5 Months In: Expectations Shattered, Reality Sets In

 

It’s been a few months since I’ve arrived and I’ve had time to figure out a lot of things: what was a good idea to bring, what was wasted space in my baggage, what clothes worked well, what didn’t, what wasn’t needed, etc.

Since the main purpose of this blog is to give contractors a realistic expectation of what they are heading in to (albeit colored by my specific location), here’s some semi-organized thoughts on what I would have done differently with foresight.

Before I flew over, I did as much research online as I could about the conditions I would encounter.   From the scorching desert weather to camel spiders and sand fleas; I prepared for it all – and largely, I needn’t have.   

I’m in Mosul, which is in mountainous Northern Iraq not too far south of Turkey.     As such, the weather is somewhat different than southern Iraq, which is likely where the authors of all the online accounts I read were based.     The best way to describe the climate:  In Summer, it’s like Arizona or New Mexico, plus maybe 10 degrees.    It’s hot – but it’s not intolerable.    You’ll want to stay hydrated, but you don’t need a camelback with you.   There’s water all over the FOB, delivered and dropped off in marked locations.    Anyone with a bottle of water will happily give you one.   If you work outdoors, you’ll want sunscreen.   If will be primarily outdoors only to get from place to place, you likely will NOT need it – or need it only occasionally.  I have tons of sunscreen here that I won’t use – and likely no one else will, either.   Likewise, the white ballcaps with the attachable white neck guards that make you look like something of a golfing bedouin?   Totally not needed.    A regular ballcap is working well for me.   Again, if you work outside, you will want some protection from the sun, but if you work indoors, don’t bother.  You may want some vitamin C drops or the like to keep your throat moist, but after August I rarely needed them.

The dust is so prevalent that periodically the roads on base are wet down by a special truck to avoid vehicle-born dust storms that pose a hazard to driving.    It will get pretty much everywhere and into pretty much everything.   However, no special precautions need be taken, although anything important (such as electronics) should be covered and/or dusted regularly.  Laptops should be cleaned out with compressed air. 

In the winter, Mosul morphs into New York City.    Colder, with low temperatures in the 40s, and it can get down to below freezing.    Snow is uncommon (mostly due to the normal lack of precipitation) but has occurred, although not in significant amounts.   This is also the rainy season, so, like New York, you’ll have sunny days, and you’ll have overcast/rainy days.  The rain, as you might imagine, turns the dust/dirt into mud.   Again, not a major problem, but if you work outdoors it might be.   For fall, you’ll want a windbreaker as the temps are cool in the morning, but warm up in the afternoon.   In winter, a reasonably heavy jacket is required.  This is where I tripped up – I didn’t bring any jackets, having bought into the mistaken concept that Iraq was boiling over 12 months a year.   Fortunately, the PX sells sweatshirts and jackets, and I bought a nice winter jacket with OIF adornments on it – a souvenir!  

For clothing, anything that you’d wear in the US will work just fine.   I am wearing jeans and t-shirts every day; I occasionally wore shorts in the summer.   I do, however, recommend hard soled shoes, or even military combat boots; the tan ones the soldiers wear are nice.  I bought a pair here for $90 made by Converse that zip up on the side – perfect.   Since it’s such a great product, the PX naturally doesn’t carry it anymore.  :)

 

Here’s a random list of things I needed and didn’t bring, and things I brought and didn’t need, in no particular order:

 

DID NOT NEED:

Sunscreen (as noted above).

Insect repellent (haven’t seen a sand flea yet!)

Batteries (the PX has plenty, even rechargeables)

Solar powered battery charger (I read that batteries were hard to come by – bzzzzt – wrong.)

Battery powered fan

“Desert hat”

 

 

SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT:

Windbreaker

Winter coat

Gloves

Blanket (the ones in the PX may not appeal to you)

Sweatpants/sweatshirt/crocs.   Handy for trips to the shower or late night trips to the bathroom.   You won’t need the sweatpants/sweatshirt in summer (shorts/t-shirt are fine), but the Crocs are a must.  Best footwear for showering IMO, and hard to come by at the PX for that reason.   Flip flops and other beach footwear might work for you, but they didn’t for me.

