Relocation ... x2

I've heard rumblings of some complaints about infrequent blogging lately, and truth be told, it's time for an update.

Remember how, when I took this job, I thought I was going to be living on the Basrah military base? Well, after seven months, guess where I've moved to? We decided we needed someone based here - really the hub of all things humanitarian aid and oil company in South Iraq - for donor relations and fundraising. Turns out that someone gets to be me, which suits me just fine ...

... why, you might ask? Well, I guess it's time to fess up that I have a boyfriend down here. And have had, for four months. I found him (well, technically he found me) on Thanksgiving at a party back when a few of us were on the base for a week. After a few months of seeing each other when we were able, it's pretty nice to be in the same neighborhood. He's British, an international development consultant running a youth employment program in Basrah for the British equivalent of USAID, and pretty great. So great, in fact, that we're off on leave to Malaysia together for a week, starting Friday. More on that in a minute.

So, life on the military base. It's quite a trip. I think there are about 5,000 troops stationed here and it's pretty interesting to be in the middle of an operation like this. The base is all dust and dirt and concrete and metal buildings. I live in a trailer in a compound that houses mostly private security companies, with a few other NGO workers and some oil company folks. I think there are maybe 75 people who live in the compound and I think about four are women. Good times. My trailer is pretty simple - desk, double bed, wardrobe, small fridge, couple of chairs and - the one great addition - a 32" flat-panel TV. It has its own little bathroom and, all in all, isn't too bad. The compound has a small gym and a communal dining hall. I haven't made too many friends in here yet, so end up spending most of my meals sitting alone with people staring, or trying not to stare. Getting used to that part.

It's nice to be able to run outdoors - for the time being, anyway, while it cools down to 80 degrees or so by 6pm. Yep, it's early April and the weather has already hit 100 a few times in the past couple of weeks. I barely notice anymore. On the odd weather front, we had quite a sandstorm this morning, and the heavy winds rattled my trailer like crazy - thought I was about to have a "Wizard of Oz" moment a few times. When the sand kicks up the insurgents usually start firing off rockets at the base, so the morning was filled with alarms and loudspeaker announcements - fortunately my trailer is under a foot and a half of reinforced concrete. Everyone else gets 30 seconds to run to a sandbag bunker.

Besides working and working out, hanging out at the British Consulate isn't a bad gig. The folks over there are all pretty great - so is the bar, coveted by many and frequented by few. It's nice to be part of a community around here as opposed to being sequestered in the house - I've made friends from the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Serbia, Jamaica, Lebanon and India - kind of feels like what this line of work is supposed to be about. Seven months in the house really started to take its toll, and the improvements to my lifestyle are feeling slightly recuperative ... emphasis on slightly.

Right, so in addition to relocation #1, temporary relocation #2 takes place on Friday. I extended my leave by four weeks (yep, that's 12 weeks in country, which is mildly insane but I've somehow managed not to hit the wall) so the boyfriend and I could take a little vacation together. We'll go from Kuwait to Kuala Lumpur (via Abu Dhabi), spend two nights there at this fabulous hotel and then hop on a one hour flight to this resort for six nights. Don't worry, there will be lots of photos of white sand, blue water, brightly colored fish, fabulous bars and restaurants, etc.

Not that anybody was wondering about work, but ... work is work. Nothing much to report. And I think that sums up my feelings about work as well.

You Portlanders can start getting excited for the fact that I am planning to be home around 15 July. With Brit in tow. To the Bay Area Californians, I'll be down in Healdsburg and environs around the 24th for a wedding and look forward to a few get-togethers. That's about it for now - lots of love to all.

A Face of the Conflict

One of the more special projects I've been working on lately is one to provide medical assistance for a boy from Basrah who was wounded during a rocket that hit his home during fighting between Coalition forces and insurgents several years ago. Four-year-old Mehdi suffered injuries to his head during the blast - doctors at a Basrah hospital removed one of his eyes after it was badly damaged by shrapnel. He still has two pieces of shrapnel in his body which they were unable to remove - one behind his scapula and one in his brain. The piece in his brain is of particular concern as he continues to grow - it's located in his occipital lobe and poses a serious risk of brain defects or death as his brain grows around it.

Mehdi and his father Saleh came to the gate of the Basrah military base one day in hopes of seeking medical care for him that they couldn't receive at local hospitals. They happened to catch someone who was able to ask around until the case was referred to us. As part of our grant, we have special funds for projects benefiting civilian victims of conflict - normally, these projects focus on providing wheelchairs or prosthetics for local clinics or rebuilding major infrastructure damaged during coalition/insurgent fighting. However, we're always eager to help with these kinds of cases when we can.

We worked with the Medical Unit here on the Basrah base to identify a children's hospital in Germany that can provide Mehdi with the surgeries he needs to remove the shrapnel in his brain and back, and provide him with a prosthetic eye for the one he is missing. I have been working on coordination with the Germany Embassy in Baghdad to prepare all the necessary elements of their visa application and handle many of the logistics for their trip.

I finally got to meet Mehdi today, when he and his father came to meet with us to complete some paperwork and have a briefing on their visa interviews and upcoming travel. He's adorable and shy. He has occasional bursts of random tears where he's barely able to tell his father what has upset him - an occurrence his father says has been common since Mehdi was injured. But it doesn't take too long before a piece of candy or a soccer ball distracts him from his tears.

Mehdi goofing off:


So much of the work we do is focused on governance and community building that it's easy to forget the many victims of Iraq's recent and longer history. With thirty years of conflict behind them, there are many injured and disabled people, many widows and orphans. Having the opportunity to help heal the wounds of one has felt like a blessing.

Back in Basrah

I'm back in Basrah after three weeks in Portland. It was great to get home and back to my favorite city. After the holidays - which were filled with lots of family time and a surprise visit from my aunt and uncle from Australia (love you guys!) - I got to spend a week working out of Mercy Corps HQ. It was my first visit to the new building that I spent two and a half years working on, and I was thoroughly delighted. For all of you in Portland who haven't gone down to visit, I highly recommend a trip through the Mercy Corps Action Center on the ground floor. They're also currently featuring an exhibition of Design For The Other 90%, which showcases fantastic, innovative inventions for the proverbial bottom billion on the planet.

This has made it around the grapevine pretty quickly, but I was ambushed by a request to do a live interview on KGW talking about working in Iraq and, specifically, the Women's Awareness and Inclusion program. A little bit nerve-wracking, but fortunately not too disastrous in spite of having no room for error and little idea what questions I'd be asked. You can check out the clip here: Live on The Square @ 7: Mercy Corps Teaches Women in Iraq

I received a lot of positive feedback on the blog while at home (thanks to all!) and requests for more posts ... I promise that I do so diligently when there's something to write about, but with the very limited mobility and lack of interaction with beneficiaries and community members, I'm often lacking in subject matter. Security around here will be very tight through the elections (scheduled for March) so we're being especially careful to stay in the house and under the radar. Wish I had more to say, but that's how it goes!

Happy new year to all ... until next time ...