What has happened since I last posted?! Hmm, let's see - a lot! For starters, I changed responsibilities at work. I'm no longer working the visa window. Instead it's now all American Citizen Services all the time. And that comes with some advantages. For example, I was required to travel to Erbil for a special case, and while I was there, I actually got to get out into the community a bit. Including this iftaar:
You can't tell how much I'm sweating here, but let me tell you.... and I only brought the one suit up for this visit, so... Anyway, the craziest thing about that iftar was that it was held in what was basically a giant cage. It was on a soccer field that had been built by USAID, made up of that nice artificial turf. Then it had chain link walls and a webbing over the top. There was but one small door that was the only way in and the only way out. Our security officers *hated* the venue for the evening, but they were well prepared. They even had plans to attach one of the chain link walls to their vehicles and pull it down so we could get out in a hurry if needed.
Crazy crazy. But a great experience to get out and BE with Iraqi people. The women I'm sitting with here (we were designated a special women-only table) spoke only Kurdish, so we didn't have a lot of verbal communication over dinner…. But lots of nonverbal! Just to the left of the woman on the far left was a grandmother and her granddaughter. The granddaughter was totally making eyes at me through the meal, so I was smiling back. Then all of a sudden she got up and ran over to kiss my cheek and give me a hug. She was five. Then she went around to my colleagues from the consulate there to my right. Sooooo sweet!
Certainly one of the highlights of the tour so far.
You can't tell how much I'm sweating here, but let me tell you.... and I only brought the one suit up for this visit, so... Anyway, the craziest thing about that iftar was that it was held in what was basically a giant cage. It was on a soccer field that had been built by USAID, made up of that nice artificial turf. Then it had chain link walls and a webbing over the top. There was but one small door that was the only way in and the only way out. Our security officers *hated* the venue for the evening, but they were well prepared. They even had plans to attach one of the chain link walls to their vehicles and pull it down so we could get out in a hurry if needed.
Crazy crazy. But a great experience to get out and BE with Iraqi people. The women I'm sitting with here (we were designated a special women-only table) spoke only Kurdish, so we didn't have a lot of verbal communication over dinner…. But lots of nonverbal! Just to the left of the woman on the far left was a grandmother and her granddaughter. The granddaughter was totally making eyes at me through the meal, so I was smiling back. Then all of a sudden she got up and ran over to kiss my cheek and give me a hug. She was five. Then she went around to my colleagues from the consulate there to my right. Sooooo sweet!
Certainly one of the highlights of the tour so far.
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