Week 35 - My Week In Iraq

Greetings from Umm Qasr….(Umm Qasr – which I believe is Arabic for “where the wind is so strong the birds have rear view mirrors to see where they land….)

So….first thing – I have gotten my marching orders – and I am going to be leaving Umm Qasr (and Iraq) early in December and will be heading to Afghanistan (Kabul to be exact) and will be staying there until June of 2012. I haven’t decided if I will change my blog or my email address (wadeiniraq….) – but I will think about that. I will be working as a “Facility Engineer” for the Joint Program Executive Office – and will be working directly for a Brigadier General….. sounds cool – and I am really hoping I get to do a lot more travel around the country. My general memory of Afghanistan was it was a LOT more beautiful country (REALLY steep mountains, rolling hills, etc.) than Iraq (and especially Umm Qasr – which is basically sand and scrub brush) – so I am hoping to get a lot more photos of the country – but we shall see…

So what have I been doing this week? Well, the ITAM-Navy (Iraq Training and Assistance Mission) is quickly ending and OSC-I (One Slug of Contractors – Iraq)….actually, that is not it – it is something like Office of Security Cooperation….but I don’t remember exactly – so don’t quote me on that….but that mission is taking over. So Myles and I are trying to wrap up – and turnover as much stuff as we can before we both go. 

One of the really important things we have done since we (the US) got here (and again, none of this is sensitive or classified) – is to turn over the US made “Swift Ships” to the Iraqis. The other thing that is very important for the Iraqi Navy – is to have a place to “maintain” the ships (all of their ships – not just the Swift Ships – but they have boats made from Italy and China as well). The Iraqis call this building “their workshop” – and as I showed you the boat last week (the 102 – it is a Chinese made craft) – they have started “rebuilding” the boat.

The Chinese-built “102” – in drydock for rebuilding.

Remember last week I told you about the flimsy “stairs?”  – the steps are warped, one of the frame legs is starting to spread out. 

These stairs are the ones that were fabricated – wider (and made of heavy steel)….we could finally go up on the boat.

So Myles (as the Site Lead and “in charge” of the Iraqi Workshop) and I go out to check out the boat as they have started working on it….a couple of interesting things….

First, the manholes (where the Iraqi Navy guys enter the engine room from the deck) – is TINY. Most of the Commodores and Captains I know – couldn’t fit down there. Myles (who is not a big guy…) had a tough time going down (I didn’t go down –as I had my “civvies” on – and there was a lot of grease on the handles.) …..well, that and I didn’t want a photo of me – stuck in the manhole – with my belly hanging over all four sides

Myles – getting ready to go down into the engine room through one of the manholes – note how tight it is – not sure if he is falling – or stuck - or if there was music playing and he was trying to do the Y-M-C-A

We also went into the “crew room” – this is an awful small area where 8 guys live in about the space of a small bedroom – here I am reaching across one sailor’s bed – and you can see another bunk on the top – and you can see the small cabinets where they can “stow” their gear….also – these bunks don’t have mattresses…they only have blankets and quilts to soften the plywood beds….

Here I am in the engine room – two diesel engines – both have since been removed and are being repaired in the Iraqi workshop.  If you look above my head, you will see the “tarp” – they removed the panels and pulled the engines out through there.  This whole boat will be totally rebuilt and put back in original shape.  A VERY important thing for the Iraqi Navy to accomplish – as part of their “self-sufficiency.”

I know – a lot of photos of “me” – but I wanted to show you the instrumentation on these Chinese boats (on the left) – VERY Spartan – especially compared to the US Swift Ships (below – those blank panels in front of me are computer screens).  Also notice on the Chinese boat – the “ivy” along the top of the window.  It is not unusual for the Iraqis to put “wasta” (flowers, greenery, etc.) in their vehicles, boats, offices, conference rooms, etc.

I continue my design work for several areas (I have mostly completed the designs – I am waiting for the translations to send to the HoN – so I can get comments and I can incorporate into the designs). 

