Hot milk for breakfast

**Drive4cy** · 02-09-2009, 04:13 AM

Great writing. I feel like I was there. You set the scene very well.

**alaskaguy** · 02-09-2009, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Remember the post about Dubai, and how I was treated like royalty? Well, when the taxi driver dumped me at the curb, I became just another person, in an Arab country, trying to fight a mob to get on an airplane.

I kinda expected as much.

I'm aware that many people hate the state department because they consider them to be pampered bureaucrats. Generalities are dangerous and are rarely correct. In terms of the State Department I have regular contact with two staff people, my brother and sister-in-law.

There are State Department staff that live like like royalty but it is primarily ambassadors, assistant secretary's, or people that just happen to be at the right place at the right time, basically 1% of the State department. Of course there are some unusual places, and I suspect Dubai is one of those as they are living in the past but with lots of money.

Quite a number of years ago just about everyone in the State department lived the good life. Nice embassies nice housing etc. but that has changed for most of them. As an example the place my brother and sister-in-law live (Moscow, Russia) is more substandard than what I have ever lived in. However, I do believe that they may have some of the worst housing for the American diplomatic community. Luck, rank, and how many kids you have determine how good your housing their housing is. Apparently they have had bad luck, low rank, and no kids so they live in a crap place. In addition, each country varies and Moscow apparently has the worst average housing.

Sometimes the diplomatic community gets through customs easily and sometimes not. My brother has experienced the treatment you have described but more often the opposite is the case. There have been numerous occassions where he has been the very last person in the airport to clear customs even when he was the first person to leave the plane due to being a foreigner.

Even though generalizations are dangerous, I will generalize and say that the private sector lives much better overseas than the State Department. Usually they private sector has better housing and higher wages. From my visits to embassies, the military working at embassies has it as well if not better than the State Department staff. They get the same housing, same office spaces etc. but have more benefits. As an example they don't pay taxes in many locations, gym memberships are paid for etc. In addition, my brother informs me that Defense has infinite money in comparison with State. That allows them to do most of the diplomacy and have more influence at work but it doesn't make the individuals life better in general.

When you get to Kabul you will not only be in the past you will be in a poor country. I have visited Kabul myself. Even though my visit was several years ago I found people doing their laundry in buckets, so its not a plush place to live.

Just as an aside my brother is an Electrical Engineer by education. He has been employed by the State Department for appr. 10 years. Notwithstanding my brother's education and tenure, his job is to pull wire through conduit.

There are State Department elite/high rollers although as I have mentioned they are a very small minority. I don't think that my brother hangs with that group so I can't share swanky life style stories about that group. Nevertheless, the few contacts my brother has had with this group has been that they are an outrageously arrogant group.

**scubapohl1** · 02-09-2009, 05:56 AM

"We flew in an ex-AA DC-9/MD-80 with old-fashioned turbo-jet engines. It took forever to get off the ground, and you've never lived until you've flown into Kabul airport in a civil jet. The do NOT screw around. The pilot actually entered a slight power dive at cruising speed, and then waited for the last moment to decelerate prior to impacting the end of the runway nose down at full power. I'm thinking they've been shot at, before, and you have no doubts that you've entered a combat zone. "

I spent three year living in that part of the world. I remember flying THY, the Turkish national airline. The also flew old DC-9's and in exactly the same manner. We used to joke that THY stood for "They Hate You" because of the way you got thrown around in the back of the plane!

**Flag Guy** · 02-09-2009, 06:43 AM

Stay safe out there man!

**MrsPhaedrus** · 02-09-2009, 06:49 AM

He's only 45, please don't rush it.

**4VR4CY** · 02-09-2009, 07:15 AM

That sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad that the first day of the trip was great so that it didn't make this as bad.

Stay safe. Keep writing... Get a camera!!!! ;)

**Phaedrus** · 02-09-2009, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by MrsPhaedrus

He's only 45, please don't rush it.

I may be 45, but in some ways, I FEEL 25. But then, MrsPhaedrus would know more about that than I would

**zach** · 02-09-2009, 07:19 AM

Thanks for the insight of your travels. Was wondering if they(general public traveling with you) know you are from USA? If so, how do they treat you while traveling.

Safe travels,

Z

**Phaedrus** · 02-09-2009, 07:21 AM

Official steely eyed killer cool guy pic:

**dosry5** · 02-09-2009, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by MrsPhaedrus

He's only 45, please don't rush it.

Your husband is Forrest Gump.

take that for the compliment it is.

**dosry5** · 02-09-2009, 07:32 AM

And you think your weekend was exciting???

I got up Saturday morning, watched some HGTV, went with the wife and daughter to Jordan Creek Mall for a bit, had lunch at Shane's Ribshack, then home for the day. We didn't make it to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but still...it was pretty nice little Saturday.

**cyco2000** · 02-09-2009, 07:38 AM

Love the writing! Keep it up if you can, and God Bless!

**IcSyU** · 02-09-2009, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Official steely eyed killer cool guy pic:

Cybsball is right....mercenary. We have visual now.

**retzmountn** · 02-09-2009, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

I finally linked up with my guys. Amazingly enough, I'm working with Ghurkas. Think 5'0" guys who can kick your butt without breathing hard. Just to make me feel at home, they had a protective vest and we convoyed to my temporary home.

I'm told that I deploy to somewhere else in Afghanistan on Thursday. I'm not saying until I get there.

I also met my personal ride. It is an ancient Russian Mi-8 HIP helicopter, and comes with a Bosnian crew. Good bird. One of my favorite aircraft of all times.

Gotta go inprocess, will update later.

I enjoyed your update on your Afghan travels. Be safe & God speed!