The DipNotes

One of the things that I most enjoy about the Foreign Service is being able to witness unique cultural events that most tourist would miss – simply because many only occur one day a year.  The Hindu festival of Thaipusam.  This festival was not advertised very well, and I had no idea what it was, or when it was.  A local Singaporean staff member at the Embassy suggested that I should go see it as it was quite unique.  I couldn’t agree more.  In fact – I would say that was an understatement!

Thaipusam Banner

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that commemorates both the birthday of Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of god Shiva and his wife Parvati, and also the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (spear) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. One of the largest celebrations of Thaipusam occurs in Singapore so I took this opportunity to capture some of the incredible devotion witnessed during this festival.

The most potent propitiatory rite that a devotee of Shanmukha (one of the many names of Murugan) undertakes to perform is the Kavadi (a burden). The Kavadi-bearer observes strict celibacy and only pure, Sattwic food is eaten. He abstains from all intoxicating drinks and drugs and thinks only of God.

The simplest form of Kavadi is the Paal Kudum, which may entail just carrying a pot of milk, usually upon one’s head. However, the benefits that the devotee gains from offering a Kavadi to the Lord are a million-fold greater than the pain that he inflicts upon himself. Thus mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with Vel skewers is also common. The simplest Kavadi is a semi circular decorated canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on the shoulders. They are decoratedwith peacock feathers, as the peacock was a mode of transport for Lords Murugan/Skandan/Kumaran). In addition, many have a small spear through their tongue, or a spear through the cheeks. The piercing through the tongue or cheeks keeps one focused constantly of Lord Murugan/Velan. It also prevents the devotee from speaking and greatly enhances endurance.

Other types of Kavadi involve hooks stuck into the back and either pulled by another walking behind or being hung from a highly decorated cart, with the incisions of the hooks varying the level of pain. The belief is that the greater the pain, the more god-earned merit.

In most cases, the Kavadi has many brass bells adorning it which announces the Kavadi-bearer as he walks along. Since the Kavadi-bearer very often observes total silence, the bells are the only signs of a Kavadi procession. Devotees and Kavadi bearers walk barefoot, on hot pavement along the journey – which can take several hours! One of the largest celebrations of Thaipusam occurs in Singapore. This years’s festival was held at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. Devotees had to walk from this temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, a distance of 4 kilometers with the hot equatorial sun bearing down on them. Along the journey, family and friends offer drinks to keep the bearer hydrated and sing devotional songs and praises of Lord Murugan/Saravabavan.

By the time they reach the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple many are in a high state of religious fervor. They dance in ecstasy at the temple door, jubilant that they have accomplished the prayers without any hindrance, while a large crowd gathers and chants Murugan name. Music blares loudly through outside speakers and the whole event is awe-inspiring; there is divine radiance on their faces. It is claimed that devotees often experience the state of feeling united with the Lord.

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Here’s a photo of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple.  This is here the festival started.  The temple, located in Little India (a suburb of Singapore) is the cultural center for many ethnic Indians.  There are several Hindu temples, as well as ethnic Indian shopping stores and food markets.

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Close up of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Inside the temple, amongst exotic incense and hindu music, the devout where praying and offering food to their Gods and preparing to take their Kavadi.  Throughout the temple offerings were also made to other Hindu Gods.

Offering within the temple

The Sacred Cow

Goddess

The following Kavadi carts are pulled by the Hindu devotees as a burden. They must pull these carts four kilometers from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple.  The carts are made of heavy wood or metal with lots of decorations and statues.  Pulling these in the high temperatures and humidity of Singapore must be brutal.

Kavadi carts

The following photo shows a devotee adorned with small milk pots on his chest and upper arms.  Each brass pot is filled with milk and then hung on the man using metal hooks pierced into his skin.

Man with milk pots

This man is looking away (above) probably as a distraction to what is going on behind him, where three men are attaching ropes to a Kavado cart for him to pull.  The ropes are attached attached to the devotee with large hooks deep into his back!

Men tie ropes to a kavadi cart

To stand there and watch this man get pierced like this… was the most intense thing I have seen in years – probably ever. This was not a magic trick like you see on the streets of Vegas! With a loud chant, and quick stabbing, members of his own family stuck the hooks into the lower back. Then they added some smaller hooks at the top, and weighted them down with coconuts just to increase the pain.

close-up of hooks into the back

The ropes are almost ready.  Once the slack is taken up he will be off on his 4 km journey. The outside air-temperature is 88F with about 80% humidity. The pavement is scorching hot, so of course he’s barefoot.

Devotee about to pull his cart

This man was all pierced, and was about to have his ropes attached to his back.  All the jewelry on his face is attached with hooks, and there is a large hook pierced through his cheek and tongue.  Of course he had to have some milk-pots adorning his chest, attached with fish hooks which jingled when he walked.

Another man showing his burden

Here is the same man pulling his cart, some three km already. Note the shadow of the ropes. The little lollypop looking things on his arms are small face sculptures. I saw another man getting those pierced earlier.. it took about 15 seconds to do each arm.

Second man pulling his cart

Here’s another form of Kavadi. Many men had these elaborate aluminum frames that they had fastened to their waist. Then spears are slid down and pierced into the chest and back. Some then had their tongues and cheeks pierced in such a way that talking would not be possible.

Man getting pierced with long skewers

Here’s a nice action shot… Too bad you can’t hear the chanting, music and smell the incense!

close-up of man being skewered

Here’s another look at him, almost ready to head out.   The whole frame set with skewers weights about 15 kg (33 lbs) and will be carried the whole 4 km to the temple.  But wait.. what’s that guy doing to his thigh?

Man with his own kavadi of skewers

Oh yah.. he needs his milk pots too.    So we’ll just hook them to a tender spot!

Milk pots hooked to the upper thighs

Here’s a photo of another devotee, all set to start his journey.

Man with spears ready to begin his journey

The following devotee was a man I came across some 3 km away from the starting temple.  He has only 1 more km to go, but he’s hurting! It’s not such much the spear through his cheeks… but see those tiny brass milk pots hooked to his back?

Agony with just one kilometer to go

Oh yah.., that’s got to smart!

milk pots en-mass on this devotees back

And if that’s not bad enough…

Bed of nail shoes

Ok, so he’s now within earshot of the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, and the Hindu music is giving him a boost of much needed energy. In about 20 minutes he reaches the temple and his suffering will end. Hopefully he has endured enough of a burden to protect his family for the next year when he and thousands of others will do this again.

