Before you go and build a summer home on the sandy outskirts of Kirkuk, there are a couple of things you might want to know. Iraq, just like everywhere else, is all about location, location, location. Different parts of the country present different challenges and benefits to the people who live there - and since the news is more focused on terrorists and day-to-day military operations, a lot of the little things that define it as a country get left out.

I've spent many moons in Iraq's arid deserts; I've mixed and mingled with Iraqi Soldiers and every-day civilians. I learned a lot about the country in my time there (and I'm about to learn a lot more in a few months), and I also learned that most people have the wrong image of the place.

THE LIVING
Iraq has highways, cities, villages, shopping plazas, and taxicabs. Many people erroneously believe that it's a flat, barren land devoid of modern amenities - but they're wrong. The Iraqis do what they can with what they have, and it's not uncommon to find European and Japanese goods in their stores and markets.

Some Iraqi families live in small mud-huts, and others in sprawling mansions. I've even seen satellite dishes outside of some of those mud-huts (which is hilarious, if you think about it). Don't forget the fact that they couldn't have had those satellite dishes before; whether you agree with the conflict or not, it's important that you know that the Iraqi people are benefiting from our presence.

THE JOBS
Iraqis have jobs just like Americans do. They are lawyers, doctors, and ditch-diggers. They are teachers, they are stay-at-home moms, and they are salesmen. We (the military) hire them, too. One Forward Operating Base that I was stationed on hired them to work on base (accompanied by Soldiers for safety reasons), where they got paid on a daily basis and free meals during work hours.

THE CLIMATE
In Northern Iraq, where the temperatures are somewhat comfortable, there are even snow-capped mountains and lush green grass. Central and Southern Iraq are hot during the summer and fall seasons, but even Baghdad lets up on the heat during the winter. It's still extremely warm, but you don't sweat buckets all year round.

THE PEOPLE
I don't care what anyone says; as a whole, the Iraqi people are friendly and approachable. The children are just like American kids - they play, scuff up their knees, get dirty, and laugh. Their parents love

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