Weeman had a little booklet called "A Soldier's Guide to the Republic of Iraq", complete with a little picture of a camel and a palm tree on the front. Along with some little things he told me regarding their social practices over there, I learned that 'thumbs up' means, basically, "fuck you" and our "a-ok" hand signal means "asshole" to an Iraqi. Showing both your palms by holding your hands up is a sign of welcoming and respect, but don't ever touch someone else in any way with the left hand, because they consider it dirty... let's try not to think about why, although I'm sure you can figure it out. Don't ever, EVER show the bottoms of your feet, like sitting with one leg bent across the other. But the thumbs-up thing alone, let me tell ya... Momad wouldn't survive in Iraq for a
second.
