I'm getting settled in to my new situation here in Baghdad. I'm situated in my new office and working with a good group of people. My living quarters are pretty posh for a war zone. I've spent much of the past few days getting checked in with the Embassy, which means I've logged many miles walking the corridors to find offices tucked away in obscure corners ... usually several times, since they're never open the first time I go by. All in all, things are looking good.
My job is going to be very interesting. For one thing, it's still to be defined. For another, nobody really knows how long I'll be doing it ... nor how long my office will exist, nor what functions will go where, if and when there's a reorganization. So you could say it's in a state of flux. But that's not really a bad thing. Our mission is to help the Iraqis get their country rebuilt and on its feet again, so as they stand up, we stand down. During my training in Washington, we were told to "work yourselves out of a job". Within my office, much has already been done (exactly how much has been done was quite stunning to me, to tell the truth). We're in the wrap-up stages now. No new projects, just making sure our remaining ones are completed as specified, and that none are falling through the cracks. That last bit, figuring out which ones are falling through the cracks, is what my job will entail. More or less. And when that's all wrapped up, it'll be the Iraqi's responsibility from there on out. We'll close down this particular function and I'll probably be tasked with closing down some other shop. And as more things are closed down, more people can be sent home at the end of their tours without a replacement. In other words, we're working on a drawdown. Regardless of what happens in politics this fall.
There are two State Department-owned compounds in Baghdad. One is the existing Embassy, which is in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces. The other is the New Embassy Compound, which is about a mile down the road. The NEC, as it's called, is just now opening up. Over the next few months, most of the offices in the Palace will move to the NEC. It's a modern-looking compound of several office buildings, several more "apartment" buildings, and a large building housing the gym, pool, laundry, dining facility, and lots of empty (for now) spaces. They're all modern and comfortable, but a bit sterile. And they're built very sturdily. I live in one of the apartments. It's a 2-bedroom place with a kitchen and bath. Haven't met my roommate yet - he's apparently on a trip somewhere. I was lucky, though: the apartments just recently opened up; before that, everybody who arrived was put into the trailers surrounding the Palace. Most of the trailers are the size and shape of shipping containers. These provided a home to two people in bedrooms at each end, with a shared bath in the middle. Not too good, but better than living in a tent!
I work at the Palace compound. It really is a palace: it's huge. I'll save a description of it for a future entry as it'll need a lotta blog space all by itself. We're not going to be in the Palace for very much longer, though. The Iraqis want it back and we need to move into our new digs. So increasingly, over the next few months, functions in the Palace will move down the road until everything is out. Then the construction crews will go in and rip out all the modifications that we've made over the past few years and restore it, more or less, to a somewhat move-in condition. Maybe they'll be done by the time I leave next year. Then again, considering all that needs to be done, maybe not.
I talked about the heat in my last entry. I'm surprised at how quickly I'm adjusting to it. This isn't a North Carolina "85 degrees and 85 percent" heat. It's hot but dry, so your sweat evaporates quickly and you don't feel the heat. Then again, you go through a lotta water when you're outside. Fortunately, I'm not outside all that much, and the air conditioning inside is pretty effective. Thank God!
Well, enough for now. I'm alive and well, finding my way in this new world, and having a good time. Despite the difficulties of being away from Janis and the girls (er, dogs), I'm glad I'm here. This is going to be a very interesting and rewarding year.
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