Okay, maybe there is something wrong with me but the surrealism of this place has a certain appeal. I kind of like it in a really messed up way.
Just imagine that your office is a trailer with sandbags piled around it to the roof. In a ring around that are 10' tall concrete barriers with spikes and razor wire and armed guards. Two or so miles on a side outside of that is enough concrete, steel, and razor wire to keep an entire country at bay. Uh, literaly. Inside there are military personell with guns everywhere. Almost all the Humvees are armored, and when they roll out of the Green Zone they are armed to the teeth -- at least 4 rifles, plus the 30/50 cal on the roof, with their business ends pointed outwards. It makes for a very menacing site. The whole place reeks of diesel fumes, mostly from the generators but also from all the amazing hardware.
Black attack helicoptors routinely fly 50' overhead, big green Chinooks (large two blade copters) too. Tanks are stationed at every gate. Everyone (who isn't from the US/UK/Australia/...) coming in from the outside is thoroughly searched. Things are locked down here tighter than a gnats rear-end. The US military *can* be very efficient.
No one says "take care" or "have a nice day" or any of the usual pleasantries, they all say "stay safe". Inside the Green Zone you are as safe as a baby in his mother's arms. Outside you are an easy to identify target in your armored SUV -- speed and unpredictable routing are the real defenses here, despite the fact that each door must weight at least 100 lbs with all the armor in it.
You're not allowed to leave the Green Zone w/o a PSD (Personal Security Detail; 4+ armed guards in multiple cars). You are not allowed to leave the Green zone after dark. You are not allowed to leave the green zone w/o a flack jacket with front and back trauma plates. You're given a helmet but then told not to put it on as it just ID's you as a target and not a shooter (I joke with the PSD's that I'll carry it on my lap to protect my nuts, 100% return on laughter with that one so far). We're staying in a mansion outside the Green Zone with armed guards 24/7 around the outside. We have a "warden" and are under lock down. We're not allowed to leave unless we're getting back into the armored SUV with the PSD on a pre-arranged schedule.
Back in the Green zone it's like being on a US Military Base. The best way to blend in, aside from wearing camos and carrying a M-16, or maybe khakis and a short sleeve collard shirt, is to put on a pair of shorts, a gray t-shirt, cut your hair really short, and go for a jog, or walk with some weight room gloves on as you're heading to/from one of the gyms. Lots of military around -- they live (until June 30) *and* work here. I can go to the pool anytime I want, and it's big enough to swim laps, but the work load will make for a tight schedule. there is a Memorial Day party coming up at night in the Green Zone, but if I don't get out after dark then I have to spend the night inside the Green Zone (not a bad thing, it's so warm out you can sleep anywhere, just pick a section of grass or whatever and lay down).
The damage to the buildings is, in some places, amazingly brutal. There are sections of sidewalk that were simply crushed when an invading tank had to make a turn somewhere. Manhole covers are often missing. Other places are completely unscarred and look as palacious as they did two years ago.
In my initial analysis, 99% of my risk factor is the trip from the house to/from the Green Zone, waiting in line at a check point is a shitty place to be. The way out is faster and not so bad. The other 1% is probably the risk of being hit by a fast moving Humvee while walking around in the Green Zone or accidentally stepping into an open man-hole.
I'll have some communication updates tomorrow. I've GOT to get to bed.