One of my new Gene base friends suggested that I should blog about my experiences while living in this part of the world. Back in the US, it was also suggested that I should write a book about being over here. Where do I begin! I’ve been here for nearly 30 months having covered most of the distance between the Saudi border and the Turkey border. Do I talk about people places or things? I could probably fill a few pages on what I have observed about customs and religious beliefs in the Muslim world. I could discuss the war and what I have seen or the politics involved and my interpretation of all of this.

Yes, I have filled over two journals of things that I have done and seen while here. I’ve observed the military closely and have got to know a lot of different people from different countries. I’ve worked in Security, Materials Management and Logistics. Originally, I lived and worked in Kuwait. There, I met Egyptians, Nepalese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Kuwaitis, Bosnians, Albanians, Asians and Americans from many states. Kuwait is a rich oil country where foreign labor does most of the work. Kuwaitis do run the police and military. While in security, I got to know a few of them. I drank a lot of tea with the Egyptians. They did most of the security guard work there along with the Nepalese. Part of my job then was to check on the guards at the different sites around the country.

My first 6 months, I covered most of the country daily and saw a lot of camels,sheep,goats,scorpions,vipers,a few sandstorms and lots of desert in between. The people that I met there were very nice and we got into a few intense discussions about the war, religion, customs, languages and different countries. I can see that this is only Part 1 of a bigger blog.