Iraq Day 35
I’ve now spent the entire month of February in Iraq. I’ve come to hate the first of the month, as it’s when I must pay all of my stateside bills. Fortunately almost all of them are debited automatically, and most of the rest I can pay online. A few, like water, power, and rent, my housemate pays using my checkbook and a gross approximation of my signature. It’s not fraud if I’m ok with it…
Yesterday I spent all day w/ the Iraqi devs. Some of them are working on our upcoming software delivery to Criminal Records Directorate at MoI, while others are working on more distant projects.
For lunch they brought in more warm semoon, which as you may recall is the most wonderful bread I’ve ever tasted. Rather than pick up some kiri (cream cheese), as this was lunch they brought some canned meat substance, vaguely reminiscent of Spam (although obviously not pork-based, being as Iraq is an Islamic country), composed of chicken products.
I immediately thought ‘bird flu’, but this was Jordanian meat. Then I thought ‘stray dogs’ and ‘chicken colons’, but the Iraqis were enthusiastically cramming slices of the chicken loaf into their semoon, so I had no choice but to follow suit. The taste was between a hot dog and bologna, neither of which I am particularly into, but it didn’t taste at all like stray dogs or chicken colons. 24 hours later I’ve not experienced any violent gastrointestinal anomalies, so I think I’m in the clear.
During lunch the conversation inevitably turned to food. They have promised to bring in some kahi, which by the sound of it is a flaky thin pastry w/ sugary glaze; I’m obviously looking forward to that. They also told me of a fruit, naboog, which Iraqi children love and that apparently grows only in Iraq and Iran. Obviously, I’m having a great time sampling the local cuisine, and just wish I could go out into the city to get it fresh at the best Iraqi restaurants.
During a discussion of our favorite foods, E told me of one, ‘kin-TAKEE’, which upon further description turned out to be chicken, dipped in an egg base and breaded, then fried in oil. I can’t help but notice that their name for this food sounds an awful lot like ‘Kentucky’, of ‘Kentucy Fried Chicken’ fame. Upon learning of KFC and the delicious Extra Crispy chicken, the Iraqis came to agreement that their word for ‘fried chicken’ is in fact an Arab pronunciation of the word ‘Kentucky’. Remarkable. Across space and time, one thing binds all cultures and peoples: a love of the Colonel’s secret recipe chicken.
As you may recall, one of our developers is ethnically Kurdish, though he grew up here in Baghdad. He and the other developers were telling me one of the many jokes Arabs tell about Kurds, much as we do of blondes, Irish, and lawyers. The joke in English goes something like this:
How do 40 Kurds change a flat tire?
One holds the lug wrench against one of the lug nuts, and the other 39 rotate the car.
It was funnier in person, I swear…
Today we interviewed an American QA lead for possible service here in Iraq. The interview went fairly well, but it’s hard to guage personality suitability until someone is actually here.
A couple days ago my father asked me if I’d thought about what will happen to Iraq over the next decade and whether I’d be willing to come back perodically to participate in more advanced reconstruction efforts once the security situation gets better.
I’ve thought about it, and like the idea very much, however I don’t think it’s at all certain that Iraq will play out that way. It is by no means out of danger of civil war, and in fact as the golden mosque bombing in Samara demonstrates is precariously close to the brink.
If in fact Iraq does survive this period of trials and tribulations, I would very much like to work further w/ the Iraqi people to bring them into the modern world, especially if the country calmed down such that friends and family could come and visit in safety.
Dad also asked me about the adjustment back to domestic life once I return. Certainly we’ve been told time and again that no one stateside will truly understand our experiences here, unless they’ve also been here, and that there is an awkward period of adjustment upon return to the US. However, I’ve heard 2-4 weeks is the longest this period will last, and it’s quite easy to learn to walk down the street, drive a car, or hear a muffler backfire without feeling severe anxiety and adrenaline-induced alertness.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Catholic liturgical calendar. I’m going to try to make it to the chapel at the palace at 1800, though Ash Wednesday isn’t even a day of obligation stateside so if I miss it’s no big deal.
I’ve decided I will give up American television and long showers for Lent 
Currently two of our expats and a couple Iraqi translators are in Irbil in the Kurdistan region up north, doing recon and advanced prep for a ‘conference’ we’re thinking of holding there later in the year. The plan is for the whole team to go up for the conference, which will be quite an experience.
Kurdistan is in many ways a different country, and compared to the rest of Iraq is much more secure. Thus, we are free to walk the streets, mingle w/ the locals, eat in restaurants, and generally do the stuff I wish I could do here. I can’t wait.
I’ve spent the last two weeks healthy, so of course I’m starting to get another cold. This one is mild so far; just congestion, however based on my last experience I’m taking it easy. I’ve not been to the gym since Sunday, and will likely miss tonight (burger night at BE camp) and tomorrow (get drunk and sing Karaoke w/ a fat old woman I’d normally run and hide from night at the Lucent bar) night as well. Oh well; if I don’t eat anything maybe I can balance it out….