Rama-lama-ding-dong...

To All Employees:

One of the unique experiences of working in the Middle East is the opportunity to personally experience different customs and peoples. The Middle East has a long history of deep religious practices. As an employer, we honor and support local customs and requirements in accordance with religious practices. Observance of Holy Ramadan is a major religious event in the Middle East and supported by *** in accordance with local laws.

Many of our employees may understand and have experienced the Ramadan experience. The following are questions that may assist all of our employees in understanding and appreciate the meaning and practice of Ramadan.

What is Ramadan? Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast (sawm) during the daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and family. It is considered to be a time of worship, contemplation and a time to strengthen family and community ties. The appearance of the new crescent moon signals the beginning of Ramadan. The end of Ramadan is signaled by the sighting of the new moon of the next month, Shawwal. The new moon must be seen and reported by at least two trustworthy witnesses. Because of this requirement, neither the beginning nor the end of Ramadan can be determined in advance. Depending on the visibility of the moon, Ramadan can begin on a different date in different parts of the world.

What is meant by Fasting (sawm)? The sawm is act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of consciousness. Fasting begins each morning and continues until sunset. Fasting consists of abstinence from all food, drink, gum chewing and any kind of tobacco use during this time. It is considered violation of law to drink, eat or use tobacco in public during this period of time daily. Please be advised that you are subject to arrest if you violate public fasting requirements.

When will Ramadan begin? Ramadan will begin on or about 10 or 11 August 2010.

When does Ramadan end? When the first crescent of the new moon has been officially sighted by a reliable source, the month of Ramadan is declared over, and the month of Shawwal begins. Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr. Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations. It is a joyous time beginning with a special prayer, and accompanied by celebration, socializing, festive meals and sometimes very modest gift-giving, especially to children.

As a business *** will initiate temporary measures to accommodate these needs and requirements for the period of Ramadan. We are advising all employees of *** to refrain from eating, drinking or smoking during daylight hours while outside of your residence and moving about in the civilian community. Generally first light begins at dawn and ends at sunset.

Violation of this practice could result in your being arrested. Please remember that the Muslim community and local officials are serious about the fasting requirement.

We request that Individuals working on US Military installations consider their Muslim work partners' Ramadan observances. If you have work partners who are observing Ramada fasting, please refrain from eating in their presence in the work area during their established work schedule. The most courteous practice would be eating in an established break area if possible.

At the *** offsite facilities, special break areas will be established away from the work areas to insure that fasting is going on in general areas.
All eating, drinking and using of tobacco products will be restricted exclusively to this designated area.

We request that All *** employees respect the Ramadan observance. Please consult with your site and project managers for additional information and adjustments that are being put in place in observance of this religious period or if you have any additional questions. We request that All *** employees respect the Ramadan observance.

I did some Coke today...

Oh, it was good. Just what I needed. I'd been craving it for days. Just that little bit...it took the edge right off. I see why people get addicted to this stuff - because it's...well...addictive.

Back home I never do Coke. I seldom do soft drinks of any kind. There's always healthier options: iced tea, ice water, fresh juice, maybe some wine. And when I do get the urge, desire, craving for something, it's Dr Pepper - something that's in abundance in the Midwest.

Coke has a special place in my heart. My sister has always loved the stuff, but it never did much for me...until I started traveling outside the United States. Coke is EVERYWHERE!

I remember my trip to China in 2006 - it was my first night there, and I was having dinner with my cousin and her friends at a hot pot restaurant. I was eating stuff that to this day I'm still unable to identify. For those of you that know me well, you know that's a pretty big thing. I'm not known as a culinary adventurer.

As the night went on, the desire to wash things down with something cool, tasty, and familiar was overwhelming. To my eventual detriment, they offered tall bottles of warm Coke. Well, at least it was familiar. I drank four of them.

Oh, I should have mentioned that up to that point I hadn't had a soft drink for about four years. It was just something I decided I could do without, so I did.

I won't recount how I spent most of the next day and a half in the bathroom, in my Chinese hotel room. I'll just say that my body didn't react well to the flood of sweet, carmel-colored liquid.