This year they claim just over 10,000 Hindus took part. Most did not endure this type of agony, but hundreds did. If you are ever in Singapore in April, 2011 be sure to stop by the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and witness this incredible show of religious faith.

I’ll be there!

Almost there!

I took a stroll down along the Sinapore river at night and came across the Cavenagh Bridge, all lit up.  This bridge and one of the oldest bridges in Singapore and is the only suspension bridge here.   It spans the lower reaches of the Singapore River in the downtown/marina area.  The bridge opened in 1870 to commemorate Singapore’s new Crown colony of the Straits Settlements status in 1867, and it is now the oldest bridge in Singapore that exists in its original form.   By 1910 the bridge was found to be unable to cope with increasing traffic, and it was restricted to just pedestrians, as it is today.  By the 1990’s colored lights were added, and now the bridge is a main tourist focal point within the riverside area.  This photo was captured with 7 second exposure to capture the colorful night lights.

(for a larger version click here)

Over the last two weeks I have been having an increasing backache, that was steadily getting worse. By wednesday the 30th of October the pain was getting aggravating and I had occasional spasms that shot down into my right leg. I still went to work, but in the afternoon I called an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in in the spine – Dr. Tan Chong Tien.  He  agreed to see me that afternoon and I took a taxi to his clinic, which was located in a large hospital not far from the Embassy.

He examined me thoroughly and diagnosed a herniated lumbar disk. At the time I could still move well enough to walk, and so the decision was made to place me on muscle relaxers, an anti-inflammatory drug, and a medication that helps with nerve irritation. I was also scheduled for physical therapy to start the following week. I did some research online and discovered this was the normal routine. On the 30th (Friday), I was at work, and not feeling any better. I had to stay seated to hand out candy to our staff’s children who came door to door within the Embassy for a mini Trick or Treat event. I felt like crap! When I went home that night I was in much more pain, so I took my meds and crawled off into bed.

Friday night was not fun. I couldn’t find a comfortable way to stop the pain, and by Saturday morning I was in severe pain and virtually unable to move without shooting pain down my right leg. I called Dr Tang and he wanted me to get to his clinic immediately. I called a taxi and when we got there the taxi driver went to get a wheel chair and help. A hospital orderly wheeled me up to Dr. Tan’s office were he quickly examined me. A shot of demerol for pain and I was rushed up to the ward to await an MRI.

Herniated Disk

About an hour later I was wheeled to radiology and an MRi was done. By then the demerol had reduced much of pain, but my right leg knee was numb. When I got back to the ward an IV was started and Dr. Tan came up with the news. My ruptured disk was now much worse, and a lot of disk material has squeezed up between two vertebrae and was pressing on the nerve that controls my right leg. He said I needed surgery, and with my permission he would schedule it for the next day. We talked for a bit and he described what he would do. He needed to cut a small window through the bone in my spine, and use micro instruments to remove the disk material that was causing the pain.

That evening I was started on an IV drip of morphine and I sleep quite well! The next day I the usual lab work and chest x-rays as I was going to go under general anesthesia. I have asthma, so the anesthesiologist ordered me a nebulizer treatment to reduce the risk of me having an bronchial-spasm (asthma attack) during the surgery. I was wheeled down to the operating room and when I saw my surgeon I begged him to please not screw up the nerves to my right leg as I wanted to ski again! With that, I saw the anesthesiologist push some drugs into my IV.

Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. I felt like my lungs had no air, and I I was very disoriented. I heard my anesthetist tell me to breath slowly and that I was going to be OK. I tried to sit up but but he held me down and told be that everything was ok, and that my oxygen saturation was 100%. I didn’t understand why I was having this reaction or feeling and then slowly I realized that the operation was over and I was feeling the effects of waking up, and having the endotracheal tube removed. That was a terrifying feeling, but I do remember that as soon as I heard that my O2 sats were normal I calmed down and even though I had a hard time breathing I trusted completely in the crew that were taking care of me. I worked for over 20 years in the medical field (sort of a cross between a nurse practitioner and a paramedic) when I was in the Air Force and learned to trust my colleagues completely. This helped me remain calm while they continued to work on my recovery. I was also amazed that I had no memory of going to sleep, and was surprised to learn the surgery lated 3 hours.

Dr Tan told me that the rupture was worse than he had thought, and the disk material had worked its way around the nerve root and quite a ways away from the original damage site. My back was stitched up and I was left with a 2″ scar. Within a few hours I was more awake and had absolutely no pain or notable soreness. I could move me legs easily, and wanted to get up, but was asked to remain in bed all day and night.

The nurses were first rate, and checked on me all night. All I wanted to do was go home, but Dr. tan insisted I stay in the hospital for two days so he could watch for bleeding and any other complications. I refused all my pain meds, as I didn’t need any. I felt zero pain, over the next two days became quite restless and wanted to go home so bad. I am not a good patient, probably the result of being on the other side of the bed for so many years.

When I checked out I got the bill. In Singapore, everyone has health insurance – and foreigners are also expected to pay. I signed the bill which came to about $15,000 in U.S. dollars. That covered the inpatient care on the ward for 2 days, ICU care for 1 day, the operating room suit, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the lab work, and the MRI. I have the Foreign Service benefits Plan health insurance, which is a U.S. Government sponsored health care system much like what our members of congress get but with additional features for Foreign Service members serving overseas.  The Embassy picks up any costs that the insurance doesn’t which in this case was my deductible and co-pay. I paid absolutely nothing out of pocket, plus the Embassy agreed to pay for any care that I receive relating to this incident for the next 12 months. This is one of the benefits we get when we are admitted to a hospital overseas.

I took the rest of the week off, and had time to think about this whole situation.  The medical care in Singapore is so good that the U.S. State Department sends its members here for care from posts all around the Pacific.  I had called a leading orthopedic surgeon, a specialist in spinal care, without a referral and got in to see him that same day.  When I needed an operation, I was admitted to a first rate hospital within hours of calling and had high-tech micro surgery done within 24 hours.  Singapore healthcare is first rate – and is definitely Government sponsored.   Yet I never saw or heard from a single bureaucrat during this whole incident.  All my care was worked out between my doctor and I.   There was no government and no insurance company people involved at any time.

I also felt pretty good that I worked for an organization that helped me when I was down, and gave me the time to recover. And not having to pay a medical bill is the best part of all! I hope someday all Americans can enjoy the same access to quality health care every other industrial democracy in the world has – with the sole exception of the United States. I think its hypercritical for our members of Government to deny our citizens the same access to healthcare they enjoy themselves.

