Today I moved into my third tent in the week that I’ve been on this new camp. There’s been a lot of confusion about where my company is going to live, but I pray that it is all settled now. The tent that I’ve moved into is that nicest place I’ve lived in the total 18 months I’ve spent in this country. It’s not much, but it’s a mansion to me. I would estimate my new place to be about 6x10’, that’s a few feet in each direction larger than my last place. It’s so long that that I do not know what to do with all the space. I would have been quite content with 6x6. I put some extra mattresses between my bunk bed and the next one for soundproofing, and bought a small rug for the floor. Then I put some cardboard over my two plastic 3 drawer chests to make a desk for my computer and lamp. I have a stool for now, but when my folding chair gets here I will be able to watch Stargate quite comfortably. I put up a few pictures, but because there is no wood in my “room” (space in the large tent) I was unable to put up my frame. I have my foot locker in a convenient place to keep my stuff secure, and an ice chest if I ever take the time to fill it. Also on my desk is the stuffed rat that wards off the real ones. I haven’t seen any mice around my space since July, so the rat must be territorial. My room is the size of a large closet, but I think it’s quite home like. Now, if only they would fix the hot water heater.
I’ve discovered some new brands of ice cream in the dining facility. I can’t even tell what country they are from, but I would be them at home if they were sold in the states. This new brand has 3 different flavors of ice cream bar, and all of them are very good. One variety is vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, with a white chocolate shell with almond shavings. I think the brand is from Turkey or Eastern Europe. Yesterday I found a new color drumstick, and since I love drumsticks I had try it. I should have known that a green wrapper would mean the drumstick was made with pistachio ice cream. I do not like pistachios. If you do, come to the middle east and you can have pistachio ice cream in a drumstick.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to spend an evening with one of our Iraqi interpreters. I enjoyed talking to him and hearing about Iraq from an Iraqi. Our conversation gave me a better understanding of the suffering and hardship of the Iraqi people, something that I can’t describe here. His girlfriend was killed by a car bomb, and several family and friends killed in other violence. He can never go back home, because if he does, the militias will kill him. Anyone who cooperates with coalition forces here puts their life at risk. All of the interpreters accompany soldiers on missions and face the same dangers from IED’s and RPG’s that US soldiers face. Arabic is such a hard language to learn that coalition forces would have a hard time without interpreters. I hope that if this war ends in anything other than a peaceful Iraq that our interpreters would be granted residency or citizenship in the US. It would an appropriate thing that our country could do after they’ve risked their lives for our soldiers on a daily basis.
I’ve discovered some new brands of ice cream in the dining facility. I can’t even tell what country they are from, but I would be them at home if they were sold in the states. This new brand has 3 different flavors of ice cream bar, and all of them are very good. One variety is vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, with a white chocolate shell with almond shavings. I think the brand is from Turkey or Eastern Europe. Yesterday I found a new color drumstick, and since I love drumsticks I had try it. I should have known that a green wrapper would mean the drumstick was made with pistachio ice cream. I do not like pistachios. If you do, come to the middle east and you can have pistachio ice cream in a drumstick.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to spend an evening with one of our Iraqi interpreters. I enjoyed talking to him and hearing about Iraq from an Iraqi. Our conversation gave me a better understanding of the suffering and hardship of the Iraqi people, something that I can’t describe here. His girlfriend was killed by a car bomb, and several family and friends killed in other violence. He can never go back home, because if he does, the militias will kill him. Anyone who cooperates with coalition forces here puts their life at risk. All of the interpreters accompany soldiers on missions and face the same dangers from IED’s and RPG’s that US soldiers face. Arabic is such a hard language to learn that coalition forces would have a hard time without interpreters. I hope that if this war ends in anything other than a peaceful Iraq that our interpreters would be granted residency or citizenship in the US. It would an appropriate thing that our country could do after they’ve risked their lives for our soldiers on a daily basis.
4 comments:
I'm glad you have more space to call your own. I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate meeting with a pistachio drumstick, but you could have thought it was mint chocolate, right? I can't wait until your home.
Good idea. I Could have thought it was mint. Really, it was just new ice cream that i had to try.
Thanks for the picture. The new place looks very nice. I hope the fake rat keeps doing his job. I love pistachio ice cream but I think I'm the only one in the family who does.
I am finally catching up with life here in Florida and only went to the computer maybe once while in WA. We all like pistachio ice cream at this household.
The water rats of Brooklyn can make a grown man flinch!
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