Jokes Iraqis tell each other in traffic jams

From the McClatchy-affiliated blog written by Iraqi journalists, Inside Iraq.

There are other solutions than bothering the people.

Yesterday was one of my worst days. I left the office around 5:10 pm and arrived home around 8. I had to spend two of three hours on a bridge waiting for the security forces to allow me and hundreds of other people in their cars to pass the checkpoint. There was no real security procedures or heavy searching for car bombs or any real danger. The whole issue was the departure of the Turkish officials' delegation who came early Thursday.

With the news from my wife about the bad and serious fever of my son Haider and the smoke coming from the exhaust of the truck beside our car, waiting for opening the road became so long. time was passing so slowly. The wait in our car was a real psychological torturing.

Around 7:30 we passed the checkpoint. During most than two hours, Most of us left thecars and gathered on the top of the bridge watching the empty street and waiting for the official convoys to pass. We did not really care about them and all we were thinking about was the end of our unjustified suffering. People started telling jokes and funny comments about the guests and their departure.

A man suggested that government should think seriously about buying helicopters to use for the guests of the Iraqi government. He believes that helicopters would save time, money and provide the best security because no one in Iraq has one. The suggestion was widely accepted by some of the drivers.

A second man said that the government should receive the official guests at night when Iraqi are busy with the electricity problems and the talk about their usual bad days (we do not really talk about nice things because we lost them all in Iraq). This suggestion was rejected by many while others started laughing at the man and telling him that the guests would not be able to see how safe Iraqi is.

Another young man suggested that the government should specify some roads for the governmental use only. the long discussions were interrupted by the move of the first cars in the long lines sending an alarm for everyone to turn on the engine of his car.

As for me, I really support the first suggestion about buying helicopters because at least, I would not have to wait for any other extra hours for the sake of people that I don't even care about.

Image: Baghdad traffic jam, 2008.