I went for a short stroll behind my house, which just happens to be the Singapore Botanic Garden.   It’s A wonderfully beautiful place, just a few minutes walk from my door.  This free park is about 1.5 miles long and is only botanic garden in the world that is open from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year.  The gardens, now over 150 years old have over 10,000 types of plants and trees, including over 1000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids.  The Singapore Botanic Garden also includes access to the National Orchid Garden, a visual spectacle of over 60,000 dazzling orchid-plants set against contrasting textures and shapes of tropical foliage, creating a feast for the senses.  Additionally, this is one of only two city parks in the world with tropical lowland rainforest within the city boundaries (Rio De Janeiro has the other).  The Garden also offers lots of courses from bonsai tree growing to a Nature Photography course which I signed up for in June/July.

While I was visiting the Garden, the weather suddenly turned and dumped a few inches of rain within a very short time , and then it cleared up just as fast.  It’s no wonder Singapore has an average precipitation of 7.5 feet of rain per year!

I got in to Singapore last evening, and was greeted by my boss and my co-worker.  The three of us make up the office, and it was a nice gesture to see them at the airport!  My sponsor (a Foreign Service Officer in Public Affairs) was also there, and he took me to my new apartment.  I was told I may have to spend a few days in a hotel upon arrival, but the Embassy was able to have my condo ready for my arrival so I got to go straight home.

The weather was quite warm, probably low ’80s at midnight, with the humidity around 80%.  I spent about a 1/2 hour chatting with my sponsor, and he showed me around the apartment.  I have a lot to read, with a large packet of material on both the condo, appliances, Embassy guidelines for Singapore, and lots of brochures from the Singapore tourism office.   My sponsor is picking me up at 10 AM to take me to the Embassy so I can start in-processing, so I crawled off into bed and left everything in the suitcases.  The next morning I awoke to the sounds of unique bird calls, as my apartment is right next to the Singapore National Botanical Gardens.  I had a look around the condo grounds, and then got ready for my first day at the office.

U.S. Embassy, Singapore

The Embassy looks brand new, but that’s just because it was very well built, and well taken care of.  I have never been in a building with so much marble, except in DC.  It’s quite a beautiful place to work.

My office is (as it was in Pakistan) the Regional Security Office (RSO) and seems like a nice work environment.  We have a computer dedicated to playing music and a good sound system – something that is quite rare in the more secure areas of an Embassy – and I think the only such system in the whole building.  My boss told me to bring in as much music as I wanted and we’ll blast the place with tunes!  I like this place already!

I had shipped a bunch of boxes ahead of me, and they are all stacked up in a corner here.  Some have office junk from Pakistan, and then there’s a few boxes of dry goods from the USA that I shipped while in New England.  I also packed 2 large boxes of clothes so my suitcases would be lighter – but clothes that I wanted to be here before my normal airfreight from Pakistan arrives.  In theory, airfreight should get to our next destination long before e do, but the reality is that they often hold on to it until we actually show up at post, and then arrange to send it out.  It can take a few weeks to arrive, so I mail a bunch of items too, which always seems to work well.

Korean Chicken Noodle Soup

At lunch, I was taken to the nearest mall (3 minute walk) and introduced to the #1 method that Singaporeans eat out – the Hawker center.  These are an assortment of food stands inside “food courts” where a single family cooks specialty dishes, all from scratch.  Unlike the USA where mall food is pretty much the same from mall to mall all across the country, in Singapore there are thousands of hawker stands and each one if different.  The individual shop owners cook family recipes handed down from generation to generation, all cooked to order.  Prices are quite inexpensive  and my first taste of Singapore was Korean chicken noodle soup, which also had crab, beef, tofu, and an egg in it.  The cost, with rice and some kimchi was $4.50.  I’ll try more adventurous dishes later.

To drink, I enjoyed a fresh juice made from fresh mango’s, bananas, and pineapple.  The Singaporeans love fresh fruit, and fruit stands seem to be everywhere.  While they certainly serve cut up fruit (with many varieties I have never seen), they also all will be happy to turn them into juices or even smoothies.  I think for every person I saw drinking a soft drink, there was probably 30 to 40 who where drinking fresh juices.

I stayed at work all day, and only left when my boss left.  First impressions are important, and jet-lag was not too bad – I think a new office, new co-workers, and a new building were exciting enough to keep me awake.  Tomorrow may a bit tougher!

I decided to walk home, as it was a straight shot from home to the Embassy, and didn’t seem too far, plus, I had not yet bought a bus pass, nor do I have any idea yet how to use them.  In the Foreign Service, when we first arrive at a new post and have no clue where we are, what to eat, how to get around, etc… these first days are the most exciting for me!  Within a few days I will settle in to the rhythm here, and quickly get used to my surroundings.  The mystery will be gone.  I can’t peak for all Foreign Service members, but I LIVE for this feeling!  I feel so alive, and full of wonder, like a child on his first day to a zoo or amusement park.

My walk home

The walk home was an easy 20 minutes.  It took me past the Botanical gardens, and along a straight road to my apartment.  One nice thing here is that you don’t see any trash on the streets and sidewalks, not a cigarette butt, bottle cap, or anything except a few leaves.  The air is clean, and the amount of green has certainly surprised me!  I will admit though, the humidity here is nasty!  I walked just 20 minutes and was covered in sweat.  I hope I can acclimatize to this!

The next morning (Saturday), one of the first things I did was dig out my bathing suit from my suitcase and jump in the pool.  The outside temperature was about 88F an so this felt so good!  In the afternoon I’ll head downtown to learn how to use the bus and metro system and start to explore my new city.

The pool

Typhoon Melor

I landed in Tokyo for a one-night rest-stop before continuing on to Singapore. My arrival here is my first time in Japan, and I must admit I am very impressed with the efficiency of the airport, public transportation and hotels. As I walked towards the airport’s bus/taxi stand some of the dozens of airport staff noticed a very slight hesitation in my step. Someone came up, asked me where I was going, and pointed me to the bus ticket counter. As soon as I got my ticket, another airport staff member explained the system to me, and led me to the correct bus stop. When the busses arrive, they are greeted again by airport staff who help passengers off, and other staff who load the bus’s cargo bay and assist passengers on. With a polite bow to the bus driver and passengers, the staff wish us all a safe journey and then proceed to help the next group. This same level of attention was seen at each bus stop, and each hotel entrance.

