Meeting new people, trying new things

It's only been a week, but what a week it has been. Like I said in my last message, I have a place to stay, but in the past week I have spent more nights away from that place than I have in that place. Tomorrow marks the moment when I have officially spent more time in my assigned quarters than in other quarters. Phew.

Since last week I have been to FOB HAMMER for Pay Agent training. I sit here now with $1.5 million. It's in a backpack. On the floor. Next to me. And boy is it heavy! Never again be fooled by movies that show some guy with a light briefcase full of twenties paying off a million dollar debt because that is just not possible. I have 14000 $100 bills! Do you realize how much that is?! I don't, but I will take a picture (maybe) and post it (very maybe).

Other things I have done: I have been out thrice to visit the surrounding towns and villages and meet the people. As I have said, I am the government specialist and I am supposed to meet with all the leaders (sheiks, muqtars, councilmembers) that I can and know all about them. I also am now the Battalion Commander's note taker, which means I follow him to his meetings and write down everything that is said. Ha, not glorious, but it pays the bills.

At one of our meetings we were fed lunch. We had this delicious oven-baked flat bread with rotisserie chicken and baked fish. Oh, cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelon, too. I did not hesitate to try everything and enjoyed all of it. I remembered back to the mission where I was not allowed to eat the food and I thought, "alright! now I can eat this. Dig in." I have some pictures to post so you can also enjoy the meal.

What more can I say? I stay very busy. Some of it is good busy, some of it not. Iraqis, from what I can tell, are just like anyone else. I think. Most of them have been very nice (possibly because I am holding a loaded assault rifle while talking to them) and the kids like to talk. Mostly they want something ("hey, next time you come you give me chocolato," or "football, football" [soccer ball], or "you give me pen. No pen? You give me pencil then.").

Strangely enough, this place reminds me a lot of Ukraine. Specifically the smells and the garbage. People would always comment on both those things and I was expecting much worse when I got here. Now, it is still pretty bad, but Ukraine and Russia can rival Iraq for amounts of garbage in the streets in some places. Kiev, of course, is rather clean, but I imagine the rich parts of Baghdad are, too. Oh, it is hotter here with more dust. Plus we drive down the center of the street while all traffic pulls off to the sides of the road. That never happened in Ukraine.

Well, better go now. Things to do, countries to save.