2009.04.30
30APR09--"Army Wives"
Today, my Iraqi counterpart asked me "'Army Wives.' You have seen his show on television?"
I politely responded, "Well, I know the show, but I have not seen it myself. I know that my wife has seen it at least a few times."
"Well, my family gathers around the televisions every week to watch 'Army Wives.' The show is in English, but it has Arabic subtitles. Mostly it is about how Soldiers cope with life after coming home from war and how their families live while they are away," the Iraqi captain explained.
Nodding in affirmation, I said, "It is nice that you can share it together as a family, you, your wife and your kids. What else do you watch together?"
He looked confused for a moment and then responded, "Well, I do not have time to watch more shows. It is not just my wife and kids. My two brothers, their wives, and my three nieces and one nephew, we all watch it together. We like to see how Americans live. The show captures so much for us, especially my wife, she relates to it sort of. She is an Army Wife too."
"Yeah, I can see that. Well, I must say, the way that Iraqis value family time and togetherness is very admirable." He beamed, as I explained this concept to him, "A lot of times in the States, family ties end with spouse and children."
He replied, "My family is every that I have. I will work here at the army base for 10 days straight and my brothers will look after my wife and kids, as if they were their father too. But I know that things are so much busier in the States."
"Well, things are faster paced, but also, generations of families do not often live next to each other, on the same street, in the same neighborhood or even in the same city as each other. Things are different, but I think that we all value family time and togetherness," I said.
He thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, different but the same."