I arrived the evening before Typhoon Melor came to shore, which by morning had wind gusts to about 50 mph. I saw many Japanese employees, shoulders shrugged against the wind walking to work, struggling with bent umbrellas and wind blown hair.  Needless to stay, the rain and wind kept me at the hotel much of the day.  I headed back to the airport in the afternoon to board my flight to Singapore.

PS:  The hotel was my very first experience with a Japanese bidet-style toilet.  More homes in Japan have one of these toilets than personal computers.  They wash your undersides with warm water, and the user can control the temperature and water pressure.  Other features can include water oscillation, noise-blocking background sound, foul odor remover, heated air dryer, MP3 player, internet ports, and more.  When I first walked into the bathroom I just stared at the toilet, not sure if I needed money.  I immediately thought of Captain Kirk, and then sat down to explore my new world (insert your favorite Uranus joke here).

Bidet-style toilet

Ok, I just about completed a wonderful 10 days with my daughter who is a student at the University of New Mexico.   Tomorrow I head to Tokyo for a night before continuing on to Singapore.

New Mexico is a fantastic “enchanted” state, not only for the wonderful weather and landscape, but also for the food which is a wonderful mix of Mexican and Native American.  When I am back overseas I am so happy for mail-order so I can cook up these authentic dishes no matter where I am living.  I’ll include a few links to my favorite online food mail-order sites later this week.

My visit to NM coincided with the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, one of the largest balloon events in the world.  Every morning, during “Mass Ascension”, hundreds of balloons all take off together and drift slowly over the NM high-desert.  In the evening, they secure the balloons to the ground, fill them with warm air, and then all at once they turn on the gas burners which lights the balloons up like giant Christmas ornaments!  This “Balloon Glow” is a spectacular event, and seeing hundreds of balloons all flickering brightly is a sight to behold!

Further north is one of my favorite regions in NM, the Valles Caldera National Preserve.  This collapsed volcanic caldera is located in the Jemez Mountains and protects 89,000 acres of wilderness and wetlands.  It hosts hundreds of elk and other animals, and the Park Service severely restricts human encroachment.  In addition to the Preserve, the area has the Jemez hot springs and Bandelier National Monument –  ancient Native American Anasazi ruins.  Techies can visit the Los Alamos National Laboratories, where the first nuclear bomb was built.

While I am away on assignment, far from America, its places like these that remind me what home is.

* Home Leave:  Home Leave (paid vacation time) is special leave time accrued while we are overseas.  We generally earn 15 workdays a year, so after a two-year tour of duty overseas we would have earned 30 days of Home-Leave.  Home-Leave is not Annual Leave, which is accrued at a different rate depending on rank.  While Annual Leave can be used anywhere in the world, Home-leave must only be used in the 50 United States (or its territories, if that is your home).  Also, Home-Leave is usually granted only after a tour overseas, but can be deferred to a later date with a waiver.  30 work-days mean that you do not use it on weekends and holidays.  As an example, if I had just completed an overseas two-year assignment and started leave on February 1st, 2010, I would be able to take off all of February and not have to end the vacation until the 16th of March!  30 days goes a long ways, and many members take a full 45 workdays after a 3 year assignment.  The State Department also pays for travel for you and your dependent family members to your designated Home-Leave address, and then on to your next assignment.  This is something to think about if you do not have a home, as you MUST take Home-Leave, and the State Department does not pay for lodging or meals – all of that comes out of your own pay check.  At least you do get paid while on these extended vacations!

After my consultations I split my home-leave* up into some time with my family in New England, and then my daughter in New Mexico.

I went up to Vermont and New Hampshire and spent a week visiting my mother, brothers and sister.   While the foliage was just changing colors, I arrived just a few weeks before peak color, something I miss a lot from my childhood as I have only been home once since 1980 during peak color change.  New England is spectacular in the fall – and is my favorite time to be there.  If you think the following photos show a lot of color, this is nothing compared to what New Hampshire and Vermont is like at peak foliage!

New Hampshire on Fire!

This is the old mill dam is located in my home town of Claremont, NH, and is a place I used to play around as a child.  Why I never drowned I’ll never know!  I would be terrified if my 10 year old child was using this area as play ground, but I guess things were different back in the early ’70s.  Most likely my mother just never knew!  Anyways, this was an old woolen mill and was built in the 1850s.  By the early 1900’s it was producing the finest cotton “Monadnock” style linen in the world; the White House was a customer as well as the Waldorf (Astoria) hotel in NYC, while in 1918 the mill produced army bandages and blankets for our troops during WWI. When I was a child it was a cotton label factory and was an exciting and adventurous place to play for a kid, so I stopped by just to relive some distant memories.  It is now a classy (for Claremont) restaurant and hotel.

New England Mills

While home, I was able to relax and get back into the normal routines again and go out in public without being nervous.  In Pakistan every time I drove past a parked vehicle I would turn my face away to avoid getting glass shards in my eyes from the impending explosion.  I watched every person on bridges to see if they were carrying an RPG.  It’s nice to be back home!

After 2 weeks in Vermont, I fly out to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

* Home Leave: Home Leave (paid vacation time) is special leave-time accrued while we are overseas.  We generally earn 15 workdays a year, so after a two-year tour of duty overseas we would have earned 30 days of Home-Leave.  Home-Leave is not Annual Leave, which is accrued at a different rate depending on rank.  While Annual Leave can be used anywhere in the world, Home-leave must only be used in the 50 United States (or its territories, if that is your home).  Also, Home-Leave is usually granted only after a tour overseas, but can be deferred to a later date with a waiver.  30 work-days mean that you do not use it on weekends and holidays.  As an example, if I had just completed an overseas two-year assignment and started leave on February 1st, 2010, I would be able to take off all of February and not have to end the vacation until the 16th of March!  30 days goes a long ways, and many members take a full 45 workdays after a 3 year assignment.  The State Department also pays for travel for you and your dependent family members to your designated Home-Leave address, and then on to your next assignment.  This is something to think about if you do not have a home, as you MUST take Home-Leave, and the State Department does not pay for lodging or meals – all of that comes out of your own pay check.  At least you do get paid while on these extended vacations!

