Teenage girl in Iraq writes blog in English

As I was reading this, I couldn't help but think of Anne Frank writing in her diary as she and her family hid out from the Nazis. (I've visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and also read her diary.) I found this at The Left Coaster:

Sixteen year old Iraqi blogger Sunshine puts Bush's disaster into a better perspective than I or any other American blogger could:

The new operation is about to start as you know, I feel like it’ll work this time, although not everyone think so, because the troops announced the operation before it starts .. I still have hope, I don’t know why.. All the ex-operations failed, but there is a voice inside my heart telling me to be optimistic.

I think about Iraq a lot, what happened and what’s going to happen. When I think about our future I wonder weather it’ll worth every thing we faced , Hopefully.

I open the curtain above my bed, look at the sky, and think…

If the troops will defeat the terrorists and we’ll have security, my relatives who live abroad will come to Iraq, and I’ll be able to see my aunt again, we’ll do whatever we want and wear what we like, without being afraid from terrorists .. I’ll feel more free to write about what I feel, and you’ll be able to see Sunshine, I won’t have to make voice interviews only ..

Oh god how much I miss planning to picnics and preparing for parties, I feel I am so close to live in safety, and see my relatives , neighbors , & friends who had to leave Iraq again.

Every bad thing we got through will be a memory only, we’ve been living in a war zone for four long years, full of sadness & fear. It was a bad experience and no one would love to go through that, but It’s out of my power, I can’t end the war, but we say “if you have lemon, make lemonade” there’s no bright side in the war, but in this four years I became stronger, and independent person, I believe in myself and I know nothing can stop me from moving forward, not even the war, nor terrorists when I have determination and faith ..

I realized how much I love Iraq, I didn’t know how much Iraq means to me, until I saw It destroyed.

Her optimism, even after having experienced so much disappointment and horror, should make any humane person ache.