The “final” layout for Khour Al Zhabayr (and this is not sensitive – as it is not for construction – but allows us to do further detail planning….)

And of course, I have been working on the waste water treatment plant….

Myles standing on the acceptance tank – looking over the excavation of the old manhole (where we are going to be building a new “screen chamber.”)  The pipes were a lot lower in the ground than we originally thought – so we had to re-design the chamber.  Also note that the concrete on the side is “undercut” and you shouldn’t walk on that – or you may get a bath in “previously used” water….

This is the contractor preparing the “top” of a concrete “sludge” tank form by placing rebar into the form.  Note the rectangular form for the manhole on the left hand side.  

So, it was a good week – even though we are winding down. I am in process of doing a lot of “turnover” and packing to get the heck out of dodge…. and I am looking forward to new adventures, new places to go and new people to meet.

I have made many good friends during my time in Iraq – I believe next week will be my last weekly report from Iraq – so I will try and touch on the many good friends I have made.

I hope this letter finds you well – I hope you had a great Thanksgiving – and hopefully - you spent a moment giving “Thanks” for all of the great things you have….. faith, family, and freedom,

God Bless America

Mr. Wide

مهندس  واد  بروير

Bonus Photos….

Myles: Man, if we were in high school, could you imagine the chicks we could pick up in this thing??

(Alternate Bonus saying….Myles: My 8 track goes right there….)

I’M KING OF THE WORLD!!!

 (c’mon, you would be disappointed if I didn’t do at least one of these, right???)

By the way, go to the next photo….this wasn’t quite taken on the ocean….

Well, King of the drydock, anyway……

Week 34 - My Week In Iraq

Greetings from Umm Qasr! (Umm Qasr, which I believe is Arabic for “where even the flies rush out of the DFAC, gasping for air…..“) Bonus translation for this week…. “Where the flies don’t accidentally fly into the bug zapper in the DFAC – they go willingly because they can’t stand the smell…..”

Alright, so what has been going on here….. okay, I told you about last week’s Eid – well, I asked Amjad to go take some photos of one of the celebrations that had been happening around the area. And this is what passes for a “carnival” in Basrah… (BTW, Amjad gave the camera to one of his young nephews – because he said all kinds of adults would start getting suspicious if he was taking photos….so the kids all “hammed it up” for the nephew).

This is a “2 manpower” ferris wheel (there is no motor – the “operators” turn the wheel by hand

They also set up swings so the kids could go high. This is normally the Basrah Market area – but they closed it down for Eid – and brought in the “Carnival”…..

And of course…….FOOD!!!  On the plate in front is the falafels – these are basically fried hummus (mmmmm) – then next to that is sambusa – little meat pies – filo dough around Kharoof (lamb) – and up on the grill is lamb burgers….

And I know this is a “fuzzy” picture – but Amjad (not him in the background – that is his brother) – but Amjad wanted to give me photos of his children (left to right) – Noor, Zahra and Ridda…..I know…I know…..not ONE of them named “Wade”…..

Alright, so you are probably asking…..does this guy ever do any work?  Well - I try to avoid it at all costs….but besides designing a new family housing area – I have been working with the local Iraqi contractor to renovate the Waste Water Treatment Plant….so here are a couple of photos from that….

Just thought you would enjoy some photos of the “locals” working

– and yes, these are guys from Umm Qasr and Basrah.  And they are doing a very good job.

This company has done so well, I am recommending them for other jobs…

I wanted to let you know – as I said last week – it looks like Raheem is going to have to wait until after Ashura to get married.  It is too bad (not only for Raheem) – but I was really hoping to learn about/share about an Iraqi wedding…..oh well.

As for me, I have had a job offer – that I am trying to get arranged (like I told Jeanette – things are so “iffy” here – we just don’t believe it until it actually happens) – but the plan will soon be for me to go to Afghanistan….I will probably be working in Kabul. But for now, that is probably at least a few weeks away – but I am anxious to move on to other work.