Well, I landed in DC on the 11th of September, and checked into my hotel, directly across the street from the State Department.  It’s a decent hotel, but the meals are priced way above anything I want to pay.  Foreign Service members come back to Washington between assignments for a few days of duty called “Consultations”.  This is a time we can check in with our career development officer, meet with colleagues who we will communicate with at the new post, and take care of other business such as our bank, long-term storage, and any other issues that are best handled in Washington in person.  We can also take some courses at FSI if any are available during our transition.  I’ll be here for a total of 7 days, and then I’m taking a few weeks of Home-Leave up to my mothers home in Vermont and out in New Mexico to visit my daughter.

Tonight I just got back from watching one of the funniest movies I have seen in years! It’s a smart comedy from Britain and has the highest critic and viewer ratings of any movie playing this week – but sadly is only in a few theaters as the subject may be too political for our corporate cinemas. It’s called “In the Loop” and while the language is certainly rough, if you enjoy Foreign Affairs and British Humor then you should find this movie a riot. Those who work for the State Dept. will especially love it, as half the movie takes place at Main State in D.C..

Tomorrow I have to check-in with the State Department, update my contact details, and then visit my Career Development Officer. It’s so wonderful to get out and move about and eat at restaurants without the constant worry that someone may blow me up!

I just departed Pakistan and landed in one of my all-time favorite cities, London, and boy do love this city!    I’m taking an authorized “rest-stop” which is a free night in a hotel we are authorized to receive to break up long trips over 13 hours.  Since the flight from Islamabad to Washington DC fits that rule, I opted for a rest-stop in London.  Many Foreign Service members do not use this benefit, as you have to grab all your luggage, and haul it to a hotel, and then go through the check-in procedure again the next day.  But I always take it, which I admit is not as difficult than if I had pets or children to care for.  I also asked that my flight to Washington continue an extra day later, giving me an additional night in London (at my own expense of course, however I do receive the first night’s lodging and transportation to/from the airport, plus one day’s meals paid by the State Department).

By the way – as I headed into the city, I realized that it’s impossible to think of “Paddington Station” without thinking of a bear in a large hat.  It just can’t be done.

Anyway, I took the train from Heathrow airport to my hotel, showered, and went to the West End where there are a lot of street artists and great food.   The city is filled with so much to see and do!   Later I walked down this one street that was lined on both sides by French sidewalk cafes and restaurants. I sat down and ordered a nice baked halibut on top of seasonal ratatouille. Man was that good!   The weather here is fantastic.

Later in the evening I saw the play “Oliver Twist”, which was surprising quite good.

The next day I spent several hours at Westminster Abbey to pay my respects to the tombs of Henry V, Elizabeth I, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and many others in the most incredible building in England, which is impossible to describe. To call Westminster Abbey a “beautiful church” is like calling the Grand Canyon a nice valley. No words do it justice. It must be seen to be appreciated.  later I headed over to the Imperial British War Museum, which was a lot of fun for an old WWII buff like me.

Westminster Abbey

Poster for 80's Night

There is virtually no entertainment in Islamabad, and certainly no dance clubs.  So I decided to organize and host a “Back to the ’80s” costume and dance party.  The Embassy had a club, and offered to let me use their patio, speakers, amplifier and offered to run an outdoor bar and buffet.

I created a large poster, and pushed the advertising all over the Embassy grounds.

During the weeks leading up to the event, I downloaded ’80s music videos and played them at the club during happy hour.  And then on the day of the party, I was granting Embassy Access requests and saw that 78 foreign diplomats (many Brits) had requested permission to come. Word of anything SAFE and fun spreads like fire here, so my diplomat access list also contained names of Turks, Australians, French, and Kazakhs! I have no idea how a person from Kazakhstan would dress for an ‘80s costume party!   I even got a request from Nick Schifrin who is a reporter for ABC News.

After setting up my DJ station, I went into the club’s bathroom and dressed up for the night.  As I walked back to the dance area, no one recognized me, not even the staff who had been working closely with me for the past hour.  I found a vintage Apple t-shirt on eBay, some rainbow suspenders, a great head of hair, blinding white paints, and some shades.  Perfect ’80s Apple tech geek mixed with that ’80s dance floor hair.

The party was a lot a fun, and we blasted ’80s music until 1:am.  Due to a curfew we had to end the party at that time, but we were able to dance for 6 hours.  What a blast!

my '80s DJ outfit

In addition to Singapore being much closer to Megan, they told me that they want me there as soon as possible, and the State Department has agreed to let me leave here 1 month early and still get my two R&Rs (free vacation trips). I now leave Pakistan in September, 2009.

Singapore – great food, low crime, travel opportunities - should be a fun assignment!  Singapore is one of four remaining true city-states in the world. A city-state is a sovereign nation onto itself, that fits entirely into a city. The other three are Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. The city is located at the tip of Malaysia, about half way between India and Australia. It’s larger neighbors include Thailand and Indonesia. Vietnam is a two hour flight.

English is the main spoken language, so I will not be getting language training.

Singapore’s economy is close to what the United States had in the early 20th century. Huge exports, while heavy taxes on imports. The bulk on the government’s budget is paid by import and export taxes, so individual income tax is low. It’s ports are one of the busiest in the world, and unemployment stands at 1.7%. Cars are expensive, and driving during business hours is heavily taxed, so it’s internal transportation system is fantastic.

Criminal punishment is quick, and severe, making Singapore one of the world’s safest cities to live in. But they have also criminalized a lot of small things in the interest of keeping the city clean and healthy. Fines are given for spitting in public, all pornography, public drunkenness, sleeping on public property, riding a bike across the street, and many many more. Drug laws are extreme – with death being a popular way to deal with drug dealing and smuggling. First offense. But the city is also ranks at the #1 spot by the UN for not having any slums, and you walk in any area of the city at 3AM with no worry.  Everyone has health care, and unemployment is less than 2%.

The government is a parliamentary democracy, and is a multi-religious country, with a slight majority (51%) practicing Buddhism and Taoism. About 15% practice Christianity, and Muslims constitute 14%. About 15% of the population has declared no religious affiliation. While multi-religious, they have complete freedom of religion, as proselytizing is illegal, including unsolicited distribution of religious materials. The effects of this religious tolerance means that cross-cultural violence is rare, and national holidays include  popular festivals from many religions.

Singaporean cuisine is an example of diversity and cultural mix, with a fusion of Chinese, Indian, Malay and Tamil foods. Chinese food stalls introduce indigenous Malay ingredients or cooking techniques, and Singapore cuisine has been a major tourist attraction. The country has a tropical rain forest climate, and sits just 80 miles north of the equator, so there are no distinct seasons.

