Let's Go Shopping

Blackhawk. Sounds official doesn't it? Well, it isn't. Blackhawk is a market for people to purchase, let's say, less than legitimate copies of the latest movies, t.v. series, X box & play station games and many other items. Since there are no copyright laws in Iraq, none apply. I am sure it is more complicated than that, but let me take you into the market they call "Blackhawk".

There are a couple of us that load into a vehicle and go for a drive through the muddy gravel roads. There are pot holes and quick drops in the road which make for an interesting ride. There are ravines on both sides of the road and fields with strange weeds and grasses about 3 feet tall. There are palm trees in the distance and occasionally, a wild animal (mostly foxes) will run across the road. As we pull up, you can see the many smirks and smiles on the soldiers faces as they prepare to exit their vehicle and help the Iraqi's local economy.

I have a tour guide/experienced shopper show me around the place. It is contained in about 3 buildings, 2 of them are one-story and the other one is a two-story. The first place we visit has a line of patient shoppers. All of them are anxious to see what new collections are inside. To enter, you must wait until another one exits; it works like a well oiled machine. After just a couple of minutes of waiting, it is my turn to enter. I walk inside and am immediately blown away by the number of DVD movies available for purchase. If you have ever entered a fireworks stand in Tennessee, you will know exactly what I am talking about. They are everywhere, all in plastic sleeves with a printed/copied cover, just no cases. Looking up, down and in both directions, all I see are DVDs and soldiers. After about 30 minutes of browsing, I select several great deals and get in line to pay. When I get to the "register" there is one man standing on the other side of the counter. He has a small box with a lid that he opens and closes during every transaction. Inside the box you can see a large mix of cash, with no organization whatsoever. It is as if someone threw all the money in the air then gathered them up and shoved all of into the box. Now, imagine that you are waiting for your change...can you see where this would be interesting?

I complete the transaction and move onto the other buildings. As I walk from one building to the other, there are soldiers with bags in hand and smiles on their face. They are talking to their buddies about the great deals they just got. Of course, I am doing the same thing.

I enter the two story building and in every single room, there are vendors ready to make a deal. I forgot to mention that you can haggle with them, but you kind of feel guilty since you are only paying about 1/3rd of what you would normally pay. On the first floor, there is coffee shop with a lot of customers - soldiers. In the other rooms are Nike shoes, Leather Coats, fake Rolex watches and the like. After browsing through as much as I can take, I move back to our vehicle and wait for the others and marvel over my purchases.