July 4: From Kuwait to Baghdad

The next morning, we took a C-130 to Baghdad International Airport. This is a Vietnam-era plane that's built to haul cargo, vehicles, tanks, and if necessary, people. Needless to say, there was no business class on this flight (or air conditioning). We had to wear flak jackets and helmets, which add an extra 30 pounds. Wait-- did I mention the temperature? 112 glorious degrees. Thankfully, the flight was rather short-- less than two hours. Not so thankfully, 112 degrees seemed like springtime when we stepped off the plane in Baghdad. It was comically hot. After about 5 minutes of 125 degrees + 30 pounds of helmet & flak jacket + 120 pounds of luggage that I had to wheel down the tarmac, I was convinced that I was either going to pass out or evaporate. Luckily, I survived. But it was a close call.

We had another 12 hours to kill before heading to Baghdad city (they take us in these huge triple-armored behemoth buses appropriately named "rhinos" with an armed convoy of Hummers and helicopters. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the soldiers who go to such great lengths to keep us safe. It was quite a spectacle.

The ride was pretty miserable. As you can imagine, a vehicle named after a one-ton, small-brained ungulate is not known for its shock absorption system.  Imagine riding a rhinoceros wearing body armor. This was worse. I was really tired and kept drifting off, which is a problem when you're wearing a ten pound helmet (head nodding + ten pound helmet = violent head thrashing).

Needless to say, we got there safe and sound. The adventure begins, but my photos must stop... we can't take pictures of anything outside! But, I can sum up what Iraq looks like with one word: uninhabitable. Have you ever gone to the zoo in the middle of the summer? You know how the polar bears seem strikingly misplaced? This is how I feel when I see people walking down the street. The earth is bleached and barren. The sky is completely cloudless and a shade of unnatural, fluorescent blue. The sun feels unfamiliar and angry. It doesn't feel real. It feels like we're trying to colonize an inhospitable planet. Maybe Mars. But luckily, this feeling is limited to the climate. Iraqis are awesome! Very funny, very friendly, and very welcoming. For all they've been through over the past 7 years, I can't help but admire my Iraqi colleagues for holding on to the joy of life.