Sneakers with hard soles.   The cheap sneakers I brought with me have soles that are great for walking on level pavement, but on the rocks that are everywhere here, well, let’s just say that I can put my foot down and count how many I am stepping on.   Sneakers here are pretty expensive, in limited selection and quantity.   5 months in and I haven’t found a pair I like/could buy.

 

GLAD I BROUGHT:

My pillow from home.  It really does help me sleep.

“Emergency” night light.   I have a model that is designed to come on at night as a nightlight and be removed from its base to be used as a flashlight when needed.   It provides enough light to get dressed with but it’s not so bright that it keeps you awake.   Also handy for those occasional generator failures.

 

COULDN’T HAVE EASILY BROUGHT OR BOUGHT,  HAD SHIPPED IN OR WAS GIVEN:

Feather bed from QVC - $120 and worth every penny to avoid the massive back pain I got from the el-cheapo mattresses.

Stuff to cook/eat Ramen Noodles: Pyrex bowl, colander, oven mitts.   They sell Ramen at the PX, I guess you are supposed to eat it dry since you can’t get anything to cook it in.

 

 

DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED BUT BOUGHT HERE:

Electric insect killer.   Both the traditional “blue light” type  that attracts them and this one -- made like a tennis racket (swack!) to take care of the others.    Mosquitoes and flies will get in your work and living quarters regularly, making this an easy $10 purchase at one of the haji shops.  Plus, they can be charged via 110/220, so they can come home with you.  Mosquitoes and flies each offer their own unique challenges – it’s like a live video game trying to hunt them down and whack ‘em with the zapper.  Who said Iraq had to be boring?

 

DVD Player.   The brand carried by the PX (Aivol) has a model that plays both DVDs and music/movies in MP3 or AVI format on either data DVDs or on USB thumbdrives.   So if you have/get/rip movies/tv shows into AVI format, you can watch them on this player.   This is definitely coming home with me.  Sadly, it does not seem to like portable hard drives thus far, so my dream of a cheap home theater setup still eludes me.  :)

 

 

OTHER TIPS:

I originally bought an armband-style holder for my ID.   It makes it easy to show ID at the various checkpoints, but then came the problem of winter and needing a coat.   If you wear it on your arm, you have to remove your jacket to show ID – not very easy to do while driving.   If you wear it outside your coat, it’s a pain to remove and put on the coat again (say, at mealtimes).   The solution?  A wallet (bought at the PX) with an external ID window on one side.

If you see it at the PX, and you need or will need it, it’s more often than not a good idea to buy it (or a few).   The PX can and will run out of things seemingly overnight that might not be back in stock for a few weeks (or ever; see my note about the combat boots above).   That would be a bad time to run out of something important; like deodorant, for example.   Conversely, after a while you will get an idea of what you can count on being in stock since it’s not terribly popular or that they get in stock regularly enough to count on.    Since the selection is so poor, make sure that if you have a favorite shampoo, soap, etc that you DO bring that. 

Getting cash: The only way to get cash is at the PX, where (here, at least) you can get $20 cash back with a purchase.   However, it’s only offered after 1300, and not every day.    You can, however, cash a check at the Finance Office, so you might wish to bring a checkbook.   There’s also something called Eagle Cash which is akin to a military debit card – you can load cash on it and use it at any AAFES merchant, but there are some local shops that accept cash only, and I still am not sure if you can get actual cash from it.

On the subject of cash – the rumor continually goes around (as of late 2009) that everything will switch from the dollar to the Iraqi Dinar “real soon now” in an attempt to reduce the amount of US currency in-country and likely in a political attempt to make the Iraqis happy.   I haven’t seen any signs of a changeover, however.

