Sunday - Thursday

Our "official work week" runs from Sunday - Thursday, that corresponds to the Middle Eastern work week, in most of the countries.  Friday is the Muslim holy day, and Saturday, I guess is a day off!

For most of us working here, Friday and Saturday are just another day.  We probably sleep a little later, and might do some laundry, and then go to the office. After all, there isn't much else to do!

Speaking of laundry, we have two choices.  We have a regular laundry and dry cleaners, and also a self-service laundromat.  The laundry is staffed by people from Sri Lanka who are very friendly and efficient.  Turn-around for "wash and press" is 2-3 days, dry cleaning takes a week.  Most of us send our pants and shirts to the cleaners, and then do socks, underwear, sheets, etc. in the self-service laundry. 

The staff at the cleaners have this quaint custom (that's the best way I can explain it).  When you turn in your laundry, you get a receipt.  After they fill out your receipt and tear your copy from the book, they fold it very precisely and gently, before handing it to you.  I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I've never handed in any laundry that they didn't go through that little ritual!  I have to admit that I find it a nice custom, almost respectful, or something like that.

Oh, speaking of the laundry staff.  I turned in some clothing the other week and one of the guys from Sri Lanka asked me, "where you from?"  I told him from the States, and he nodded that he understood (well, at least that's what I guessed that nod meant).  Then he asked, "you have teeth white medicine at home?"  I looked puzzled for a minute, then figured out that he was talking about something to whiten teeth.  I replied that, "Yes, our dentists have treatments they do in the office."  He then motioned across his top teeth, and I figured out he was talking about the tooth whitening strips!  "Yes", I said, "we have those, too".  So, he smiled at me and asked, "You bring some to me when you go home, yes?"  

Of course I said "Yes", that's such a small price to pay for such friendly and efficient service!  

The Palace

This is the back of the palace, officially known now as the US Embassy-Annex.  You can see that it stretches for about 3 blocks!  The only way to get  a full picture of this would be from a helicopter!!

Australian Day

Yesterday was "Australia Day"...a national holiday for our Aussie friends, where they celebrate the establishment of the first penal colony on the Australian continent. It's not a big holiday for them, but when you're in the IZ, any excuse for a party is good enough!!
So, our office received an invitation to their party. I thought it'd be at the Australian Embassy, but found out that it wasn't. Of course, it had been raining, and fairly muddy, so it's a good thing that they didn't plan to hold it at the Embassy, or there'd have been a big mess to clean up afterwards. So, our office loaded up into two vehicles and we drove over to a house in the Iraqi section of the IZ, close to where the only liquor store in the IZ is located. (Those clever Aussies, huh?). It was rather low-key...quite atypical for the Aussies, but we had a good time. They had a bonfire and were cooking hot dogs on the grill. There was a cash bar, but not a Fosters or Australian wine to be found! Well, you do have to make sacrifices in a war zone I guess!!
We stayed a couple of hours and left around 9:30.
Like all the houses here, there is a big fence around each yard. I'm still not sure exactly what house we were at for the party, we never went inside, just hung out in the yard around the fire. But, both coming into, and leaving the yard, we passed through a gate with a guard stationed inside the gate. Included in our group was a fellow who had just arrived here a couple of days ago. After we passed through the gate on our way out, he said something that made me think that I've already been here too long! He mentioned that this was the first party that he'd ever been to that had a guard....armed with a machine gun..... at the entrance! It was only then that I thought....."oh yeah, that guy did have a machine gun" and I'd just walked in and out and never even gave that fact a second thought!!! Over here, that is normal!!

Mail

At the US Embassy, we get to participate in the military mail system, familiar to many of us by various initials, such as "APO". It's a great system for us as it allows us to get U.S. mail while in a foreign country. And, it costs the same as domestic postage because it's treated as domestic mail, not international mail. In fact, for us, a lot of mail is free! For regular envelopes that contain personal mail we simply write "Free Mail" in the space where a stamp would normally go.....and off it goes! If it's a larger envelope, or a package, then we have to pay postage at the normal, domestic U.S. rates.

Getting mail to military personnel (and civilians serving in certain locations), is a joint effort by the US Postal Service (USPS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). Here's a little overview of how the mail gets delivered to overseas military locations, including the US Embassy in Baghdad.

