Interview+with+Riverbend-Baghdad+Burning

For the interview portion of this project I conducted an "interview" between myself and the protagonist of the book //Baghdad Burning as if I were conducting the interview in real life. Baghdad Burning was originally a blog written by an Iraqi woman who keeps a blog of her thoughts and feelings about her experience after the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003. A review of Bagdad Burning describes Riverbend as "a vital witness to the recent events that are shaping the future of her homeland [Iraq]".// //[|Riverbend's Blog]:Baghdad Burning//



Question: What is your name?
//Riverbend: "Hi, I do not give out my real name for safety reasons, but you can call me Riverbend which is my blogger name".//

Question: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
//Riverbend: "I keep up with politics in Iraq and around the world and I write in my blog."//

Question: What was a typical day like for you before the invasion of Iraq?
//Riverbend: "I used to wake up in morning, get ready for the day, and go to work on computers. I was free to come and go as I pleased."//

Question: What is your life like now since the invasion?
//Riverbend: "Occupation has become a way of life for me. My brother and I will sometimes sit on top of the roof of our small house to watch Baghad burning. We have learned how to identify different types of weapons by listening to their sound. I am unable to go anywhere outside my house without a male with me for protection. Now, the electricity is not reliable and is most likely not working properly. When the electricity briefly comes on I race to my computer to update my blog."//

Question: What inspired you to start writing your blog?
//Riverbend: "I wanted to share my experiences from the heart. My experiences are shared by thousands of other Iraqis like myself. Because I am so interested in politics and how the government's decisions can forever damage people's lives and this spurred my desire to write about how I view events that occur in the world and in my home country of Iraq"//