Later that same trip I learned something else - On the flight from Chengdu to Lhasa, Tibet, never drink carbonated beverages. I believe I had two cans of yes, Coke. We landed, and was at an elevation of 12,000 feet above sea level. Very high, no air. All those little carbonation bubbles just went crazy, and expanded all over the place.

There was a rush to the bathroom. Thankfully, a 'western style' toilet was available, instead of the more common 'squat toilet.' Never got the hang of those. I'll sit down anyday.

When I worked on the ice the one thing I always looked forward to when I got off was the first meal back in the 'real' world. It was always a Double Whopper Value Meal at Burger King, on Columbo Street, in Christchurch. It tasted like America. Of course, it was accompanied with Coca-Cola, and Coke tastes like Home.

Same thing traveling through Australia. Coke is king.

And now I'm in Iraq. Sure, they sell Dr Pepper in the PX, but I don't love soft drinks enough to keep any in my room. So, on my day-off I usually eat lunch at our Food Court. Doesn't matter which vendor I choose, they all offer Coke to go along with their meals.

So, I indulge.

I did some Coke today, and I'm feeling pretty good right now...

P.S. Okay, I bought ONE can of Dr Pepper to have later. It's in my freezer right now. I like it cold...

Were those fireworks?...

It was on a Saturday night, a week before the Fourth of July weekend. I had the TV on, and was catching-up on my e-mail. Right around 9:20p there was a large *BOOM!*, followed immediately by a smaller *boom*. Fireworks a week early? Naw...

I slipped my flip-flops on, and poked my head out my door. Everyone else was, too. Quietly, but quickly, people started making their way towards our local bunker (it's like 3-sided concrete culvert, about 6' square inside, and about 60' long).

Someone said it was a mortar. Seriously? A mortar? But Taji's a SAFE base. Who'd be shooting mortars at us?

The next few minutes were tense, and full of apprehension. We never really did go inside the bunker, but we were ready to.

You should have seen the Army mobilize. They were like ants running around everywhere, rifles blazing. They were doing their job.

After 20 minutes, or so, we got the word that all was clear, and we returned to our CHU's (compartmentalized housing units - trailers). No one slept well the rest of the night, and of course, it was the talk of the base the next day.

The full story came out a few days later - They weren't mortars, but RPG's. They had been fired from one or two Iraqis that had found an opening in one of our 'fortified' outside walls, and had snuck in. They were located almost immediately that same evening. They had in their possession additional weapons, bent on wreaking some havoc.

The things people do on a Saturday night.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, and no damage done. Still, it rattled some nerves.

It served as a much-needed wake-up call for all of us. Complacency isn't good on a military base...in a warzone.

So now vigilance is paramount. The Iraqis are still our friends.

Don't worry, I'm still safe. Please read the post below about our concrete friends, the T-Walls...

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Other Taji news...

The food selections have taken a nosedive. The rotisserie chicken man is gone, as is the carving station for the turkey and pork loin. Thankfully, the fruit guy is still serving, but he has been absent a few meals, which has caused some distress.

It's still hot, dry, and dusty, but I won't keep kicking that horse.

Everyone in our office is in vacation mode. A few just returned, a couple return this week, and a number of us are taking off in September and October. For me, parole...I mean, vacation, is less than two months away. :)

I bought a new backpack and a new hat, but they're camouflage, and I can't find them.

All in all, everything's fine. I'm safe, I'm comfortable, and I have a job. That's pretty much like winning the trifecta.

I promise I'll *try* to do better at updating my blog. Next entry will be my first photographic assignment - 'Finding Green in the Desert.' Subsequent posts will be 'I'm Feeling Blue,' and 'I'm Seeing Red.' Might even do 'Don't Be Yella.'

Take care, Everyone. Write, post, send good thoughts.

a

The Ubiquitous T-Wall...

At every military base in Iraq, and I'd suspect, Afghanistan, you see giant monoliths called T-Walls. T-Walls provide two services: protect and contain. Which one it does is entirely dependent on which side of the wall you're on.

You've seen T-Walls too, everytime you drive through a construction zone. They're much shorter, and typically wider, and go by the moniker 'concrete barriers.' Their purpose is exactly the same - they protect the workers on the other side, and contain whatever mayhem traffic may cause in the thru lanes.

