Crazy Drivers in the Green Zone

I know I've spoken about the people driving in the Green Zone, but today I saw another example of how the Iraqis view driving. They are nuts. They have no regard for traffic patterns or common sense approaches to driving.

Riding in the shuttle this morning, there were several scooters or vespas or whatever you call them that came up along the right side of the shuttle. The shuttle is like a city bus but about 20% smaller. A group of about 9 of them zoomed perilously close to the bus in order to pass it before they would slam into a parked dump truck. None wore helmets and a few had passengers on the back. These little vehicles aren't in the best shape and have tiny wheels and anemic engines. So it's totally incredible how they drive. It's reckless.

They do not know the concept of defensive driving. It's all selfish. They zoom in and out and brake suddenly trying to get to their destination. I've seen many collisions after the fact and am surprised I haven't seen any actually happen. It's almmost as bad as driving in New York..........kidding.

It's no wonder why a lot of the cars are beat up; they run into things and treat their cars poorly.

Hotter than Texas

Man, it's really hot here. I have no idea how the Iraqis survive. Most do not have air-conditioning ar a lot of access to ice. today registered 139 degrees according to the Medics thermometer. Not sure how accurate that is since it sits out in the sun but it's painfully hot when walking outdoors.

Many of the outside workers wear head coverings and wrapping that cover their nose and mouths in addition to gloves. I have no idea how they do this. I commend them. I would be done after about 10 minutes....maybe less. As it is, I drink about a gallon and a half of water each day and most of my day is spent inside behind a computer.

I'm looking forward to it gettign cooler starting in October, I think.

It's the Smell...

Since the weather has really heated up, we have noticed an awful smell coming from the famous and mighty Tigris River. The river is a polluted with wastewater, sewage and who knows what else. There are locals that fish in the river and eat what they catch. I cannot fathom eating anything that lives in the river. The smell is so foul that I have to cover my moth and nose sometimes as I return to my room from a long shift at work.

Many of the Iraqis do not see a difference in regular wastewater, which is like runoff from car washes, rain (when there is any), watering, leaking hydrants, etc. and actual sewage from sinks, tubs, and toilets. It's a pretty gross concept by Western standards.