Finally……. I know last week was Veteran’s Day – but I wanted to share with you this story that I recently heard. This is a story about a young Filipino man who was living in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded during World War II….so I would like to tell you the story of Memilio Eclevia. First, an interesting thing about the Philippines – in certain areas – all of the last names start with the same letter – the area that Memilio was from – Canderlaria in the Zambales province – all of the last names started with the letter E. Also, there is a “Spanish” tradition that carries over (or did carry over at that time) to have the mother’s maiden name become the son’s middle name – an interesting point, but I digress.

 In November, 1941 - at 27 years old, Memilio joined the US Army as a Filipino Scout, (a pretty elite group) - because he wanted to “see the world.” Three weeks later, the Japanese invaded the Philippines and attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7^th ….and the US declared war on Japan. As a member of US Army Forces in the Philippines, Memilio and all of the forces fought for three months without logistics, medical care and food. The US forces finally surrendered – many of them malnourished and full of tropical diseases. He was forced to walk in the Bataan Death March.

 Memilio actually escaped from the march after several days - by concealing himself underneath two dead bodies. The Japanese soldiers would come along and bayonet any bodies that they found lying on the road. Well, they came by and plunged their bayonets through the two bodies – narrowly missing Memilio. He stayed under those bodies for 36 hours – waiting for the Japanese and the various stragglers to wander by. He then slid into the jungle and went to join the Filipino resistance and to fight the Japanese occupiers.

I don’t know if you heard this, but the Japanese had a standard procedure that if they found out members of a family were in the resistance, they would go into the village and kill all the male relatives (old men and young boys – didn’t matter). Now Memilio’s mother’s family was particularly involved in the resistance in Canderlaria – so the Japanese went in and slaughtered all of the males with his mother’s last name… after the war, when Memilio went back to his village – he noted that all of his mother’s relatives were gone – so, at that time, he decided he would take his middle name as his last name– so his mother’s family name would not die out because of the Japanese.

So, World War II ended and you would think that Memilio would have some kind of vendetta against the Japanese…. and I am sure that feelings were tough for awhile…. He eventually worked his way up to Staff Sergeant (SSG) in the Army….so after the start of the Korean War, SSG Eclevia went on R&R to Sasebo, Japan and had to go into the BX to get some items. There was a “motherly” Japanese lady behind the counter and she immediately started talking to Memilio…as she noticed he was Filipino.  After a long discussion - she wanted him to take her daughter, Yuri Shoji, on a blind date.

One of the interesting things is that this daughter, Yuri, was actually in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded – but because she was viewed as a “sympathizer” – she was jailed by the invading Japanese Army. To make matters worse, when the Americans liberated the Philippines – she was jailed again – because she was Japanese. Well, eventually, she got sent back to Japan – and her mother eventually got a job in the BX….. and that is how the daughter, Yuri, met this wonderful Filipino man – 15 years older than she – and they eventually got married.

Oh….sorry. I forgot to tell you. When Memilio became a US citizen – he changed his first name – as well as his last – basically because none of his American friends could pronounce Memilio.  So Memilio Esmele Eclevia became Myles Eclevia Esmele – and he married his Yuri – who changed her name to Lily when she became a US citizen – and eventually they had six children – all of them are or were involved in serving in the United States Military – as they saw how much their dad and mom loved his new country.

I am honored to say, that I work next to their oldest son – Navy Captain Myles Shoji Esmele.

Myles (Memilio) and Lily (Yuri) are still alive and kicking today and are still very happily married. Memilio just celebrated his 96^th birthday. And as Myles told the 3-Star General that he was briefing this past Veteran’s Day – his dad is still built like a “Sherman Tank”…so in honor of this past Veteran’s Day, I hope you enjoyed this story.

Memilio and Yuri (Myles and Lily) Esmele…..what a wonderful story….

Well, I thought I would leave you with this story of a true American hero….. as I have said previously, it is always inspiring to me to see someone who chooses to be an American – versus those of us who lucked out and were born into it…  I have many friends who have “chosen” to be American – and I have many friends over here who would give ANYTHING to become an American. Why? Because they know there is a land of the free. And a home of the brave. 

