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Normal life in Baghdad is anything but

By Kim Segal
CNN

CNN's Kim Segal in the Baghdad bureau

BEHIND THE SCENES

In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events.

SPECIAL REPORT

• Interactive: Who's who in Iraq

• Interactive: Sectarian divide

• Timeline: Bloodiest days for civilians

• Coalition Casualties

• Special Report

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The past few weeks we've had a fairly normal schedule in the Baghdad bureau. Reminding you that normal is relative here.

With so much news coming out of Lebanon and Israel, we didn't broadcast as much as we usually do. But that has changed in the past few days.

We are back to working round the clock to bring the situation in Iraq to our viewers. Unfortunately, the situation has not changed for the better.

When a bomb goes off on a soccer field, killing young athletes and spectators, you cannot help but wonder if there will ever be a time when we can go out and find a story instead of reacting to a crisis.

As much as possible, we work on stories that are not reactionary -- but the daily bombings, shootings and kidnappings consume a large part of our day.

Even the stories we do that are not based on a tragedy seem to ultimately have a tragic twist.

The other day an official with the Iraqi government estimated the unemployment rate was about 50 percent. Eleven million people without jobs.

So we went to talk to day laborers looking for work. The men we spoke with were scared to be on the streets, but had no choice but to work in order to feed their families.

The fear was real: They all knew the story of a group of day laborers lured with the promise of work into the car of a suicide bomber. That blast killed over 60 people.

For now, the common thread whether it be a reactionary story or an enterprise story, one in which we seek out ourselves, is fear.

When youngsters are risking their lives for the chance to play soccer, it is no wonder people in Baghdad think twice before going out to buy bread.

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