The Herald of Arkansas State University November 5, 2007
ASU Student spends summer in Iraq
By Kelcie Huffstickler
Whitney-Marie Smith, a sophomore psychology major, spent four weeks last summer living in Baghdad, Iraq. She was visiting her parents and 14-year-old sister, who have lived in the heart of the city for over a year.
Whitney's parents moved to Iraq to run their own programs. Her father focuses on relief and development to help Iraqis resituate themselves back into jobs and homes, and her mother teaches English and helps students come to America to learn and teach.
"There's positives and negatives," Whitney said about her parents living in Baghdad. "My dad loves his job and my mother enjoys hers." However, danger is always a possibility.
"There [were] several car bombs while I was there," Whitney said. "You learn to kind of put your fears aside and let God take control."
Whitney's family is not new to living abroad. She, her parents, her two brothers and her sister lived in China for 14 years working as consultants. "We hiked into villages [and] helped people be healthier," Whitney said about her life in Southeast Asia. "[We] provided for their village."
Before going to Baghdad, Whitney spent the first half of the summer in Jordan working with a family of archeologists. The family was doing pottery digs near the ancient city, Petra. According to Whitney, a friend of a friend got her family in touch with the archeologists, and off she went to help the strangers in a foreign country. Her sister from Baghdad also came along so the girls could spend that time together.
"So much went into it," Whitney said about the digs, "processing, organizing the information into the computer, cleaning the pottery, and sorting it."
While there, Whitney helped her mom and taught three English classes in the war-torn country. They taught in the Green Zone, which is, according to GlobalSecurity.org, the heavily guarded diplomatic/government area of closed-off streets in central Baghdad where U.S. occupation authorities live and work. Most of Whitney's students were college graduates and teachers, and although they knew basic English, Whitney said she learned a lot of their words while living in Jordan, which made the communication process easier.
Whitney also got to meet many U.S. soldiers during her stay in Iraq. "They're doing really good," she said. She said that the soldiers really believe they are making progress and that the Iraqis love Americans and don't want them to leave. "I'm really glad they're there," she said.
Whitney said that returning to Jonesboro after her summer abroad was a culture shock. After living on the edge, accustomed to the sounds of planes and explosions, she is now easily frightened, something that is unusual for her. "Normally I'm the one who scares people," Whitney said.
Although Whitney said she does not worry as much about her parents living in Iraq, she worries a lot about her little sister and her having to see so many terrible things at such a young age.
Whitney currently lives with her two brothers and their families in their parents' home. However, she is getting married in May to Shane Hicks, a member of the National Guard. Her parents will be flying in for the wedding.
© Copyright 2007, The Signal & Urbanite
