Acclimate

Acclimate - defined as becoming accustomed to a new environment or situation; for our bodies to adapt not only to the time change, but also to living in the desert. This time of year the day time temperatures are in the 80's with evening lows around 50-60 degrees--that has been no problem. The biggest adjustment has been the dust...the sand is very powdery, so just walking kicks up little dust clouds. If you look at the horizon, you typically can see a layer of dust just suspended in the air--eye and throat irritation is common. So our days have been spent checking equipment, repacking, attending classes and trying to adjust our circadian cycles by taking "catnaps" during the day after lying awake at night.

We then loaded our gear (yet again) for another 2-hour flight to our final destination in Iraq...we are all looking forward to finally start doing our jobs.