Over the last few weeks I've collected and reported on various killings and atrocities over here. This time I am not going to say much. The battles in the south are raging and reports from eye-witnesses who have been to Baghdad in recent days, tell much the same tales as you have probably heard on the news. It is very bad there. I am more isolated from those things here in the north. The things that affect me here are the surprise bombings and terrorism for which there is no defense. The open warfare is something that seems more normal to me, if that is possible. The fanaticism of these people runs deep, and many of them seem to have a need to hate. I guess that is what comes from years of watching your families and friends slaughtered at the hands of various madmen and factions. I hope I never find out. If you want to get a better idea of what people here have been through, you can check out this link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/iraq/20030603-7.html
I've looked at some of it. It seems to fall into line with what I have been told by some of the local people.
Meanwhile, I have promised my darling wife that I would provide some pictures of my hotel room. Not an easy task. No, I did not have to clear away veils left over from the dancing the night before. No, I did not have to vacuum and dust. Heck, if the hotel won't do it, why should I? No, there were not piles of trashy magazines to be put away. It is just that I simply don't WANT to have to remember the place. My days consist of an hour and a half of getting up, preparing for work and phoning home. Then I work for 12-14 hours. Then I head back to the hotel, sometimes grabbing a meal at the dining room, but more often just buying a few buns. Then I sit and watch the news, and make jam and peanut butter or Spam and cheese sandwiches. Sometimes I watch a movie. I always call home again, then off to sleep I go, only to repeat everything the next day.
Am I pathetic or what? Well, maybe so, but time goes by. Anyway, here are some pictures of my grandiose suite in the Hotel Ashti. First, the most important thing. My grind-o-matic coffee machine. I bought this machine when I first arrived and yes, I expensed it. It even grinds coffee beans. The Arabian and Turkish coffee one buys locally is a very fine grind and provides an interesting oily scum in the cup. So between the scum and the grounds, there is not much enjoyment. Finding coffee beans was no easy chore, and they do not come cheap at $10 US per kilo. But, the satisfaction of turning on the grinder and shaking the building at 6:30 every morning, as a small bit of payback for the late night parties around me, makes it all worthwhile. Our IT king, Pat brought me back paper filters from the UK in case I am ever desperate enough to try the fine grind stuff again.
Now here are a few actual pictures of my hotel room.
So was it all that you expected? If it seem very small, remember that the tiny pictures with the blue borders are thumbnails, meaning that you can click on them and a larger picture will appear (if you really want it). Note the Kurdish flag on my table, my wife and daughter's picture in the corner and my tie rack! If they provided me with a proper wardrobe or place to hang my clothes, I'd be a much tidier guy.
I'm not very happy that I am stuck here for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. My beloved Toronto Maple Leafs (long may they rule the roost) are playing the Ottawa Senators (may fleas inhabit their equipment bags) and I will miss the entire series, even if it goes to 7 games. While it is distressing to miss the first round, I will be back in time for the Leafs (let their netminder be stingy) to meet the next set of unfortunate victims, whomever that might be. The games start at 3AM our time, which makes for either a very late night or a very early morning. Adding to the challenge is the problem of internet access, only available at work. So I will arrive as early as possible, hope that if the Leafs (may their jerseys not shrink in the laundry) have not thrashed their opposition (let their blades be nicked and dull) soundly, they are at least into a third or fourth overtime, and that the servers are working and the power is up...
|
|
Sigh. I suppose I will just have to read all about it, instead. Has anyone noticed that I am picking up a few Middle Eastern tendencies over the time I have spent here? (Long may the penalty box be filled with the bruised and beaten carcasses of the talentless hacks who dare to challenge the victorious Leafs.) Maybe it is just me.
I also wanted to provide some newer pictures of the view from my hotel room. Heather told me that Mr. Yi's pictures were better than mine and while I tried to compare the advantages of more pixel power with the disadvantages of larger files and longer loading times, nothing beats results. So here, in more glorious detail, are left to right shots of springtime from my hotel room.
If you click on a thumbnail and it takes a bit longer to load the picture, that is my point. However, this is a much nicer view than it was a few weeks ago. And a beautiful sunny day, to boot, although it is a bit hazy. I have to provide this kind of picture these days, since I am not about to leave the safety of Sulaymaniya and risk death or kidnapping outside town. Well, not for a few more days, anyway. It's getting close to my departure time. After lots of discussion, Heather and I agreed that I should sign another two-month contract for the middle of May. I won't be away as long. When I get out this time, we are off to Florida for most of my four weeks off. A dozen more sleeps in the crummy hotel and I'm headed home to my family.
Best regards to all,
Steve