God Bless America

Mr. Wide

مهندس  واد  بروير

BONUS PHOTOS….

Am I interviewing for a second wife??? (actually, this is Lt Julie G– who was trying on a dress and scarf….I “coerced” her into giving me a photo.  And she is in her uniform under the dress.)….also, she is married and trained to kill (just like Jeanette is if I try to bring home another wife!)

This is me standing next to the first boat that will be completely overhauled in the new Iraqi Ship Repair Facility (SRF).  Do you see the ladder going up the side of the boat – (right next to my hand?) – it was so rickety, that we were not allowed to go up the ladder – until the SRF built a new one.  Several guys went up and almost fell….and that is a LONG way down….one guy said he thought the ladder was made of paper and aluminum foil…..

Week 33 - My Week In Iraq

Greetings from Umm Qasr! (Umm Qasr, which I believe is Arabic for “Iraq and Kuwait continually fight over who we belong to….  Iraq: ‘They belong to YOU!...’ Kuwait: ‘NO! -  they belong to YOU!....’ “)

Alrighty then….I didn’t plan it this way, but this week is going to be a lot of discussion about the “kids” in the southern part of Iraq. Also, I am going to be showing photos of some of the lousy conditions – so there will be a lot of photos this week…. so let’s start out with last week – where I mentioned little “Noor” and her baby brother “Ridda”..

This is Ridda – approx. 3 months old….

Ridda was born shortly after his dad, Mohandis (engineer) Amjad came to work for me. No matter how I tried, I could not convince Mom and Dad to name him “Wade”….Ridda is the name of one of the Imams…. (BTW, Wade is the name of one of the guys with a really cool hat….)

Ridda also has two older sisters – one is Noor, who is pictured below and Zahra (means flower) who is two years old (and I don’t have a photo of)

This is Noor – she is 6 years old and she is getting to go to her first day of School – in Basrah.  Note – look closely - Grandma doesn’t want to be photographed - but she is keeping a sharp eye on Noor…..(btw, Grandma makes EXCELLENT buriani….)

This is just outside of Noor’s school.  Remember how I told you it finally rained here?  Well, you can see the puddles of water in front of the school.

Here are some boys playing football (soccer) in the field nearby – most of them play barefoot or in sandals

And here is the entrance to Noor’s school.  Note the teacher has the door open – and they have cleared the area in front of the school.

Here is another view (of a road close by) after the rain.

Here are some kids playing outside and enjoying the wet weather….

Also, I have been holding on to some clothes (and goodies) that various people have sent to me. The local interpreters handed them out for me here in Umm Qasr – they said it was a great time – because the schools have started up again – now that the weather broke….

You can see….she is thinking – maybe if I look cute, they will give me more.  (a few minutes later, she took the Frisbee from her little brother – he got it back – but boy, was he crying hard…).

Well, the interpreter started handing out to the girl’s school…..at first, there were not a lot of takers – but then word got out that this was good “American” stuff (not the Chinese stuff…) and he quickly became overwhelmed

I’ll keep this photo big – so you can see all of the smiles on these young girl’s faces.  Luckily a few minutes later, the interpreter got some assistance from one of the men who work at the mosque – so it didn’t get out of hand….well…too much out of hand.

The “girls” all comparing the stuff they received.  One of the problems here is that there is so much cheap stuff that China “dumps” in Iraq – that they don’t get a lot of quality clothing…..so this was a nice thing.

So….I hope you enjoyed that little slide show….in case you were wondering – no – I am not requesting clothes or anything – as I will be rotating out by the end of the year – either to another job – or home – so I won’t be here. I have told the interpreters that anything that gets shipped to me, they can just hand out….so if you do send something – it will be given to the local children – there just won’t be any photos….