USPS has a standard addressing format that we all recognize.....name, street address (or PO Box), City, State & Zip.
Military mail has to conform to this. To do this, they've created two "city" equivalents:

APO, stands for Army Post Office
FPO, stands for Fleet Post Office

And, three "state" equivalents were created, and they are:

AA, which stands for Armed Forces- Americas
AE, which stands for Armed Forces- Europe
AP, which stands for Armed Forces- Pacific

Based on these categories, a typical Overseas Military Mail address looks like this:

Name
Postal Service Center + Identifier
APO, AP ZIP

Our address in the Embassy goes like this:

Name
US Embassy + Office Name (and maybe room number)
APO, AE 09316

Mail coming in isn't delivered through typical mail boxes. Instead, each office has 1 person identified as the official "mail person". This person picks up the mail for everyone in their respective office, then hands it out....just like Radar on the TV series, "M.A.S.H." And, just like it's depicted on M.A.S.H., we all look forward to receiving mail. In fact, at the mail receiving shack, there's a sign outside and the staff there writes on it every day, either "New Mail Today!", or "No New Mail Today".

It's just another way that we're allowed to keep in touch with family and friends back home!

The Movie Theatre

In the basement of the Embassy (Saddam's former Republican Palace) is a movie theatre. From the looks, it wasn't added on by us, it was an original part of the Palace. Now it's known as the "Palace Theatre". It only seats about 45 people (I guess Saddam didn't have many friends). The seats are very nice, with plenty of leg room. A short guy like myself can really stretch out here, and I don't have to worry about hitting the seat in front of me. Everyone can move around easily without feeling like you're about to fall into somebody's lap.

The Theatre is active every night. We have a movie at 7:30 and again at 10:00. There's even a popcorn machine. I'm guessing that might be an American touch, but who knows. It feels a little strange to sit in the theatre and know that Saddam Hussein once sat here, too. Wonder if he sat in this exact chair that I now occupy?

The theatre is part of the entertainment program here. The movies vary from the Chipmunks to Terminator....you just never know what might be available from one night to the next. There's also an outdoor theatre, out by the pool. I think the attendance at the outdoor pool has been off quite a bit lately because of the cold weather. But, regardless of whether we go to theinside or outside theatre, having movies to pass the time is a good thing.

Helicopters

Most of the time it's a good thing to hear the helicopters flying over the IZ. The sound of the jet engines and the "whoop---whoop---whoop" of the blades remind me of American ingenuity, and technological "muscle" that we possess.

Sometimes, though, the sound of the helicopters brings sadness. That's when we look up and see the helicopters that have a Red Cross painted on their sides. These are the air ambulances that are transporting injured troops to the nearby hospital. Who's in there? How bad is the injury? Will someone get to return home with a relatively minor injury and resume a normal life? Will a bereaved family be planning for a funeral next week?

"Christmas in Baghdad"

It's been almost a month since Christmas, but I thought you might like this. I wrote this for my church family just a few days before Christmas.

Church is a bit of a different experience in a war zone. Since the chapel serves all faiths it's pretty bare of religious symbols. Except for a very plain wooden cross that sits on a table, you could easily think you'd just walked into a big class room. No pictures of Jesus, no stained glass windows, no altar, no pews, no smiling minister greeting us as we come in the door! Perhaps the thing that is most unusual is the sight of our military members as they come into church carrying their weapons. Those who are authorized to carry weapons do so, regardless of where they are. I don't feel a bit uneasy, but the first time you see that will sure cause you to look twice!! Last night I noticed my friend Eddie from Pittsburgh gently lay down his rifle beneath his folding metal chair before he sat down. He was a couple of minutes late and didn't want to make any unnecessary noise. Somehow that sight of him being so gentle with his rifle looked funny!

It's a great experience to sit in church with people from all around the world! Last night I sat next to a man from Kenya. Around us were people from Uganda, Sri Lanka, Korea and Iraq! We sang Christmas carols with extra enthusiasm, probably brought on by our absence from friends and family. We prayed for Jamal, an Iraqi man been kidnapped the day before. You see, he was working for us (Coalition Forces) in some capacity and was kidnapped because of his association with the coalition forces. We prayed for his safe return. We prayed for our friends and family back home, and praised God for the many things for which we have to be thankful.

