Living behind blast walls
I went window shopping on the Internet this weekend. I had a rare early night, in my room before midnight. There's an 8-hour difference between New York and Baghdad, so if we're doing a report for Nightly News, we're usually up until 3:00 a.m.
But tonight I retired to in my room early, poured a glass of wine and enjoyed some cheddar brought from England and, while checking my personal e-mail found myself window shopping on the Internet.
I looked at winter boots and thought how impractical most of them would be around here: high heels would not allow you to scramble and run in an emergency. I've been here a month now, and our movements are severely restricted. No shopping, no window shopping, no unnecessary trips outside.
We did go to an Iraqi colleague's wedding last week and on the way back in the car I was amazed to see the nightlife on the streets of Baghdad. Not everyone lives like us Western journalists, behind blast walls in compounds.
The shops were open, restaurants full, vendors crowding the sidewalks and people enjoying a balmy evening out, just like in every Middle Eastern city. For me the wedding had been the first social outing in a month!
I started my stint here as Acting Bureau Chief, a role some NBC producers take on temporarily, but last week was relieved from that duty, and took on the dual roles of Producer and Voluntary Occasional Bureau Chef.
I use the occasional cooking sessions for our team to relax...they're a therapeutic break in a very long work-day. But I can't shop for my meals. It's too dangerous to go to the markets, kidnapping of Westerners has been increased again, and suicide bombers don't spare crowds of ordinary people.
So I have to draw up a shopping list, with some alternative options, and give it to one of our drivers to go to do my shopping for me. Hopefully he comes back with what I need...if not, I have to improvise. But I never stick to a recipe anyway. So today's Salade Nicoise became a Salade Baghdadoise....missing were the green beans, instead I used pinto beans. Delicious after a steady diet of Iraqi chicken stews!
We have an intense week ahead of us; the Iraqi elections on Thursday are already keeping us busy. The white boards are choc-a-block with shoots and assignments. There won't be much time to window shop, even on the Internet, and little time for cooking therapy!
President Bush, the ambassador's big gun
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Slide Show
- Life beyond the violence
Suicide attacks and murders due to sectarian conflict continue around Iraq. See how residents live their lives amid the attacks.
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