Job and Location Change YEA!

It's official...the database administrator position come through!!! YEA!!! This is the fulfillment of a conversation and an interview in Jan 2008. I am moving to COB Speicher near Tikrit (north of Baghdad). I will leave FOB Edge/POE Muntheria in a couple of days and make my way to Speicher to get settled in, then I'll go to Baghdad for 2-3 weeks of training then back to Speicher. I will probably stay in Iraq until September working in my new job. We’ll see how it works out. So that's the great news to start 2009! I need to get back to packing now.

My new address is:
Susan Hart
BAT Team
COB Speicher
APO AE 09393

Holidays at POE Muntheria/FOB Edge

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Hope your holidays were happy and safe! On Christmas worked until 5:30pm and returned to the FOB to a very non-traditional holiday dinner. We did have an Iraqi band and dancers. The party was fun and helped to create some holiday cheer here. For New Year's we worked but traffic was light and we got out a little early.

I'll post some pictures soon.
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Athens, Greece

I arrived in Athens on Saturday, Nov 1st in the evening. What a beautiful flight through Doha International Airport into Greece. Flying into and out of Doha I saw a lot of water and desert! The city has some very modern as well as traditional architecture as you will see in the photos.

Descending through the clouds the islands surrounding Greece came into view. What I saw were tree covered rock islands that sharply dropped into the surrounding clear ocean water. Breathtakingly beautiful! Then the coastal cities came into view as we approached the airport. A quick trip through customs and baggage claim and I was in a taxi on my way to Hotel Armonia (www.armonia.gr). Their brochure says, “The picturesque resort town of Vouilagmeni is where Hotel Armonia is located. It is on the coast about 24 kilometers from Athens. It is renowned for wide, unspoiled beaches, fine restaurants and a cosmopolitan atmosphere.” It is a beautiful hotel in a very beautiful resort area.

Paul Samaras, the owner of the tour company, met me in the lobby. We had coffee and he gave me a private orientation to the area as well as some ideas of how to spend Sunday and Monday. Following his suggestions, Sunday I walked for miles exploring the area. There are many small quaint restaurants and shops. I found the fresh water lake/spa he told me about as well as the million-dollar yacht basin. The beach was beautiful and the water was cold. The temperatures are warm during the day and cooler at night with just a hint of humidity in the air.

Monday through Wednesday was exploring on my own. Tuesday was a tour to Mycenae (The Lions Gate) and Wednesday was to Delphi.

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Kuwait City, Kuwait

It's Octover 23rd and I'm in Kuwait City, Kuwait. I flew in last night and spent about an hour getting my visa so I can stay thru Nov 1. Friends met me at the airport and took me back to their condo. WOW, what a great place to stay!

During the day I explore and at night we socialize. I feel very safe walking alone here. There's a mall and a grocery/department store within a few miles. The neighborhood has many services; laundry, beauty shop and great restaurants. Two of my favorite restaurants are a sushi place (can't remember the name) and Fresh. Fresh has indoor and outdoor seating and the evenings are cool so dining outside is wonderful. The food is great and reasonably priced.

Mark was our tour guide on Sunday and drove us all around downtown Kuwait City. We parked and explored a very nice mall and some of the smaller neighborhood shops. So much to see and do! The people here are friendly but you take your life in your hands driving. They speed up and down the main road so fast!

This is a wonderful place to visit.

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Vacation Time....Finally!

Ok, I've been in Iraq since May 2nd and now it's time to go on my mid-year vacation. It's hard to believe it's been 5 months. Right now I'm in Baghdad taking care of some things at the BAT Cave (our office). On Wednesday, Oct 22, I fly to Kuwait for a week stop-over and sightseeing. I'm really excited about that because I haven't seen much of the country, only the little bit I get to see on the POE and FOB. Then I fly to Athens, Greece where I'll spend Nov 2-5 relaxing and sightseeing until my brother and his family arrive. We'll be together from Nov 6-11 and all fly out on the 11th. They fly back to the U.S. and I'll fly through Kuwait and immediately back to Baghdad. From there I have no idea how long it will take me to get back to my unit. I'm going to post some photos of my adventure so stay tuned for some new events!!!

