I’m getting my first real taste of the fabled heat of Iraq. Today it’s 116 in the shade. Since it’s my day off, I’m taking care of personal stuff like doing laundry and buying a supply of Reese’s Cups at the PX. I love Reese’s Cups. When it is 116 degrees outside, they melt very quickly. So do I. Just walking at a normal pace today made every part of my body break into profuse sweat. I think I had lost two quarts of body fluids in my short journey from the housing area to the PX and back. My uniform was completely soaked, and I am not one of those people who sweats a lot, normally.
Even my head was sweating and dripping. I hate the feeling of sweat beading on my scalp. Air conditioning is a blessing. I cannot imagine what it must be like for a conservative Iraqi woman who wears the full length black outfit including facial veil and has to walk from point A to point B in this heat. It seems insane. People around here tell me that you can’t feel the difference between 120 and 150 degrees and I have a feeling I’m going to find out soon.
I managed to avoid the mistake of putting something heavy on top of my Reese’s Cups *King Size* this time. Last week when I went to the PX I put something heavy on top of the candy and it melted into odd shapes that were hard to eat. By the time I got it back into the hooch and put them in the refrigerator I ended up having a mixed assortment of Reese’s Sculptures. I ate them anyway, and I was grateful.
Next time you think you’re having a bad day, volunteer to join the Marines in Fallujah, or visit your local Army recruiter and tell him that you would like to spend a year in Al-Anbar province. Those guys are doing the really tough jobs for very little pay. They end up understanding more about how the world really works in a year than some of you back home will absorb in a lifetime.