There were a few Iraqi Christian women at church last night. One wore the traditional headscarf, known as a "hijab". If I'd seen her on the street I would have assumed that she was Muslim. Another of the women asked for prayer for her Muslim friend who is reading the Bible, turning away from Islam because of the hatred.

On Saturday night we'll be entertained by the Ugandan Men's Choir as they sing Christmas songs! These men are working as security guards around the International Zone. Like us, they're far from friends and family but will lift their voices in celebration of the birth of the Christ child....an event that spans across the many cultures represented here, across the time zones and across the centuries!

Snow in Baghdad!

It snowed in Baghdad last Friday, Jan 11, 2008! The locals say that snow is very rare here in Baghdad, and that it has been many, many years since the last snow. It started snowing during the night. It was rain at first, then turned into a mixture of snow/rain, and finally snow for a brief time. The snow melted as soon as it hit the ground, but it did stick to the palm trees for a short time. By daylight, it was all gone, and nothing but water.

The locals also say that the snow is a "sign" of good things in the coming year! I pray that they are right! Every few days we hear an explosion off in the distance, out in the "red zone" (anywhere outside of the heavily guarded "Green Zone"). When I hear those explosions, I wonder how many people just lost their lives? How many shops were destroyed? How many funerals will take place before this time tomorrow? Why do some people hate so much?

If snow is a good sign, let's have some more!!

T-Walls

The insurgents don't like us! They'd love to see the coalition forces leave Iraq tomorrow and let them gain control. After all, at $100/barrell, the 2 million barrels of oil that are produced here every day, makes for a pretty handsome treasure chest! So, they use their only weapon to try to diminish our resolve to do our work here....terror. One way of creating terror is through the use of "indirect fire". That just means that somewhere outside of the International Zone (IZ), a couple of insurgents fire a rocket or mortar into the IZ. They can't aim very accurately, so they just lob 'em over and run. That's the bad news. The good news is that we are experiencing indirect fire very rarely now. A few mortars were fired into the IZ on Thanksgiving Day, and then we had no more until Jan 15th...almost 2 months! A year ago, the IZ was receiving indirect fire almost daily! So, things are getting better!!

Oh where was I going with this? T-walls, that's where! Everything in the IZ is separated and surrounded by T-walls. These are huge chunks of concrete that are placed in rows so that they create a heavy-duty barrier against blast damage and trespass. The T-walls are individual chunks of concrete that are about 12' tall, 5' wide and 2' thick. They have extra wide bases at the bottom which makes them stable enough to stand upright. They just stack those T-walls side by side and make long walls around everything. These T-walls surround the various "compounds" here, like the US Embassy compound, and many of the areas within the Embassy compound. Rows of T-walls surround my little "subdivision". These T-walls protect us from the indirect fire. With concertina wire on top of the T-walls, they also keep anyone from crawling over the top (which wouldn't be easy anyway)!I can't estimate the number of cubic yards of concrete required to make all the T-walls that are inside the IZ....it would be in the millions, I bet. There are miles and miles of T-walls spread all throughout the IZ.

"Sounds of the IZ"

After you get used to the visual stimuli of the International Zone (IZ), the next thing you notice are the sounds. So many sounds, and in some ways, very unusual.

Here are the various things I've noticed when it comes to "sounds"!

Helicopters: There's a constant coming-and-going of helicopters. Planes fly in and out of the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), but that's not in the IZ, it's about 8 miles away. So, there are two ways to travel in and out of the IZ...by armored vehicle or helicopter. Of course, we all want to ride the helicopter! They're seen as safer, and waaay more fun!!! There's a landing field near the Embassy, and helicopters are always (if weather is suitable) moving people in and out. They always travel in pairs. Helicopters are as plentiful here as pickup trucks are at home. In a way, they are the "pickup truck" of the IZ. When they come in, they don't even slow down their engine speed...just keep 'em revved up, unload one batch of people, get the next load of people on board and take off. As soon as they get about 200' off the ground, the side doors open and you see the machine guns extend out the doors. These bad boys are armed and dangerous!! A lot of flights occur during the night for security reasons. When these guys take off, and fly over our little hooches during the night, you can bet we hear 'em!!