Are they protecting us from traffic in Iraq? Hardly. Their job is to protect us from most types of lobbed or rocketed munitions. Could be mortars, could be grenades, could be rocket powered grenades (RPG's). They're typically placed around the perimeter of most buildings, and around the pods that consist of the trailers we live in.

That being said, it's all a crap shoot as to whether you're on the protect or contain side.

As I look out the window of my room, I see an 8' high T-wall. Beyond the wall is a gravel road about 30' across. Good, I'm protected, right? Well, if an explosive happens to land in that roadway, yep, I'm protected, and the blast is contained. BUT, what if that same munition happens to land in that 4' space between my trailer and the T-Wall? *BOOM!* All of a sudden, I'm on the containment side, and anyone in the road would be protected.

Like I said, it's a crap shoot. Still, they do provide a sense of protection, that that goes a long way towards our peace of mind, even if they do block the view.

CALIENTE!!!

Today's official temperature was 122*, and that was in the SHADE! Ah yes, summer's here. :P

You have no idea what that kind of heat feels like. Closest thing would be to preheat your oven to about 500*, then open the door while standing right in front of it. It's searing.

And you know how people talk about windburn? Well, when the wind is blowing with this kind of heat, the wind does literally burn you. Unfortunately, not much getting around having to walk to work, walk to chow, walk to the gym. You just get used to it.

So, a couple of hot months ahead, then September, and VACATION. When I return the temps will have broke, and started the slide into Fall. Life is Good.

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I'll post more on my day-off. There was some excitement here a couple of weeks ago I want to tell you about.

Till then, stay cool!

Happy Upcoming Summer Solstice!!!

Oh boy, it's almost summer. The high temps are already right around the 120* mark. Hard to believe it'll get even warmer, but it will.

I'm watching the color of the sky as I write this. It's gone from sunny to grey, grey to yellow, and now yellow to orange. That's never a good sign. It means dust, or more likely, a dust STORM. No one likes those. Dust EVERYWHERE, carried by a scorching hot wind. Time to find my goggles.

Today's my day-off, and I needed it. For a fairly easy job there's alot of stress at work. And no, I'm not going to get into it. Just glad to have some time away from the place, even though there really wasn't anything to do today. Pretty much stayed inside where it was cool, and not dusty. Oh, I did sweep my room, and clean out my fridge. At least I accomplished something constructive.

Also planned my flight home. Vacation is still 12 weeks away, but everyone plans early. We need something to look forward to. Flying back to MO cost me a bundle, but thankfully my company gives us a travel credit (which almost covered the entire cost of it) after six months, and again at the end of our contract.

I've been away from home for three months. It's gone by fast, but never fast enough. Listening to the folks that have been here a while, they say the first few months are the longest. Again, thank goodness.

I've always enjoyed the desert life and environment, but this place isn't Arizona. About the only thing they have in common is the heat. I'd always thought that one day I'd like to move back to AZ, but I think being here has cured me of that. Besides, Jan's not that thrilled with the desert anyway. So, we'll go somewhere with trees and water. :)

No real excitement here in Taji lately. There's going to be a group of three comedians at the Pavilion tonight. It'll still be over 100* when they start, but I bet there'll be a good turnout. We kind of latch-on to anything from the outside world. More like grasping at straws.

Anyway, Allan and I are gonna go. Probably eat in the courtyard for a change, too. What shall I have? Burger King, Subway, Popeye's, Taco Bell, or Cin-a-bon? No, definitely NO Cin-a-bon. Oh, there's Pizza Hut, too...but I don't like pizza. We'll find something.

More soldiers seem to be leaving Taji. No idea how many, but it's feeling more sparse around here. It's all part of the Iraq troop drawdown. Should have some Iraqi Army members start to move over to this side soon, too. That'll be different. Just one step closer to turning the base back over to them eventually.

I'm so happy I'm not in Afghanistan, like my friends Joel and Jim. They're in Kabul, thankfully. Yes, it's still very dangerous there, but nothing like the southern part of the country, near Kandahar. Things are just rough there. The surge is beginning...

