Welcome to my blog...it is a brand new experience for me, so I hope that you will bear with me as I gain my footing a bit. I will try to be entertaining, but I suppose it is a bit hard to keep from having a blog turn into an online journal which may not be so fun for most readers. I will do my best.
So, I suppose that I need to give some background; I am an American, a father of two, unmarried, and currently working in the oilfields of Iraq. I only just started, so I plan to have this blog be about just that...working in Iraq, though I may occasionally write about my thoughts, outlooks, and anything else that tickles my fancy.
Now is as good a time as any to jump right in...I arrived in Iraq yesterday, entering through the city of Basra in the extreme south of the country. The airport was crazy, particularly the visa process - very slow. During my wait the Iraqi National Football Team had a match and seemingly the entire airport staff left their duties to come sit in the visa office to watch it on tv. Needless to say, those of us counting on their work to get out of the airport were not altogether happy.
Leaving the Basra International Airport as an oilfield expat involves a whole lot of hullabaloo...first, you have to meet your handler, who basically just makes sure that you are there and ensures you stay in the airport, second, you must take a suburban from the terminal out to the airport security gate which is about 2.5 km (maybe less)...this suburban costs you $20 (American) which makes it per capita the most expensive cab ride in the world. At the outer security gate you first meet your APT (Armed Protection Team or Armored Personnel Transport...who knows what it actually stands for). At this point you get assigned to a vehicle, get issued a flak jacket and kevlar helmet and give them your blood type and allergies, because this is Iraq and you might need a blood transfusion en route. An hour or so and six or seven armed checkpoints later you arrive in the oilfields of southern Iraq...the flares here are just remarkable...it looks as if the very Earth is spewing fire all around you.
I finally arrived in my camp, and it was exactly what I expected...basically a militarized work camp. An earthen wall, razor wire, and guard towers, all of the comforts of home, or at least it would seem that way if you were a crazy militiaman from Montana or something. It seems a bit oppressive at first, I must admit...
Well, that is about all I have to say about my first day in Iraq...next time I will show you where a man in this environment sleeps...
So, I suppose that I need to give some background; I am an American, a father of two, unmarried, and currently working in the oilfields of Iraq. I only just started, so I plan to have this blog be about just that...working in Iraq, though I may occasionally write about my thoughts, outlooks, and anything else that tickles my fancy.
Now is as good a time as any to jump right in...I arrived in Iraq yesterday, entering through the city of Basra in the extreme south of the country. The airport was crazy, particularly the visa process - very slow. During my wait the Iraqi National Football Team had a match and seemingly the entire airport staff left their duties to come sit in the visa office to watch it on tv. Needless to say, those of us counting on their work to get out of the airport were not altogether happy.
Leaving the Basra International Airport as an oilfield expat involves a whole lot of hullabaloo...first, you have to meet your handler, who basically just makes sure that you are there and ensures you stay in the airport, second, you must take a suburban from the terminal out to the airport security gate which is about 2.5 km (maybe less)...this suburban costs you $20 (American) which makes it per capita the most expensive cab ride in the world. At the outer security gate you first meet your APT (Armed Protection Team or Armored Personnel Transport...who knows what it actually stands for). At this point you get assigned to a vehicle, get issued a flak jacket and kevlar helmet and give them your blood type and allergies, because this is Iraq and you might need a blood transfusion en route. An hour or so and six or seven armed checkpoints later you arrive in the oilfields of southern Iraq...the flares here are just remarkable...it looks as if the very Earth is spewing fire all around you.
Well, that is about all I have to say about my first day in Iraq...next time I will show you where a man in this environment sleeps...
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