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New Clothes

This is a picture of me in a Hijob (pr he-job). It is the traditional woman's wear in Islamic culture. I bought it for a friend but couldn't resist trying it on. What do you think?

FINALLY, an update!!!

Have you ever seen the movie “Groundhog Day”? Remember it’s the same thing (almost) day after day after day. Well that’s how my routine is here and why you haven’t seen anything new on this blog for a while.

One thing that is new is I'm in school again. I'm doing a 2nd master's degree, this one in Management of Information Systems (MIS) through the University of Phoenix (online). I want to have something to show for my time in Iraq besides the number of books I’ve read, the number of movies I’ve watched and the number of miles I’ve walked. There are 10 classes and each one is 6 weeks. My first class started on July 29th and completed on Sep 8th. My second class started on Sep 9th and ends Oct 20th. I will not be in class during Oct-Dec.

In Oct-Nov I’m going on vacation. It’s my mid-assignment vacation and I’ll be meeting my brother and his family in Athens, Greece. We’ll be there the same time the Athens Marathon is happening. I will be there from Nov 1-5 alone. I plan on having a “spa day” then relaxing and sight-seeing until they arrive. We’ll be there together the 6th – 11th. We have lots of fun activities planned. On Tue and Wed before they arrive I have 2 1-day trips planned through the hotel. I’ll go to Mycenae on Tuesday and Delphi on Wednesday. So you’ll see some photos and updates with vacation adventures!

July 4th Celebration

We had a party on the 4th of July for everyone on the FOB and we invited many of the Iraqi’s that work with us on the POE. We did not have alcohol (we have a general order not to consume while in country) and we were smart enough not to shoot off any fireworks being this close to the Iraq/Iran border. We had food and Iraqi dancers. It was a lot of fun.

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Sand Storm in Iraq

This video was given to me by a friend who was in Baghdad in 2006. It's a video of a sand storm in Baghdad. I'm sure they have not changed since then ;+] I thought it was awesome and wanted to share it.

Khanaqin and POE Muntheria

I am near the town of Khanaqin. We are right on the border of Iraq and Iran. I have not been into Khanaqin. I stay on the POE (Port of Entry) unless we are convoying to another military installation which we (civilians) rarely do. You can learn more about Khanaqin by visiting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khanaqin

My life here is pretty simple. We work 7 days a week. Here's how my day goes: I get up about 6am and shower and dress then head down to breakfast where Jimali, the head Turkish chef, prepares my ham/cheese omelet and French toast when I walk in the door. I wave good morning to him as I head for the coffee pot. He brings breakfast to me as it's ready, omelet first then French toast hot off the grill. I love it! We leave about 8:15am for the POE where we do our work. Since there are 4 people we take shifts for lunch. My favorite lunch is stir-fry that gets cooked while I wait. We close the POE between 4-6:30pm depending on whether or not the gates between Iraq and Iran are open or not. When Iran closes its gates for the day we have no people coming through so we close and leave. Before and after work I check my email, read or visit with folks. About 5:30pm I go for a 3.5-4 mile walk depending on the route. It's a fast walk, 4 miles in about 55-60 minutes. After the walk I have a light dinner then take a cup of coffee to the roof of the main building and watch the sunset (or what's left of it) and chat with whoever is on duty. The guys really appreciate having someone to talk with while they pull their duty and I get to know them. Evening entertainment is watching a movie, emails, reading or volleyball games. That's it... pretty simple.

YAHOO, I'm at my unit!

I arrived at my unit the evening of May 24th. We offloaded our gear and put it in our rooms then headed to dinner. We had a great dinner (the food is incredible) then settled in for the night. I've worked the last 3 days while getting settled. I think I will like it here. Below is my mailing address. I'd love to hear what's going on in your life.
Mailing address:Susan HartBTT 4352 Muntheria POEFOB Caldwell, IraqAPO AE 09324

My New "Ride"

This is how we traveled to FOB Edge - POE Muntheria. This is a HMMWV (Army Hummer). We had a driver, front passenger, gunner, and 2 contractors in the back (I was in the back right). Each person had a headset and mic so we could hear and talk to each other. It took us a couple of hours to get to FOB Edge - POE Muntheria. I am grateful for the air conditioning in this vehicle because we traveled in our full gear and kevlar helmet.

