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If the last post encompassed the whole day, that would have been interesting enough in my book. For the second half of the day, I made arrangements with the Civil Affairs Team to drop me off at the US Embassy so I could meet with the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS, like the television program) Agent who is assigned to the embassy.
We made arrangements to meet at 1330 which is when the CA team said we would be done and I would be at the embassy. Turns out our couple of stops didn't take quite as long and they dropped me off around 1200. I was 1.5 hours early. I went through the very thorough security process and had the security people call the NCIS agent. He was not expecting me for another 90 minutes and was out of the office. Great, I will just stand in this very narrow security area for an hour and a half until he gets here. I finally suggested that they call anyone from the front office to escort me back so I could as least sit down.
Someone came to get me and escorted me back to the reception area. I got to talking with the Chief Liason Officer to Djibouti (US Army Major) and the Station Chief (CIA) and they suggested we go out to lunch. So, we hoped in a Land Cruiser and off we went. It was only a few minutes later that we were downtown (remember, Djibouti City, or Djibouti for that matter is not that big). But wait, I was in my camouflage uniform. The Commandant forbids Marines to go off base in that particular uniform (driving home from work is ok, but no stops that involve getting out of the car). Additonally, it is a camp directive that NO member of any of the armed service branch will go out in town in ANY uniform. Back in the states, the Army and Air Force can be in public wearing a camo uniform (you may have seen them in the airport) but that does not play here. What to do? I was really hungry and didn't want to be rude. I decided to simply remove my blouse (yeah, that is what it is called) and just go with the t-shirt, trousers, and boots combo. I figured I would be less noticeable and just hoped that I didn't run into the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
I don't really see what the big deal is, at least in Djibouti. The French have been here for 120 years haven't had any trouble. In fact, if you go into the clubs on the weekends, I am told that you see plenty of French Foreign Legionaires in uniform. For your first 5 years in the Legion, you are not permitted to own any non-military clothes so you go/do everything in uniform.
We went to a wonderful little Italian joint and were pleasantly greeted. Looking around, the place was filled with mostly non-Djiboutions. In fact, a majority of the customers were French (soldiers I assume as they maintain a fairly larger presence there since colonial times). I had a very tasty, hand made, wood burning oven baked pizza. The ingrediants were really fresh and it was a nice change from the chow hall. Not to mention, I had an interesting conversation with the Station Chief and Major.
Just because this is a 3rd world nation, don't expect 3rd world prices. They charge european prices at this place. 1000 Djiboution Francs equals around USD $6.50. My pizza, as good as it was, cost $2300 DJ Francs or about USD $15. I thought that was a little pricey but the higher prices keeps the locals out, not to mention everything has to be imported. Turns out, Djibouti doesn't produce much of anything and has little to no natural resources. Seems like DJ has a lot in common with Hawaii but DJ doesn't see the tourist dollars like Hawaii. However, I think in DJ, they like people from Mainland US a little more.
Just as we finished lunch, Jim, the NCIS agent, showed up and we were ready to tour the city. Jim is a former Marine Sgt who has been with the NCIS for about 10 years. He has been at the embassy in Djibouti for 2.5 years. He was incredibly knowledgeable on the history of the city, the culture and the region.
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If the last post encompassed the whole day, that would have been interesting enough in my book. For the second half of the day, I made arrangements with the Civil Affairs Team to drop me off at the US Embassy so I could meet with the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS, like the television program) Agent who is assigned to the embassy.
We made arrangements to meet at 1330 which is when the CA team said we would be done and I would be at the embassy. Turns out our couple of stops didn't take quite as long and they dropped me off around 1200. I was 1.5 hours early. I went through the very thorough security process and had the security people call the NCIS agent. He was not expecting me for another 90 minutes and was out of the office. Great, I will just stand in this very narrow security area for an hour and a half until he gets here. I finally suggested that they call anyone from the front office to escort me back so I could as least sit down.
