Nick has been ensconced in Embassy Baghdad for almost a month now. I say ensconced because you literally can’t exit the compound without 48 hours’ notice, armored cars, and armed security escorts. It’s intense. Nick has been out five or so different times for meetings and each time it’s a big production. He finds it interesting that none of his counterparts at other Embassies have armored cars or armed security, but I’m grateful that the Mission is operating with an abundance of caution. I don’t have to worry nearly as much knowing they have so many precautions in place.
I bet you didn’t know that Embassy Baghdad is our largest Embassy in the world…I sure didn’t! It is truly a mini city with its own fire department, water and sanitation systems, and electricity generation. The Embassy is entirely self-sufficient. Whoa, huh? It’s a multi-block compound with a high school-esque cafeteria that you badge into for all your meals, a barber shop and beauty salon, and pools and sport courts.
Nick lives in a small apartment in a traditional apartment building on the compound. He has a tiny kitchen (though he never cooks anything at home), a living room, bedroom and bathroom. He’s fortunate because many of the contractors live in CHUs—container housing units. Picture shipping containers with multiple people sharing one unit. Here’s what Nick’s housing looks like.
The majority of people living in the Embassy are security contractors and third-country nationals (lots of Indians and Filipinos). Only a small percentage are Foreign Service Officers like Nick. He said you can tell right away who the security contractors are because they all look alike—jacked, bearded, white dudes in baseball caps and checkered shirts. :)
There are apparently three different gyms, each with their own nickname. First is “Gold’s” which is all free weights. Next is the “Prison Gym” which is entirely outdoors and consists of tires, chains, and ropes, and caters more to the CrossFit types. The third gym is called “Curves” and is a mix of cardio and weight machines. Nick goes to the gym regularly but says it can be quite intimidating. Curves is his gym of choice, and while definitely the least popular for the fitness junkies, there is still a ridiculous amount of weight being lifted.
Every night there are different pick-up games being played, but they all start at 9 PM or after when the temps have dipped to a more reasonable 90 degrees from the 110 degree high. August is one of the hottest months in Baghdad but January and February may even allow for light sweaters with highs in the 60’s. Nick has mostly done pickleball thus far but has already been recruited for cricket which begins in a few months.
Baghdad is 10 hours ahead of us in Oregon and seven ahead of DC where his stateside colleagues are. He said there’s a 24-7 work culture with night meetings to accommodate DC’s workday and even some weekend work. To accommodate the Muslim majority, the Embassy’s workweek is Sunday to Thursday. And yes, there are some Iraqis that work there!
He’s still figuring out his job but one of the projects he’s most excited about is working with a camp in Northern Iraq where Syrian Iraqis are being repatriated. Iraq is a challenging place to live but he’s acclimating well and we’ve established nice daily video-calling routines that are keeping us connected. We have been apart before for up to 8 weeks at a time, so his absence isn’t feeling too abnormal yet. I keep expecting him to show up any day here. I think we’re really going to start missing him in early October, but the good news is that we’ll have our first meet-up in November over Thanksgiving break. It’s a weird situation (and not one that I ever thought we’d do) but we’re making it work.
Nick is not allowed to take photos in the complex, but the ones shared in this post were taken by reporters when it first opened. CLICK HERE to see a wider variety of photos inside the Embassy.
