Smoking in the Boys Tent......

Well, I just had one of those experiences again. I run the camp so the men here all call me 'Mr.' There is separation between me and them. I have my own living quarters with my two bodyguards. My own shower. Stuff like that. I like to mix in with the men and see what they do but they are often apprehensive because......I'm Mr.. I never think of myself as better than any other man in camp but they are very respectful of me because I'm who I am. Anyway.

I was standing in our kitchen around 11:00p.m. getting my coffee ready for letter writing time. There was one cook with me and one of my bodyguards. My PSD is very friendly and as open minded as I am about the people and the country. Anyway, we're standing there waiting for the water to heat and a baker man comes in with what looked to be a small piece of charcoal in between tongs he was carrying it in. I joked with him and said " Oh.....Hashish!!!" and pointed an accusing finger and laughed. He immediately insisted "No, no hashish Mr.!!" I laughed an acknowledging laugh and then we watched as the cook turned on one of our large stoves and put this 'charcoal' thing right into the fire.

This really peaked ***** and my interest. We went and looked at it and then they started trying to explain what it was. I don't always have my interpreter but I get along with a little Arabic, a lot of sign language and a little English. ***** and me had always seen pictures of the men smoking water pipes but as of yet, hadn't smoked ourselves. The men said " Come Mr. to tent come....." I rarely go into the living quarter tents of the men because I let them live their own lives there. When I do go in, it's usually to complain about the camp being a mess or some other infraction of rules. Tonight, we walked in as guests!! The men were visibly nervous when ***** and I walked in the tent but I raised my hand when they began to get up and clean up and said "No, no....Okay....Okay". We were led to a water pipe that sat between two bunkbeds with maybe 15 men surrounding it. We were given seats on the lower bunk facing each other with maybe six feet between us. They were very excited when they realized we were here to see what this smoking was all about. All the men gathered around and watched as if I were about to set myself on fire or something.

The water pipe itself was about 1 foot high with ornate gold and blue inscriptions and a long green hose of maybe 4 feet. The tent smelled of apple and cigarettes. Apparently, it's apple flavored tobacco that we're smoking with a sort of starter block on top. Hard to explain. 'Blackhawk down' played on an old t.v. dvd set in the back of the tent and the whole place seemed to be alive with talking smoking laughing..etc.... The men's excitement mounted as the man next to me explained how to smoke and then handed me the brass end of the hose. I looked over at my PSD and we just gave each other that shoulder shrug like 'When in Rome....?" I smoke but I wasn't sure if I was to inhale this smoke or just puff like a cigar. I inhaled and everyone looked around in great satisfaction. I handed the hose to ***** my PSD and he too smoked. The tent was jubilant!!!!
We passed and passed and laughed and they showed us some music videos from Egypt.

It made me laugh when I looked up and all but about 3 men in camp were standing and looking over shoulders like ' Look!!! Mr. is smoking!!!' Again, I said to myself, how could I have imagined this scene even two months ago??!! It was like something out of a book or a movie!!!! I have a feeling that ****** and myself will be the talk of the camp tommorow!!!! Good Smoke!!