Someone came to get me and escorted me back to the reception area. I got to talking with the Chief Liason Officer to Djibouti (US Army Major) and the Station Chief (CIA) and they suggested we go out to lunch. So, we hoped in a Land Cruiser and off we went. It was only a few minutes later that we were downtown (remember, Djibouti City, or Djibouti for that matter is not that big). But wait, I was in my camouflage uniform. The Commandant forbids Marines to go off base in that particular uniform (driving home from work is ok, but no stops that involve getting out of the car). Additonally, it is a camp directive that NO member of any of the armed service branch will go out in town in ANY uniform. Back in the states, the Army and Air Force can be in public wearing a camo uniform (you may have seen them in the airport) but that does not play here. What to do? I was really hungry and didn't want to be rude. I decided to simply remove my blouse (yeah, that is what it is called) and just go with the t-shirt, trousers, and boots combo. I figured I would be less noticeable and just hoped that I didn't run into the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
I don't really see what the big deal is, at least in Djibouti. The French have been here for 120 years haven't had any trouble. In fact, if you go into the clubs on the weekends, I am told that you see plenty of French Foreign Legionaires in uniform. For your first 5 years in the Legion, you are not permitted to own any non-military clothes so you go/do everything in uniform.
We went to a wonderful little Italian joint and were pleasantly greeted. Looking around, the place was filled with mostly non-Djiboutions. In fact, a majority of the customers were French (soldiers I assume as they maintain a fairly larger presence there since colonial times). I had a very tasty, hand made, wood burning oven baked pizza. The ingrediants were really fresh and it was a nice change from the chow hall. Not to mention, I had an interesting conversation with the Station Chief and Major.
Just because this is a 3rd world nation, don't expect 3rd world prices. They charge european prices at this place. 1000 Djiboution Francs equals around USD $6.50. My pizza, as good as it was, cost $2300 DJ Francs or about USD $15. I thought that was a little pricey but the higher prices keeps the locals out, not to mention everything has to be imported. Turns out, Djibouti doesn't produce much of anything and has little to no natural resources. Seems like DJ has a lot in common with Hawaii but DJ doesn't see the tourist dollars like Hawaii. However, I think in DJ, they like people from Mainland US a little more.
Just as we finished lunch, Jim, the NCIS agent, showed up and we were ready to tour the city. Jim is a former Marine Sgt who has been with the NCIS for about 10 years. He has been at the embassy in Djibouti for 2.5 years. He was incredibly knowledgeable on the history of the city, the culture and the region.
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The first thing I should point out is that driving in Djibouti is much different than Germany. In Germany, there are lots of signs and everyone obeys the rules. In DJ, there are few signs (optional) and no rules. If you think you can pull off a move, go for it.
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We started with a tour of the port which was very active and pretty important to that region. Ethiopia depends on it almost entirely to get goods into its country. Last week there were 2 Iranian cruisers there and currently there are two Iraqi military vessels there. The port is one of the countries primary income generators along with the airport.
After the port, we headed out to see various sectors of the city. Many of the sectors are off-limits to the coalition forces at Camp Lemonier where I am. These off-limits area are refugee camps camps filled with people from Somalia (border is only 10 miles away), Chad, Sudan, Yeman, and the like. It is really just a matter of there is absolutely no reason to go there. Jim told me that if there is any anti-American sentiment, it would be here. Jim said that if you were to go there, nothing more would happen to you then kids throwing stones at you. He said it was the national sport of the under 18 crowd. Glad we have Play Stations and cable TV in the US.
While Al-Qaeda doesn't have much of a presence here, it appears that they recruit out of these camps. If they could only get to know me as a person, I think they would really like me. Same goes for everyone else out there in America. Are we really "bad" people? I don't think most African Muslims think we are. Seems to be more of a Middle-Eastern Muslim issue. At any rate, there is an organized movement to destroy us and our way of life. Just last week, a British citizen was murdered by these peace loving folks operating in Mali, a particularly violent place. Reports are that he was beheaded. Not the French Revolution type of beheading with a really sharp heavy guillotine, probably not even a really sharp sword. Think more along the lines of a dull knife or rusty saw. Could just as well of been you or me. Enough said, I think.
