had to concur on this day. But we went on for a drive to a small village about 30Km from Warsaw and found an antique shop. Well after doing some serious browsing I bought a lovely hand made model of a pirate ship which was about 40 years or so old but so well made. Some theatre type binnoculars which folded neatly into a small case and then we found two picture frames which appear to be made of ebony with hand carved motifs. In the frames were two old postcards dated 1912 with some beautiful greetings written! Generally we like modern stuff but my study has an old look about it so it all came together nicely. You certainly have made your mark it would seem on the editing front perhaps you will one day edit my books cos I know I need a lot of help in that direction. Of course it would be nice to expand on your career, but now this time is very precious for you and your child. I missed a lot of my sons early life with all my travelling and you cannot get this time back of course. But I did take em all with me on my various sojourns in Africa but my ex wife couldn't hack the travelling and we eventually parted company. But my Polish gal loves to ring the changes and she's the one that pushes these days but I don't complain. We just had a nice trip to Barcelona and we loved it. We are lucky to have a company that supplies us just outside of the city they found us a super hotel in the centre. We got around using local transport and we got a full day in Monserat at the Basilica there which was magic. Came back here and I had a birthday thrash and that went pretty well too. We have a full day tomorrow and a couple more parties to attend in the next few days too. I must tell you this to make you chuckle a bit. I am teaching English Hah! to none other than a young Catholic Priest. A long story but I once had a courier company in Warsaw and Stanley was our radio despatcher. We didn't know at the time that he was training for the priesthood, this was rather a secret. We went to his ordination too! Anyway he has now become something of a family friend. On Tuesday evening he arrived for his lesson at our house as usual. But this time carrying a bottle of Bullinger Champagne and singing happy birthday to you. No work tonight he announced we are going to drink some wine. Well it so happened that my wife was being visited by our sons girlfriend who is an absolute stunner! In no time we had the table laid and the wine was flowing. Stash as we call him was in fine form and was enjoying the apparition across the table. Even wore his dog collar this night which is unusual. I kidded him that it was okay to look! Not only he said expansively! Say no more!! Yes, you know I digress sorry about that. The old colonial times are nowadays despised by some folks, but having lived the lifestyle I cannot really fault it. I went to Rhodesia first and having only visited Cape Town in the past this was my first real look at Africa. Remember no nice David Attenborough films to check against I was doing this literally on the seat of my pants. It was a knockout for me, the weather, the sights and sounds. Found it hard at first to understand why everyone had servants, but later I realized it was good for the locals as they at least did get money and usually accomodation as well. I lived in Bulawayo first which is a fine old city and I soon got to travel around to visit the game reserves and of course Victoria Falls. I bought an old colonial style house and I dare say I could have stayed on there, but I got a pretty good job in Malawi managing a company in Lilongwe. That's when things really got going. The town was going to be transformed into the new capital and I often saw Hastings Banda the President and John Vorster who was the PM of South Africa together. RSA gave loads of money to Banda to keep him sweet and surprisingly a lot did get spent on the new infrastructure, ministry buildings etc. But I was moving around the country a lot too. No fancy hotels so I slept at mission stations, at tobacco farmers homesteads far into the bush and odd times even in villages. Never felt any fear in those days but I'm told a lot has changed since then. I wouldn't say that I was treated like the Raj but I made a lot of friends and introduced many new ideas mainly concerning African small holder farms. The roads were all earth no tar and I must say Lake Malawi is one very beautiful places I've ever seen. 365 miles long and 50 miles wide endless white sandy beaches, palm trees dug out canoes I got to spend most of my weekends there. I even got the company to buy a beach cottage complete with jetty and a couple of boats, it was idylic. Specially as you had to drive about thirty kilometres through the bush to get there. Even my mum came to stay once she loved it! I did a three year contract and took a break and we all went to Australia for a few months to check it out and see old friends then back to Malawi for a further three year contract. I was constantly on the move now driving endlessly on trips to Rhodesia through Mozambique, also to Lusaka and many other places in Zambia and was now doing other trips outside to South Africa, India and other places. My final trip from Malawi was pretty memorable. I bought an MGB Roadster and after sending my missus by air to Joburg I did the trip in this tiny little car. What an adventure and what dangers did I face? But you know as they say "when ignorance is bliss, it's a folly to be wise eh!" It was a time of changes in Mozambique (which too is a very lovely country) specially the coastal areas on the Indian Ocean. Great place for a holiday if you can make it, just go for the piri piri king and tiger prawns! Oh I could kill for them you know! My drive took me over the Zambesi River and eventually down to Salisbury (now named Harare). Loads of pals there and then onward to Beit Bridge and into South Africa over the Limpopo River. Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn on my way Mmmm magic moments and such a tough little car so hard to believe it not only made the journey, but I used it daily when I started my new biz in Joburg! A real looker I used to call it my custard torpedo! Please don't mind if I jog back and forth on these countries after all I did live in Malawi for six years and much happened in that time too. I was in Round Table the dramatic society and although the work was tough at times we still had time for a lot of fun. I find it strange not using a name so if you don't mind I will call you Grace it's a lot less impersonal than your present handle! So Grace thanks for reading to this rambling of mine. Tell me about your holidays and your favourite places, hobbies I know that small bundle keeps you too busy for that. But as you find it easier to write then perhaps this is one very nice compensation. I have two wonderful lady friends here in Poland. Babcha is nearly 90 bless her and her grand daughter is named Bogna, she is terribly spastic by oh my what a girl! Such humour and what pleasure they give when we visit them. Babcha is a very remarkable woman who has had such a life as to be featured in a book too. One day I will tell you her incredible story. Well Grace enough is enough I am now going to open a beer and have a rest from all this travelling! Hah Hah! Write again when you can, I am always here to listen and to learn. Afrabian PS did you get to read my Real News blurb on the Iraq post?Hi again, Wow, that was a posting! You have led such a full life. I really am very dull in comparison. I shall happily answer to the name of Grace, although I am the least graceful person on the planet! You asked me about hobbies, holidays and favourite places, and you are right, these days there is little time for anything except toddler wrangling. I do however, have places and times that I keep in my minds eye which I want to show the baby when she is older. They are: eating breakfast in a taverna on the beach in Kalives, NW Crete, driving over the seven mile bridge in the Florida Keys, swimming with dolphins and finally walking (without me pushing her in a pram) through Ri
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