Getting to Camp Caldwell

Here are some pictures of the journey to Camp Caldwell. Top left: the "passenger terminal area" where we slept for about 6 hours waiting for our 8:20am from Camp Warhorse to Camp Caldwell. Top right: My flying outfit. Bottom left: Camp Caldwell Headquarters building. Bottom right: The bunk on the right was my home for a few nights at Camp Caldwell.

Arrived at Camp Caldwell

WHEW HEW!!! Our group arrived at Camp Caldwell early yesterday morning. We're scheduled to leave in the next couple of days for our unit. We're one step close to our final destination. Today in the DFAC (dining facility) Christina and I met a group of soldiers here from our unit. It was a great conversation! One important thing I learned is right now their MWR does not have Internet service (it's coming soon). We were told we could purchase Internet connections for our rooms. So, if you don't receive any emails or posts after I leave here that's what's up.

Back at the Baghdad Hilton Hotel, again...

Hi gang. Our flight was cancelled due to bad weather/visibility at the origin. We're having a gorgeous clear night and can see the stars and full moon. So, we're back at our tents for at least 1-3 more days/nights. I have some photos from a couple of palace tours that I may post while I'm waiting to leave.

Also several folks have asked about sending mail and care packages. Please don't send any mail or packages until I have arrived at POE Muntheria. I will post it here in the blog when I get there. They know I'm coming but I have not arrived so it's a possibility that the mail/package would be returned if I'm not there to pick it up. Thanks for thinking of me and checking back to see what's up!

My Hilton Hotel Baghdad

Hello from Baghdad. Here's what some of my world looks like right now. Each area is surrounded by a T-wall with an entrance that has a jutted-out T-wall). Top left: driveway between tents and hygiene trailers. This was taken from just outside the T-wall (cement wall) where my tent is located. Down the driveway to the right (by the green trash can and a jutted-out T-wall) is the female hygiene trailer. Better not drink too much, it's a walk to the potty. Top right: The entrance to Tent 42 - my home right now. Bottom left: The hallway to my area. Bottom right: My "room" in the Hilton. Each person has a locking gear box, a bunk and 2 wall lockers. Good thing I don't need much stuff!

Waiting in Baghdad

My group is still waiting on a flight out of Baghdad to our unit. We've gone to the terminal the last 2 nights but flights have been cancelled (visibility/dust and mechanical). We'll try again tonight to see if we can get out. Patience is a virtue here. Thanks for checking on me. If you have an opportunity drop me an email and let me know what's going on in your world.

Mailing Address

Here is my mailing address (as of Nov 13, 2008). Would love to hear from you.
Susan Hart
BTT 4130 Muntheria POE
FOB Caldwell, Iraq
APO AE 09324

From Fort Collins to Baghdad

I know it's been a while since I posted anything on this blog. Thanks for checking back to see what's up. I flew to Sierra Vista, AZ on April 11 and spent the weekend with friends. I completed 2 weeks of training on the computer system and peripherals I'll be using along with a week of medical and dental exams. Then our group headed to Ft. Benning, GA for more in processing, get uniforms, shots, training, etc. We left Ft Benning on May 2 and took a long commercial flight that stopped several places, the last of which was Kuwait. From there our group was split up on 2 different military flights into Baghdad. I was lucky, I was on the first flight out that afternoon. Got to Baghdad and we were met by people in the organization to which we are assigned. The men are in one tent and the women in another. It's a large tent with doors and 10 bunks. We each have 2 wall lockers and 1 locking gear box for equipment and valuables. The trailers that have showers, sinks and toilets are about 30-40 yards from us. It's noisy at night with the helicopters and other noises. This is another week of in processing, briefings, etc. Would love to hear news from you if you want to share. Take care!

Arriving in Arizona

Left early Friday morning for the airport. We had great weather for the drive (no snow). Thank you Laurie for taking me to the airport ;=} The flight to Tucson was awesome. I have a Ford Edge for a rental car. I've wanted to drive one and now have it for 2 weeks. Staying with great friends for 2 weeks while here for training. I am really enjoying the time to relax now before inprocessing and starting on Monday.