I think I could enjoy this place… but as always, I don’t want to get too excited until the wheels are up. Like the military, nothing is absolute until I’m there. But as of today, this is my most likely next assignment.

Last night, I awoke at about 4:10 am, when I heard a click sound.    It was that sound an old alarm clock makes when it attempts to go off, but you didn’t turn the alarm on.  Click.  That’s was it, but it was enough to wake me up.

I immediately look at the clock, which is how I knew it was 4:10 am.   Seeing that the alarm was on, and that I still had almost two hours to go before it would go off, I laid back down and tried to fall asleep.  I did, however, wonder what the click was…  As I started to think more clear, I realized that my electronic alarm clock doesn’t “click” – so something else must have made it.. but what?

It was dead quiet, and totally dark.  4:12 am .. and I’m laying in bed, sprawled out on my back. getting cozy.

Then, it seemed someone had grabbed the foot of my bed and began to rock it forward and back.  It was quite violent; enough to make me think someone was in the room with me – which scared me briefly.   It wasn’t long, maybe 3 seconds later, that I began to realize that “This must be what an earthquake feels like”!  I had never experienced one before, but I had heard on the local news of a minor tremor the night before – which I had slept through.

Now the rocking was quite consistent, back and forth, not side to side.  I held on to the mattresses and enjoyed the ride – waiting to see if it would get worse and if so, I would have to run to the door frame. It didn’t increase.    Back and forth.  Rocking.  I did hear, very slightly, a low base rumble.  It was like someone was driving a train down the road – but the sound was extremely deep and faint.  I live near a steep mountainside so I thought for a moment that a landslide was coming down, but that never happened either.   At that same time all the crows in the trees outside my house took off and began to squawk – if that’s what you call it..  It sounded like Hitchcock’s “The Birds” outside.  Very creepy indeed.

So this short event lasted about 10 to 12 seconds and after a few minutes the event was reported by the USGS as being located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and there where no reported damage or injuries in Pakistan.

Here’s a link:  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009bkcf.php#details

I wonder how many of these I will get while here?

I met my new housekeeper tonight, and his wife and son. He will come by twice a week to do some light housework, which I can use since I am now working about 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. He had worked for the previous American at this house, and works for our Management consular as a housekeeper and cook. I hear he’s a very good cook, both American and Pakistani, and since I love to cook I asked him and his wife to teach me how to cook Pakistani cuisine (similar to Indian) while I am here. Mmmm How much does a housekeeper cost? $6 a day. So I hired him for 2 days a week, but since I had two extra servants apartments” on my property that were empty, I am letting him stay there for free, along with free electricity, and hot water. Plus his family is now much safer than before.

He has a young boy that is learning English and is quite bright. His school has no computers so they are teaching kids about computers by only reading about them. I’d like to find an old cheap iMac on-line – something in the $50-$75 range and give it to him. Anything is better than nothing at all – and there is no way his family will ever be able to buy any sort of computer. I figure if he can learn to type and use a computer, his chances for job will be a lot better than his dad.

Here’s a fun story.. I have been in this house now for 5 days, and every night I made extra food for my night guard. I have two guards who live in in two of the remaining servants quarters. They cook outside on a nasty grill and have virtually no concept of food sanitation.

So this week I made New Mexican Green Chile Stew (vegan), Spaghetti with home made chunky tomato and mushroom sauce (Vegan), and last night was Southwest Chile made with ground turkey served over green chile corn bread. I gave him a plate and he was so thankful and happy.

Tonight, I told my housekeeper (name withheld for his security) that I was making Southwest Chicken Chowder and would give my guard a bowl.   My housekeeper (who speaks fluent English) told me I should not feed them, because they will not eat anything I make. I told him that have been feeding them all week, and they enjoyed it.  The housekeeper, who knows the guards well from working here before, told me that “no, they throw the food away” but will not refuse my offer because that is rude. I asked him why, and was told that the guards are “old school” and feel that Americans do not eat proper and eat dirty things, so they could never eat our cooking.

Then my housekeeper laughed and said that the guards have no brain, since we buy all our food from the local (Muslim) markets and stores. There is no pork in this country. And then he smiles and says “have you seen how THEY cook? And they call YOU dirty?”

So tonight, just to be sure, I asked my housekeeper to go out and ask the guards if they would eat some Chicken soup, with no pork. I specifically wanted to know if he would throw away my food, and if so, I would not bother feeding him again.  He came back and said that the guard claimed that he would indeed throw my food away, and will never eat anything I cook.  So no New Mexican Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder for them!  Oh – the guards did, however, ask if they could have an extra 500 Rupees ($6.50) a month for tea!

OK, on a better note: Back in August when I got this assignment, I wrote the Embassy and told them that I wanted any sized home as long as it had a big yard for a vegetable garden. So I get here and I am offered this home, which is really quite nice, but it has a huge back yard, in addition to the lush flower gardens in front. There’s also banana, pear and mango trees. So I also hired the Embassies gardener (again, name withheld), and two others to take care of this property. I then told him that I wanted to dig up a portion of my back yard for a large vegetable garden, so that he and I, and our housekeeper’s family can share in the bounty of fresh food. He was shocked at first, but then elated. It seems that I am the first and only American here who has offered to grow food. Everyone else just wants grass and flowers. I had had some seeds with me from the USA, and gave them to him. There is no translation for Acorn Squash or Zucchini in Urdu, as these things are not native, and have never been imported. I will help with those items, I told him. But the Roma tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, sweet corn, carrots, peppers, onions etc.. they all know those!

So I come home two days ago and I see that our large plot has been tilled, and fertilized. But as I get home tonight, I see someone out back working in the dark. It’s the gardener working in the vegi plot. As I walk out I see what they are doing, I see dozens of young plants already in the ground! Winter crops he explains. My seeds are summer crops, so he went out and bought cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, and who knows what else. I have to get the list translated. But he was smiling, and was so happy working in a garden other than flowers.