Yep, I'm pretty spoiled here in Taji. No complaints at all. I'll contend with the heat, the work, and the food (which has been getting rather mundane lately).

BTW, speaking of food - A couple of weeks ago I must have contracted a little intestinal bug. No idea where - could have been the water or the salads. Moot point now. For 11 days I was...well...having to stay close to a restroom. One day I visited the restroom 12 times! Kaopectate helped the most, but not after trying a complete round of Imodium/Loparimide.

This also brought to light a harsh reality of being over here - lack of medical care.

If there's danger to one's life, limb, or eyesight, the Army docs will see you at the clinic. If your condition is something less than life-threatening, they want you to take a day-off from work, board a helicopter, fly down to Baghdad, and visit a contractor clinic down there. Wow, talk about inconvenient. And if you have a problem with gastrointestinal distress, do you really want to take a chance on a bumpy, hot, helo ride, then a bumpy, hot, shuttle drive about half an hour to the clinic?

Nope.

Thankfully, OTC meds finally helped me. Would have rather had REAL meds, but the option just wasn't there. I'm very appreciative one of my good friends is a medical doc back in the States, and I'm able to ask him about these maladies that darken my doorstep.

The process kinda sucks.

Oh well. Just nine more months to go.

Almost 5p here, and the sky is getting lighter. Maybe the storm passed over us. Take care, all. Leave comments, or write when you can. Miss you all.

a


All gussied-up in my dust-prevention wear.



I decided that one thing I really do NOT like here is having to use a porta-potty when the temp is anything over 100*. The plastic walls are hot and pliable, ventilation is non-existant, there's that sickeningly-sweet smell of blue liquid/feces that makes you want to hold you breath, and there's the residue of people that 'missed' the target. Better to hold it till you get to a REAL bathroom.




I swear, I don't know how some things work around here...

Sizzle....

Well...summer's here.

The temps are now routinely in the 100s. Later this week we should be into the mid-110s. And even though that will be scorching hot, it's gonna get hotter. The hottest temperature recorded in the United States is 134*F, at Death Valley. In Libya, which isn't that far away from Iraq, it once got up to 136*F.

Maybe that's why we don't have pavement here - it'd melt.

Thankfully, the humidity is next to nothing, unlike Phoenix, which has so many swimming pools, canals, and irrigated lawns, that it seems more miserable there.

Well, it's Tuesday, and my DAY-OFF! :) I work six 10-hour days, so I really look forward to this one day.

My typical Tuesday starts off by (usually) sleeping-in. I get up a bit before 8a, and meet my friend Allan for breakfast (he works nights, and gets off at 8a). We talk of base happenings, work, and stories of home, and future plans.

After that, I head back to my room and start cleaning. It's amazing how much dust and dirt gets blown in. Of couse, our doors and windows don't seal all that well, so maybe it's not so surprising.

I also drop-off my laundry - there are no facilities to so it ourselves, so we have to leave it at one of numerous 'drop points' on base. Typically, if you have them in by 12n, it'll be ready by 5p the next day. I can then pick it up on the way home from work.

Tuesday is also a great day for catching-up on e-mails, finances, and whatever else. Since it's so hot outside, might as well stay in where it's cool.

I also just lay around and watch TV. Days off are days to r-e-l-a-x...

Oh there was some excitement at Taji recently...


Yes, it was a testosterone rush for all the Army guys. I caught the last 10 minutes or so. They are good dancers, but it was like being at a football game without the football.

Other than the sporadic USO-style acts that come though here, about the only other thing we have to look forward to is Friday Night Karaoke, and no, I really don't look forward to it.

It's 1p right now. Normally I'd be thinking of lunch, but I'm having some gastrointestinal distress today. I'm so happy Jan included some Imodium in the CARE package I received from her last week. She takes such good care of me. :)

That's it for today. Take care, everyone. Stay cool.

It's nap time...


I forgot what this is - it's either dried mud, or my skin.


One of our laundry drop-offs.


Yes, we have a mosque in Taji. We have a number of Muslims on the base. Thankfully, the loudspeakers don't blare out the daily prayers.


No, I don't know why there's an old, red pickup with flames on it here. Somethings will forever be a mystery...