Episode 5: From Conflict to Companionship: A Tale of Love and Resilience

As Nahrain and I strolled down memory lane, we uncovered the threads of a bond woven under the most extraordinary circumstances in Iraq. Our story, which might sound like a plot from a dramatic film, is anything but fiction. From the playful origins of my "Mr. 7-Up" moniker to the taste of Pepsi that betrayed my mood swings, our conversation is a deep dive into relationships fostered amidst the backdrop of conflict. We invite you to listen in as Nahrain reminisces about safeguarding her café comrades' jobs during tumultuous times and the enduring friendships with Bobani's wit and Jackson's generosity that brightened our days.

Touching down in Australia, the emotions overflow as I relive the moment of reconnection with Nahrain at the airport and the warmth of her family's welcome. My early adventures Down Under, armed with nothing but a simple computer repair sign and a rollercoaster of feelings, set the stage for a journey of resilience and companionship. With Nahrain's invaluable support and a first official date that was a cocktail of nerves and excitement, our narrative unfolds. Join us for an episode that's a testament to the power of love and endurance, and perhaps you'll find a spark of inspiration to write your own epic tale.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome back to Full Circle with Sean. From the last episode we were talking to Nahrain and her story, and so we're going to go back a little bit, because we were talking about how her and I connected after everything happened to her, and I'd like her to tell you how we actually met in Iraq to start with. So welcome, nahrain.

Speaker 2: 0:21

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 0:22

All right, so give me the go, tell me how we met.

Speaker 2: 0:26

Actually, I used to. He used to actually come every day, Sean so by 7-Up, and then I started calling him Mr 7-Up. So that's when we started.

Speaker 1: 0:40

What was my call sign? Do you remember my call sign, tyler? Well, my actual call sign.

Speaker 2: 0:46

Power one.

Speaker 1: 0:47

Yeah, I lipped it to her, but she got it as soon as I started doing it. So yeah good job, good job, arnie. Yeah, so keep going. So I used to come every day and buy 7-Up from you.

Speaker 2: 1:00

Yeah, when he's like mad at me, he will buy a Pepsi.

Speaker 1: 1:05

Oh that's nice to know.

Speaker 2: 1:07

Okay, so she got me straight away, guys, yeah, and yes, he start talking to me and then, yeah, and we actually planned to when I leave the country, and then he will meet me in different country, and then we get together. Yeah, yes, Nice.

Speaker 1: 1:25

So we had plans for someday. Yes, awesome, um, and tell me so. I want to go back to the cafe as well. Um, when, when we were leaving, so when my unit was leaving, do you remember what we did for the uh, for muham workers, do you remember? So we knew, I knew, I had a feeling that the new group that came in, they would, they would change the contractors. That's that's how they normally do it. They want their own relationships. So they changed the contractors, which is kind of a dumb idea, because they have all the relationships or we had all the relationships, but that's just how leadership did it. So they changed the contractor. So what did I have, muhammad, do remember, we sat around the table and uh make um give us the extra money yeah and protect us.

Speaker 2: 2:14

Yeah, he was the best, yeah so I was yeah, so until now I still contact him, talk to him. He's a great guy, yeah yeah, so we, um, we.

Speaker 1: 2:26

I asked him to keep a percentage of the funds that he charged us and give them out, split them evenly between all his people when we left so nobody would be without. In case they got changed. Now tell me. So I already know. Certain people tell me about Bobani, so I already know.

Speaker 2: 2:45

Certain people Tell me about Bobani Bobani I heard. One of the soldiers was my first friend, jackson, and then with the contractor, they were Bobani Bobani. He was from Bosnia, bosnia.

Speaker 1: 2:59

Bosnia. So he's very funny. He was my best friend, yeah, he used to.

Speaker 2: 3:01

He's very funny. He was my best friend.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 3:05

Yeah, he used to speak Assyrian. My auntie taught him to speak Assyrian. Wow, yeah, he was funny and he used to buy a coffee every day. Before I opened the shop he used to come and buy and then he went and bought a machine yeah, put it in my auntie's shop and coffee. He said I don't want to spend every day like 10, 15 dollars every day in the rain taking from me dollar, dollar for coffee. He said no more. I said okay, we'll see first day. Second day he came and said I want to buy a coffee. I said why you have for free?

Speaker 2: 3:48

he said for free it doesn't taste good, nice nice, yes, um, so tell me about jackson jackson, he used to, he used to teach me actually, uh, english okay, because you didn't speak English when you first started. Not really good yeah, no, not really Okay yeah, and he used to bring me lots of presents.

Speaker 1: 4:12

Yeah, yeah, do you still talk to Jackson or Bobani? Yes, yes, awesome Friends for life. Anybody else, I mean, you obviously know a lot of people.

Speaker 2: 4:24

Yeah, I still talk to Sam. Sam, he was my best friend too. Yeah, and who was Sam?

Speaker 1: 4:31

He helped me a lot.

