Amen... I mean Amman

i finally made it to amman, jordan for a quick one night stay before i head out for london (ten minutes or so). i had a massage, and dinner with a friend that is a reporter returning from iraq as well.

stayed at the four seasons and wow. it was a great hotel and i think i should be treated like that daily wherever i am! the massage actually cost more than my room but was well worth it after nearly four months of sleeping on, we'll call it a mattress, of lesser quality.

well the plane is loading up so i better make sure i am on it. thanks for watching and reading over these past few months and soon there will be another adventure, some new pursuit and i will gladly take you all along for the ride.

cheers.

that's a wrap...

in three days time i will find myself in a different country starting some vacation time and preparing to head home. my three plus months in iraq are officially over and there will be no more trips to projects, just packing an maybe one more iraqi meal.

i have enjoyed my time here in baghdad (as much as one can) and think that i have learned a lot. i have learned what we can do better and how we could reach more people. i have learned patience through testing! i have learned to keep my head down.

this has been an experience that i will carry with me for the rest of my life. i have made friends that will remain here and keep working and friends whom have already headed home. i can say that i was part of this effort, however history will describe it.

so that is about it. i will spend the next two days saying goodbye and packing by backpack for a trip to london. so long iraq; good luck and God speed.

winding down

with just 8 days or so left in my tour here in iraq i am starting to wind things down and prepare for my trip home. it will be interesting to see how i adjust to what used to be normal life and i can't wait.

but as i process my journey i am thinking about all of the great people i have shared my experience with. today one in particular stands out and i wish him all the best.

i won't say much in order to keep some privacy but this friend has done an amazing job of keeping his family safe while working to secure his country. this man is an inspiration to all of us that work at the embassy.

military communicators and the truth

the other day i had the opportunity to participate in a public affairs officers conference in one of saddam's old palaces. to be honest i was impressed with some of the work these military communications officers are doing.

some of them were venturing into the world of youtube and blogging and finding that these new avenues were a good way to get their story out.

but the best part of the conference was the senior military leadership's command to be honest and forthcoming with the media. often at home we think that any message must be one of spin or neglecting the truth but here we have generals telling their communicators that the bad goes with the good and that it is important that the world be given a truthful account of what is going on in iraq.

some of us may not believe such "rhetoric" but as a communicator that prefers the truth it was good to hear.

in other news; baghdad has been pretty quiet as of late. most of the insurgent terrorists have fled the city due to the new security plan and while this creates challenges for surrounding communities, the one step at a time approach seems to be working.

people may have to go through a lot more check points but being able to do so without harm is well worth it.

viewing the bombed out palace

yesterday i had the opportunity to visit one of saddam's palaces that was destroyed by a couple heavy bombs during the initial days of the war. "believer's palace" still stands; at least you imagine a whole building as the walls are standing but go inside and you realize just how devastating an american bomb can be.

the interior of the palace was in complete ruin. in what was probably a great hall with a domed rotunda we witnessed the small whole where the laser guided bomb made it's grand entrance and then realized the rubble beneath where it detonated. this was a working palace the moment it was hit. but the guts of the building are just that, guts lying in piles that my group climbed through.

there was a sophisticated bunker in this palace and surrounded by shock absorbers this structure still remains with it carrier air conditioning system in place and its german design proving itself. however the bunker is flooded. it turns out that the german designers did not take into account water pipes imploding and putting the bunker under water; we can only "imagine" what remains trapped in this water grave.

as i walked through the palace i thought to myself that this is where we should take anyone on our "list." we should give them a glimpse of what can happen; even without troops on the ground. but then i realized i rather the world see the freedom and prosperity we enjoy because of our ideals.

job fair in iraq?

yesterday the national iraqi assistance center held a job fair and close to 1000 iraqi applicants waited in long lines for the opportunity to find employment. and this was not an event for cleaning crews, these applicants were professionals, engineers, linguists, and educators.

the striking thing about the fair is the line out side the hotel to get into the event. iraqis don't like standing in lines for the sole reason that they become targets of terrorism when they are in lines. at checkpoints, in markets, a line is a risk. but here iraqis stood in a long line for a long time. employment is that important.

economic security is a big part of the plan moving forward in iraq and these individuals are not waiting for a handout they are testing line and crowds to find a job.

i was with a reporter and she mentioned how the snack table was still full and in here experience at iraqi events the snacks were the first thing to go. but here those in attendance were more concerned with finding a job then getting free cookies.

one job at a time, one step towards peace.

shameless self promotion...

i was interviewed by a nebraska newspaper recently about my tour here in iraq. you can check out the article here.