Just like any other small suburban town except:

25 Oct 2009 Sunday - A Suburb of Baghdad
The Victory Base Complex (VBC) is comprised of several bases and camps.  You can think of them as neighborhoods or communities within the town/base.  Each community has its own eating area, shopping, laundry, living areas, and services. VBC is on the outskirts of Baghdad that has a population of 7 million people.
VBC is like any other suburb of a large metropolis except:

• There are green suits carying weapons everywhere.  The soldiers must carry their weapon at all times.  They cannot get into the dinning hall without them.  Even when they work out they carry them to the Gym.  In my Yoga class, the weapons are laid next to the yoga mats along with their shoes.
• Large concrete walls that look like upside down Ts surround every building or group of buildings.
• Buildings with windows have sand bags stacked up in front of every window.
• You cannot go anywhere without your security ID badge.
• The Infrastructure like water pipes, sewer pipes, electrical lines, telephone lines, communications cables, satellite dishes, and microwave towers are visible. They are not buried in the ground, strung across high poles, or hidden by bushes and trees or other barriers.
• Few people have indoor plumbing with water, toilets, or showers in the building where they live.
• No Alcohol of any kind is sold on VBC nor in Iraq anywhere.  There is probably some on the black market but that is unknown to me.
• There are portable toilets throughout the base and special buildings for latrines and showers inside a perimeter of T-Walls.
• No dating, no holding hands, no public signs of affection. None!
• There are no individual kitchens or laundry rooms. At least, I have not seen any. You cannot cook your own meals and cannot do your own laundry.
• There are no children who live in VBC.
• About 90% of the population are men; one women for every nine men.
• Oh, I almost forgot…. every now and then a rocket or missile is launched into VBC and explodes.

Like any other town there are:

• People going about their daily activities – working, walking, biking, riding in cars and trucks, providing services, hauling goods, exercising, etc. 
• Office buildings where people work.
• Eating places and restaurants.
• Fitness Centers that are very busy.
• Swimming Pool.
• Shops.

Another Day In Paradise on Victory Base Complex.  Read on.....

I am not in Kansas anymore, no matter what the sign says.

Caterpillar helps the base generate electricity.

Reminders that we are in a Combat Zone. 
Buildings with windows have sand bags stacked up in front of every window.

A Bunker along the side the road and more T-Walls.

However, the good news -- there are latrines all over; plenty of them. You never have to stand in line.

And the crap has to go somewhere....

Arriving BIAP

17 Oct Sunday – Checking into luxury accommodations in Iraq

I have not written in my blog since I arrived at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) on 17 Oct. I flew from Ali Al Salem Air Force Base in Kuwait. We flew on a C130 Airplane.

The flights are not scheduled for the same time each day so no one knows exactly when they will take off or land at destination. I waited at the passenger terminal until they called my flight. I waited from about 4pm until 4am when we took off. A couple of flights before the one I was one were canceled. I arrived at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) about 6 am on Sunday Oct 17. One of the guys from my office picked me up and drove me to my CHU where I will make my home for the next 12 months.

A CHU is a Containerized Housing Unit which is a shipping container with a hole cut for a door and another hole in the wall for the Air Conditioning Unit. The inside is lined with paneling for the walls and ceiling and square tiles for the floor.

I work in a data/tech center that is only a few blocks from where I live so I can go back and forth easily as needed.

I will have more to write about living on the base in the next few days.

All my best,

James

I could not take pictures of the airplane that I flew in so the pictures below are from the Internet. Soldiers and civilians flew on the same flight. The picture below of the inside seating arrangement is representative of how we sat when we flew.

C130 Aircraft

Below is a picture of the outside of the Chu where I am living.

Below is a picture of my bed inside the Chu where I live. Note the 50spf sun block, herbal tincture, David Baldacci book, ITouch, and phone.

Below is an inside picture of my room from the other end showing the desk and closet. Note the Yoga Mat and bag. There are two bedrooms inside the Chu. I have one bedroom and my Chu mate has the other bedroom.

All the building, living quarters, dining hall, gym, and offices are surrounded by T-Walls. T-Walls are large concrete walls that protect the building and people for explosives and shrapnel of incoming rockets and mortars. Also the windows of the buildings are covered with sand bags for the same reason. Below is a photo of T-Walls.

Unspoken Enemies – Sun, Dust, Wind

16 Oct 2009 Friday – Still in Tent City; Air Force Base Kuwait

Sun, Dust, and Wind are dangers in the desert of the Middle East and I had no briefings from the military.  I had briefings on explosives, security, safety, and first aid but no briefing on dust, sun, and wind.  Fortunately, my Yoga training helps and Neti Pot help.

In Kuwait, with no dangers as in combat zones, the greater enemy to overall health is the sun and dust. The local residences have known for thousands of years how to protect themselves.

Most Kuwaiti men wear a dishdasha, a floor length robe with a center robe opening which is put on over the head. The three-part headdress of the Kuwait male is also very functional. It provides shade during summer, it can be wrapped across the face during sandstorms, and its end can be twisted up like a turban if the wearer is doing manual work.  Below are pictures from the Internet.

Kuwaiti women dress in western clothes, However their traditional clothing, such as the thob (a straight-sided long overdress), is still used for dancing on festive occasion. When in public many local women cover their chic western clothing with an aba, a head-to-toe silky black cloak. Some women may also wear a burga, a short black veil that covers the entire face.

All my best,

James

Breathe
Energize
Stabilize
Transform