First days in the IZ

Greeting blogs and friends. I arrived at my new job located in the International Zone about a month ago. The internet connection over here is terrible which makes it hard to post to the blog. In addition, a heavy dose of work and addiction to a little drama called Mad Men has kept me away from you blog.

In order to get from my old digs at Camp Victory to my hopefully permanent duty station on FOB Union III I traveled on what the military call a RHINO. It is basically an oversized MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle). The voyage caused me some apprehension as this was the first time I ventured off base into the Red Zone.

Our MRAP traveled down the famed Route Irish. At one point in this war, Route Irish earned itself the nickname of the deadliest road in the world. This route leads from the city to the Baghdad International Airport. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Airport_Road The trip over was uneventful, but it gave me the opportunity to observe Baghdad. The first thing I noticed was that there were hardly any cars on the road. Of course the economy in Iraq is still in shambles, but more so than I anticipated. Trash and dust lined the streets.

When I arrived at my new base, my new co-workers greeted me. That night we ate traditional Iraqi food at another base called Prosperity. One of the translators, named Nick owned Lebanese restaurant in New Jersey and he prepared a Middle Eastern feast for some of the attorneys who were leaving. Nick's restaurant went belly-up, but I suspect that is why here now. (The translators make a pretty penny, but that is for another blog.)



(unfortunately some experienced explosive diarrhea for the next several days after feeding on Nick's cuisine.)

After dinner we enjoyed some tobacco out of a hookah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah. The hookah lounge is located in a beer type garden on the US Military base. Although the hookah estalbishment where we smoked tobacco is located on FOB Prosperity, I definetely felt like I was in the Middle East. Both the architecture and the dust that surrounds the lounge is distinctively Middle Eastern. Many of the patrons were civilian contractors as opposed to US military members. Locale Iraqis run the establishment. Our translators ordered both our tea and tobacco for us. I enjoyed getting to meet my new group. They definitely had positive things to say about their time in Iraq. Of course the perpetual filth that surrounds the base, grated on their nerves and most of the JAGS who were due to depart soon, were more than happy to be going home.