Zum Irak Video

The VN girls think that the trip to Bagdad was the most exciting adventure they have ever had. Katrin got ill during the trip and is right now getting well at home. The VN girls arrived in Kuwait last Tuesday. They were taken to a house with thick concrete walls. "Thank god we could sleep in one room with other girls" says Katrin. "We tried to turn off the air conditioner. It made a lot of noise and the room was very cold already. That's why I got ill" says Katrin. In the morning they ate a very good breakfast. "As there are the USA soldiers in Arisjan, you can buy American snacks, fries and burgers there" laughs Katrin. On the same day they were taken to the airport by bus. "We sat on the plane with the bulletproof vests and helmets. Only then it's allowed to fly there."

The plane landed in Iraq at night. "We were a little bit scared but not that much, because there were a lot of soldiers everywhere" tells Katrin. In the contingent the girls were taken to a house which looked like a bomb shelter. The windows were covered with sand bags, but the inside was very nice and cosy. They could hear the war noises. "It was kind of scary when we heard the sounds of the helicopters. As it was dark, we couldn't see anything" says Katrin. Lenna heard a sound of a bomb explosion during the dinner. A little bit later the alarm signal was started. "We left the lunch room and heard the bombing – it felt like in a war movie" says Katrin. "Everything was so realistic. We didn't know anything and maybe it was better like this, because otherwise we would have been scared. Now, all we can remember are the positive things."

The first concert was given on Thursday in Taji base. "We were listened by thousands of soldiers and they really enjoyed the concert" says Katrin. Some soldiers climbed on the stage and after the concert the VN girls gave autographs. The Estonian soldiers got the newest album LIW. The girls regret that they didn't take more albums with them because everybody wanted the LIW albums. "We were just chatting with the Estonian soldiers for 2 hours. It was such a good feeling." The second concert was given in the Virginia base.

During the 2 days they could do a lot of new things. "We could act like the soldiers and try shooting. We could ride in a tank which weighed about 70 tons. We were told that it can go through a house" says Katrin. Sunday was a free day and they could look around in Kuwait. They were amazed by the huge houses there. "You can't see anything like this in Estonia" mentions Katrin.

They started their way back to Estonia on Sunday. Unfortunately they had to wait for 8 hours in a German airport. "We were just moving around the airport like zombies, drinking tea and coffee and playing cards" says Katrin. They got home at Monday night. "I don't regret anything. This feeling was incredible!" says Katrin. Lenna agrees with her: "It was the most interesting trip ever!"

Interesting quotations translated from the video:

Piret: "Of course we were very happy about the offer to give a concert here, but we were also a bit afraid of the war here and you never know what might happen."
Lenna: "While Katrin is exploring the tanks, we are sunbathing with Piret."
Katrin: "We are going to have a ride with THREE tanks. Three girls and three tanks."
Katrin: "The soldiers were suprisingly shy. We were waiting for them to open themselves and talk about their life here, but the life of a soldier is not that easy, so we understand them."
Katrin: "The tanks are more comfortable than the hummers."
Lenna: "You could see from the crowd the differences between different nations – Estonian soldiers were very shy, while the US soldiers were more active. But it was better to give a concert to the Estonian soldiers. It felt very good."
Piret: "We could see that the soldiers were very happy that we came. When we were about to leave, they came in front of our hotel and held a speech and gave as a photo with them and us in it. It was very sad and I almost started to cry."
Lenna: "I also felt very sad. Estonians don't talk a lot, but if they do, they really mean what they say."

Quelle: Love-Ninjas