On a good note

On Monday, I went to two small base closings in Eastern Baghdad. On the way out of one, the commander wanted to show me a local school under renovation. The United States is paying for the improvements – windows, walls, paint, plumbing, electricity, a garden. It’s less than $200,000. A local Iraqi contractor is doing the work.

I’ve been to a few schools in the past few years, both decaying and renovated. I once wrote about a newly opened school that was blown to bits. So have many, many other reporters.

Here, though, was something surprising. This looked like a place that actually would welcome kids. Each room had a different theme – ocean, sports, Mickey Mouse. The auditorium, bright orange, had a stage and lighting. There were indoor toilets, and when it was all said and done, they would work.

Iraqi schools operate roughly on the same schedule as western schools. By fall, kids will be in these classes. It seems unlikely that this school will blow up. But it’s still too soon to tell.