Baghdad Spring Break!

“You all know this plane is going to Baghdad, right?”

We’ve all taken our “seats” on the Air Force C-130 at Amman’s Marka Civil Airport. The airman clearly enjoys doing his pre-flight announcements, after which, from the front of the cabin, he demonstrates astonishing pinpoint accuracy as he tosses feather-light boxes of earplugs to every raised hand, even those of us way back near the tail. No matter where you sit, earplugs are a good idea.

It’s a two-hour flight to Baghdad International Airport. The cool kids call it “bye-app”.

Just a week earlier, I volunteered to help Embassy Baghdad’s short-staffed consular section deal with a new load of Immigrant Visa applicants, including Iraqi translators who worked with the U.S. military.

But Baghdad is so last year now. Folks used to fight to get jobs here. Now it's amazing how quickly one’s travel orders are ready after they volunteer.

Helicopters over the Green Zone - they always fly in pairs

But the journey is quite exciting: C-130 to Baghdad Airport. Transfer to Green Zone via helicopter.

How do the Baghdad helicopters compare to the King of Jordan's?

Mints: No
Cup holders: Nope
Luggage attendants: Hah!
Guns: You betcha

Baghdad, as seen from helicopter

In minutes, we arrive at the Green Zone helipad, then it’s just a short drive to the New Embassy Compound (the “neck”).

Once arrived at the "neck", it’s so quiet (no cars, no kids, no locals), sterile, even a little boring. After I located my residence, the shopette, the laundry, and the dining facility, I mentioned to my new boss that I feel like I’m at a university again. He replied, “after a while, you’ll find it’s more like a community college.”

Residences at the new Embassy

Did I tell Mom? Yes. On Mother's Day, no less. Sorry Mom!

Full blogger disclosure: these photos aren’t mine. But I did indeed see all this stuff in my first few days here.

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