Speaker 2: 4:32

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 4:33

He was the one that did your applications and everything. Yes, yeah, yeah, awesome, awesome, all right, so let's fast forward. Okay, so now you're in Australia, you're set up, you got a house and lo and behold, in comes, sean Flies in in a plane. Tell me how that was. I get off the plane, you're at the airport 2008.

Speaker 2: 5:00

2008. Who's with you? It was my mom and one of my friends. 2008. Who's with you? It was my mom and one of my friends. And then, yes, we met you. After what Six years?

Speaker 1: 5:11

Yeah, six years.

Speaker 2: 5:16

I remember the puffy black jacket you were wearing still, yes, and then, yeah, we met finally.

Speaker 1: 5:28

And even he got scared from airplane sean. Oh, yeah, I have a. I have a a bit of a problem with fear of flying. Uh, I can deal with it a bit, but yeah, two, two bad airplane rides and uh, and that can happen to you. So I'll go over those in a in another episode. Um, but yeah, continue yes, yeah, continue, yes.

Speaker 2: 5:43

And then, first day, he met all my family, all my cousins, aunties and uncles.

Speaker 1: 5:50

You have a lot of family here in Australia.

Speaker 2: 5:51

Yeah, big family.

Speaker 1: 5:53

Yeah, assyrian family yeah, some of them been here a long time.

Speaker 2: 5:56

Yes, yeah, awesome Some of them. We came all together like month, like early Okay.

Speaker 1: 6:03

Awesome, so did the whole family thing and then we went on our first real date. So tell me about that first date, nahrain.

Speaker 2: 6:10

Yes, I was really really shy yes, you were. And then he decided to eat pizza. He said what pizza you want? I said oh, anyone, do you want this? I said, oh, it's okay, and then we started eating pizza and it was like really, she said I like everything on pizza and I said are you sure you want everything?

Speaker 1: 6:34

And she said yes, so I got her everything and it was so disgusting Anchovies and everything on it. And I'm just looking at her and I'm like this is like a pain. Look, she's in pain. And I looked at her and I said you don't have to eat if you don't want to.

Speaker 2: 6:52

I said stride of it. Oh, thank you.

Speaker 1: 6:56

She was very shy she was very shy. So yeah. So a couple of trips later, we got engaged. Yes, yay, we got married, had a couple kids and yeah so long-term effects of everything that happened to you though you get a piece of glass, come out your foot after years. Yeah lots, lots, yeah. And you have a problem in heat because of the shrapnel in your body yes, and then you had a problem where you had a lot of stomach pains. What happened with that? Tell me what would happen.

Speaker 2: 7:38

I used to eat or drink anything. I would get sick and fall on the floor crying like bad and take me to emergency and emergency. Give me some tablets and then I'll be okay.

Speaker 1: 7:50

And then come five years five years and it would happen probably once a month yeah, yeah, and then become like a lot yeah, it's a lot, yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:59

And then in one hospital they said to me epping, let's name them, name them and shame them.

Speaker 1: 8:04

So epping hospital what they say.

Speaker 2: 8:07

They say it's in her um, in her brain yep and what mental issue, actually what happened to her in the past. So that's what she's getting. Yeah, and then my gp sent me to another hospital. She said, no, you have this issue. They need to, they need to fix it. Yeah, she knew what it was and then went to a different hospital and they said to me she got seizure.

Speaker 1: 8:34

Yep.

Speaker 2: 8:35

And it's still in her brain.

Speaker 1: 8:37

Yep.

Speaker 2: 8:37

And then, after I had it, when I was in the hospital they're doing the test, they said, oh, it's not seizure, it's still, it's something.

Speaker 1: 8:46

Nobody knew what it was. No.

Speaker 2: 8:48

Until my doctor. She was like really fighting for it and she said I'm going to send you to St Vincent. That was the last thing, yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:57

So we went to St Vincent in emergency actually.

Speaker 2: 9:00

I drove you there in emergency instead of calling an ambulance. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 9:03

We went to emergency and they said, oh, we need to do CT, yeah. And I said you can't do CT because she's got shrapnel. So they x-rayed your whole body. Yes, and they came back. And what did they say?

Speaker 2: 9:23

Yeah, they said, oh, we need to do different CT and all this kind of stuff. So, yeah, they decided to give me tablets again. They said if you happen a painkiller or something I said when that happened to you, come back again.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:34

So I was like going back and forth with them because they were meeting with the doctors where they decide to do what's going on with me and all this, and then they decide to do the operation yeah, well, the first thing that happened, though, is they removed your gallbladder yeah, and that that happened at epping yeah, because they thought it was a gallbladder problem yeah so, so we're at, we're at saint vincent and saint vincent, uh they, they don't know what it is, but but a junior doctor, she had an idea.

Speaker 1: 10:04

Yes so tell us about this doctor and what her idea was.

Speaker 2: 10:07

She said there is a tube there A tube yeah. And then that need to open, yeah, so where?