 

 

COMPUTER & PHONE TIPS:

Take care of it!   If it breaks, your choices are:

• Order parts for it from the US (and the quickest I’ve seen anything get here is 9 days) and either install it yourself or hope you can find someone who can
• Send it to the US – and anything leaving Iraq takes a lot longer than stuff coming in since it must be screened for contraband before being sent out of the country.   Figure 3 weeks for shipping on top of the repair time, minimum.
• Buy a new one at the PX – but be forewarned, they charge a nice premium on electronics in my experience.    One laptop that was $595 back home commanded a hefty $995 here.

 

Next, get a good Antivirus.   Viruses run rampant on this FOB, and I have had to recover (or reformat) many a laptop here.  If you don’t have one, http://free.avg.com is your next step.

Consider keeping most or all of your data “in the cloud” so that a computer failure doesn’t mean you lose everything.   Gmail or Yahoo for your email, Dropbox or ZumoDrive to store documents, Google Docs for spreadsheets/word processing, one of the many photo-sharing sites to post/store your pictures.   If your computer goes south, you can use anyone’s computer or head to the MWR and still get to all your stuff.

For calling home: Nothing, in my opinion, beats Skype.   PC to PC voice and video calls are free.    PC to landline calls are cheap, and you can get a $3/mo subscription for unlimited US/Canada calling.   It also has an IM-like chat feature, and if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch (with a microphone headset), Skype has an app in the App Store that you can use on WiFi.  

Some folks here are using Magic Jack and Vonage, but I don’t recommend it because they rely on hardware that can fail (and that you won’t be replacing for a minimum of 9 days due to shipping times).

If you want to use your cell phone (and really, with Skype, why would you?), you might be able to get prepaid cell cards at the local shops.   Here, we have two cell providers that seem to give good signals in most places.  I kept my AT&T sim card in for a few reasons, but the biggest one is that incoming text messages are included with my plan (outgoing, however, is 30 cents per, but I can send them for free with Google Voice, so nyah-nyah, AT$T).

If you loathe both computers and cell phones, you can call home from the MWR (with lines of people and usually a time limit, I’m told) or you may have an AT&T center on base (which I am told is expensive).

Speaking of phone calls and internet, when there is a fatality within the local military units, a commo blackout will be ordered that requires all internet and phone providers to shut down until the family has been properly notified; so advise your friends and family that you may vanish for a day or two (or three, or longer, depending), and not to panic.    Apparently cell phones still work; I don’t know if the military is prohibited by regulation from using them during blackout, but I’ve seen civilians doing so.

The internet is NOT going to be the zippy-fast broadband that we have in the US.   Most of the time it is fed by satellite, and you will have not only slow speeds but also daily data limits.   Almost universally you can make Skype calls, but video calls, downloading movies, and playing online games may or may not be feasible.  

The PX sells blank CDs and DVDs, thumbdrives, laptop cases, speakers, headsets, printers, ink, paper, external hard disks, software, webcams, keyboards/mice, camcorders, digital cameras, and more.  However, like everything else, the selection is very limited and things are often out of stock.  Also, you’ll likely pay more (sometimes much more) than you would in the US.    However, since you pay neither tax nor shipping, it may be worthwhile.   Comparison shop online to see if you’re getting a good deal, all things considered.    I got a great deal on a Canon Powershot camera, which was going for $10 less than comparable online shops; so with no tax or shipping?  Bargain!   However, a 7-port USB hub was $49.95 at the PX and $20 online.    The haji shops also sell computer/electronic accessories, again of varying quality and value.   Caveat Emptor.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

I would recommend against dragging your DVDs here;  the dust will most likely scratch them.   Instead, use a program (I like Handbrake) to rip them to AVI files and put them on an external hard disk instead, and you can watch them on your computer (albeit minus the menus and chapters).    If you have the right software, you can burn them to a blank DVD (which are available at the PX) and play them on a DVD player (as I mentioned above).  

The PX sells DVDs and CDs; and the Haji shops sell DVDs that appear to be of varying quality/legality.   AFN is available, typically via TV antenna or satellite – the nice thing about AFN is that they carry live sporting events.  I was able to watch the World Series, even if I had to get up at 4am to do so.