Generators: Most of Baghdad is now getting electricity for about 12 hours/day. That means that businesses and households have to get everything done in 12 hours, at least everything that requires electricity! Some areas of the country get electricity for more hours per day, some get less. But, unlike the rest of Baghdad, the IZ gets power 24/7 from an army of generators. If I look one way down the street I'll see a battery of a half dozen generators that are nearly the size of a tractor-trailer!! Along the sidewalks there might be a small generator running a "street light" during the night. Everything in the Green Zone relies on generator power, and that means noise. The generators have big mufflers, and they're placed behind big walls to help diminish the sound....but you can always hear them.

Muslim call to prayer: The IZ includes a lot of Iraqi citizens. After all, this part of Baghdad was the center of government. There are apartments and private homes all through the IZ, with Iraqi citizens inhabiting them.....as well as some places that could only be described as a shed. And, there are mosques here in the IZ, too. So, 5 times each day, you can hear their call to prayer. I have to admit that when I first heard it, I found it a bit unnerving. I can't understand a word that is being blared through the loudspeaker. I'm almost sure it's a recording. But, after being here a few months, I can now say that it has something of a soothing, melodic sound. I wish I could hear it sung in English!

Speed-bump-thumps: There isn't much traffic in the IZ, but all traffic moves very slowly because of the strategically-placed, super-heavy-duty speed bumps! I'm not talking about your average, run-of-the-mill little asphalt speed bump that's only 3" deep at the center. I'm talking welded steel plates that are usually about 8" deep. Hit one of those at even 5 mph and you'll be dragging the transmission along behind the bumper! So, if you walk down the sidewalk, you hear a constant "thump"....."thump" as vehicles creep over those Herculean speed bumps! Occasionally you hear a big "clunk" as some vehicle bottoms-out on the speed bump.

Spanish: This is probably the last place you'd expect to hear people speaking Spanish. But, the security guards around the IZ are primarily from Peru! So, those of us who can speak a little Spanish, get to practice it daily as we pass through the security checkpoints. And, as you approach each checkpoint, you'll hear the constant chatter of the Peruvian guards as they talk to each other in their native tongue.

Birds singing: Except for people, there is little animal life in the IZ. I've seen a couple of dogs and a couple of cats, but they're the exception. And, of the dogs, I only heard one of them bark. I think that not barking is a survival skill for a dog in Baghdad. Bark and you might not survive! (There are no small-animal veterinarians here......pets are a luxury that this war-torn country can't afford). But the birds don't know boundaries, and can escape from the terrestrial dangers and barricades that keep everything else at bay. As I walk under the trees in the evenings the birds are just starting to roost for the night. As I hear their chirping (and try to avoid getting tagged by some bird droppings), I think about where they've been during the day. They might have been out over the "red zone" in the part of Baghdad still considered dangerous, for us! They might have heard a newborn baby cry, or watched kids at play, or observed an insurgent planting a car bomb. If only they could talk!

"Sir" and "Ma'am": The Embassy is home to the highest-ranking civilian and military leaders of the coalition forces. On the military side, there are more full-bird colonels and 2-star generals than you're likely to see this side of the Pentagon! I see Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine officers all the time. Then you have to add the British, Romanian, Italian, Australian, Czechoslovakian, etc. military, and it's pretty confusing. Being a civilian, I have trouble telling if they're a Captain or a Commander; a Major of a Lieutenant Colonel. The same goes for the civilian side....lots of high-ranking foreign service officers. They don't wear uniforms with any insignia, so it can be hard to de-cipher their relative "rank". So, until you get close enough to someone to call them by their first name, it's just safer to say "sir" or "ma'am"!

"Living in a Hooch"

Here in the International Zone (IZ), we live in little metal "sheds" officially known as "containerized housing units" (CHU).  The slang form is "hooch".  Not sure exactly how that happened, but that's the truth.  The hooch is a metal building, much like one of those storage sheds that you might have in your backyard.  It's about 8' x 16' and maybe 7' high.  Generally, there are 2 hooches set about 8' apart.  Connecting the 2 hooches is a common entryway and bathroom.  The only water in the units are in the bathroom.  In a way, they're furnished much like dormitory rooms.  A twin bed, 1 or 2 metal clothes closets, a small refrigerator, TV, nightstand, small desk and chair.  Oh, and a combination heater/air conditioner in the wall.  