That’s when I dragged a large box that came in the mail today. I had gone on Ace Hardware’s on-line store and ordered a shiny new set of garden tools, work gloves, and a pruning set. I gave them to him and it was like watching a kid open presents at Christmas. He was so happy and gleaming. As I turned away to head back into the house, he runs up and tells me that he is going to now plant many more flowers around the house and he wanted to show me exactly what he would plant. He opens up a folded booklet of flowers from a local florist and starts to point at dozens of assorted flowers, from pansies to petunias. I told him that I couldn’t afford that many flowers, and he stops me and says that he will get all these from cuttings and extras at the Embassy (read – that any way you wish). “No money” he says. So now I have a very happy gardener who is going out of his way to decorate my yard (like it needs it!), while I’m just happy to have some fresh broccoli. I just hope he can keep the monkeys away! My house is right next to some steep mountain hills, part of the Himalayas just an hour or so from Kashmir.  I have monkeys in my yard and they keep steeling my bananas!

If this country was not in the sad state of affairs it’s in now, this would have been a great assignment for a family.  I wish I could post a Google map of my home, but the threat to my life here is too great to pinpoint exactly where I live.  Crazy place here.

Suicide Hotline -Al-Qaeda style

This was displayed in my office when I arrived.

The Regional Security office (where I work) is filled with Diplomatic Security Agents who constantly research and analyze the security threats around the Embassy and our host country.  They also provide protection to visiting Government personnel.  With all the terrorism here, it is no wonder they have a warped sense of humor, as the following cartoon demonstrates.

After the FACT Training, I headed home to visit my family in Vermont and New Hampshire.  After a week, I flew back to Washington to catch my flight to London, where I’ll spend two days resting.  My office partner in Islamabad warned me that the pace was very high in Islamabad, and I had better get rested up before arrival.  I’m took her advice!

I had a good time in in London, and took in two plays; Chicago and Lion King. I also downed a ton of street food in the West End, and drank a bit too much cider and mulled wine. It was quite cool here – with that damp air that bites through your clothes. After I landed at Heathrow I took a train downtown to Paddington Station. As soon as I left the train and walked the streets, I was struck by the air that has that characteristic London smell – a base of diesel, mixed with ginger, soy and frying oil. Then add some fresh fruit from the open fruit stands and a splash of tandori, doner kebap, fried fish and chocolate. Mix it with a lot of humidity and a light misty rain and add some floating cigarette smoke and you have the perfume of London. Mmmm. After 3 days I boarded Pakistani Air and flew off to Islamabad.

What a trip. There were 3 white dudes on a packed 777 full of people who look like the guys you see on TV blowing themselves up. It’s hard not to stereotype, so when when three guys got up at the same time and stood next my seat for no apparent reason I took my headphones off and unbuckled my seat belt. They then waited… and waited…. until someone came out of the bathroom and then the three guys became two. I didn’t sleep on that trip.

Dinner was either a “Pakistani” dinner or “Chicken or Beef”. I asked, and was told the Paki meal was chicken curry. I looked up and saw an old lady, maybe 70, enjoying it, so in the spirit of adventure I ordered the Pakistani meal. The tray had chicken curry, white rice, and some sort of custard pudding. Oh yeah.. a regular bread roll too. Before I braved the curry I decided to play it safe and eat some rice. My God! The plain white rice was hotter than New Mexican jalapeños! My mouth was burning and I downed a full can of coke to little effect. I rubbed my tongue on the bread and forgo the rest of the meal. How can any human eat stuff that hot? The “hot” Indian / Pakistani food you find in the U.S.A. must leave a lot of Pakistanis disappointed.

As soon as the wheels hit the pavement, and the plane was careening at over 150 miles an hour down the runway, everyone jumped up, grabbed their stuff from the overhead compartments and ran to the door. The mob in the isles was unreal. The plane was still speed along and at every bump, the crowd would sway over and crush people in their seats. You could just make out the faint voice of a steward politely asking passengers to “remain in their seats until the captain turns the seat-belt light off”. Not a chance in Hell.

When we got to the terminal, the luggage belt was way too short, so after about 1 minute it was full of suitcases, bags, boxes, loose clothing and the occasional kitchen appliance – which must have escaped from the various grocery bags torn to shreds on the belt. Then the belt would jam, and we waited for several minutes for it to start moving again, only to repeat the whole thing over and over again. It took an hour to get my first suitcase, and another 20 minutes for the second. Meanwhile everyone (over 300) was crowded around the small belt three rows deep, trying to get a view of their belongings. My case made two trips around before I could get it off the belt. To make this more exciting, smoking was allowed in the terminal so the room, with no ventilation, was a wretched collection of body odor and cigarettes. How I longed for the pleasure of that London smell again.

I finally made it to Islamabad. Due to the recent increase in terrorism here, no one is allowed to stay in hotels. Therefore I have been put into a large 5 bedroom house with two other diplomats until my permanent house is vacated by the outgoing FSO. That should be around the middle of November.

The Embassy is situated in a large diplomatic compound, well set back from the main roads, and houses many Embassies from the Indians to the Brits.

I talked to the current occupant of my permanent home today.   He said it will be about a 20 minute ride to work. It is situated in some beautiful hills north of the city, and is quite a large place with a good sized back yard. The servants quarters are attached to the back of the house, and have 5 separate rooms. I gave two rooms to my armed security guards so they can live in the safety and comfort of my home compound. Otherwise they would have to live out in a rural village, with no electricity or heat. Having them stay here when off duty also gives me the added firepower should I need it – and gives them additional incentive to protect the property. I have no fear that a criminal would dare try to break into my house. The guards are each armed with shotguns which they carry all the time. However, I keep a watchful eye out for terrorism, and make sure I am an unattractive and difficult target. I want them to give up on me and search for easier pray – some other fool, less concerned for their own safety than I am.

I also will have a nice chef and his wife as a housekeeper, whom I will I hire for 2 days a week. They were working at the residence for several years and I will also let them stay in two other servant rooms for free, which they really appreciated. They have a small baby and needed a place to stay as their other home is being demolished.

The Embassy transports me around in an up-armored vehicle for safety.  Getting to/from work should be fine.

My boss has a with a thick Boston accent and is an avid Red Sox fan. My coworkers are quite nice too, and none are workaholics. I think I’ll get along great with these folks.

I think I’ll stay home this weekend, and if nothing dramatic happens by next week, I want to head to a local market and price some Persian carpets. I’ll post some pics, as soon as I get a camera! Megan took ours to Fiji with her.

Now that I have some time (and rest!) here’s the details of my final day at the track.

I completed the last day of training, and now feel really paranoid when driving! We started the day at 7:30AM in a gentle rain – so we knew the track would be slippery. Just what we needed!

I strapped in, and proceeded to drive down the road and was passed by a few cars that made me nervous – but they were just other normal traffic. Then I saw an ambulance on an overpass. It was just parked up there, when suddenly it flashed it’s emergency lights for a second as I approached under it. Hmmm… that’s odd!

