This is the band that has our "Carlisle" march. They are stationed at Victory Base.
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Baghdad Bulletin
30 August 2009
Issue 11
We'll continue with my "normal" day per Jane's request to hear about my routine. (Please see issue 8 on 31 July if you didn't read the first part of this.)
As I said previously, there are no two days alike. I might have an occasional day on the computer writing reports and responding to emails, but more likely, I'm out of the office doing one thing or another. One week, we had three trips scheduled for linguist interviews for a General Officer. He has a very demanding job and needs the right interpreter. I have to meet with the linguist managers at many different offices too.
There are also "additional duties" that I must attend to. I'm the POC if a linguist is required to travel from Iraq to the U.S. or other country to interpret for the person they are assigned to. We have the most linguists in the IZ (International Zone) who accompany senior military and civilians to other nations. It's interesting because sometimes there is no notice. Of course, every office thinks their travel request is the highest priority I'm reviewing. Fortunately, I don't get involved with the itinerary or airlines details, I just have to get the completed package to the right person at Ft. Belvoir for approval/disapproval, and inform the requester back here of the outcome. Some of the requests are elaborate and expensive, others are pretty straight-forward and easy to follow through.
But one never knows how the day will unfold.
Today, my work OUTLOOK email is being stubborn and the Help Desk is not able to correct the problem. This is the second time this week after never having problems like this. I've logged off and back on, and have done the local troubleshooting. Sometimes, the server is just very slow. There are a lot of people sharing the network. I'm just one more computer in the system.
I’d already mentioned the Dining Facility to you. When I get there in the morning, the previous day's baseball game is usually on. Now, football is beginning to show up. Sometimes, I've seen a little golf and tennis. One TV will have CNN. Depending on the highlights, I don't normally watch. If the "Stars and Stripes" newspaper has been delivered (sometimes during breakfast hours, sometimes during lunch hours) I read through that and leave it for someone else. Those are available on-line too.
I normally start at the back and look for a golf story and check to see if Fred Funk, our favorite golfer, is in the news. He's having a great year on the Senior PGA Tour. Fred was our next door neighbor in College Park, Maryland before he earned his way to play in the PGA. He was a great neighbor. I tell the story of how we came home one day and Fred had rented a dethatcher. His front yard was immaculate of course, and flat. We had a big hill in our front yard. Nevertheless, we came home and Fred had not only done his yard but ours as well. A very nice guy, a very hard worker – he practiced for hours and hours in his back yard. So John and I are Fred Funk fans. It's hard to believe he's over 50 now, so that's why he's on the Senior Tour!
After lunch, I might go to the mailroom – I stagger my times at the dining facility. The mailroom hours are 1:30-5:30 pm. So sometimes I go after lunch or before dinner. A couple of times, the soldiers who work in the mailroom have come said hello to me in the dining facility and tell me if I have any mail. It saves me a walk to their location during the hottest part of the day. But they are very kind when I get there – they either nod yes or no and do it pleasantly. When there is a box, they offer to help me carry it to my vehicle, but I never drive the vehicle for anything frivolous! Fortunately, the boxes are never large and I can manage them. Speaking of boxes, I want to thank our friends who sent boxes of Starbucks whole coffee beans that I was able to share with soldiers. Their coffee store has a donation box where patrons can purchase a pound of coffee and write a message on the bag. The store calls my friend and she ships the coffee all over Iraq. Thank you Trudy! I wish I'd taken photos of the recipients' faces.
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Starbucks coffee beans mailed from Sartell, MN!
The soldiers LOVE it!
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There are many soldiers who have helped me here since I don't have a traditional unit to draw on for local support. I'm kind of an "orphan." When talking to the soldier who shipped my vehicle here, he asked if I was going to drive it from the delivery yard. When I said yes, he sounded surprised. He said, "Ma'am, I thought surely someone from your staff would get it for you." I laughed and assured him I have no staff. Wouldn't that be a change?! By the way, everyone knows my name. It's Ma'am!
While I've met some great Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines, there is a constant influx of military units arriving and departing. A unit from Kentucky just arrived. One of you asked me about my comment recently about not getting "too close" to people here. I never know when there is going to be a problem between a linguist and a unit, or who I will have to interact with in a difficult situation. There have been a few that I would rather not been involved in. If everyone simply followed the rules, this job would be so much easier. I am the neutral party and am no one's ally. I do hope I am known as fair.
One of my friends asked me what they could send me. What do I miss the most? I paused and said that what I miss cannot be sent in a box. We shared a laugh, but the point is, hugs are precious. There is one person that I can count on for a hug - other than when Chaplains hug their flock - and that's my roommate from Ft. Benning, GA. We met back in March. She's assigned in the IZ at the other end of the Green Zone from me. During my time here the last 2.5 months, I've had to attend meetings in her building. Now I know where her office is – just inside a door I have to pass through. Whenever I go over there, if there's a second, I knock on her door, she comes out, we hug, and move on to what we have to do. Sometimes I've seen her outside in the parking lot, but I can always count on a hug and a smile from her. She's on her first deployment, a West Point graduate (her hubby is also) and she left 5 little ones at home with him. Unbelievable.
