Arriving in Baghdad

So we waited at the Dubai airport. Our flight was delayed multiple times for a total of five hours. Some of our group were sleeping on the carpeted airport floor or in chairs. I tried but I just couldn't get comfortable enough and I definitely was not getting on the floor.

Finally the time arrived that we could board our plane. Took a shuttle out there. It was a 3 hour flight. The landing was bumpy and it was very hazy. We landed during a dust storm....not to be confused with a sand storm.

When we debarked onto the tarmac, I felt danger as I have never felt before. For one thing, the environment is completely foreign. Hot wind blew by. Plain clothes men with machine guns stood around looking out at the perimeter. Men in soldier uniforms (I assume Iraqi military) lay just beyond them also looking out at the perimeter. It was bizzare. The airport looked desolate. Only one baggage carousel was working. There may have been more, but we didn't see any. Our group was about 200. We had to follow a bunch of procedures before getting on our buses out of the airport. It was a somewhat terrifying experience. Hardly any words were spoken from the airplane to our destination. For security reasons, I won't divulge the details.

But we arrived unharmed, although we did see some burning vehicles in the distance and various other artifacts from the ravages the war has brought to this country. We had to go through a few processes once we got to our temporary holding center. This place is a hub for arriving in Irag and people leaving Iraq. Basically you have to wait for flights in and out of here. It's connected to several other camps, so we have acces to Dining Facilities, PX (like a Wal-mart), phone banks, rec centers and shops and food court that includes Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Subway, Popeye's and a few others. Now don't let me mislead you. You have to walk quite a way to get to each of these locations. The PX and the food court are right next to each other, but the rest is a good long walk. There are shuttles but sometimes they are unreliable.

So I am sharing a room with four other guys. It's basically liek a mobile storage unit with windows and an air conditioner. Two bunk beds and a cot. Nothing else. I mean NOTHING. Community bathrooms and showers are a few building away. The showers are tiny.

But my first meal here was pretty good. The dining facility was excellent. Good food and lots of variety. But I hope I won't be here long. I don't have internet capability and the line for phones is long. Plus there isn't anything to do but sleep or watch a movie on a big screen TV. I will know in the morning if I get to fly out to my assigned base.