What Baghdad Is Really Like!
29 August 2006
Concrete walls as high as one-story buildings align every street in the Green Zone (International Zone) in Baghdad creating the fortress-like prison that either protects us or hides us. Unlike Detroit though, the walls are bare and free of graffiti. It is true that Baghdad was invaded by military representing many nations in order to provide relief to the citizens from their sectarian leader, Saddam Hussein. Under Saddam, people lived under immense fear that they would be killed for a great number of crimes and as a result, the city was safe and the streets were clean and maintained out of fear of the consequences. Back then, the only fear was an unsolicited visit from the Iraqi Army.
Baghdad has a long history of being one of the most beautiful habitats in the world. It is believed that Baghdad was home to the Garden of Eden where life began with Adam and Eve. One of the Seven Ancient Wonders in the world is nearby with the legendary Hanging Gardens. This area is also home to the Biblical town of Babel and the significant story of the Tower of Babel. Baghdad, or the city of a thousand and one nights, is also home to the story of 'The Arabian Night's book with characters such as Sinbad and Alladin. More importantly though, Baghdad is home to one of TV's sexiest characters, Jeannie from 'I Dream Of Jeannie.'
Baghdad is located on rich, lush riverbed land along the Tigris River. It is not the desert life you'd expect. Palm trees are everywhere. The sand that does exist smells of cocoa and the non-potable water that showers me in the mornings tastes of lemon. At one time, gardens were a thing of pride around the city with flowers blossoming in every direction. Rainbows crossed the blue cloudless skies daily and choirs of small children sang songs of brotherhood and unity on every corner as they recited lyrics of the ever popular artist here, Lionel Ritchie. Children who sang out of key were taken away by soldiers and either killed or forced to join the army.
Today, life is completely different for citizens of Baghdad. The streets are filthy and convoys of military parade the streets trying to drive quickly to prevent themselves from being a target. People caught driving or walking too close to these or other official Peacekeeping vehicles will be shot at and/or killed. There are no exceptions, even small children are killed because the enemy could be anywhere. Women once walked around carefree in jeans and short sleeved shirts, but now, without order, they walk in fear of assault and must remain covered up. The civil unrest between different religious groups trying to take over and force their way of life on their neighbors has created chaos and fear much greater than anything conceived by the Army under Saddam Hussein.
The people of Baghdad live almost entirely without electricity since the US invasion of Baghdad. Some neighborhoods have power for one hour a day while others have it for one hour every four or five hours for a total of four hours a day by paying a neighborhood fee for a generator. Nights are spent without air conditioning… then again, so is most of their days. The heat is usually 120 degrees daily and feels like an open oven on Thanksgiving. It doesn't take much to create a sweat. People here don't wear shorts, in fact they wear pants and sometimes long sleeve shirts. An example of why this is a safety concern is the murder of members of the Iraqi Men's Tennis Team a couple months ago who were killed because one group didn't find it appropriate for them to wear such shorts. In the same vein, it is said to be unsafe for men to have the wrong facial hair. For instance, my interpreter friend told me he can be killed for having a gotee if the wrong group sees him. He has since shaved.
Women must remain virgins until they are married. They also find it unglamorous to have a tan and are very protective of being out in the sun exposed for long. Strangely, my drivers (crazy gun-toters who are the only men here getting sex somewhere on a regular basis) say that in order to satisfy their man, yet keep in contact the virtue of their virginity, the women will take part in anal sex intercourse. I understand that this gives American seventh grade girls and Iraqi women some thought processes in common!
After being here for five months or 18 weeks, I just now learned something that I thought to be rumor. Some men, and probably women too, do use their left hand to wipe themselves after going to the bathroom. I found this out a few days after many military men were going up to our floor to use the bathroom at the office because so many of the Iraqi men wipe with their hands and then spray it off with the hoses that are found near the toilet and fall down the drain on the floor. This is true and now thinking back on every time I use the bathroom at the Palace and think I'm stepping around dirt!
Living at the US Embassy is nice and comfortable. The Palace here is huge and has a giant pool on the property that is fitting for a dictator. I am surrounded by mostly military people. Half of them are in full long-sleeved uniforms and others in their PT uniforms (shorts and t-shirts with their military branch logos). Each one slings a machine gun over their backs on straps like backpacks. They range in age from 18 or 19 on up to early 70s. The men and women here in the armed forces are truly working hard and have made far more sacrifices than I ever have. They are out in the Red Zone everyday in this heat in those uniforms plus helmets and protective armor risking their lives. They are brave and tough.
The other smaller group of people here are contractors working at the Embassy. I fall into neither category. I am not considered media either. That is a good thing considering the media either lives on the border of the red zone or in the middle of the red zone. The rest of the people here work for the Department of Defense, Department of Justice or the Department of Security, etc. I have seen numerous senior citizens, both men and women, who are here working as contractors doing who knows what.
Conversations I hear range from childish sex-capades to the nonchalant retelling of killing children during raids. I hear people complain about coworkers and of pay. I hear them saying farewell on their last day. I hear them talking of loss of co-workers out in the field. I hear complaints of food, of heat, of boredom. Some talk about how cool I am. It's my story, and I get to tell it the way I want to! People have vast opinions of the war, of politics and of purpose. Some people I swear talk to themselves. The stories all differ.
