letter to gallup...

I'm going to cheat today...I'm going to recycle the note I wrote to Jim Clifton, Gallup CEO and Jane Miller, Gallup COO updating them on how my first month has gone. Some of this might be a repeat from past blogs, but my analysis of the current situation and what lies ahead in the coming weeks should be new.

It's hard to believe it's been almost a full month since I arrived here. These last 4 weeks have felt like 1 week.

Jim and Jane,

I have been in Iraq for nearly a month and all has been going well thus far. I wanted to take some time to update you both on my status.

On a personal level, I have found a comfortable daily routine. The days are long, typically starting at 0730 and lasting until 2100 or 2200 each night. (And you might notice I have learned to think in military time.) The long days are typically filled with so much work, however, I often lose track of time and am ready to leave the office before I notice where the day has gone.

The living conditions for those of us working within the International Zone are surprisingly quite comfortable. The facilities on the US Embassy compound in particular are top notch. The food is good, abundant and, best of all, free. There are beautiful work-out facilities which include an indoor pool, basketball court, weight room and cardio equipment. This is the largest (and most expensive) US Embassy in the world and those facts are likely not lost on anyone who spends some time here. Lately there has been an ironic effort to grow grass by laying seed on the Embassy compound in an attempt, I suppose, to westernize the look of the grounds. The resultant effect has not so much been the growing of grass as it has been the fattening of pigeons. There are small patches where sod has been laid, which honestly look out of place against the brown backdrop that is Iraq.

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to see Stephen Colbert film an episode of The Colbert Report from Al Faw Palace. I happened to have meetings scheduled at the palace on one of the days he was filming so I was already scheduled to make the trip from the IZ to Camp Victory. That was certainly the entertainment highlight of my time over here thus far. I have attached a few photos from that day, including one of my transportation.

On a political and situational level, this is and will continue to be a fascinating time to observe the transformation of a nation. Iraq is rapidly moving from an occupied state, to a partnered state and toward the laudable goal of a sovereign nation. Self-determination is looming just over the horizon. While there is still much to be done, the impending June 30^th milestone of the draw down of US combat forces from Iraqi cities, villages and localities is rightfully being viewed as a major step toward the sovereignty path outlined in the US-Iraq Security Agreement signed last November. We heard this morning that the Government of Iraq is calling for the June 30^th milestone to be recognized as a national holiday. It’s hard not to draw comparisons between their anticipation of this date and our own celebration of independence and sovereignty just four days later. While so much is different between the circumstances and situations leading up to these events, one from our history and the other an indicator of Iraq’s future, the spirit of independence and hope that the United Sates is doing right in our partnership toward that independence, makes me proud to be here witnessing these achievements first hand.

Much remains to be seen, however, and fear of violent actions or general destabilization also looms as a real possibility in the coming weeks. Iraq’s democratization is young and tenuous. Factions of dissension and extremism still exist. News reports from the past week highlight the fragile nature of peace and stability. The tragic events in Kirkuk and Baghdad over the past days serve as somber reminders that there is still much to be done throughout Iraq; reminders that the work that lies ahead is every bit as (if not more) important than the foundation laid and progress made over the past several years.

June 30^th will be a milestone indeed. Gallup will be here to document this milestone. There could not be a more important and vital mission for our organization at this time and in this place than helping people be heard. We are truly informing leadership of the opinions of these constituencies in a meaningful way.

I am humbled by the opportunity to work for Gallup in this capacity. I thank you and everyone in the tribe for your continued support. We should all be proud to be a part of this moment in history.

Regards,

Brian M. Kirchhoff

Project Manager - BU

maximizer * woo * strategic * ideation * futuristic

GALLUP

dust storm

so it's all clear skies again, but the last 2 days i could not say the same. we had a pretty major dust storm. everything is now covered in a fine layer of silty, brown dust. the ride home 2 nights ago was like riding home in a hot, brown blizzard. visibility was extremely limited and the headlights on the bus were doing little but reflecting on the dust.

the next morning was more of the same. i got a couple of shots, but they don't really do it justice. as it turns out, it's hard to photograph dust.

i got a couple of shots with my nikon, but it will take some time to get those ready...

the new normal

it's been 2 weeks since i arrived and things are starting to feel like the new normal for me over here. there has been a lot of talk in the media and among my colleagues in the gallup tribe about the new normal as it relates to the united states. most of it has been as a reaction to our country's changes in mentality as we move through economic slowdown (dare i say recession) and inch toward recovery.

