Preparing and Provisioning

Last Friday, I cleaned out my desk at Mercy Corps headquarters, bid fond farewells to my many wonderful coworkers, and will now spend the next few weeks preparing to depart for Iraq on July 30th. Ultimately ... I can't wait!

For those in Portland, please keep an eye on the new Mercy Corps global headquarters project. It has been my primary focus at work for the past year or so, and will be a very exciting new resource for Portland. Learn more at www.mercycorps.org/globalheadquarters. I admit, I'm disappointed to be missing the opening in October after so many months of fundraising for the project. It's going to be great, and I encourage you go visit when it opens on October 9th.

But, on to bigger, better and hotter things. I'm spending down my vacation hours (which I'll no longer need once in Iraq thanks to our generous R&R allowances) and taking time to relax, get as much time with close friends as possible, and purchase all the miscellany one needs to move to an air base in the desert ... or, thinks they need. Provisioning is a difficult process: I'll have limited ability to ship items and store them once I arrive, the weather is extremely hot and I'll need clothing that is both cool/comfortable and conservative, and I know I won't use half of what I bring and won't bring half of what I need. Definitely a best guess situation.

The basics of my new digs are this: I'll be living on the Basrah Air Base in southern Iraq, about 50 miles from the Persian Gulf and near the borders with Iran and Kuwait. Basrah is an ancient city that has been cited as a possible location of the Garden of Eden. It is home to the world's largest date plantation, and surrounded by rich marshland. It was recently named the cultural capital of the country by the Iraqi government. The air base is controlled by the U.S. Military, and I'll be living within it on a compound that houses mostly NGO workers and private security personnel. I will have my own air-conditioned trailer with a private bathroom and a television. The base has a gym and meals are taken in a dining hall. There's even staff to do your laundry. Is it me, or does this sound more like summer camp?

We have an office on the base, and a large office in Basrah city proper, where many of our national (Iraqi) staff work. When we go from the base to the city office, a national staff member will pick us up and drive us into town, for security. The options to go off the base are limited and dictated by the current security situation, which changes frequently. However, Basrah is considered to be quite safe (these days, anyway). When going off base, it will be necessary to wear a head scarf and more conservative, full-length clothing. Fun, in 125-degree heat!

So, what does one pack to prepare for this kind of lifestyle? The short answer: clothes, sundries and electronics. Yesterday was a bit of a technology binge that included a new laptop and camera. That was easy ... wardrobe is going to be a bit more challenging, but I've got a few weeks to figure it out.

Beyond that, I'm just waiting for my visa application to be approved by the Iraqi embassy so I can arrange my flights. Those look something like Portland-New York-Amman, Jordan-Basrah. I feel fortunate that Basrah has commercial airline service; it's going to make trips in and out much easier than for my colleagues in places like Sudan or Afghanistan. Which will come in handy for those R&R trips every nine weeks!

That's it for now ... the adventure begins.