Speaker 1: 10:15

the gallbladder used to be.

Speaker 2: 10:17

Yes.

Speaker 1: 10:17

There's actually still stones in the tube forming, yes, and they can't get out. And that's what she thought. But because you couldn't do an MRI, yeah, nobody could prove it. No, yeah. So so she said, come back the next time and she fought with some of the big dogs, but she was just a training doctor.

Speaker 2: 10:35

Yeah, she was a junior doctor.

Speaker 1: 10:35

Yeah, um, yeah she wasn't a senior doctor. The senior doctor said I don't know so. So yeah, so you come back again and she wants to do the procedure and tell me is it risky?

Speaker 2: 10:48

Oh it was. You die, you leave Because they put a tube in you.

Speaker 1: 10:53

And if it goes the wrong way and hits your pancreas?

Speaker 2: 10:55

Yes, You're done yeah.

Speaker 1: 10:57

And if it goes the right way, then it's successful.

Speaker 2: 10:59

Yes.

Speaker 1: 11:01

And yeah, so we Even, then it's successful.

Speaker 2: 11:03

Yes and uh and yeah. So we even I, went to they do that day that the time they come to do the operation, she said I'm not going to do it because you're too young and you got kids and every time it happened to you, just come and we'll like fix you. And then you go home. I said, no, I have a faith you will do it, i'll'll be okay. Yes, and they did it. And the next day she said I'll do it, not today, so when they're done, finish it. And they said well, everything went smooth, everything was okay, thanks God, everything was all right. And then yes, yep.

Speaker 2: 11:42

And have you had a problem since? No, so it fixed you. Yeah, it did.

Speaker 1: 11:45

Did you reconnect with that doctor?

Speaker 2: 11:47

Oh yeah, I went to her me and my friends and went to give her flowers and I was really happy, sad and I started crying.

Speaker 1: 11:58

She started crying and I told her how I was suffering for five, five years with that pain and she helped me yeah, yeah, and it just goes to show you that get a second opinion, get a third opinion if you're in pain, you're in pain, you know it's.

Speaker 2: 12:15

I was dying every day actually.

Speaker 1: 12:17

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, all right, well, that's um. Yeah, well, that's that's done, at least um, and you still have some trailing stuff. So you still have certain pains, you still have some headaches and just from yeah, I had yeah, and you go to the, the ear and eye doctor, every year or two and they do they. What do they do to you there?

Speaker 2: 12:41

they. Actually I had one fake eye.

Speaker 1: 12:45

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 12:46

Actually they made it like really it moves around. You can't tell it's fake. No, no, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:51

And how many doctors in Australia do that eye?

Speaker 2: 12:54

Only one.

Speaker 1: 12:55

Yeah. Dr Peter he's like the best, and he's trying to retire for years, but he can't seem to train anybody. So if you want to learn how to do it, he's looking for somebody yeah he is, he's really good. But at the ER&I hospital they dilate your eye and they bring in juniors to show them because it's pretty rare huh, yeah, they didn't see this before, so they study actually.

Speaker 1: 13:21

Yeah, yeah, and you can't, so obviously you can't drive, no, so it's public transport. Yes, yeah, you can't see, see too well, but you know, we have found a doctor really good eye doctors giving you some pretty cool glasses yes yeah, so you can see a bit now yes, better better. Yeah, I remember. I remember when they put them on you and you cried oh yeah, I see the all the letters yeah, that's pretty clear.

Speaker 1: 13:51

Yeah, awesome, um, yeah, so anything else you want to um want to talk about? It's a pretty big story and I know we only only cap some of it and for you listeners, we'll bring her back from time to time, obviously, and this show is about talking about stories and learning about things, so go ahead, learning about faith, how you have faith, how you have hope to stand on your feet.

Speaker 2: 14:17

Yeah, yes, because I went through a lot after my accident. How twice I was a dead person? Yeah, yes, so God put you in lots of tests and see how you're going to react. So I had faith, I believe of God and thanks God for everything that's happened to me. Okay, I was blessed.

Speaker 1: 14:47

Yeah, wow, that's an interesting way to take adversity, you know, and yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:56

And live your life.

Speaker 1: 14:57

Yeah, some days you don't say it's as good as the others, though. How did I meet you?

Speaker 2: 15:04

Oh, no, no you are my love.

Speaker 1: 15:07

Oh, all right. Well, enough of this lovey-dovey stuff. We'll take that offline. Guys, all right? Yeah, so the next episode will be starting in Australia. So when I first came in, I couldn't get a job and I actually started by putting a sign outside the house that said I fixed computers and Nahrain actually helped me with a lot of customers, because I didn't have the political skills at the time and I was just happy, angry, happy, angry, stressed. So yeah, and, as I said, we'll bring her back from time to time and obviously send your comments to comments at fullcirclewithshawncom. And, yeah, happy to answer any more questions on that. So look forward to seeing you in the next episode and thank you again, nareen, thank you.