The question is, do we take the fight to them or let them bring it to us? I respect everyone's opinion and you probably know what mine is.
We also drove through a very picturesque part of the city as we headed out to the beach. It was many acres of undeveloped land that had those trees you always associate with Africa growing there and a small herd of camels roaming around. As you may or may not know, Djibouti has a coast line on two bodies of water: the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The beaches of DJ are on the Gulf of Aden and Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula are only 12 miles away. Much like you and I, people in DJ enjoy going to the beach. The water had a fair number of boys and men in it but no women. I think it is a double edged sword for them (no pun intended). They would not wear a bathing suit so they would go in the water covered from head to ankle. When they get wet, the fabric would cling to their bodies which would violate their religious laws of remaining modest. I assume they just don't bother with it. In some bigger Muslim dominated countries, they have separate beaches for men and women, but not here.
Our next stop was a swing through the primary market area of the city. When Jim told me he has been here for two years, I commented that he must have limited opportunites to socialize because the embassy staff is small by embassy staff standards. He went on to tell me he was engaged to a DJ national which I was a little surprised to hear. I didn't have time to get the details of how they met although it is a lot different here then in America. DJ is 94% Muslim and women are not permitted to socialize with men outside of their families. They certainly didn't meet in a nightclub.
Feminists might want to skip this next part. It you are a feminist and decide to continue, you have been forewarned. If you decide to skip this next section, scroll down until you see the "all clear" alert.
Once Jim got engaged, he was required to buy his fiancee. Notice that the word buy is not in quotation marks. It was an actual business transaction which involved the transfer of property. That's right, women are considered the property of their husbands and unmarried women are considered property of their guardian, the eldest male of the household, usually the father. In this girls case, both parents have passed so the eldest brother is her guardian.
I asked how much something like that costs and he told me $125,000 DJ Francs or about USD $8000. I got to thinking....some guys spend that much on an engagement ring and that doesn't even include property rights. A pretty good deal, I guess.
Jim's fiance seems like she comes from a family that is better off then most. Her brother is the Director of Road, Highways, and Transportation (or something like that) and is influential within the city. She has other family members that also work for the city. This is probably a factor in the $8000 cost as you are also buying into the family. If her family were goat herders who lived in a house made of trash, I suspect that she would have fetched a smaller fee.
He joked about not getting a receipt and I didn't ask if she came with a warranty or what the return policy was. Probably a little more complex then returning something at the Wal-Mart.
Jodi's Dad doesn't realize it but he left an awful lot on the table. You see, my wife is priceless (although sometimes I get to thinkin' about that return policy, just kidding, Honey).
Jim went on to tell me that the family spent $2000 on khat (more on this later) and another $500 on cigarettes. It is customary that the neighborhood call on the family to offer congratulations. The family is expected to welcome them and offer small tokens of appreciation.
Ok, ALL CLEAR!
As we drove through the central market place, the number of people there and vendors was overwhelming. The streets were packed and we proceeded very slowly due to pedestrian volume. It was like a really big flea market with everything from clothing, vegetables, food vendors, cokes, you name it. Also a fair number of donkey, goats, and camels.
Of particular note were countless small booths which had something on the table surface that was covered with a burlap sack. Turns out that these are khat vendors (pronouned "cot"). Khat is legal all over Africa but illegal in the US and service members are not permitted to use it wheather it is legal where they are or not.
Read the below link for a primer on khat.
http://www/deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/khat.htm
Since the consumption of alcohol is forbidden in the Muslim culture, as far as I can tell, khat takes its place. I compare its use to that of alcohol in both the social sense as well and the body/mind altering sense.
Some people "khat" only on the Friday or the weekends, just like we might drink beer or whiskey, and some don't khat at all. Some do it daily and some, a couple of times a year. Some are abusers.
We started with a tour of the port which was very active and pretty important to that region. Ethiopia depends on it almost entirely to get goods into its country. Last week there were 2 Iranian cruisers there and currently there are two Iraqi military vessels there. The port is one of the countries primary income generators along with the airport.
