June 15-29, 10 of us returned to Baghdad, Iraq to reconnect with our colleagues, to assess the current situation in Iraq and to find out ways our delegation of academics can assist in the reconstruction of Higher Education and Health in Iraq. The trip was amazing: it was very difficult to see the destruction from the war and to see soldiers rolling down the streets in tanks, but it was amazing to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. The two weeks were full of experiences, which I am still trying to process. I will write about it when I am able, but in the mean time I am uploading my photographs.
Approaching the border:
This is our car load with our driver and our GMC en route to Baghdad:
Along the way we saw a place where the road was bombed and this scene, where an overpass was bombed out:
If you look closely in the background, you will see tanks, this became a familiar scene:
The first day we saw Mishkat:
One of our first stops was an internet cafe,
This one is run by a gas powered generator, pictured here:
To get onto the University of Baghdad campus, all must pass through a checkpoint, if you look over the driver's shoulder you will see a soldier saying "Hiwiya" or "ID":
On one of our visits to the University, we saw people demonstrating outside the office of the president demanding the reinstatement of a professor we later found out Andrew Erdman, "Minister of Higher Education" was visiting the president at that time. All of those decisions will be made by Bremmer:
We also saw a familiar site:
And some telling graffiti
These are pictures of students and faculty executed by the former regime:
A sign which says, Iraq for Iraqis only
A poster protesting Saddam
Student group we met with
Here is the tower at the University of Baghdad:
The new president of the University of Baghdad:
The president's conference room sustained damage, 
The door to the room was knocked in by occupational forces as the searched the tower
While in the president's office, we saw Dr. Jamal:
This is a scene in the School of Architecture:
More common sites:
The market where some of us shopped in January
Mustansirya- plaque where Saddam's name has been chiseled off:
Ok, so it wasn't all work, here is our team enjoying some ice cream:
We spent some time with Husam Al-Rawi, professor of Architecture. This picture is of us with Husam, his wife and son:
This is a house that Husam designed:
Here is a house that Bassam designed:
We were able to spend some time with Dr. Waleed, Professor of Theater
We visited Janan, this is her family:
We also saw Professor Bedri and his grand-daughter:
We visited the Dean and Assistant Deans of the School of Education for Women:
This is a quilt that was made by elementary school children in the US given to the school:
This is what is left of the Ministry of Higher Education, now being housed in the lobby of the University of Baghdad library:
The graffiti on this structure illustrates the mixed emotions-
first it said US ARMY GO HOME,
then someone crossed out GO HOME and wrote GOOD,
then someone crossed out the OD, leaving US ARMY GO.
and nearby...
Here is the building just next to Saddam Tower:
Saddam Tower:
Dr. Jamal showed us his office, the glass is blown out or has bullet holes through it:
The newest member of our group, Nada, took me to her old High School,
this is us with many of the teachers (who are busy grading final exams):
And this is the front of the school:
We visited another campus, where the art school is. The library there was looted and burned:
We were able to visit an exhibit, the first one of art created post-war:
At another art gallery, we were treated to a fish lunch
While there, Jim celebrated his birthday:
Aren't we cute?:
We went to the square where the Saddam tower was pulled down, shortly after, an artist placed this sculpture in its place:
Notice the graffiti on the base "All donne go home"
This plaque was left by the artist of the new statue:
This is the building where Uday "worked":
A closer look:
One of the more difficult places to see, here is what remains of the Old Baghdadi House:
The whole gang:
Contact me at: moose_835@yahoo.com
