Time to Work

After dragging around those three large duffle bags for two days and getting close to zero sleep in the move from Kuwait to the New Embassy Compound (NEC), my home for the next year, it was time to go to work.

My job is chief of Strategic Communications (STRATCOM) Analysis and Assessments. As a long-time Army Operations Research and Systems Analyst, I savvy the Analysis and Assessments piece. But my understanding of STRATCOM is right up there with my understanding of women and it made for an interesting time as I tried to figure out what in the world we were analyzing and why anyone particularly cared.

As I write this, I'm three weeks into the job and just beginning to see what looks to be a picture where before I saw nothing but puzzle pieces. A far cry from expertise, but you have to start somewhere. It's really not my intent to use this forum to talk my work and little good would come from doing so. I'll just have to find other means of entertaining the reader.

I don't have any photos to share yet of what the NEC looks like and won't until I get someone with the appropriate credentials to go with me to take some. They're a bit paranoid about what can be gleaned from seemingly innocent photos and it is in my best interest to agree with them. The one in this posting is taken just outside my office building at night. That is not obscuration from fog, it is dust. It happens frequently enough and you do not linger outside when it is like that.

Compared to the various military bases scattered around Iraq, this is a slice of heaven. Everything is new and built to withstand abuse (we get the occassional sirens for incoming, though none have hit here) while still maintaining a campus-like feeling. Most of the people living and working here are Department of State folks working for the embassy and that lends a very differenct atmosphere to the place. I could make a number of observations now, but probably should show a bit of restraint until I can add a bit more perspective.

I can say it is damn hot here. It already hit 108 degrees and it is just now mid-May. I can hardly wait to feel what it is like at 125. By the way, wind chill doesn't count at these temperatures. 108 degrees and 20 KPH wind feels like 108 degrees in motion. Next update I should be able to talk about my "room" and discuss a bit what passes for recreation around here.