However, I think this is an interesting look at how bad the kids here have it (and remember, they DON’T have electrical power – except for about 8 hours a day or so) – so video games, computers, television – they are all luxuries that most of them don’t have access to – and if they do, the power is not on long enough to enjoy it….

When I came back from Afghanistan in 2004, one of the hardest things for me to deal with – was walking through a mall – and hearing the spoiled rotten kids crying and whining cause they couldn’t get the $200 shoes vs. the $100 shoes – or not being able to get a tattoo – or the latest $75 video game…oh how I wish they had invented a “teleporter” so I could have taken the “little darlings” back to Afghanistan so that they could see how good they really have it….(of course, I imagine my parents said the same thing about me when I was a kid…..). But it was very hard to adjust to these kids having so much – after seeing so many kids being content with so little.

Anyrate, so…..let’s move onto another subject…... Raheem and the wedding…. Last time I left you, we were waiting for the parents of Zainab to give Raheem’s family “the verdict” on their “background investigation.”  

Before I tell you the results – let me explain about the living situations here. You see, Haleem and Raheem still live at home (it is not unusual here in Iraq for multiple generations to live together – matter of fact – at least here in the south – it is pretty normal). Well, the family lives in a five-bedroom house – a large one – and “mom and dad” live in one bedroom. Haleem, his wife (Entasar) and 3 kids live in another bedroom. Raheem was going to take one bedroom – and there are two remaining bedrooms – one for the rest of the boys and one for the rest of the girls. It is a big, spacious house. The other interesting thing here is that houses here are expensive to buy. They are very cheap to rent – roughly, a good sized house is about $300 a month to rent (again, this is just so you have an idea – that is not their exact rent) – but it would cost about $100,000 to buy – AND here – you don’t buy a house through the mortgage company. You typically pay cash…. (again, that is not what I read/hear – but what I am told – by several sources).

Okay – so with that discussion – Zainab’s parents came back. They told Raheem that they would only allow him to marry their daughter if they moved into their own house. Raheem – still being relatively young, does not want to do that until he can be reasonably assured that he could afford their own place – and that is not right for him at this time….. so, Raheem tried to discuss with the parents – but as in most cases in Iraq, it quickly deteriorated – so…..no bride for Raheem….at least at this point. Now, there is a family – who has a sister – and I believe Raheem and his mom are going to meet her soon – but she does not have any parents (just siblings). So we will have to wait and see.

One more interesting fact.  If Raheem does not get married by around the 15^th of November – he will not be able to get married for at least 40 days. The reason is – Ashura.  (I know – sometimes you need a program to keep up with the various holidays and religious things going on…)….so here is some info on Ashura….

Ashura is when the Shia Muslims recognize the martyrdom of Imam Husayn – he was the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. Any rate, Ashura is “commemorated” by NOT celebrating. It is a time of mourning – and sorrow – so – no parties, no celebrations, no weddings, no TV watching, no applauding or doing anything that would be considered “fun” (before you criticize, in America, we do have something similar – it is called “the in-laws coming to visit…”…)….yep……… I crack…me…up.

Okay – back to being serious. But the Shia take this time to be very reflective and sorrowful – to show their respect to their prophet. Now, why forty days? In this case – it has little to do with the Quoran – it was because after the prophet was martyred, the story tells that a female relative (not sure if it was his wife or his mother or his sister – I get conflicting reports) ….but the relative was in a period of sorrow and one day (which just happened to be forty days out…) she saw a bug trying to move some food and the piece of food was so large – the bug’s feet were slipping and the food wasn’t moving. This sight brought a slight smile to her face –and all of the family noticed - so the period of “mourning” was officially over. And THAT is why they are sorrowful for 40 days.

This is also the time when you see some of people whipping themselves (eww….) and cutting themselves – to show sorrow for the loss of the prophet. So even though I don’t agree with them doing that to themselves – I understand (some of) the reason they are doing it…

 So the bottom line is Raheem will have to wait until after Ashura to get married if he doesn’t find a wife before then. I will keep you up to date if I hear any news.

