oddly enough christmas in baghdad is just like any other day only without the work. the joke about being here is that you feel like the movie "groundhog day." every day is the same and you are so stuck in your routine that the cycle continues until you depart for home. i am determined to avoid the groundhog day effect.
the sites were the same and i even made it into the office to check some email and talk with colleagues but otherwise i spent time with a few friends and have had the most uneventful (and this is a good thing) christmas ever.
for lunch the dining facility was decked out in a variety of holiday decorations, officers served the meals, a live band led the hall in carols and there was enough food to feed, well an army! I stuck with the lobster and turkey with stuffing, mac and cheese and a cup of eggnog. but it gets better; i took my meal out to the pool for a little poolside, sun warming christmas lunch.
the best part is that i didn't have to clean up a thing.
so that is christmas in baghdad. i find myself now in my trailer and it is a little after 9:00pm, the heater is on and i am ready to curl up with a good book and hit the hay before another work day tomorrow. as our security team says, "feliz navidad" be blessed this christmas.
1 comment:
Depending on how anxious you are to get back home, the Groundhog-Day effect my be your best friend. Time passes very quickly, if every day is just like the days before and after.
Architectural theory uses the terms fabric and monument to describe common and uncommon structures, respectively. The Groundhog-Day effect removes the monumental occurrences and turns everyday into a part of the fabric, so there's nothing to mark the passage of time. So it all just flies by: one continuous blur of sameness.
Or at least, that's the explanation I came up with for why time seems to be passing so quickly as I get older.
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