The MWR will have different things based on how big the facility is; the two here collectively have ping-pong, pool tables, poker tables (with Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments on Tues/Fri nights), movie rooms, video games, telephone and internet.   Additionally, there are occasional events, such as concerts and Ultimate Fighting.  

The PX sells video game consoles, games, and accessories; at the moment they have the Wii for $200, but are out of stock on a lot of accessories much of the time.  

 

PRACTICAL TIPS:

The local power is 220v – so check EVERYTHING to make sure it will work on 220v.     If not, you will need a converter (sold here in varying wattages and varying prices from $60 and up).

I have not been hassled while taking pictures around the base, but be aware of areas with signs prohibiting photography.   It may be more or less strict from base to base.   

It would be wise to have at least one flashlight for both power outages and in case you lose something (a key, perhaps) outside.   The PX sells the tactical sort ($$$) and the keychain variety, as well as a small assortment of “regular” flashlights.   A small AA Maglite would be sufficient for most things, unless you’re the Tim Allen type.   

A Leatherman/Gerber comes in handy as well.   I like the Gerber Suspension ($20 on Amazon).   

Side story here – I ordered a few for the guys that work for me, and a spare one for myself since getting a replacement would take time if something happened to it.   Amazon would NOT ship it directly here, so I had it shipped home for re-shipment here.   My wife shipped two boxes at the same time, one had the Gerbers in it, one had other stuff.   The other box has arrived, but a week later, the one with the Gerbers has not.   After the latest mail call (in which the box still had not shown up), I went to the PX, and found the same exact Gerber on sale for only $26.00.   ARGH!

On this FOB, there are NOT a lot of things that can be reasonably bought for gifts for birthdays, holidays, etc with the exception of some jewelry.    You will likely want to order online.

Often, many items can be bought for great prices from departing troops, who will usually post signs near the DFAC and other high-traffic areas.    Keep some cash on hand and act quickly…

Arrival

Well, it’s been a wild week or so..  Let’s catch up.

 

The flight from JFK to Dubai was uneventful, but the ride was nice.  Emirates Airlines has an awesome fleet of 777-300ERs that have great in-flight entertainment.  Movies, TV, music, and you can even view cameras installed in the nose and underside of the plane.   How cool is that?

The Dubai International Airport in the UAE is easily the most gorgeous airport I’ve ever seen.   Hotels could take lessons on decorating their lobbies; it’s that nice.   A quick trip through immigration and customs and just like that, I was in the Middle East.    After a short night at the airport hotel, it was back to the terminal to head to Iraq.

The flight was on the former Iraqi Airways, now quasi-called Jupiter Airlines.   I have no idea where the name came from, and it doesn’t appear at the airport or even at the ticket counter.   It was, however, on the ticket, and I guess that’s all that really matters.  

The flight was an uneventful 2 1/2 hours.  We landed at Mosul Airport and went into immigration.   First word of advice: Have copies of ALL of your paperwork; passport front page, LOA (military Letter of Authorization), and your DOD ID card (“CAC card”).    Not having these caused heartburn as we were delayed for 30 minutes until we figured out that they wanted photocopies.  Fortunately, one of the airport offices made copies, and were were processed.  All in all, they were very nice, and we all shook hands at the end of the ordeal process.   I was even psuedo-renamed Yosef by the group.  

We were met by a company rep and brought over to COS Marez.   We went to the dining hall – which was the first shocker.   The dining hall (called the “DFAC”), surpasses many a company cafeteria back in the States.    The DFAC suicide bombing here in 2004 has ratcheted up security, so I am not able to get pictures of the place – but I was literally slack-jawed.   I was not expecting hot, fresh, and downright GOOD food.   The meal choices are varied – fish, chicken, tacos, pasta, salad, fruit, burgers (cooked to order!), etc, etc, etc.    And since it is an all-you-can-eat buffet each time, you really have to be careful that you do not gorge yourself to the point that your distended stomach becomes lodged under the table.  

