September 2009

Amman update

September 25, 2009

Just a quick update. Somehow, I went from being completely unsure about when I would return to work in Baghdad, to suddenly waking up in a plane over the Mediterranean. One minute I was introducing myself to new DC coworkers with Iraqi flag cupcakes (ooo, just wait for that post), and suddenly I was sprinting [...]

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Baking spree: croissants

September 22, 2009

As I briefly alluded to in my previous post, being back in my DC apartment set me off on a massive baking spree. This wasn’t just, “Oh, I’ll make a big batch of cupcakes, and maybe some cookies too!” sort of baking spree. Case in point? …homemade croissants

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An ode to DC

September 20, 2009

While I was studying abroad in Amman, Jordan, I planned a solo excursion to Thailand and Cambodia for three weeks after the semester was over. I may have been a bit naive about the idea, but family and friends bombarded me with requests to keep them constantly updated on my whereabouts and safety. My solution? [...]

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Crisps for all seasons

September 17, 2009

Another day, another briefing, another walk through the fake IED course… (what? like, improvised explosive device?) umm…yeah. In other words, I think its time for me to get back to the “real world”. What’s in this fabled real world? Well, at one point, it had crisps! All dolled up and ready for the oven.

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Nostalgia for real breakfast

September 15, 2009

Ahh…good morning Columbus, GA! What do you have to offer me today? Ten hours of standing in lines to go through medical forms? Vaccinations? Frustrations? Oh well. I’ll find some way to deal, as long as I have a good breakfast. It really is the key to my day, and I like to take full [...]

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Nine hours in Dubai

September 13, 2009

Did I mention I’m not in Baghdad anymore? Well…there you go. The higher powers decided to ship me back to the states for a couple weeks and booked me a flight through Dubai. I only had a nine-hour layover, which is pretty short, but it was just enough time to zip to the other side [...]

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coping with the Baghdad blues

September 9, 2009

*sigh* I’ve been here for only a little over a month, and I think I’m getting a serious case of the Baghdad blues. There was definitely a romantic notion to this whole chapter in my life when the idea was first proposed to me. (well, not actually proposed, when I first heard it through the [...]

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Hands of Victory

September 8, 2009

Nothing enlightening for now, just a few pictures from a recent trip out to the Hands of Victory.

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Dojo’s Diner!

September 7, 2009

Not that I absolutely don’t adore the embassy’s dining facility (known from now on as the “DFAC”), but it is nice to mix it up every once in a while. I’m sure there are typical restaurants dotted around Baghdad, like any normal city (because that’s exactly what it is…a normal city, right?), but inside the [...]

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how food can save Middle East conflicts

September 1, 2009

I swear I’m on to something with my combined interest in food and Middle East affairs! This Ramadan, the hottest (and probably most miserable) one in several years, even the Moroccans and Algerians have found a way to put aside their differences…(at least until the meal is over). Al-Arabiya (English version) posted this variety piece [...]