Shakoo Makoo

That means "what's up" in Arabic. I know all of you are dying for the response - Makoo She - "nothing much"...that pretty much sums up what is going on here. Work has settled down a bit - I am now sticking to 11-12 hour days and getting more exercise and rest - and feel better. We are working a lot with the Iraqi Air Force in their plans for helping with security during the upcoming elections on 7 March. It is interesting because they really want to be a big part but have trouble understanding what they can do. That is why we are here - to advise them on how to take what they have and build a plan that is executable.
Other news...we had spring. It lasted about 2 weeks. We went from highs in the 50s, lows in the 30s to the 80s in 2 weeks. Now we are getting the dreaded dust storms...today it rolled in out of nowhere and it went from a gorgeous day to half a mile of visibility with dust in about 30 minutes. It was strange - the sunlight was still trying to get through, but the dust would not allow - it was orange. I mean everything was orange - very strange. I should have taken a picture, but forgot - I am sure I will have the chance to do so again.
On to food. The food here is, well, tolerable. One of my indulgences was the ice cream. It is much better than tolerable. It is damn good, and I enjoyed it. One of the things I decided to do for lent was to give up sweets. So, I went out in style. For Fat Tuesday, a few of us decided to have ice cream for dinner. And since they have 6 flavors, why not have all 6? We did, and it was great. Here are a few photos of me with my meal...




So I had the opportunity to eat Iraqi food for the first time last week. It was during a trip to Taji airbase just north of Baghdad. I was with the IqAF Chief of Staff (boss) and his entourage. So they prepared a meal for all of us. Fish, rice, etc. It was pretty good once I got past the Iraqis grabbing it with their non-washed hands and throwing it on my plate. This week, some of my friends I work with at the Iraqi base invited me and a buddy for lunch - I have to say it was the best meal I have eaten since I have been here - no hands either. Chicken briyani - a great dish. I did take a few snaps of us.