IMG_4149
Originally uploaded by TwoCrabs.

Just got back from an "embed", which is a fancy word for "living with the troops". Can't say what unit I was with until my story appears in print. Except to say it was a fun mission but way too short.

My colleague arrived back to Baghdad today, which means I get to go home tomorrow. Woo hoo! I'm leaving for Dubai at zero-dark-hundred-hours tomorrow morning (5am).

This was my first trip back to Baghdad in a year. And what's changed? Not much. It's still dangerous, as obvious by our recent suicide car bomb attack. At the same time, there is a lot to be optimistic about in Iraq. There is a construction boom in Baghdad. Iraqi refugees are moving back home. Iraq could eventually become a beautiful rich country...but not anytime soon.