Chai

iraqis can be very hospitable people. there's really no way to tell if it's real, they're just used to deference to authority, or they're trying to cover for the bad things they do at night, but the fact remains they're very nice when we come around.

we've been walking thru the nearest villiage talking to people and doing the whole "hearts and minds" thing. some houses we visit are real quick, but sometimes we stay a while and whoever we're talking to offers us chai which is simply arabic for tea. very good tea, as it happens. one day we spent a few hours going thru the villiage and i must have drank 10 cups of chai. very small cups, but still... i felt like a british soldier liberating the netherlands.