Noomee Hilo

What better way could we describe Iraqi memories than by naming our blog Nomee Hello, the Iraqi fruit whose taste is a decliate enchanting comibation of the sour and sweet.
A very lyrical blog that sparkles with a love that can only be forthcoming from the depths of a woman, her name is Yasmine (Blanche), She writes about Ajam nabuq, the Aladdin heater and the Baghdad rain ; things, objects and fruits that are unique in their Iraqiness and which opens up a window to explore those memories, bittersweet memories.

The weather suddenly changed.. without previous warning it turned from sunny with a bit of cool air, to gloomy with cold wind and dark grey clouds ..i thought to myself looking at the sky : would it rain?? i dont smell rain in the air (i always felt i could smell rain before it actually rains)..i love rain.. i love watching it, i love being out when its pouring, i love the scent it has.. in Baghadad, the rain had a differnt scent..tabaan no other rain but Baghadad rain would have it..its a wonderful mixture of humid dust and water.. my aunt used to laugh at me when i say while standing with a window open in the rain : reehat trab..not reehat matar.. i would say there is no such scent elsewhere , bas b baghadad..she would laugh and say : all rain smells the same..
i didnt know at the time there would come a time with me out smelling other (motar) than baghdad's.. ooof how i wish to b standing again behind the same open window, in our house back there..i would have the sopa lit (aladdin sopa ofcourse) with its khorafi warmth (no other sopa could replace aladdin sopa for me, uptill now..and yes, el sopa also had a special distiguished smell which i adore).. my room was on the 2nd floor, i would see the top of nakhlat el jeeran, part of their garden hidden with ashjar el portuqal, they had so many of them.. and the flower beds lined with all colors.. my mother had wahes in gardening too at the time, she used to bring shatlat and try new plants.. our hadiqa was so distiguished, no trees, just high rose bushes and exquisite kinds of plants with beautifully colored flowers.. my mother kept plants inside the house too.. green was all around us inside and out .. she took great pride in her garden..she would catch me picking a few roses everyday before qoing to work , so i would put them on my desk.. she would open the hall window and scolds me like a child saying : u left us no roses to look at.. and i would smile and say there r still many more left.. and run away with my wonderful treasure..it smelled incredibly beautiful .. subhan Allah was it only the roses in hadeeqtna that smelled different ? or was it the roses of another time ??..in Baghadad? ..
Allahhh .. Sopat aladdin w Nakhalat el jeeran wel Hadiqa w Betna.. wel Motar.. Motar Baghadad.. oooof shghad moshtaaaqaaa.. oooof..