After the port, we headed out to see various sectors of the city. Many of the sectors are off-limits to the coalition forces at Camp Lemonier where I am. These off-limits area are refugee camps camps filled with people from Somalia (border is only 10 miles away), Chad, Sudan, Yeman, and the like. It is really just a matter of there is absolutely no reason to go there. Jim told me that if there is any anti-American sentiment, it would be here. Jim said that if you were to go there, nothing more would happen to you then kids throwing stones at you. He said it was the national sport of the under 18 crowd. Glad we have Play Stations and cable TV in the US.
While Al-Qaeda doesn't have much of a presence here, it appears that they recruit out of these camps. If they could only get to know me as a person, I think they would really like me. Same goes for everyone else out there in America. Are we really "bad" people? I don't think most African Muslims think we are. Seems to be more of a Middle-Eastern Muslim issue. At any rate, there is an organized movement to destroy us and our way of life. Just last week, a British citizen was murdered by these peace loving folks operating in Mali, a particularly violent place. Reports are that he was beheaded. Not the French Revolution type of beheading with a really sharp heavy guillotine, probably not even a really sharp sword. Think more along the lines of a dull knife or rusty saw. Could just as well of been you or me. Enough said, I think.
The question is, do we take the fight to them or let them bring it to us? I respect everyone's opinion and you probably know what mine is.
We also drove through a very picturesque part of the city as we headed out to the beach. It was many acres of undeveloped land that had those trees you always associate with Africa growing there and a small herd of camels roaming around. As you may or may not know, Djibouti has a coast line on two bodies of water: the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The beaches of DJ are on the Gulf of Aden and Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula are only 12 miles away. Much like you and I, people in DJ enjoy going to the beach. The water had a fair number of boys and men in it but no women. I think it is a double edged sword for them (no pun intended). They would not wear a bathing suit so they would go in the water covered from head to ankle. When they get wet, the fabric would cling to their bodies which would violate their religious laws of remaining modest. I assume they just don't bother with it. In some bigger Muslim dominated countries, they have separate beaches for men and women, but not here.
Our next stop was a swing through the primary market area of the city. When Jim told me he has been here for two years, I commented that he must have limited opportunites to socialize because the embassy staff is small by embassy staff standards. He went on to tell me he was engaged to a DJ national which I was a little surprised to hear. I didn't have time to get the details of how they met although it is a lot different here then in America. DJ is 94% Muslim and women are not permitted to socialize with men outside of their families. They certainly didn't meet in a nightclub.
Feminists might want to skip this next part. It you are a feminist and decide to continue, you have been forewarned. If you decide to skip this next section, scroll down until you see the "all clear" alert.
Once Jim got engaged, he was required to buy his fiancee. Notice that the word buy is not in quotation marks. It was an actual business transaction which involved the transfer of property. That's right, women are considered the property of their husbands and unmarried women are considered property of their guardian, the eldest male of the household, usually the father. In this girls case, both parents have passed so the eldest brother is her guardian.
I asked how much something like that costs and he told me $125,000 DJ Francs or about USD $8000. I got to thinking....some guys spend that much on an engagement ring and that doesn't even include property rights. A pretty good deal, I guess.
Jim's fiance seems like she comes from a family that is better off then most. Her brother is the Director of Road, Highways, and Transportation (or something like that) and is influential within the city. She has other family members that also work for the city. This is probably a factor in the $8000 cost as you are also buying into the family. If her family were goat herders who lived in a house made of trash, I suspect that she would have fetched a smaller fee.
He joked about not getting a receipt and I didn't ask if she came with a warranty or what the return policy was. Probably a little more complex then returning something at the Wal-Mart.
Jodi's Dad doesn't realize it but he left an awful lot on the table. You see, my wife is priceless (although sometimes I get to thinkin' about that return policy, just kidding, Honey).