i have experienced a similar transformation personally. all of my surroundings have been replaced. all of the people i interact with on a daily basis are gone and there now exists a completely new set of faces and personalities i interact with each day. my mode of transportation is different. no longer can i jump in my car or onto my motorcycle and go wherever i want, whenever i want. when and what i eat has changed. there is very little about my life that looks and feels like it did a month ago.

and i'm starting to realize that none of that matters. and i don't mean none of that matters in the teenage angst ridden "nothing matters" sense of the phrase. what i mean is life remains constant regardless of our surroundings and circumstances and we remain, at essence, the same people we always are. it's no great realization that humans are adaptable. that may be one of the most cliched sentiments rendered. but a healthy dose of ripping oneself out of their comfort zone, untethering the ties of comfort and stability, is good to remind one that the bounds of adaptability are greater than we might realize when we are entrenched in those comfort zones we find ourselves in.

that's probably enough of the esoteric bullshit for one night. i doubt anyone wants to hear me blather on about my revelations of self...at least not any longer than for a few paragraphs.

one concrete reality of the situation over here is that it is, for lack of a better word, calm. i was talking to one of the lieutenant colonels in charge of media affairs yesterday. she spent the past week with stephen colbert and his team while they were filming out here. she recounted that stephen and his producer left with almost a sense of let down in that their is a sense of anticipation for feelings of danger and/or adventure out here. don't get me wrong, they were overjoyed to be out here and really did an amazing job putting on the show. but i know what they are talking about. aside from the fact that there are military personnel and razor wire all around you, you don't feel like you are in a war zone while you are over here. it feels exactly like what it is...the place the war used to be, but isn't quite cleaned up yet and still isn't working quite right.

while i will admit the trip along route irish in a large, armored vehicle can inspire a sense of adventure, there is an overriding sense of order to everything i experience over here. we have been over here for so many years things have become very routinized. while in previous years there had been more frequent disruptions in peace and security, the process of force draw down coupled with a shift from frequent, arbitrary attacks to less frequent, more targeted attacks has created a sense of calm around my experience here thus far. that is not a complaint; i am much safer being over here than i undoubtedly would have been a few years ago. it sounds like if you want adventure, you have to go to afghanastan now and there are quite a few contractors who, as operations draw down here, are doing just that.

it's important to keep in mind that all of my reactions and experiences are from the sanitized lens of living in the international zone and working at the embassy. talking to people outside of this protected bubble will produce wildly varying responses and impressions, to be sure.

thanks for reading...sorry it took me so long to update, but i could update with a saved post and catch up with a new post tonight. if you have anything you would like me to talk about or have questions, i will do my best to answer them or write about what you want to hear. just let me know.

cheers.

first day and morning in baghdad

I first want to include a picture from my hotel room in Kuwait. Subsequent to the taking of this picture, I was informed this is actually a graveyard located in the middle of Kuwait City. There is apparently another 50 year moratorium on the development of this land, so it remains as it is seen here:



After some concern about my colleagues’ (Matt Drane and Chris Stewart) inbound flight being delayed, they made our connecting flight in Kuwait and we all arrived safely in Baghdad last night.

The flight in was not as eventful as I thought it might be…aside from some strange banking and variations in speed, it was a pretty straightforward landing, albeit all exterior and interior lights on the plane were turned off. Though I have to wonder, if someone had something powerful and sophisticated enough to take a plane down, would it matter if the lights were on?

Upon arrival in Baghdad, we were met by our logistics partner and were on our way to our temporary lodging for the night. The first thing that struck me while driving through the area surrounding the airport is the sheer immensity and size of the installations we have here. For a temporary base of operations, the installation looks awfully permanent and massive. And these are just first impressions; I haven’t even made it over the the IZ yet. I was told the first time I see the installations from a helicopter will be the first time I really can appreciate the total size of all of this.

We stopped by the PX which was also surprisingly large in both size and scope. The options available, while limited in choice of brands, were still as plentiful as Target. Anything from 50” flat screen Sony TVs and Xboxes to clothes to toiletries to junk food were available. I got a power converter, Matt bought some clothes and necessities as his luggage didn’t make the transfer from the flight in Kuwait and we headed over to the mess hall for a late night meal. All that was open at the mess hall was the sandwich bar, but I can tell already that the options available for food during the day are going to be plentiful and based on what we ate last night, it should be tasty. My initial thoughts from a year ago when I applied for this assignment of MREs 3 times a day are nowhere near the reality of the situation.

This morning we awoke to the faint sound of machine gun fire in the distance. Not enough to be frightening, but enough to remind me that we are most definitely not in Kansas anymore.

By the end of the day, we will make our way over to the IZ and I should become acquainted with my permanent housing for the next 6 months. I am really looking forward to starting to move around and seeing what this place looks like in the daylight…