Mistah Scahtt

Today I'm going to write about the only person who has faced the whole length of the Iraq experience with me. His name is Scott Welsh. He is originally from Phoenix, although he has spent time in China, Taiwan, and has vast experience in South Asian cultures.

I am fascinated by his stories of those cultures much like Marie fascinated me with her talk of the Middle East (she lived in Iran and Saudi Arabia). He sports a goatee, prefers jeans to slacks (me too!), and loves himself an iced tea.

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He and I are different in a lot of regards-I think I'm more of a touchy-feely teacher, and I'd describe him as more gifted than me at breaking down difficult information and making it appear accessible, fascinating even (he's the Malcolm Gladwell of ESL teachers). While he tends to view things through a leftist lens, and I tend to see things through a right-leaning or moderate lens, I never feel threatened for sharing my view, and he always listens carefully. He and I find common ground in a surprising number of areas, something that may or may not surprise him, but is certainly refreshing for me.

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And yet, through all of our differences, I find that there is a lot more I share in common with him. We are both children of the 80's and can finish each other's lines when we are quoting from an 80's movie or song. We both love music, love the mind-expanding nature of being inside other cultures, and like the possibility of having our paradigms shift as a result. And so I wanted to make sure that I wrote down a few of my thoughts about why I'm glad he came along to make this whole experience more bearable. You'll excuse me if this gets to sound like a eulogy. (Dear Scott's mom: he's just fine.)
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Scott cares about others. He is generous, perhaps to a fault, and I have noticed how he tends to make sure that people are taken care of. Case in point: He found out that one of the guards here likes the TV show Lost. Since then, Scott goes out of his way to make sure the guard is invited to watch the show with us each Friday. He gives considerate gifts consistently (a candy bar for me on my birthday, a Corona for Kim on hers), and makes sure that everyone has an equal say. He is an egalitarian in the best of ways: by paying attention to the details of others' lives.

But here's another thing I like that swings him in another direction. Scott also pays attention to the big picture. Since he is a political soul (and I mean that in the best sense I can) he cares about the world outside of himself. He is one willing to defend his views both with his own experiences and with a rational discussion about world events. He definitely sees victims - winners and losers - in his tapestry of intellectual discussion, and it is enjoyable to see him weave world events into a cohesive whole. I get a sense that he cares for those who have been wronged and has a strong distaste for corruption, and I think that is why I naturally get along with him. He likes to defend the little guy, widen perspectives with information, and employ rigorous intellect to do so.

But really, really, the thing that makes this whole Baghdad thing an easier pill to swallow is that he is a clown. As you can imagine, there is so little normalcy in our compound inside the international zone--including its location. On one side of us there a military base, on another we just miss bordering the Tigris river, and on the other two sides we border mostly abandoned landmarks of a once-vaunted regime (Google "Crossing Swords Monument"). So in this place where things are far from normal, nothing is more necessary than the willingness to find humor and a chance for fun in everything.

And Scott, you see, knows how to make Baghdad fun! He plays with language and gives excellent one-liners. He is never so seriously entrenched in discussion that he won't allow the freedom to laugh and make others laugh. Nothing epitomizes this better than his willingness to act the part of a genie in a small home video I made for my kids. He dressed up in complete genie attire, and ad-libbed a scene that had the kids back at home responding to him as if it were live. In the video I rub a "magic lamp." Scott hid behind a curtain until it was his cue.

"Hey kids!" Said Scott the genie. His head swayed behind a curtain that he placed perfectly in front of him, making it appear that his head was floating above the lamp. This prompted children to call this (and I quote) "cool" and "creepy."

Scott knows how to have fun.

And so it should come as no surprise that we have decorated a bedroom entirely in silly pictures to welcome back an AED employee who arrived yesterday. Nor should it surprise you that he spearheads chess tournaments (to which I consistently decline), gin rummy events (of which he accuses Kim of cheating), and has tried to acculturate as many people as possible to the world of "Dr. Horrible's Sing -along Blog. "

"Bad horse," we'll sing at the Al Rasheed as we get ready for classes, "the thoroughbred of sin / he got your application / you just sent in ..."

Okay. I guess you'll have to see it.

So anyway, Scott makes this entire surreal ride just a little more fun. We all find ourselves looking at Baghdad in a more appreciative way, and I believe that because of Scott the surreal images all around us are imbued with the natural movement of a Salvador Dali painting.

So to Scott I just want to say: thanks for making the ride a little less bumpy. Good companions on a rough road will do that.