I arrived just before Thanksgiving, so I had my big meal at the DFAC (Dining Facility, or “dee-fack”), which was decorated beyond belief with carved fruits and vegetables, and even a giant turkey sculpture made of butter! On the buffet, there were all kinds of desserts: the usual pumpkin and apple pies, as well as all sorts of cakes and cookies. The main meal included everything you could imagine for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, from turkey and ham to stuffings and gravies, vegetables and cornbread, cranberries and potatoes. The tables were decorated with colorful tablecloths, images of pilgrims and turkeys and cornucopia, there were candles and bottles of sparkling grape juice (there is no alcohol served in the cafeteria because most of the military are not allowed to drink while here.)
I also spent Christmas here, in the same fashion – the DFAC was totally decked out with Santa and his sleigh (only two reindeer), a collection of gingerbread houses made of various kinds of food, and a patriotic Frosty the Snowman greeting us at the entrance in front of the flag. (sometimes a wiseguy there too!) Christmas dinner was much the same, the traditional foods and tons of desserts – my friends and I actually started with dessert, a Buche de Noel (yule log cake) and an assortment of other pastries. We even had a visit from Santa and Mrs Claus, who happened to be in the area!
Many of you have asked about where I live. Imagine your college dorm. Imagine a small 2-bedroom apartment. That’s it! It’s modern and clean, with a fully-stocked kitchen, small living/dining room area, and two large bedrooms with TV and DVD player, desk, phone, the usual bedroom furniture, and a window. Each floor of the building has a trash room, elevator, laundry room, and a hall lounge. The buildings are secure, so we are safe inside, and there are plenty of safety measures around just in case.
I also spend time here at the recreation center, which has a large gym, pool, coffee shop and store. And the rest of the time of course is spent at my office, where I am figuring out my job day by day.
A large part of my job entails doing teacher training, working with local English teachers to help them bring their teaching methods up to date, improve their English skills, and to offer advice on English teaching issues.
In order to reach many of these English teachers, I have to travel out to the different regions of the country. Some of this travel can be done by car, but most of it has to be by plane or helicopter. So, lucky me, I get to see the country and interact with local people, and get out of the office!
On a recent trip by helicopter, I took some photos out the window of a helicopter, to show Baghdad and an area south of here. You can see in the photos the big city of Baghdad, with some of the palaces and the famous Crossed Swords, large areas of farmland with palm trees, greenhouses and fields, and the town of Najaf where I was working for a few days.
The work we did in Najaf was written up in an article on the Embassy website:
http://iraq.usembassy.gov/prt_najaf011410.html
As I continue my work here, I will add to these posts with more pictures and stories of my experiences. It is not always easy to take photos, for security or personal reasons, but I’ll try.
I would like to add my thanks here to all those who sent care packages, holiday cards and pictures, and cookies! I have been the envy of all my colleagues with the amount of mail I have received! I have appreciated all the emails and real mail you have sent me – thank you for keeping in touch!
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