Baghdad lessons

Forty-four days left.

As the calendar winds down, I’ve been attempting to jot down various “lessons” that I’ve learned during my deployment. The list is still a work in progress, but I will share one tidbit that still takes me by surprise:

1. Baghdad gets cold.

Now, I know it’s nothing comparable to the Snowpocalypse that’s currently slamming the mid-Atlantic region. Nevertheless, it’s miserable, windy, and occasionally freezing-rainy. Throw in a head cold and Kirstin’s not a happy girl.

I’m stuck in the mindset that the Middle East should be warm. It’s horrible of me, and I certainly know better than to assume that the whole region is one big, blazing desert. But it still upsets me when it dips below 60 degrees.

Right now is hopefully the worst of this awful weather. Unfortunately, since my poorly-insulated metal box is only located a few hundred yards from the office…I have no choice but to drag my stuffy self to my cubicle. I can’t use the “my car is buried under two feet of snow” excuse (Ahem, DC?), so my achy body is at work…

but my mind? Back in Malaysia.

Hmm…lovely, isn’t it? Bright, blue waters and warm sunshine.

Readers, what’s winter like where you are? And do you wish you were somewhere else?