This week, we are also celebrating Eid (there are other Eids per year – Eid Ramadan – which is what is celebrated at the end of Ramadan) and Eid –alathahee. Basically, think of Eid as some type of party or holiday – but with religious connotations. The bottom line is, there is partying and celebrations happening (and lots of food) during this past week. And it is good timing – as pretty soon, Ashura will be upon us – and all that partying will cease.

Okay, since I rambled on about some other stuff –  I won’t update you on the waste water treatment plant this week… (there is a joke in there somewhere about “no movement” …..but I think I used up my quota of corny jokes on the “in-laws visiting”….so I will let that one go.)

So for now, I will bid you “ashoofak bayaden” (a – shoe – fawk – buy – a - den) which means “I will see you later”. As always, you are all in my thoughts and prayers. And even though I miss you all, I know the deep sorrow I feel at being away from you – will be greatly surpassed by the extreme joy I will feel when I next see you again. In the meantime…..

God Bless America

Mr. Wide

مهندس  واد  بروير

Bonus Photos….(now….half price!)

How cool am I?  Notice the 3 pair of sunglasses hanging on the white board?  - and of course “the hat” on the extreme right hand side of the photo…

Okay…anyone who wants fresh samoon, raise their hand….(LCdr Pollard: “I do…I do!”)

Week 32 - My Week In Iraq

Greetings from Umm Qasr! (Umm Qasr – which I believe is Arabic for……… “a “hot bath” happens only when you put the baby wipes in the microwave…. “)

Well, I hope you have had a good week….. And this week – we had something that we haven’t seen since May 7^th…..

Rain.

Yep, it hasn’t rained since May 7^th – (and I think I have mentioned before that the only reason I got that date – was because the HoN asked me to look at a small indentation in a dirt infill area the next time it rained – and I noted the day before he asked, it poured and that date was May 7^th). And it hasn’t rained since then. For those of you who are counting – that is 25 full weeks -175 days – without rain. Which is why the only thing that grows around here is your impatience to go home… additionally, I really wouldn’t call it “rain” – more like big sprinkles. And if you are wondering, for the most part – temperatures are now in the low 90’s/high 80’s…. so it is a little easier to sit outside – or you don’t panic if the air conditioner starts sputtering….

Now, for those of you who have been telling me that the food pictures I send are not appetizing….I just wanted to say – I have not sent any photos of the DFAC…. THAT is unappetizing. Anyrate, I wanted to show you pix of a celebration that we had last week. This is young (16 year-old) Ali Basim – and his dad the sheik (BTW, the sheik has four wives….. and 15 children…..Notice that the sheik has a headband around his head. I think that is to keep his brains from blowing up…..with having the aforementioned 4 wives and 15 children.)

So anyway, young Ali is 16 years old – and he brought some goodies to share with his “American Friends” for his birthday party. (BTW, this is done at the “coffee shop” that I showed you a few months back).

Young Ali (not the first born by the way) and his Dad – the Sheik.

Birthday sweets – these are all cake and frosting and candy goodies…(the orange slices are candy).

And of course, the birthday cake….notice the Arabic writing on the plate – on the side of the cake….Also notice the white bird and the large candles on the cake itself…..

In case you were wondering what those “big candles” were on the cake….(maybe I am old – but I would have never thought to put flares on a birthday cake…..on the side of a road during a car accident, okay – but on a cake?)  Well, Young Ali liked it – and that is what is important.

Now, in case you were wondering – we did sing “Happy Birthday To You” (Don’t say that too loud – I think those two little old ladies who wrote that little ditty – get royalties every time someone sings it….) – but I asked Ali if anyone has sung that to him before – and he said his friends sing it to him – in English. Don’t ask me what the significance is of that….but I thought it was interesting. 

So – just so you are aware – those of you who don’t like rice or goat or lamb or hummus or anything good like that – I just wanted to show you that there are goodies and cakes and other fattening stuff available here as well….. just not from the Americans……oh well.