As I turned the next corner I saw a broken down car with both the hood and the trunk open and a women near the back of the car, behind the open trunk. She then reached in and pulled out an AK-47! Since the road ahead and behind was clear, I gunned it passed her, while ducking down. I escaped that one, and continued on my way. Then a car came out from a side road and followed me for a ways before turning off. Just normal traffic, but I was now getting very cautious. A car passed me and as I looked in my rear mirror I noticed he turned into my lane and just stopped – blocking the street behind me. as I looked back up, and turned a sharp corner there was a car across the road in front. *BLEEP*! I started to slow down to reverse when I remembered that the car behind me was blocking that route. I immediately stepped on it and got ready to ram the car in front, lining up my car’s frame with the terrorist’s rear tire. Since there were instructors in the cars, I didn’t hit it but just stopped in front of the car and told my instructor what I was about to do. He agreed it was the best solution, and asked me to now drive around the obstruction and continue.

I drove for a ways, watching other traffic and then saw a parked car ahead in my breakdown lane. It was just sitting there and when I passed I saw a guy on a cell phone. Nothing unusual – normally. But I feared that this was another setup, as the caller was watching me, not just talking on the phone. As I came to the crest of a hill there were two cars blocking the road and three guys started shooting at me! I screeched to a stop and slammed the car into reverse, and started to drive fast back down the road behind me. Boom! An RPG went off and hit the road the road in front of me, causing a huge explosion and sparks 30 feet in the air! I kept driving back, over the hill, around corners and back to that parked car. I saw the guy jump out and reach for a gun, so I kept speeding passed, getting ready to ram him if he pulled out. But I got buy and heard a lot of gunfire as I sped by in reverse. My pulse was beating like crazy! I got around another corner, and quickly turned my car around and sped off!

As I got back near our classroom a women was standing along the road. I kept my eyes on her! Nothing happened so I continued into the class area. It was over! I survived!

Then my instructor asked me if I had seen a gunman on a roof near that women or the ice chest sitting along the road. “No!” I replied – I never saw them. With my eyes focused on the women I missed the roadside bomb and gunman! They never set it off, but if that was real I would have been dead. I have to learn to keep scanning around and not get fixated on one threat.

Other than that I did well, and I have a lot of praise for the professionalism and skill of those instructors. They were FIRST RATE and rank up ther with the best instructors I have ever had. What a course!

Today I spent the whole day on the race track driving a Ford Crown Victoria in a very exciting way that would have my mother tossing her cookies! What a BLAST!

We started out on skid track, a smooth paved track loop that was watered down to allow us to practice getting out of skids and slides. This was like “doing donuts in the snow’ on steroids. It took every bit of self-control to follow my instructors commands and continue to accelerate towards a slippery curve that I knew I could not maintain traction on. Growing up in New England I am used to driving in snow and ice, so I did well, and had a fun time!

Then we went on the regular dry track which was not a big circular race track, but more like a large go-kart track with hills and dozens of curves and intersections. We then practiced controlled braking and steering at high speed and on sharp curves. Again, the urge to slow down on the sharp curves, some so violent that the other occupants in the car were thrown around in the back, was intense. Instead of slowing down, the command to “step on it” was scary as hell! And then half way into the curve, with my whole body being tossed towards the outside, the instructor would yell’ STOP!” and I had to stop the car as fast as possible without sliding into the other lane. The car was going so fast that as the weight lifted off the back tires they would loose traction and lock up, but the front wheels did not. This allowed me to keep steering around the corner while creating a huge smoke plume from squealing brakes and burnt rubber. So much smoke that the blue cloud would obscure the vision in the front for a few seconds after I came to a stop!

Next, we moved to driving very fast down the straight highway, only to have an obstacle in the way that we had to avoid at the very last minute. This was simulated by a cone in the road that I had to accelerate towards until my instructor would say “Right” or “Left” indicating which way I was to avoid it. At first it was easy, because he gave me enough time to avoid the cone without too much trouble. Soon he wouldn’t say anything until I was sure I would hit it – and then the commend would come out and I would swerve so hard you could hear the helmet of my rear-seat passenger smashing into the window. All the while, I learned to maintain just enough pressure on the brakes to slow the car down but not lock it up.

Then we practiced driving off the road and recovering back onto pavement without loosing control. That was easy for me, as I have done it many times in my life and learned to simply drive straight and slowly ease the car back onto the highway. Indeed, this is one of the leading causes of death on highways as drivers instinctively turn hard back towards the road and end up rolling their vehicles.

The we learned how to drive backwards – over hills and curves, and through a cone obstacle course! Weaving around tight cones is one thing, it’s something else to do it in reverse! The set up was quite realistic. I would drive around (forward) and then without warning the instructor would yell “attack – reverse” at which point I would stop the car quickly, throw it in reverse and speed backwards (at a terrifying speed) until we were clear of the threat and then turn the car around and quickly speed off.

Next we practiced a dead driver. My instructor would drive, very fast, and then steer off the road (literally) and slump over. I had to quickly grab the wheel and maintain control while moving my left leg over to his side and continue to drive. We pretended that we where being shot at, and that I must not stop. So there I am.. driving around the track at a high speed, from the passenger side of the car! Since I am so short, I had to release my seat belt with my right hand, and sit with my face in the windshield. The body of the “dead” driver prevented me from getting in his seat.

Then we tried again, only this time we simulated a frontal attack. I had to take control, stop the car, reverse and drive backwards – around cones, and tight curves – all from the passenger seat! Man that was TOUGH!

Finally, we ended the day with driving a car into other cars! We had a car set up across the road, virtually blocking it. We learned how to drive into the rear end at just the right spot to plow through with almost no damage to our vehicle. We did this both forward and – yes, you guessed it, in reverse! My class totaled 6 cars in about 30 minutes. To drive backwards into another car, watching the spray of broken glass explode across my rear window was exhilarating!

So tomorrow we put all these skills to test in a simulated combat environment. I asked another Diplomatic Security Agent who has been through the course before and he explained: There will be “terrorists” along the race track, armed with explosives, guns and RPG launchers that actually shoot things at our cars! Our car is wired with small explosives to simulate it being hit and damaged too.

I am beat right now – so I’m going to bed early. While it was a lot of work, today was one of those days that I step back and say “I can’t believe I am getting paid to have this much fun!”