The second surprise was the PX.   I was expecting it to have a few basic necessities and to be out of stock a lot based on the reading I had done.   I could not have been more wrong.   The PX has all the best stuff from military clothing sales and the Commissary, plus PX stuff like stereos, computers, and iPods.    I quickly realized that I won’t need to have much sent from home.   The two things I could NOT find: Good bug spray and clear, spray-on sunscreen.   Everything else, thus far….  Done.

So now, on to learning the job…

Departure

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
The taxi's waiting, he's blowing his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could cry.

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go.


With all the travel issues resolved and the intermediate week having passed, departure draws nigh. I spent the extra time taking care of some last minute things, re-packing my trunks, and generally trying to enjoy the last bit of time with the family before I "really" go.

I finally managed to settle on the one elusive item - a rolling backpack. I'd been advised to use a backpack for my carry-on bag, but I wanted one that could also roll like luggage - while I may have to grab-and-run in desert environs, I also will be in more civilized areas like Tampa, JFK, and Dubai airports - so why kill my back? Most places wanted $125 and up for a backpack - and yet again, K-Mart came to the rescue with a $25.00 solution. I was going to forego my normal laptop bag (which rolls) in favor of another one (with a shoulder strap), but it was so jam-packed that it seemed ridiculous. So last night, I moved everything back to the original laptop bag - which held everything much more efficiently. I'll have to hand-carry it (it is weighed down to the point that I think a shoulder strap would snap!), but if that be the price...

Yesterday was pretty emotional; I took my daughter out for a last "Daddy-Daughter Date". We were going to go miniature golfing, but yet again the weather decided not to cooperate. So to the movies we went, where we saw "Imagine That" after a nice lunch of sushi. This was probably the worst movie we could have picked -- a movie about the love between a father and daughter - and I wound up unable to control myself and broke down. Later, while talking to my oldest son (all of 4 years old), again, I broke down. The reality that I will not see them, play with them, or hug and kiss them for a minimum of 5 months (and likely longer) is hitting home -- and hard. No more nights on the couch with the wife watching TV, no more family days to Busch Gardens.. Everything seems so final for some reason. Although intellectually I know that I am coming home, emotionally it feels like I am leaving forever. I do certainly hope that once I get there and get to work that I get in a groove and keep busy so that I don't think about it too much.

The NY family, meanwhile, is planning to "kidnap" me at JFK and take me out for a pizza dinner. I'm glad that I will be able to see them all again one last time (there I go again).

See you all on the other side.

Reprieve

I was informed by my boss tonight that there was a problem with my flight from Dubai to Iraq. Since it's a weekly flight, I've been further informed that I will be departing a week later. Thankfully, this gives me some time to pack somewhat more intelligently.

We had some friends over for a going-away party. There were a lot of kids, a lot of chaos, and a lot of cake. I've got some awesome people in my life, for whom I am thankful.

Twenty Four Hours

So much to do, and so little time - so this will be brief.

I've been running around pickup up last minute items, packing, and saying some goodbyes. Had lunch today with some of the guys from ex-job Fortress Technologies. It was great to see them and nice to be invited out; even two years removed from the job these guys still cared enough to want to see me before I left. I really hope that Fortress does OK for their sake.

Tonight some friends are coming over for a little pre-departure get-together. Before that, I have to finish packing my trunks and run them up to the office. Still getting the laptop squared away, fortunately I have until tomorrow to finish that.

I'm at that stage where I am wondering what I am forgetting to pack or do and getting frazzled because of it.

Top Ten Reasons I Am Happy To Go To Iraq

..An exercise in optimism.


10. I won't have to drive 30 minutes to see sand.

9. Getting paid to get a tan.

8. My mere presence in the region will cause Iran to behave.

7. No stinky diapers for one year. 'Nuff said.

6. The bliss of being employed in the only country in the world with a worse economy than the US.

5. Ya know, it's been raining way too much in Florida lately....

4. My high school guidance counselor was big on "life experiences".

3. Generator power. Living in pre-fab housing. Destruction all around. Great post-hurricane survival training!

2. I can get started on that Iraq-Tampa pipeline and make mad money on the 8 cent/gallon gas!

1. NO MORE MICHAEL JACKSON NEWS!!

Two Days

Much more progress to report.

