Doonesbury.com's The Sandbox: Dispatches from Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

I DREAM OF DJINNI

Name: CPT MATT SMENOS
Stationed In: AFSHANISTAN

I tried to explain that she was a genie—or a djinn, as it's pronounced in Arabic. For me, Barbara Eden strutting around in a pink halter top and pantaloons had always fit vaguely into my understanding of the mythology of the Middle East. To my friend and interpreter Aresh, it made no sense at all. I tried to explain who she was and what she was doing as he and I ate lunch in the television room at our little base, but I soon realized that this was an American idea, and kind of a dumb one. Define surreal: "A white guy from the suburbs, eating grilled cheese sandwiches in a wooden hut in Afghanistan, explaining I Dream of Jeannie reruns to an Iranian-born Afghan employed as a Dari/Arabic interpreter by the U.S. government."

Aresh wanted to know why she was (relatively) naked and why her "husband" (The Major) allowed her to come and go (so abruptly) while dressed like that. I explained that the major never chose her, that they were not married, and that, in fact, it often seemed he wanted to be rid of her. Yet she had chosen him as a master, and there was no getting rid of her. This explanation did nothing to clarify the concept for my poor interpreter. But Aresh is a good kid, and as frustrating as the conversation was for him, he satisfied himself by telling me he was glad no women he knew could make things happen like the woman in the show. Next week I'm starting him on Bewitched.

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Contact: Shelly Barkes, (800) 851-8923, ext. 7498, sbarkes@amuniversal.com

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Doonesbury.com's The Sandbox: Dispatches from Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

Author: Garry Trudeau
ISBN: 978-0-7407-6945-0
Format: Paperback: 6 x 9, 328 pages
Price: $16.95 ($20.95 Canada)