Jim went on to tell me that the family spent $2000 on khat (more on this later) and another $500 on cigarettes. It is customary that the neighborhood call on the family to offer congratulations. The family is expected to welcome them and offer small tokens of appreciation.
Ok, ALL CLEAR!
As we drove through the central market place, the number of people there and vendors was overwhelming. The streets were packed and we proceeded very slowly due to pedestrian volume. It was like a really big flea market with everything from clothing, vegetables, food vendors, cokes, you name it. Also a fair number of donkey, goats, and camels.
Of particular note were countless small booths which had something on the table surface that was covered with a burlap sack. Turns out that these are khat vendors (pronouned "cot"). Khat is legal all over Africa but illegal in the US and service members are not permitted to use it wheather it is legal where they are or not.
Read the below link for a primer on khat.
http://www/deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/khat.htm
Since the consumption of alcohol is forbidden in the Muslim culture, as far as I can tell, khat takes its place. I compare its use to that of alcohol in both the social sense as well and the body/mind altering sense.
Some people "khat" only on the Friday or the weekends, just like we might drink beer or whiskey, and some don't khat at all. Some do it daily and some, a couple of times a year. Some are abusers.
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It is said the the President's wife plays a large role in the safe guarding of daily khat deliveries from Ethiopia. Khat is harvested daily and is best consumed within 12-48 hours of being picked. After that, the potency diminishes quickly. Once the daily shipment reaches the distribution point in the city, it is delivered to vendors by a network of taxis, delivery trucks, and couriers. It is said that this is the most timely and well organized evolution in all of DJ.
Just like whiskey and pot, khat is priced based on its quality. Like anything, the higher the quality, the more you pay. Khat is sold to individuals in quantities of 12-15 sprigs tied in a bunch. The branches with the leaves on them measure 8"-10" long. The leaves are then stripped and put in the mouth much like a plug of tobacco.
Khat can run anywhere from $200-$10,000 DJ Francs. That is roughly USD $1.25 to $70. I suspect that given the high unemployment rate and the fact that 20% of the population makes USD $1.25 or less a day, most buy in the $2-$5 range. However, within their own construct, many are very poor, a fair number do ok, and a few are well off.
The street vendors have different colored kiosks to denote the quality of their khat which makes shopping easy.
All and all, it has been a very good trip. It is really hot here so I will be happy to get back. Heat index on Wed was 124 degrees F which is a new record for me. I fly out around midnight for Paris and will be back in Stuttgart tomorrow morning.
Please take a moment to remember all those who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago. If they had not been successful, God only knows where the world would be today. May we never have to relive those horrors.
God Bless,
Michael
It is said the the President's wife plays a large role in the safe guarding of daily khat deliveries from Ethiopia. Khat is harvested daily and is best consumed within 12-48 hours of being picked. After that, the potency diminishes quickly. Once the daily shipment reaches the distribution point in the city, it is delivered to vendors by a network of taxis, delivery trucks, and couriers. It is said that this is the most timely and well organized evolution in all of DJ.
Just like whiskey and pot, khat is priced based on its quality. Like anything, the higher the quality, the more you pay. Khat is sold to individuals in quantities of 12-15 sprigs tied in a bunch. The branches with the leaves on them measure 8"-10" long. The leaves are then stripped and put in the mouth much like a plug of tobacco.
Khat can run anywhere from $200-$10,000 DJ Francs. That is roughly USD $1.25 to $70. I suspect that given the high unemployment rate and the fact that 20% of the population makes USD $1.25 or less a day, most buy in the $2-$5 range. However, within their own construct, many are very poor, a fair number do ok, and a few are well off.
The street vendors have different colored kiosks to denote the quality of their khat which makes shopping easy.
All and all, it has been a very good trip. It is really hot here so I will be happy to get back. Heat index on Wed was 124 degrees F which is a new record for me. I fly out around midnight for Paris and will be back in Stuttgart tomorrow morning.
Please take a moment to remember all those who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago. If they had not been successful, God only knows where the world would be today. May we never have to relive those horrors.
God Bless,
Michael
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