Death and Ear Wax

Potted rose bushes stand ready to be planted in the garden

Working alongside our Iraqi counterparts close bonds of friendship and trust are formed over time. On a daily basis we place our very lives in their hands, trusting in their judgment. I spend countless hours with our Iraqi counterparts and questions are asked about each others lives and culture. Above all else the Iraqis are deeply interested in our relationships with our wives and families.

I've come to learn that there is a sort of morbid humor that exists between Iraqi husbands and wives. One of my friends here regularly jokes with his wife, who he loves very much, about killing her. He finds this vane of humor hilarious, although I'm not sure how his wife feels about it. He told me that he and his wife had a big celebration the other day because they flipped a coin to see which of them would die first. The result was that she was fated to die before him, so hence the cause for celebration.

Another odd story has to do with one of our Iraqi staff having a massive plug of ear wax removed that had been apparently building up for years. The Iraqi exclaimed to the western medical technician that he was confused because he has his wife cleans his ears on a regular basis. My wife and I do a lot of things for each other, but ear cleaning is not on the list.