The Paper Shredder

Security is taken pretty darn seriously over here.  Let me tell you about the paper shredder.  Each office has a very small trash can, and a very large paper shredder! I'm talking heavy-duty, industrial-strength paper shredder.  These things are the size of a small washing machine!  They must turn very fast inside.  I've guessed this because they each have a 1-gallon plastic jug of oil attached to the side, with a tube running from the jug and into the paper shredder.  Looks sort of like an IV bag in a sick person...got to have that steady drip, drip, drip of oil to keep the gears lubricated.

You've guessed that these aren't your run-of-the-mill shredders!  Heck, you turn on one of these paper-eating-monsters and the lights in the room go dim momentarily!!  Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I promise you that you won't fall asleep at your desk while someone is running the paper shredder!!

The shredders really destroy paper.  These shredders cut both horizontally and vertically.  In fact, when they get through, each individual chunk of paper.....no, it wouldn't qualify to be called a "chunk".....each "itsy-bitsy" piece of paper is about the size of one of these letters on your computer screen.  

Of course, all of this extra effort is for security.  We don't want anything sensitive falling into the wrong hands.  In fact.....and don't tell this to the EPA.....we burn our trash over here.  That's right!  You never know what might happen to trash that is buried.....could be dug up in the middle of the night.  So, our trash goes out to a big flat spot and is burned while security guards watch over the whole operation.  

I joke a little about this, but security is taken seriously.  In fact, when I receive any mail, I carefully tear off any return address so that won't fall into the wrong hands. After I've collected a few of these torn-off addresses, I just drop them into that heavy-duty, industrial-strength paper shredder that sits in our office!!!  Then I know that I've done my part to keep friends and family safe.  

Ridin' the Rhino

You might expect to ride a camel in Iraq, but what's the deal with a Rhino?  The Rhino is an armored bus that transports folks around, generally between Baghdad International Airport and the International Zone.  I understand that the Rhino is manufactured in Israel, a location that has a lot of experience with armored vehicles and explosions.

The Rhino is about the most unglamorous ride you'll ever experience.  For most of us, the Rhino only runs at night.  And, to make matters worse, the folks in charge of the Rhino don't tell us when it's going to start the trip.  Security, you know.  The less folks that know when it's leaving, the better chance we have of getting to the destination.  Of course, it's probably not hard for anyone to figure out that it runs sometime between midnight and 4 am....there aren't that many 50' long, green, armored busses running around after midnight anyway!!

The Rhino has thick metal sides and small, thick glass windows, the bulletproof kind.  It feels a little strange getting into the Rhino.  It also travels in a convoy of armored military vehicles that run ahead of, and behind, the Rhino on it's nightly trips out of the IZ, into the "red zone", and to the airport.

If you want to ride the Rhino, you have to show up at the bus shed at some pre-appointed time, generally after dark, but before midnight.  Then you sit around the bus shed with 50-75 other folks, who like you, would rather be in bed sleeping at this time of night.  You can't use your cell phone, because folks might be listening and you could inadvertently announce the time that the bus is supposed to run.  Of course, I wouldn't have any friends up at midnight anyway, unless I was calling back to the States!

The Rhino takes us to the airport where we arrive sometime between midnight and 4 am.  Of course, we're all headed to the airport to catch a flight somewhere.  But, just like the Rhino schedule, we don't know the air schedule.  So, we arrive at the airport by 4 am, and might hang around until the afternoon to catch a plane.  

If you're going to ride the Rhino.....bring a book!!!

It's a Small World!

You just never know who you'll meet.....even in Baghdad! Here are some examples!
I met an army colonel who went to veterinary school at Colorado State University. He grew up in Colorado, and we were chatting to see if we had any acquaintances in common. Guess what...his in-laws retired and now live in a little town in my home county! They even live in a house that we looked at when we were moving to the county.
Another person I met lives in our state's capital. We were talking about where I live, and it turns out that he knows our local Division of Wildlife Managers! Turns out that they've been friends for some number of years.
Last week I was talking with a gentleman who grew up in my home state of Tennessee. I asked where he was from and he mentioned a county not far from where I went to college. We chatted more, and it turns out that one of his best friends is one of my first, and finest college professors.
A high-ranking Foreign Service Officer in the Embassy has a home in my wife's home county. His wife is a native of that area, and knows my wife's family!
Last week I was sitting at the dinner table with a guy....turned out that he knows my cousin, a retired police officer!!
Well, it is true, it's a small world, you just never know when you're going to run across somebody with a "hometown" connection!!

The Bean

Just like at most offices, coffee is the stimulant-of-choice at any military or diplomatic station.  The International Zone is no exception, nor are the military bases scattered around Iraq!  There must be hundreds of gallons of coffee served here on a daily basis.  Coffee is free at the Dining Facility (DFac), and at the coffee station inside the Embassy.  However, for coffee aficionados, there's evidently nothing like a cup of coffee from The Green Bean.  It's the military/diplomatic version of Starbucks, and can be found at almost every military outpost in Iraq, and at other military outposts in the Middle East. 

Inside the Embassy, there's a large room with a coffee shop over in the corner.....the "Green Bean" as it's affectionately known.  The large room is filled with small tables, along with some couches and soft chairs.  This is the central meeting place inside the Embassy.  There aren't many formal meeting rooms, and they're usually busy.  So, if you want to meet with someone, or a few people, you generally meet "at the Bean".  

As I've traveled around Iraq, I'm always impressed by the presence of the Green Bean coffee shops.  What a treat it is for our troops to get a big cup of their favorite coffee.  I'm impressed that a company would dedicate itself to serving our troops.  I've never run across this company, so went to the internet to learn more.  From their website, here's a short history:

"During a business trip to the Middle East, Jason Araghi had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring Saudi Arabia its first gourmet coffeehouse, and opened the Art Nouveau Cafe in 1996.  U.S. Army personnel at nearby Eskan Village caught word about the new coffeehouse, and soon after, invited Jason to open a cafe on the US Army base. Within months of operating at Eskan Village, the Air Force extended an invitation for a further 3 locations at the Prince Sultan Air Base, in Al-Kharj KSA.

Today, GBCC Inc. serves military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Uzbekistan, and Djibouti, Africa. The company has not only grown in locations, but also in its mission to support our men and women in uniform.

Every corporate mission statement reads like a litany of values too good to argue with, yet too ordinary to matter. Not ours. Our 10-year heritage of supporting those that put their lives at stake for our country is firmly rooted and non-negotiable. That heritage of caring is the foundation of our operating philosophy."

I see that the company is actually known as Green Beans Coffee Company.  So, here's a tip-of-the-hat to a good company that's serving good coffee, frappes, cappucino, tea, smoothies, muffins, etc., to our troops who are away from home!  I see from their website that you can buy a Green Beans gift card for a soldier, even if you don't know a soldier over here.  

If you get over here, give me a call....I'll meet you at the Green Bean!

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!!