TRANSCRIPT OF HOSHMAND'S WALK

Name: Hoshmand
Location mapped: Akra to Arbil
Location walked: Plymouth
Date: 6 February 2004

I am from Akra but I lived in Arbil for a long time. I‘ve been a student there until I finished college and after that I come to this country. And now I am here I live normal life like everybody like every English people I am working and I have my house. And I am happy. Arbil is north in Iraq. It is a Kurdish city for Kurdistan. There is a lot of Kurdish people living in this city. All of them actually is not from Arbil. There is a variety of people they are living in Arbil. But all of them they are Kurdish people. And we have got a lot of Christian people as well they live with us in the same city and I never have any problem together. From Arbil is nearly two hours driving. Before we have a problem about the way for driving. We have to drive nearly four hour from Arbil we going to Salhadein and after Chaklava and after we goijng Kandil and we arrive to Akra. But before we had problems with Saddam Hussein's government and they take all this place under control Saddam Hussein the way from Mossul. But now no, it is only one and a half hour drive and it's better than before. Before when living here just we try about to learn English language and then after work. And in England and I think all European countries you just have to work life is work, but in our country, no. Here nobody they help you, like your sister your brother your dad, your mom, but in my country everybody they helping you. And uh the life is easier than here and I want to come back to my country. I want to live there like everybody, but unfortunately we don't have any safe lives there. Now Saddam Hussein is gone and maybe after one year or two years our life is going to be better in Iraq, but even its nearly seven or eight months Saddam Hussein is gone even last week in my street there's explosion two bomb and they kill nearly 200 people. And this is not nice. |And who is responsible about all this explosion. And all these people that's there like American army and British army, I think if they want to secure, if they can't secure the country they come, but I think they just neglect about something and I don't know what is this, and they know why.

And we can walk on to the sundial and maybe I think a little bit about Sepa, it's this spring place. This is summer place all this mountain. And the water is coming behind the uh between the mountain and it's a very nice place for a picnic and the people's are going to for swimming or they relax there and they have chalet they can stay night there and they spend nice time over there. Here we are in city centre and our city centre its different with city centre and about this I can't feel about its like Akra or anything. We got a lot a lot of mountains over Iraq. But the big mountain is named Hussaros, we have got Gera, we have got Helgoat, we have got Hondrain, we have got Calais and Calais its in the city I live there in Akra these mountain over there. Once I have my uncle he's been in university and all university they make picnic too over there. And my uncle invite me I went to with him. We went to Galizanta and we really enjoyed a lot over there because all the people they been singing and they joking and they dancing and there is music its own and we enjoyed. And I remembered with my family I went to there and with my dad with my mom, sister, brother, and my uncle, with my uncle and his wife, his kids, my auntie we all went there together and we have barbecue and we have drink, we have music, we have swimming, and everything I enjoyed a lot and now when I remember all this I like now I come back to there and I stay there because its not the same feeling when you are here and you are there. The social life is different with here. In my country and here is very different. For example, if you have kids and they are older than sixteen or seventeen they going to away from you for two year three you maybe you didn't see them. But in my country no. We have to meet each other every Friday if I move away. Or for example, if you are married in my country you have to stay all your life with this wife and you make family and you look after your kids and you wife. But I see about everything is different. Here everybody they think just they working five day a week and they think when is be Friday about they going to out to drink and they going to clubs. I think it is all the government's fault. because here in this country the government is always behind the women and the man can‘t control his wife or his girlfriend. This is my opinion and I don't know if I'm wrong or I'm right, but at the same time like I say about woman all Englishman they think woman is just easy, just like this you can find. But you can find all the time good girl or nice woman you know. And about this in my country. We haven't girlfriend or boyfriend or I go out with a girl and I don't know her. We have if I want somebody I have to go to his dad's house and I tell his dad I want to marry his daughter. Maybe he accept he, he accept I marry his daughter, maybe he didn't. There's a lot a lot of things that are different than here.

In the cave is very nice. There is nothing wrong. My dad has been there and he explain for us. And the people are there. And especially we have got a month that's called Ramadan and the people they are going to pray over there and they stay for two week or three week. Just they are praying over there, and they stay there just for God. When its finished Ramadan we have got three day celebrated like last week we have four day they call Edelqurban. We should meet each other four day all family together. We see each other, we playing together, we going to picnic together, we going to cinema together and its very nice actually. Its like sundial we have got in the normal park or garden at home and everybody there they make like the sundial in garden just about in summer when they are going to sit in the garden and they are voice for water and they relax with this and then nothing else.

And its heavy raining. In Kurdistan you can know its summer, its spring, its winter. But here you don't know what is this weather. You can see four, uh you can see winter, spring, summer, what's another one, autumn for one hour. It changes every ten minutes.