I've obtained my CAC card - the smartcard-based military ID that I will need to show pretty much anywhere to do pretty much anything. I also obtained my LOA -- Letter of Authorization -- granting me permission to travel to Iraq. I was advised to carry 20 copies of the LOA with me at all times while traveling; you'll give a copy (or two, or three) at each step of your journey in-theater. I have obtained my shipping trunks and finally found khaki cargo pants, cargo shorts, and nice matching shirts -- and quite by accident -- at a K-Mart, of all places. Best of all, the shirts were on sale - but as with anything at K-Mart, it comes at the price of aggravation.

The shirts had a price tag (in sticker form) that said "$6.99 or 2 for $11.00". A sign over the table said, "50% off Regular Price". So, with my rudimentary math skills, I calculated that 2 shirts would cost $5.50, or $2.75 per shirt. Fits the budget. SOLD! However, somewhat skeptically, I asked the saleslady in the Mens Department if that was indeed how it would be rung up, and she answered in the affirmative. Great! ...Until I got to the register, where they rang up for $3.49. When I asked about it, the cashier said, "Well, the $6.99 IS the regular price". When I pointed out that the regular price for 2 was $11.00, she told me that the 2/$11 was already a discount price. I countered with logic, pointing out that the sign said that it was 50% off the regular price, and that if I could have purchased 2 for $11 before the 50% sale, that $11 WAS the regular price. To make a long story short, the next 10 minutes involved a (rather rude) manager, the saleslady in question, and my Googling and invocation of certain Florida Statues and relevant case law on retail pricing. Finally, I emerged victorius - $6 richer for the experience. Hey, money's tight.

I still didn't have enough of everything, and so after a stop at a Wal-Mart for the shipping trunks, I stopped at another K-Mart down the road a bit. Same pants, same shirts, and yes, you guessed it, same argument. This time, however, I was ready. As soon as the manager approached the checkout, I showed him the price tag and asked what the regular price for two shirts would be. "$11.00", he replied.

"OK, so if the sale is 50% off the regular price, than the sale price is $5.50, right?"

"Yes... Uh... But no, the $11 is already a sale price.."

"No, you just said it was the REGULAR price."

"But it's already a discounted price.."

"Granted, but according to Florida Statue, the labeled price IS the regular price.."

He caved.

It was then that I got an idea why the K-Marts were virtually deserted while the Wal-Mart was packed.


It appears that I will intitally go to Camp Marez, in Mosul, where I will spend a little time learning the physical infrastructure a bit and getting acclimated to the environment. I'm not yet sure where I will be assigned for the duration.

On a more personal side, the rapid approach of the departure date is hitting everyone pretty hard -- except the boys, who are too young to understand (ah, to be a kid again...). Intellectually, everyone (including Courtney) understands why I am doing what I am doing. Emotionally, however, it's a different matter entirely. Separation issues, distance issues, environmental issues... What's funny, however, is that while everyone is worried about my safety over there, I'm worried about how well Ty will cope with not only the day-to-day aspects all by herself for such an extended period, but also whatever extraordinary events may occur (hurricane, car accident, fire, serious illness, etc..). I'm also extremely concerned about Courtney and how she will adapt. I would like to think that she'll cope as time goes on.... But I'm not convinced yet.

Up until now, this has been mostly an intellectual exercise for me - but now the realities are hitting home. I am confident that I can hack it over there -- heck, how many already do? I know I can do a bang-up job over there. I'm just not sure how the overall situation will affect me. "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger" -- looks like I will be putting this to the test.

Pardon my little emotional sojurn. I realize that I am repeating myself a tad from previous posts, but to me, this blog has three purposes -- to keep my family and friends updated as to what's going on, to hopefully fill a vast hole in information available to those contemplating taking this step (like what to pack, etc), and as a journal of sorts for me -- to get out what's on my mind; a little blog-therapy, if you will.