basra med

Dr. Thamer shows mama his photo as Dean of Basra Med

College entrance

Mohammed looks at a book by Dr. Thamer with Dr. Thamer

The lab

Lecture hall

Pops

                Deans in Iraq are the equivalents of Lindsay Lohans in LA. They are the Eric Schmidts of Silicon Valley. As we left our hotel, a group of twenty somethings stopped us. "Hi doctor," said the boys as their eyes humbly met the floor. Each boy shook our host's hands and continued on. Our host and a good friend of Baba's replied respectfully.  At a restaurant, the waiter who seated us did a double take, "hello professor." 
               Approaching strangers is relatively standard in the land I am most familiar with. Ashton Kutcher goes to Mr. Chow to be photographed by paparazzi. However, rather than directing praise towards entertainment celebrities, Basra's superstar is none other than its Med School Dean Dr. Thamer Hamdan.