It’s time for another update. The "Where’s Mr. Yi?” contest was a raving success with most people finding him within the three-guess limit. Congratulations to the lucky winners. With all the fun at the Kurdish wedding, I received another photo – oddly enough - from Mr. Yi himself. So I decided to set up another game. Since I loathe messing with success, this time the game is called “Find Mr. G!” The rules are the same. Good luck to all.
(Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the shot)
The previously mentioned trips to Kirkuk were productive in that I was able to make contact with the US Military and finally, a week after the cargo had been landed, I escorted a convoy of 12 trucks to the airport and under the watchful eye of several soldiers, we retrieved most of our items. Mr. Yi came along with one of his colleagues, Mr. Dong. Mr. Dong inventoried while 10 laborers and the drivers loaded the trucks. It took most of the day, even with a cooperative military forklift driver assisting. We collectively worked out a procedure so that there would be no delays next time. (Yeah, right!) Unfortunately, we were a few trucks short, so Karjwan, the logistics guy for AsiaCell went back the next day with the fastest four trucks and retrieved the last of the kit for a job well done.
We met our security team on the side of the road outside Kirkuk. They took the point and my truck followed the convoy. Escorting the trucks was a hoot, although I was suffering from a bad spring cold. I was tempted to turn them all around and head for Europe. A quick jaunt across the ocean and I could lead them to Winnipeg, and spend a noisy afternoon circling Grassington Bay to the delight of our neighbors. I realized at this point that my cold medicine had kicked in and I’d become delusional after a long day in the sun. So I cooled my jets and enjoyed the rather more subdued pace (60-80 kph) back to Sulaymaniya. Kirjwan, frequently leaned out the window and disturbed my leisure by cursing loudly at the last truck, the driver of which seemed to be determined to be home long after everyone else had gone to bed. Even the truck driver’s laborers were angry with him. But we made it through the last checkpoint and I got back to the hotel just after dark, around 6:30. I fell into bed after a quick phone call to my sweetheart, stupefied by cold medicine, face burning from my first-of-the-season sunburn.
I had handed out some freebies to the guys at the base who were very helpful. A couple of cell phones to those who didn’t have them, and some $50 charge cards for those who did, Next time I go I will have to take some Saddam bills. I acquired a few hundred as souvenirs, much to the dismay of my very thrifty wife! Yet, I cannot resist seeing the look in Patrick’s eye when I hand him his “allowance”. He’s always been one to collect old money so I got him a few extra really old Iraqi bills too. I have enough Saddam bills for all, so if you want one, just ask when I get home. There sure won’t be any more of them made.
The 1986 25 Dinar bill is the only note depicting Saddam Hussein in his military uniform. At that time, Saddam would only allow his picture to be printed on the highest quality paper stock. The bill depicts young Saddam at the height of his power, the supreme commander of the Iraqi military. An artist rendition of the Jihad Cavalry is to the left of Saddam. The reverse of the bill depicts the Shahhed Monument which was opened in 1983. It commemorates Iraqi soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq war. A dome split down the middle represents the falling shield of a dying soldier and shelters the eternal flame..
They have several kinds of Saddam bills here, but none are in active circulation. The banks are collecting them and they are being destroyed. Since 1991, Iraq money was printed in Baghdad and guess who's face was on ALL the bills wearing a more politically correct suit and tie? Yup. Those bills are printed on much cheaper stock and the Iraqis call them "copy money".
And, one last thing about the airport in Kirkuk. You will never guess what everyone had for lunch, Mr. Yi and the military security guy, Terry, hopped into one of the trucks and headed over to the base Burger King! I had a flame broiled whopper and what a treat it was. Turns out they even have a Pizza Hut on base. Leave it to me to find the best restaurants in Iraq. Next week I have to go to Baghdad to get my CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) badge. It might allow me to go onto the base unescorted as it identifies me as a bona fide member of the coalition. Then, I will abuse my position of authority by hauling a couple of the local expats off to Kirkuk for a pizza feast extraordinaire!