Okay, so on another note….. Remember we are following the story of Haleem’s brother, Raheem, and his future wedding? Well, there were several interesting developments. There is a young lady in the bustling metropolis of Umm Qasr – that Raheem did have his eye on….. but unfortunately, she comes from a rather “well-to-do” family. And they have talked of marriage – but the young lady’s father said that Raheem needed to “step up to the plate” if he wants his daughter. He said that Raheem must bring him money and a bunch of gold for his daughter. (I don’t know about you all….but I like this guy…  I think this is another “tradition” I should bring home to the US…..). But I think the father was “pricing Raheem out of the market” – if you get my drift.

So, Raheem and his parents have kept looking….and just so you are aware – Raheem has “met” with 6 young Muslim women…..and no luck. Well, it was looking pretty bad for Raheem – when all of a sudden…. his mother remembers one of her childhood friends has a daughter about Raheem’s age.  Hmmmm….. so the parents meet (not Raheem or the young lady)….they all like each other and talk about their respective children. Everything seems okay….so….time to meet.

Well, Raheem and his parents show up to the house – Raheem in his “suit” looking all spiffy. The young lady’s parents are thoughtful and offer up chai (tea) and sweets – waiting for the young lady to enter into the room. After a few minutes of small talk, in walks the beautiful Zainab (that is a fairly common name here – as it is after one of the Imam’s wives). She sits down and “gets the grilling” from Raheem’s mom and dad. Raheem likes what he is seeing – and hearing. A hard-working, beautiful young lady that is respectful and eloquent.

After an hour or so – it becomes apparent that Raheem and Zainab are going to work out quite nicely.  Raheem quietly nods to his mom and dad. The parents glance at each other…it looks like we are going to have a wedding. Remember how I told you last week that they meet three times? Well, in a case like this, the couple meets the one time and next time – they will meet with their parents and the local Sheik. If everything is good with the Sheik, he will announce to the family that the children are “engaged.” 

 HOWEVER…there is still one step before they can meet again with the Sheik. First, the bride’s parents do an “Iraqi background check.” Seriously. The bride’s parents will go meet with the local neighbors and talk to them – Does Raheem drink alcohol (to excess)? Is Raheem a good and polite neighbor? Does Raheem cause problems? On and on (BTW – I am SO GLAD that Jeanette’s parents didn’t have to do this in my neighborhood – cause I would have NEVER passed this test)….but once the “background test” is passed (it is usually polite to take two days to do this) – the bride’s parents will “notify” the groom’s parents that everything is okay – and to “bring on the sheik.”

So that is where we are at. Raheem and his bride are anxiously awaiting the “results” of the background check. And it looks like Raheem will make his mid-November wedding date. I will try and keep you up to date on all of the parties and celebrations and other things. 

On another note, I mentioned that Myles (Capt. Esmele) is back in the camp – after several weeks away. Well, we started our usual “working hard” routine.  Here we are – working hard with Commodore Abdella (one star general equivalent) - it is hard to tell, but we are holding “Iraqi Chai” (tea) in our hand. We came over to visit the Commodore and talk to him about some things – and he asked for tea to be brought – well, it took a little longer than expected – so as we were leaving – the Commodore came out and personally handed us the tea. As I have mentioned before – graciousness and generosity are “mainstays” of the Iraqi (and in general, the Middle Eastern) culture. The Commodore was embarrassed that we did not get tea during our meeting.  And both Myles and I LOVE the Iraqi Chai….so it was a treat for us…

In Umm Qasr, this is what passes for “3 wise men”….or “wise guys” – take your choice….

Okay, and what about the waste water treatment plant? Well, I have been continuing to work on that…. I think I mentioned that there are “air pumps” that are the “heart” of the WWTP….and the pumps are connected via metal pipe to deliver air to little air jets (that look like shower heads) – and bubble air into the water. Well, part of the “design error” that was originally done – was to install metal pipes that brought air to the jets….. well, (in case you didn’t know) – “sewer” is very corrosive – and it is warm here – which promotes corrosion as well. And so, here is what happens when you put metal pipes into this corrosive environment…

This pipe was installed approx. one year ago – and was supposed to be “airtight” – which is why we are replacing with PVC

Repaired valves on the newly replaced pvc pipes on the “top” of the aeration tanks.