Food is provided here either in the cafeteria (Dfac), the Palace or in the food court near the PX (store) providing Subway, Pizza Inn (doesn't count as pizza!), Burger King and some Gyro place I have never witnessed anyone order from. The food is free except for the food court. The food is always buffet style and is never serving local food. Instead, we have everything from Burgers to Steak to fish to lobster and crab. There are always deserts ranging from cake, pies and Baskin Robbins ice cream. Cans of pop, juice boxes, Gatorade, non-alcoholic beer, water and energy drinks are available in the cafeteria. This week Chef Wolfgang Puck is coming in to create his buffet gourmet soufflé. The camp is really looking forward to his arrival.
Once a week, the Palace bar "The Lock and Load" opens up serving fairly priced alcohol to non-military and non-Halliburton employees. This is where the ugliest girls and a few decent looking ones get mobbed by guys all too-willing to buy them drinks and fall all over them. In the end, the girls have their picks of the men. I have seen wrinkly women walk out with an early twenty-something and come back next week and do the same with a different guy. Large women, old women… here every woman is a winner and, if they choose to, can take home most any guy. I still remain here with standards! However, I hear at the six month-mark, you start to break down your standards. (I'm very stubborn though!) We also refer to certain women as Baghdad cute. Is this mean, should I be writing this?
The living arrangements here are very similar to dorm life. You have a roommate and the both of you share a bathroom with roommates on the other side. We live in trailers. Imagine looking down on the trailer as being shaped like an H. On the long side of the H, the two vertical lines is the living quarters with 2 roommates on each side. The horizontal line is the mini hallway that has a door on all four walls. One door is to each of the living quarters and one door goes to the bathroom and other to the outside. All of us in our H shaped trailer work together and get along.
Entertainment around here consists of a number of things. There is a full size work out facility that I pretend in my mind everyday that I am going to. There is a full basketball court. There is a sand volleyball court that as of today finally has real sand instead of hard dead grass with lots of rocks. There are horse shoes, ping pong, pool tables and a slip and slide. There is a movie theater in the basement of the Palace that shows free movies which is probably the equivalent of the dollar show movies. The strip club is now closed as is the Petting Zoo.
Once a week, there is "Salsa Night" at a nearby pool in another Embassy compound. Here is the best place to find women in girly outfits. Some of them are even attractive sometimes. People here dance and sweat and bring in alcohol. Like the Lock and Load bar, this is also a key place to "hooking up". For the losers who go back to the Palace with their friends (yes, count me in!), they either go to sleep or go to 'Midnight Rats' also known as the cafeteria for late night food. Sometimes there are parties at nearby compounds and there are always parties by the poolside. I have also learned to wait a day or two before going swimming afterwards because the chlorine can only do so much. I hear you can catch a venereal disease even by as late as noon the next day just for being in the water.
I have learned that the best parties happen at the other compounds where many of the foreign military sleep. For instance, the Italian Embassy throws the best parties because this group of 20 guys hand-make their own food and pick the lucky people who get the personal invites get to feast on good food and good drinks. I am fortunate enough to finally be on the inside of this group and have been invited to their monthly party that happens this week with plans for homemade pizza! The Scottish or Irish throw the next best parties and even has live Opera performed in Karaoke style! This exclusive party is the first time I witnessed real women all gathered in one place dancing and drinking. These weren't the same caliber of women found at the Lock and Load, these were attractive women who didn't seem to want to sleep around. Instead they left together. Okay, that or they're lesbians!?
I have joined a dodeball league that lasted about one month. My team did surprisingly well against the thick-necked team called 'Semper Fi'. Now, I have joined the sand volleyball league that takes place now until November. It is nice to finally have time and the consistent schedule to enjoy such things.
Work is enjoyable and as you may see on TV, doesn't happen often. The Saddam Hussein Trial is now into its second of eleven trials scheduled. (edited content) That's a story for another time!
Some people ask if the US should still be here and I answer that now with 'yes'. I used to believe that we should pull out prior to coming here. Although I still believe our invasion was not appropriate under the government's justification of doing so, I do believe that as long as we're here, we have a responsibility to the people here who still need us. Saddam Hussein and his army is rumored to have killed more than 7 million people in his own country. It is rumored that he used chemical weapons on many of these people in the North country. If this is accurate, he is a dictator equal to Adolf Hitler.
People of Iraq are split on their feelings of Saddam's removal from office. While he was in power, people here didn't have cell phones or internet. Now they do… however, now they live without the basic luxury of consistent electricity. The pristine streets are now full of trash and dirt. Bombs are exploding daily here due to the civil unrest of Sunnis and Shi'ites. Bombs meant for Americans are also killing Iraqis. Traffic jams and check points have made five minute commutes into hour or more commutes. The deadliest road in the world is here and runs from the airport into the city. It is known as Route Irish. It is protected by the US military yet, it wasn't unsafe for Iraqis until we came here. With corruption and a weak Iraqi government in power, the city is no longer safe. It is so bad that people are remembering better days when Saddam Hussein was in power when the only thing they had to fear was him and his army. Today, they fear each other, the government, the military, car bombs, IEDs, the US, global warming, etc.
But as tested with time, Baghdad will survive and rise again. This town has a long history of take-overs dating back long before Jesus Christ and certainly long before Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party. The people here are patient and proud. In general, they are extremely kind-hearted and giving. Family is important. Survival is important. Also, I learned that Lionel Ritchie's music is important. I'm serious. Likewise, we should be patient and proud while whatever is meant to happen here, happens and life can get resolved for all sides of this mess.