Sunrise

Creamsicle sunrise over Tallil

Most days here start like this, a gift of the dry, dusty air. I'm not used to seeing the sun come up like a big ball right on the horizon except over the ocean. Here there are no hills and no trees, except for a few Tamarisk trees, to block the view. It was 38 degrees F here this morning, but the sun soon warmed things up to a high of about 60. Everyone in frigid New England asks how the weather is here. It's winter, the weather is great, though I do miss the snow. Our walls are plastered with pictures on snowy backyards, dogs in the snow, kids in the snow. Familiar things in a foreign place are a comfort, though this place is beginning to feel more familiar each day. I understand completely now why "Rick's" nightclub in the movie Casa Blanca was so popular with the expatriates. It was familiar. The full moon tonight marks our team's first month away from home, but with the long days seven days a week, it seems much longer.

Our generator quit yesterday afternoon, taking the lights, phones and computers with it. The accompanying power surge shorted out some of the electric lines that had to be sorted out this morning. Fortunately, most of our housing units still had power from another generator. Most of the country is not on an electrical system grid and generator power is the norm. Power plants in the cities have had trouble keeping up with demand and power outages occur frequently. Saddam routed all the country's power production to Baghdad. Iraqis have to deal with power shortages, gasoline shortages, and water supply shortages, and telephone interruptions daily. What was a minor inconvenience for us yesterday, is a daily ordeal for the ordinary citizens here. We are working hard to get the infrastructure back up and running, but it can't happen soon enough for the Iraqis. Most of us deployed here will be home and taking lights, heat, water, and telephones for granted long before the job is done. There is still so much to do.