The newly installed air jets – set in pvc pipe inside the aeration tanks….(Note: the “tee” is metal)

Another thing that I am doing – is making this one of the nicer places to work on base. I have ordered a brand new CHU (Containerized Housing Unit) for the operators – it has a restroom, kitchenette, an operator Control Room and an area for the operators to “rest” in. You see, part of the problem before was that the operators didn’t have any place to go to the bathroom – or eat their lunch, etc. etc. (as I told the operators….. when the plant is operating correctly – it smells more like a swimming pool – with lots of chlorine – more than it does like a sewer). So I am giving the operators “incentive” to keep the plant working. I also told them that this is such a nice CHU (it will be the envy of a LOT of people on the base)…. that if the plant breaks down, the management will probably take the CHU away. I also told them that if they don’t keep it clean – I will take it away from them (I won’t – but it always helps to keep them concerned that you just might).

Here is a picture of the back of the CHU – note the two air conditioning units are covered by a metal frame (to stop people from smacking into them….or accidentally “borrowing” them)….Note the clouds in the sky….an unusual sight around here..

Here is an inside view of the bathroom and the kitchen area (and so you know, this is probably now the best setup on base).   Note that the bathroom has a shower – and right next to it is the “mid-eastern style” toilet 

Now, I want to tell you a funny story about the middle-eastern style toilets. I know, I know…. it looks gross –and how do they do that? Well, it is easy (for them) as they just squat. (They think it is gross that we put our derriere on a little plastic seat – where someone else has already planted their bottom….)

But I want to share with you what happens when we try and “force” our culture on them. Here is a photo of one of the bathrooms in the boats that are built and shipped here from the United States…

I know, I know….way too many photos of toilets….but I am adding to my collection….

 Anyrate, we delivered several of these boats and turned them over to the Iraqi Navy. Well, there has been a consistent problem with the seals (that connect the toilet to the floor) breaking and/or leaking. I mean, almost every toilet on every boat had a problem with the seal….was this some kind of manufacturer defect??? So they investigated….

The problem is (as stated above) the Iraqis PREFER to squat – and they think it is disgusting to do otherwise…..so they would STAND on the seat and do their business. Now understand – standing on top of a toilet seat gives VERY different forces than sitting directly on the toilet seat – so this added weight (and getting on top of the seat) put stress and strain on those little wax seals that you wouldn’t believe…. So consequently the toilets leak. Now the simple “fix” is to put in mid-eastern style toilets – but, unfortunately, it is not that simple – as you have to modify the floor (and some other minor fixes).

Again, I am not saying it is “better” one way or the other – what I am trying to draw your attention to is the CULTURAL differences that we must investigate as we design/build/construct/turn over buildings, equipment, containers, etc. to other countries. In the big scheme of things, it is a minor problem (and a minor flaw) – but imagine if you were “forced” to go potty in one of the mid-eastern style toilets at your daily job…. would it kill you? Probably not, but I am sure that you can agree those little comfort things make life nicer….

So again, my time with you, dear one, draws to a close. Know that we are doing a good thing here. And we are helping many of the folks - who never had a chance under Saddam – make a good living and support their families and lead a good life. Occasionally, I will gripe to the Iraqis about their living conditions – and they will agree that things could be better, but they almost always counter with “well – this is true, Mr. Wide – but “under Saddam…..” and then they tell me stories about how bad things were….and even though it has been almost ten years since he went down – they are glad that we did what we did.   So until I return home……

God Bless America

Mr. Wide

مهندس  واد  بروير

Bonus photos…..

This is Noor.  She is 6 years old and heading off to school.  I will write a bit more about her next week….and her baby brother….Ridda.

Capt Esmele (to the Commodore): "And then you tell them….IF I have to turn this boat around….!!"