In the Green Zone
This entry was posted on 4/14/2006 7:51 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
I didn't get to see as many people or get as much done at the Hamra as I'd planned because I spent so much time figuring out my equipment issues. But it was great to see some folks I hadn't seen in quite a while, and to ease into being back. Embedding is a lot like going off to summer camp; you throw everything you'll need into a couple bags and then go off to spend a few weeks with a bunch of people you've never met. I'm glad I had a few days among friends.
The Hamra (the undamaged tower, at least) hasn't changed much aside from the security ramp-up. It's still a little shabby and dirty, a place that you imagine would be nice if they'd scrub and re-paint the rooms and put down some new carpet. They actually did put down new carpet in KR's hallway, but the pattern looks like a nauseating optical illusion and isn't an improvement.
I was in the Green Zone Wednesday afternoon to renew my press credential, which was easier than I thought it would be. They just processed my paperwork in a minute or two and then created a new badge. I didn't even have to sit for a new picture; they still had the old one stored (they also, I noticed today, didn't change the publication name on the badge—it still says I'm with USA Today).
The Green Zone, too, looks a lot like it did a year ago. The guys manning the checkpoints are a new crew, though. Last winter it was mostly Nepalese guys. I'm not sure if they rotated out on schedule or went back to fight in their own country's civil unrest. These days there are Georgians and Peruvians all over the place. The Georgians, especially, are a little unnerving because. Their uniforms and features make them hard to tell apart from Americans, but they don't speak much English and they always look pissed off. It's not a welcoming sight as you lug everything you need for an embed down the hot sidewalk into the Green Zone.
A sergeant just poked his head into the journalist bunking area and told us to get ready to head over to the landing zone. At some point later tonight (I don't know when and couldn't say anyway for security reasons) I'll get on a chopper and head out west to start my embed. I'll write more when I've had a chance to get situated, probably tomorrow afternoon.
