Iraq

I have visited some places with bad reputations and such but none made me as nervous as Iraq, especially as an American. A lot of people I talked to felt the same sense of worry. However, times have changed in Iraq. Shortly after landing, I felt oddly relieved and safe, something I honestly did not expect. Iraq offers US citizens a visa on arrival, you must pay $50 USD on arrival and then you are let out into the country. The airport takes extreme safety precautions due to their turbulent past. All drivers are pre-approved to shuttle people to the main road where they can then catch a ride to

wherever they are going next. In my case, my gracious airbnb host picked me up and provided me with everything I needed and more. She provided me with a driver to take me all over the country. This of course, was the source of much of my worry, driving around the country. The thing I was most worried about was the checkpoints. The first one we pulled up to was nerve-racking. We got detained for a few minutes before one of the soldiers brought me fruits grown in his very own village, an act of hospitality I could never forget in my life. If you thought that was kind, the

next check point, the military invited me to have lunch with them, offering me a huge cooked meal and ice water on a 40 C day in the sun. We stuck around and chatted through my driver, who spoke English and loved American pop music! Eventually, we had to continue on to Samarra, at which point, they provided me with a military escort, a truly kind and unique gesture. I climbed the harrowing tower in Samarra and took in the views of the cradle of civilization, the Euphrates River. After Samarra, we made our way south where we visited Babylon, a truly incredible place. The name itself provides an explanation

of its significance. There I learned the history of the place as well as the rather dark history of the US invasion and war crimes—stories I won’t share in this space. After Babylon, we visited the infamous Saddam Husseins palace on the hilltop overlooking Babylon. The palace is a looted shell of its former self. To stand in the halls of such an important historical figure was harrowing and surreal. I walked every corridor with pure astonishment. Eventually, I returned to my airbnb where my incredibly gracious host made me what felt like a 10 course meal. I could hardly handle her hospitality and kindness! The next morning we visited

the Baghdadi markets where I bought some traditional clothing, one of my favorite outfits. On our way to the airport, we drove by yet another reminder of the harsh realities the country has faced, a roundabout in Baghdad where Americans committed horrendous war crimes. Don’t get me wrong however, the future is so bright for Iraq, the country is changing and people are looking forward to and building a better tomorrow. Iraqis are more hospitable than any people I’ve met during my travels and truly just wanted to help me have the best time possible in their amazing country. While my time there was short, I look forward to my

return to this incredible place. To anyone thinking about visiting Iraq, I suggest taking certain precautions but you will feel as safe as anywhere when your feet touch the ground.