Iraq is very dusty, so that tends to be a problem.  If we have a computer in our hooch, we generally keep it covered with plastic to keep the dust at a minimum.  

The hooches are all arranged into "subdivisions" with tasteful names like, The Palms (they have some palm trees), Poolside (next to the pool), etc.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear that come spring, we'll have a "Spring Hooch Show" with prizes for the most tastefully (or tastelessly) decorated hooch!!  

Luckily, we have sidewalks made from pavers.  Sidewalks lead to some narrow streets and I can walk to the office without stepping in the dirt.

Rows of sandbags are placed strategically throughout, and around, each "subdivision" for protection from possible mortar attacks.  

All in all, it's not too bad.  I've visited some of my colleagues who are stationed at some of the more remote bases and they have it a lot tougher.

Getting Started and "The Typewriter"

I've been in Iraq for over 2 months now.  My intentions of keeping a journal have fallen short...shall I say "way short" of my goal??  Well, I'd rather type than write, so I'm thinking this blog might be the best way to keep that journal and keep family and friends updated on my experiences.

First, I'm not posting much information about my identity for security reasons.  Those of you reading this will know who I am.  Second, names of individuals I mention here have been changed to protect their identity. Finally, if you post anything here, I ask you to use caution, too.   Your initials will be good enough, and no need to mention a town, county or even a state.

OK, what am I doing in Iraq?  Hopefully, I'm contributing in some small way to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq, which are part of "Operation Iraqi Freedom".  Why would I do this?  As I've told a few folks, agriculture is important to those of us in the U.S., but it's always in the background.  Food in our country is so cheap and plentiful that we take it for granted.  That's not the situation in Iraq.  This is the time and place in history where agriculture meets Iraqi reconstruction efforts, and our national security.  For an agriculturalist, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Now, some stories!  Let me tell you about the typewriter!  Before coming here I had to undergo 3 weeks of training in Washington D.C.  The training covered a variety of topics...PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) structure and goals, history of Iraq, Military/Civilian teamwork, Islam, Arabic customs, a few hours of Arabic language, First Aid, security, etc.  During one lunch break during the first week, the organizers arranged to have 2 Iraqi women visit with us as we ate lunch.  The first lady to speak was probably in her late 60's.  She (Hasna') and her husband (Saud) had left Iraq during the early years of Saddam Hussein's reign to pursue an education in the U.S.  She related this story that I hope to never forget.  

Saud and Hasna' came to the States with little money, and few possessions...only their clothing and most precious photographs in their delapidated luggage.  Within a few days of their arrival, they made a trip to the local Goodwill store where they were puchasing items necessary to start life in a new country.  They were buying sheets and blankets, some dishes and utensils, pots and pans....the typical items necessary to start over.  As she was pushing their buggy down the aisle, her husband stepped away and came back in a few minutes carrying a typewriter, and he had a huge smile on his face.   They had little money and no jobs, they couldn't afford something as useless as a typewriter...besides, as he played with it a little they discovered that it didn't work 100%!  "Put it back," she insisted!  Saud said, "Please, I must have it!"  She asked him what he was doing with something as unnecessary as a typewriter? He wouldn't listen...he had to have that typewriter, and finally Hasna' agreed.  Why?

Under Saddam's rule, owning a typewriter was forbidden!  It wasn't just forbidden, it was against the law, and punishable by death.  To Saud, the typewriter represented freedom!  Freedom to think, and to type what he thought! Freedom to get an education!  It's a freedom that few of us in the US can comprehend, because it's so available!  Hasna' closed by telling us that as they enter retirement, they still have that typewriter today.  It sits on their bookshelf in a place of high honor.  To them, that broken old typewriter represents the opportunity that America gave that young, broke, and hopeful couple so many years ago.  

Could I be part of an effort that brings that kind of hope, and opportunity, to the people of Iraq?  If the answer is "yes", or even "maybe", how can I not try?  That's why I'm here.