But smiling is the best thing. It's amazing that most people smile back. Doesn't matter what uniform they wear or job they do, military or civilian (cooks, cleaning crew, KBR construction workers or electricians), young or old, private or colonel. You can't box that up either. One of my favorite soldiers is a fellow whose job it is to make sure that no one is taking too much food out of the dining facility. Most people don't notice him unless he has to speak to them. Why anyone would need to take more food after eating anything they want three times a day, beats me, but he has to tell people to limit their items to two. Two cokes, two pop tarts, two boxes of cereal, or one of each, etc. Two items. That's not three or four. Just two. I thank him for doing that hard job. Last night I asked him if they've determined the savings from people taking too much. He laughed, but I think a sign showing the savings each week would shock everyone. There are some very large people living here and there is no reason to overeat so much. I'm surprised there aren't more heart attacks or strokes from the civilians (and a few of the soldiers) who are not in shape.
After lunch, I return to the choffice (chu and office) and pick up where I left off. A few weeks ago, I was in a nice routine where I'd go to the gym around 3 pm and use the treadmill for 30 minutes. The pounds I dropped at Victory Base (where I walked a great distance between my living quarters and office) have returned. I don't have that walk anymore and haven't found another "power flex" class at 5 am! I've got to find time to get back to the gym. I can afford to skip a couple of meals too!
Then it's time for dinner. I call John either before I go or when I come back. Our calls are not long if I get through but it's always great to hear his voice. Then there are more work emails afterwards. When it's evening here, it's morning/afternoon in VA where our HQ is. There can be issues to discuss with them. Once I've responded to or initiated work emails for the evening, I try to read a little before falling asleep. The next day, I do it all over again.
Wednesdays are different because there are two or three phone conferences from my office and I chair some of them. So there is constant preparation. On Tuesday afternoon, I try to go to the chapel for an hour and plan music for the next couple of Sundays. On Saturday night, I'm on the chapel schedule again for practice from 7:30 to 9. I'm not usually in there for more than an hour, but it's so peaceful to play and sightread. It really helps to focus for Sunday morning's service and forget about the problems of the week for awhile. Sunday morning is an 8am service and I hope to catch up on personal emails because it tends to be a little less intense.
The Ugandans I mentioned will be leaving this fall. I don't know who has the new contract. The Africans are doing a good job here. One of the Peruvians has recently been pushing me to speak Spanish on my way in and out of the gate where they work. From time to time I say hello in Spanish, but finally, I asked him about his Arabic since we're in Iraq. That doesn't seem to occur to most people, I'm sorry to say.
Speaking of that, on the first day of Ramadan, I was scheduled to pick up the Blue Beetle from scheduled maintenance. Someone gave me a lift over there. I'd asked a linguist the day before what is the customary greeting to say during Ramadan. I was trying to be ready to speak it. When I went into the office to pick up the key from the technician, I said "Ramadan Mubarek" (sp) and he smiled and pointed to the other guy. The guy I said it to was not Iraqi! The Iraqi appreciated it.
Later that day, I received an invitation to a birthday party for a civilian acquaintance who works with Iraqis. His American friends were going to have a small celebration at Prosperity, but he asked to have it at the place where he works so his Iraqis colleagues could participate. It was an honor to attend the Iraqi meal on the first night of "fast break" or breaking the fast from the first day of Ramadan. The table was full of large round plates (like pizza pans) full of saffron rice with small cubes of chicken, carrots and other vegetables, sliced hard-boiled egg and a big chunk of leg of lamb in the middle. It reminded me a little of the Spanish Paella we had in Madrid. There were containers of fresh hummus, a sauce that wasn't spicy hot, and another bowl with something that resembled "chow chow" with corn. There were pickles and fresh dates. There were bottles of water along both sides of the table. The idea is that you stand by one of those bottles, eat holding your plate and don't sit down. The meal did not take all that long. Maybe, in part, because we weren't sitting (?) The Iraqis got back to work – this was one of the 24-hour operation centers where Iraqi Army officers, local law enforcement, and police work together to monitor emergency situations. We have linguists that work there too. I had the opportunity (and pleasure) of meeting the General who bought the food for the occasion and was able to thank him. After the initial pleasantries, the General asked an interpreter to translate my comments and questions. That was a first for me. The translator certainly made it easier for both of us.
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Iraqi dinner at Adnan Palace the first night
of Ramadan 22 August 2009
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So you see that my days are far from routine. We have made it through the end of August - which wasn't as hot as usual. July and August are the worst months of heat. The moon is half full and soon I'll be able to say I only have six more full moons to go!
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. My boss is having my counterparts attend a conference at his location, so it will be nice to get away from here. The last few days, there's been a huge noise from a jackhammer with a thyroid problem. It even shakes my desk! I don't know what the project is, but I won't miss it when it's over. The monthly report for August will be due this week, although I've tried to keep it going through the month so I don't have to remember what occurred the last four weeks. We also have some other taskers that are coming due. In addition, I've been working on a briefing because there is a conference at the end of October that I expect to have to make a presentation – just like we did back in May. That seems so far in the past now. I planned my October R&R dates to be back in time for the conference.
In the next issue, I'll tell you about the trip John planned. It's brilliant! It's only six weeks away. It will be nice to be out of boots for more than a day at a time. Hugs will be plentiful. It will be restful and WONDERFUL!!!!!! He really did great arranging this and I didn't have anything!
Finally – HAPPY 89th Birthday to my dear Mother-in-Law, Mrs. Ethel McAuley. The celebrations begin next weekend leading up to her big day on the 7th of September!
Stay tuned and please keep the Iraqis in your thoughts and prayers.
Ma'a salama! (Goodbye)
Truly,
Cheryl
