Hello, everyone. First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of pictures this post will have. I have recently had a crack in my phone camera the left most of my pictures looking like this.
I am slowly working myself into affording a decent camera so I could take better shots. So, without further ado, allow me to talk to you about
Ali Al-Gharbi - [//]:# (!pinmapple 33.528522 lat 45.425345 long d3scr)
Ali al-Gharbi (Translated to "Western Ali") is a district existing around 300 kilometers south of Baghdad. The district has that mix between countryside and city to it. What makes it special is that as the district slowly modernizes, it still makes a case to keep its vast spaces green.
The district doesn't have a big budget to work with so it often focuses on one project or two at most to develop. The most recent one is making a corniche by its river.
They're also the first place in Iraq with a government-funded youth center
The marketplace in Ali -al-Gharbi isn't exactly the fanciest place either, as it is basically a short street with a few shops of each thing you find a market.
The market can be simply described as efficient, it doesn't have 80 fish shops or 50 clothing stores but has one or two of everything. The efficiency mindset can also be seen in houses as well
Most houses in the district are built to be inhabited not admired. It also befits the mindset of the people who are in it, as they are mainly kindhearted, giving people, most of whom are religiously devout but never fundamentalists.
Ali al-Gharbi has that "no man left behind" mentality to it. The generosity can be seen the second you are within its range, literally. When I took a car to Ali al-Gharbi I had forgotten most of my money at home and had only what equals 8 dollars (less than half fare), the driver didn't even let me finish the sentence before he said to "Khaleeha alaya".
"Khaleeha Alaya" is an Arabic sentence which roughly translates to "Leave it on me", or "leave it to me" or simply means "I got you". And that is a sentence you better get used to it fast coming into the district because it is the sentence you will hear the most, more than "good morning", and "Hello".
If you are at a coffee shop with a friend and you took longer than half a second to get your wallet out to pay your share, too late, he already hit you with the "Khaleeha alaya" and paid the whole thing. If you don't have enough to pay for the total amount, the store owner would just activate the "Khaleeha alaya" card and forgives the rest.
People here take their hospitality duties very seriously, they feel insulted and bad if you are not 110% satisfied with an exchange with them or staying at their home. Remember how I said, I had forgotten my money when I got here? Even after I had sent it to me, I still yet to be able to pay a dime, or Dinar if you are in Iraq, And people hosting me, AND their friends feel actual anger whenever I reach for the wallet.
To Summarise
If I was, to sum up, Ali al-Gharbi as a whole with a single word, it would be trying. They are trying hard to improve life here one day and one fund at a time, they're trying hard to be the perfect hosts even though most of them are on the lower end of the middle-class. And they are trying hard to keep the community kind, loving, and peaceful.
The only you could have your peace interrupted is if you leave your house door open and wake up to find a herd of sheep and goats in your backyard. And that is not even a joke
Thank you for reading. And I promise to have more pictures in the future as right now I am limited by RC as well as my phone quality camera.