Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hajanjalie Bajanjalie

Was it Melanie Klien who said once that children are psychotic?

7 up
Knocked the door
Pepsi show itself
And the Krash (Krash= an old gaseous beverage in Baghdad)
Is in the bed
Crying yes he is


They told me to wait till they call my name. There was something wrong with my papers. They were so slow. I became irritable. My bladder was full of the 2 Coffee cups I drunk early that morning. My mouth was bitter. I was pacing round and round till I finally asked the soldier: "please my brother, I need a W.C.". He smiled hiding his innocent shyness and showed me the way to a far small building.
When I came back I was walking slowly. I was relieved. I noticed her. She is a princess dreaming of her castle and her courageous prince. She talks phantoms. She laughs. She cries then shakes her head. Makes some gestures, then plays in the soil creating stories. It is the kingdom of childhood that finally made me smile in this ugly day.











Hajanjalie bajanjalie (two words with no meaning just to go with the rhyme, in Arabic)
I climbed up to the mountain
I found one dome, 2 domes
I yelled: "hey you, uncle Husain"
This is the Sultan's Makam (Makam= the place a famous dead person visited once)
Hold up your legs you Umran (Umran is a male Arabic first name)




I am making the final part of my thesis. The tables and biostatistics of the data is really annoying. I am not enjoying it lately. Actually it started to annoy me. I want just to end it and get rid of it. I got to end it in few days to keep the chance of entering the final examination this October. I was stressed lately and become little irritable. I started to prefer avoiding people again. I thought I should take a walk. I suspected that I will feel better. I drunk Pepsi and my bladder became full again. oh God. I felt thirsty again but my bladder is full. I stopped next to a man who sell Pepsi and said: "I would buy Pepsi from you if you show me a nearby W.C.". He laughed and showed me an old building. When I came back to him, took my Pepsi, I took a picture to the ceiling above him. He looked at the ceiling thinking there is something strange. He looked at me. I looked at him. His eyes said: "you are crazy don't you?". I went walking felling much better. I saw a child on the bridge. He was throwing bread to those beautiful white sea gulls with ugly voices. Their ugly voices made me smile. Oh child you are the only one this day that I felt I can talk to really. I am just afraid you might get afraid from me. I asked him if I can take a picture for him while he through bread and he yelled while throwing more happily: "Surrrrrrrrrrrrre!".




Then he looked at me and said:
- You like pictures?
- VERY MUCH INDEED!
- Want to take a picture for you with the birds?
- Surrrrrrrrrrrrrre!!!



The words in rosy colour are my trial to translate two of the most common childhood songs in Iraq. They are really loosening of association that I most like.

13 comments:

Touta said...

Wonderful post, it reminded me of this song:
طلعت الشمسيه

علىا قبر عيشه

عيشة بت الباشا

تلعب بالخرخاشه

صاح الديك بالبستان

الله ينصر السلطان

شيل رجلك يا عمران

I forgot the one you wrote. :)

Santa Rosa New School Aikido said...

A wonderful post, Sami, and a GREAT picture. (Is that a pepsi I spot in your hand?). I don't think any of us finish our theses until we hate them and can't wait to get rid of them, by the way. The only way I was able to get some awful tasks finished when I was in grad school was to tie myself to my chair (a little string from my ankle to the chair leg). That way, I wouldn't jump up and procrastinate. (As much, at least!) And just think how wonderful you'll feel when everything's filed. You'll have time to--collect more nonsense rhymes! Look at clouds!! Study the Rorschach online with a friend!! : )

3eeraqimedic said...

Salam Sami
We miss childhood most when we are "trapped" in "adult" duties, I remember trying to finish my thesis before the content was so completly out of dat that it was pointless, but having done all that work there is really relatively very little to go before you are free as the children once again!

tracy said...

Be still my heart.

KittySigurdardottir. said...

If you think sea gulls have ugly voices,you should hear mine.

You are without a doubt my second favorite doctor.

saminkie said...

Hello my dear friends who really made me always feel so much better. I am sorry i was late to answer your comments because of some problem in the server here in Baghdad. Thank you all. You are so kind.

saminkie said...

Dear Touta, you got a nice nickname. Wellcome to this blog. Yes i do remember that song you said but i have a heard another which i used to play with my cosin. the song i tried to translate is:

Hajanjali Bajanjalie
Sa'adtu foukel jabalie
lakaytu kubba kubtain
ou sihit ya ammihsain
hatha makam il sultan
sheel rijlak ya Umran

we usually sit in the floor and sing it while one is hiting our thighs with the rhythm. When your leg is the last to be touched, you need to hold it up. The last one who still not holding both his or her legs is the winner.

saminkie said...

Hi Laura, yes that was a Pepsi. I hope one day will come again when Da'aboul (a traditional Baghdadi hero) will be able to drink whatever he will like next to Tigris.

What you said about your memories of doing your thesis made me more encourageous to almost complete the tables today.

Your last lines are really Rorchachian. :) Thank you Laura.

saminkie said...

Salam 3eeraqimedic, Your words were deep and it helped me to understand myself more. I am really preferring to play the "Kid" role, and bored, and little afraid, from my "Adult" role.

thank you my dear friend.

saminkie said...

Tracy i miss you so much my friend. Your words always make me smile and feel so energized. You helped me alot that day (yesterday) when i was able to read your comment via my mobile phone, but not able to answer on it, you helped me alot to nearly complete my study.

saminkie said...

Hi Krystal Bell, I have seen your picture and i think that your voice is very beautiful my dear. Such a beautiful face is having a nice voice for sure.

I hope that you regard me as a friend and no a doctor.

for me, i cannot easily befriend doctors.

Unknown said...

"We miss childhood most when we are "trapped" in "adult" duties"

What a profound thought, 3eeraqimedic. Thank you - it's kept me busy most of the day.

Sami, lovely photos, and nice to be able to put a smiling face to a name.

Margaret

Anonymous said...

Yes Margaret what 3eeraqimedic said was really profound. I liked that too very much.