Sometimes I need to attend meetings. AsiaCell is building a new 8 story headquarters in Sulaymaniya. It will be quite a nice place and I have been heavily involved in the specifications. Our architect, Dr. Sirwan, is the same guy who built a couple of the most famous landmark buildings in Baghdad. In spite of bombings by both Iran and more recently, the USA, both buildings remain standing. A good testimony to his talent. Here, I sit with Dr. Sirwan and what he describes as the best electrical and the best civil engineer in Iraq. Guess which of us is the "hack". Well, I survived the meeting, and I trust their talents will ensure that the AsiaCell HQ does not resemble the Tower of Pisa after my involvement!
Our CEO is still not back from Kuwait but we expect
him here tomorrow. The board of directors has also been away for two weeks now
so things are starting to back up at their level. They will be busy cowboys once
they return. The project has been going well, but our inability to sign the
leases and contracts needed to continue to develop the infrastructure is a real
problem and is now slowing things down. This project is not likely to be
finished now until fall and may even present an opportunity for me to come back,
but Heather and I have talked about it and we won’t decide now. I told her
that living here is a like watching black and white TV. My life changes to color
once I get back with my family. And while I am now over halfway through my
absence from home, I’m not quite halfway through my Iraq stay. That milestone
will come next week.
Spring in Kurdistan has arrived. The weather is mid teens
to mid twenties now during the day, and the surrounding hills are greening up.
Children were all over the highway selling handfuls of white flowers to anyone
who would stop. It’s difficult to watch cars brushing past them at high speed.
Especially given the number of squished donkeys, sheep and dogs one sees along
the side of the road.
One of the Project Managers was stung on the arm by some
sort of wasp yesterday. His arm was swelling up but Dr. Diar, one of the
marketing guys, but a real medical doctor gave him a shot of antihistamine and
fixed him up. Dr. Diar told us a rather interesting story last night at our
usual Thursday night get-together in Tom’s Haitch Arr Irish Pub (his suite in
the Ashti Hotel). It seems that Dr. Diar used to work as a night clerk back in
the 90’s. There is a place in town with several suites and it used to cater to
the just-married crowd. Since Dr. D. was both night clerk, and a physician, he
sometimes had to deal with delicate matters on the honeymoon night. In
particular, people who had just been married and did not know each other
solicited his advice. He dealt with everything from men who could um… not
perform… to women who were overwhelmed by brutish grooms…
well, you get the picture. Marriage here is often arranged, and a woman
is expected to be a virgin until the honeymoon night. It was quite an insight,
and the fact that Dr. D. is quite a gentleman and talked very delicately about
these matters only instilled more horror into his enraptured audience, as our
imaginations filled in the details.
I have not had a Canadian Club or even a beer since the
notorious chicken flu of a few pages ago. Now I get to add this cold to the joy
of being here. Several other members of the team are coming down with it now,
too. There’s a miserable cough associated with this cold, although I’ve got
my “Lou Rawls” voice back, so there is always a bright side. Now if it was
just politically correct to walk along the street singing “Lady Love”.
It's been a year now since the war against Saddam began. Stephanie Nolen is the local Globe and Mail reporter in the northern part of Iraq - Kurdistan as it is known locally. We see her around occasionally. She wrote an article for the G & M that describes in some detail the horror that the Kurdish people went through at the hands of Saddam a decade ago. The UN no-fly zone stopped the bombing of the villages, but Saddam's army was still free to move around by land. You can read the article here, if you are interested. As we traveled from Turkey to Sulaymaniya, we saw a wrecking yard along the side of the road. I noticed what appeared to be armored vehicles in the compound. The driver told us that they were dismantling Saddam's tanks to be sold as scrap to Turkey.
Alas, I must return to my work good people. I’ve
maintained all along that nothing bad happens to telephone installations here,
since terrorists don’t want to deprive themselves of a way to call home before
they blow themselves up good. And yesterday, when a rocket hit a phone exchange
in Baghdad, my theory blowed up real good. But, another day is done, and things
on the street outside are as quiet as they ever get in Sulamaniya.
Have a pleasant and restful day, wherever you are.
Steve