A Sad Day

Today got off to a difficult start as one of the clients security company’s Local Nationals died in his room late last evening. This would explain the crashing and banging that I heard at about 11 last night as I put out the light to go to sleep, and all the frantic radio traffic that was going on. (I believe he died peacefully and the crashing and banging was them trying to revive him - just in case there is any confusion and you though he was being beaten to death or something)

I was never worried about safety or security as the noise didn’t have that feeling to it, and as with all these things, I went to sleep and missed all the formal wailing and chanting as they took the body away in an ambulance with the police in tow.

I am not sure of many details (well, none of them actually, except there is a spare bed now, I think we can be sure of that). I am pretty sure that he was 23 and that he had complained of not feeling very well at dinner and they found him at 11 when he didn’t turn up to a briefing. After that it’s all a bit sketchy, and the people I would normally go to for gossip are the people trying to sort out the repercussions, so it would be slightly insensitive to arrive asking questions…..at least until the dust settles anyway.

The Security Company here on site has now entered a 3 day period of mourning until the funeral, which isn’t effecting us particularly because we use a different security company, but for the client it’s a pain as they are only performing basic guard duties, so no driving or escorts, which means the client is confined to barracks until after the funeral. We have offered assistance where we can but it’s only really emergency assistance and then only if we are going that way anyway (mainly the COB for people needing to get flights etc. or paperwork and other supplies) so we are all prisoners together. It’s a very serene atmosphere though because it’s a close knit sort of community and we have been used to the guard shift that isn’t working sitting around chatting and smoking, or going off to play football on our building site (we don’t mind too much, because where they play we haven’t dug trenches yet and it’s over seen by one of their spotlights, and it’s flat. It keeps them off the street I suppose. But at the moment it’s all very quiet……

Other than that, today’s had a bit of a Saturday afternoon feeling about it, mostly I suspect because it’s Friday tomorrow (Islamic Sunday) and there won’t be that many people on site anyway, so they packed up early and disappeared. They do that somehow, just disappear. One minute it’s a busy site and then you turn around and they have all gone. Maybe they’re like that on building sites the world over and it’s just my lack of experience showing through.

They don’t do it on mass either. I sat and watched them one day, out of curiosity, and the drift off in one’s and two’s, and then a digger will roll off the site and there will be four in the cab, then you will take your eye off them for a second and voomph, the rest just seem to evaporate. They’re supposed to be working 2 shifts at the moment, but I have only seen that on a few days this week, although the weather did put a stop it yesterday, there was hardly a sole about when I walked around the site at 4 this afternoon. It remains to be seen what will happen as the month goes on, but Ramadan is approaching next week (just after I have left – how lucky is that !) and then they’re not supposed to eat or drink from one hour before sunrise till dusk. With sunrise being about 5am here, they can pretty much survive until lunchtime before they keel over – which just seems daft to me, and not particularly helpful. Anyway we have one shift working Ramadan hours at the moment so everybody gets used to it. We have also tried to get some idea of numbers out of the subbies as to who will be fasting and who won’t, so that we can try to plan works involving non-fasters in the afternoons after all the fasters have gone home or keeled over……..I hope you’re keeping up with all this…..

We have to watch out for people swinging the lead though, and I am assured that they will try, by saying they are going to fast and that they have to go home at 12 and then going out for dinner. The best lot we have is our own security company where pretty much half want to fast and the other half don’t want to. Simply, we put the half that fast on at night so they can eat all night and sleep all day and the half that don’t want to fast on during the day when it’s not a problem for them to eat and drink – easy peasy !

As I said, I leave 2 days before Ramadan starts and get back 3 days before the celebrations begin for the end – and no planning involved………now all we want is the lottery numbers to come up and my life will be complete !

Today’s inventory:

2 Cigars – I’m down to one with a promise of more coming in tomorrow…….watch this space for a grumpy bastard if they don’t !

0 units and $0 dollars – I handed over the scotch to someone who can make better use of it than me – the idea of me drinking it never entered my head, it’s disgusting to me for some reason but I sure I’m grateful for whatever the reason is. I’d have bet you 6 weeks ago that I would be willing to drink lighter fluid by now but I’ve surprised even myself with my lack of need. I’m going to murder one when I get home but up till now I’m quite comfortable without one.

Gym – nothing, and nothing till Sunday by the look of it. I will have to go on Monday before I go to the airport as well, just to make it feel like I am trying, which means I am going to turn up at home with smelly sweaty gym kit, which is a great welcome home present I’m sure you will agree !

Food – again, nothing to write home about although I am in the bosses good books cause I have laid my hands on some Snickers………

Weather – blazing hot after yesterday

Countdown – three sleeps to the COB, one to Dubai and one more to Birmingham.

Share tip – Buy BP

Today, I completed the whole set of travel documents – Passport, Exit Visa, Paper ticket from Basra to Dubai and electronic ticket from Dubai to Birmingham. Just a few more sleeps and a bit of luck and I’ll be shouting at the kids just like the rest of you !

I haven’t got any photos for you today because I haven’t seen anything that interests me but if you’ve got any requests, bearing in mind where I am, so be realistic please, then shout, because the next time I come back the whole site will look completely different.