Baghdad Update
Hi all. I'll be in chitown on May3-May7. Hope to see you. Let me know if you need anything from here. My bags will be empty on the way back to the US : )
Hello All. I swear I wrote a post a while back, but something must have happened and it never posted. Sorry for being MIA.
I can be very stubborn sometimes. I believe this time it paid off. I was scheduled to ride with our security folks to the airport on Friday. The airport road has been attacked regularly in the last 3 weeks and my mommy and sis were trying to talk me out of it. Still, I felt like I had to go. I wanted to see the airport, mail some packages and get out of the routine areas that I'm used to. The ride there was fun. The hard armored SUVs we rode in were driving very fast and constantly changing lanes to avoid targetting. There were some cute pro Iraqi freedom billboards on the way and one promoting Iraqi Airways which still does not exist. When I got to the airport, I was abondoned by the security team because they had to take the management team to the funerals of employees that were recently killed. I found out after they left that the post office was closed. However, there was a post office open in a neighboring camp. I shopped at the military store (PX) and then wandered around trying to find a shuttle to the other camp. Some GIs were nice enough to offer me a ride in their hummer as long as I wore a cavlar helmet, which was super cool. After mailing the packages the security folks phoned me and we got to go to the military side of the airport to pickup an arriving employee. Employees can either fly mil planes to Kuwait or civilian plans to Amman. Miss you so much. Lots of love.
Arsh made a really great analogy the other day on how the people of Iraq are like a woman in an abusive relationship. I keep using that now Arsh. You've really captured the mindset here.
I miss you all very much. Things have changed in the 5 weeks I've been here. The US and CPA supplies are low due to road closures, airport closures and other factors also caused by pockets of resistance. I haven't had a piece of fruit in a while because I'm staying in the green zone. The folks here don't buy their food locally. I should probably venture out to a grocery store for lunch. Scattered explosions still occur with no casualties. Lots civil war talk. However, I don't see how the world nations can give up so easily after all the efforts that have been placed in the last year. I also don't see the world wanting to buy oil from terrorist groups or militias.
I went to Al-Mansour a couple of days ago and there was lotsa bright 80's retro clothes at the shops with ripped shirts showing skin. I haven't seen any women dress like that here. Maybe I'm not going to the right places. The 80's retro look has not caught on at the guys' stores yet. I've eaten out too. The food is ok, but not the best. The Lebanese folks bring some great stuff from Lebanon with them. I've seen pictures of its beauty. I will make a point to visit Lebanon. Definitely!
It's been a while and I've missed you all so much. I celebrated my birthday yesterday and was fortunate enough to be surrounded by so many great and amazing people. Maha, I and some friends went out on the town and ignored all the warnings. We were driving around Baghdad until 11:30 which is insane. We then crashed a party at the LBC villa and it turns out they had a suprise for me. All in all, it was a beautiful night in Baghdad.
Sorry for not writing in a while. I moved into the trailer park at the CPA compound so now I'm officially trailer trash : ) I had to work late and driving back and forth to our condo was advised against. There are constant attacks on the green zone except for today but I'm not submitting to the psychological warfare. I'll keep plugging away. The plus side is that our 8am meetings are postponed 'cos that's when the attacks usually happen. I got to drive around Baghdad yesterday and get ice cream. The weather is great. Work is busy and still interesting. Miss you lots.
When I got home last night after a long day of work, I was suprised to see what was going on all over the country. My day was a normal day in the green zone. Got my work done. Got my reports out. Got the TV schedule out to the paper. It was wierd to see parts of the country under siege. Lots of sounds of explosions / gunfire went on last night, but it didn't phase me. It's been almost 4 weeks and I think I'm desensitized from being in a war zone. I am adamant about differentiating myself from most Iraqis by not submitting to fear and being hopeful. I dressed up for work today : ) The girls in the High School next door were coming to school today. Morning traffic was normal. Tanks were NOT patrolling the streets. Iraqi TV will show a program today with a debate between an Al-Sadr rep and the Minister of Defense. What a long way it's come, but there's still more to be done ... I was happy to be alive this morning. I feel very elated. I hope all is well with all of y'all. Love and hugs.
Yesterday, the employees at the tv station protested against showing Al-Yacoubi captured in yellow prison overalls instead of his Imam turban. They were afraid it would cause an uproar. I got to see the footage of him, by chance, before the format was changed, so it looked like a charlie chaplin film. He was blinking funny and walking funny.
I've been in Baghdad for 3.5 weeks. So much has happened in this time. It seems that it's been much longer. I'm working for Harris Corp, a company rebuilding the infrastructure for the Iraqi Media Network. Harris has contracted out LBC (Lebanese Broadcasting Company) to help with TV content and train the Iraqi staff. There's also a couple of other companies contracted out. A South African company that provides security and a Kuwaiti company for construction and other odd jobs. It's an interesting mix of folks. I'm the admin for the group. It's a busy job. I work 8-8 minimum 7 days a week. It's also interesting and exciting. Maha and I live with my dad in our old condo / apartment not too far from the green zone. We drive into work together or separately sometimes. But make sure to drive back together. Iraqis are generally very fearful people. Rumors spread very fast here and people are very good at terrifying themselves. I try to stay grounded, positive and keep my day productive. That's the summary.
