Hope everyone is well and enjoying the end of summer.
I heard that she was laying down like a thick blanket over everyone one last time. Did I tell you we have the winds change here, so we no longer get the hot, dry winds from Nefud blowing across us but instead get the hot, wet winds from the Persian Gulf? And yes, not only is it 120 degrees, but its’ also 60-70% humidity. I’m probably repeating myself with that – but I just wanted you to know it again! (smile)
What made matters worse was our air conditioning unit (a window unit) blew out its’ compressor last week. So, being poor Brits they took it away and did not have a replacement available (!) – instead, we just suffered for four days until they brought it back. We joked half seriously that an American base would have warehouses full of a/c units and they’d just give you a new one rather than fix the old one, which is probably true. To us, practically everything is done on the cheap here. Which does not offend my half-Yankee sensibilities, but others here complain bitterly about the food, the lack of stuff in the exchange, the lack of wireless internet in the rooms (!) [to be fair, it was an Air Force guy making that complaint], etc. Pretty funny. Anyway, as my room essentially baked in an oven – it got up to 130 degrees during the day – it was impossible to sleep there so I was homeless for three nights, all of which did not put me in the mood to write anything.
I did spend the other night hanging out with two Romanian officers, drinking twice-fermented plum brandy (polenka) and talking about history (somehow we got on the subject of Eugene of Savoy), families, what it means to be responsible to yourself and others, girlfriends and wives, and life in general. It seemed (though maybe that was the polenka), that it was a conversation impossible to have among Americans, or at least in the States. There were none of the intangible rivalries, unspoken measurements, comparisons, hesitations or judgements over who is weak and who is strong that mark, say, a bar conversation (particularly when women are around). It probably has to do with us being together in Iraq (so there is a shared goal, a shared purpose) as well as us being from totally different cultures (so competition falls away). The Romanians also ask the most astonishingly direct questions in their halfway English. A good time, amongst good men.
Lastly, I played pool with some contractors the other day, and they were off to Tallil or Balad or somewhere in the morning, and were moaning about the difficulties of travel in Iraq, lots of “hurry up and wait” at airports, mysterious delays, lack of information on the why and how about whatever was going on and the seemingly endless nature of their jobs. They were appalled when I told them I was stationed at Basra for a year, because at least they got some variety. Which got me thinking about the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, where he wakes up and every day is the same. Sometimes that feels like the case here too, and I’ve taken to greeting people with the phrase “Another groundhog day, eh?” and will be happy if it lives on here after I go home.
Oh, and pirates are much cooler than ninjas.
Fair Winds and Following Sands!
For past Brown Sand Sailor entries and pics, visit: Brown Sand Sailor Web Site