The other shops are what you would call gift shops or specialty stores.  The first store would be the jewelry store.  In all of these shops it pays to bargain, you can often find high quality gifts for a very good price.

The embroidery shop is a place where soldiers can go to make name tags or get things sewn on to uniforms.  You can also buy bags, hats, and shirts and custom make them to give as gifts. 

If you are in the market for a fake plant…have no fear!  The plant store offers a variety of fake plants to decorate your office or your lovely trailer!

The rug shop offers a great variety of decorative rugs.  The prices can go way into the thousands, it all depends on the quality and texture that you want.

Want to buy a new car?  You can even do that here!  You can walk in and get quotes on vehicles and save yourself the stress of shopping around when you get back home.

Included in this shopping center is also an AT&T calling center.

The Kodak Digital Color Lab enables you to develop pictures from a disposable camera or even a memory card.  You can have pictures made with different backgrounds, greeting cards, and even get your picture on any magazine cover that you choose.  It is the best photo lab I have ever seen and the service is excellent!

Inside this circle of shops is a huge tent that has many more shops.  We call this tent the Hadji Shop.  The Hadji Shop is where you can really bargain your way into a good deal.  Iraqi currency is a hot item to get your hands on.  Most of the currency is worthless, but it is nice for a souvenir.

Need another print cartridge or an external hard drive?  There is an electronics place located inside the tent where you can buy pretty much anything that you need.

A lot of the local people take pride in their culture and you can really see it in some of the items that are being sold.  You won’t see a lot of these things anywhere else, they are truly unique.

If you are a fan of stained glass, you are in luck!  A local guy makes them at your request, with your own designs, and they look absolutely amazing!  It usually takes about a month for him to do it.

Getting a little bored and want to learn how to play guitar?  Check out the ones that this guy has for sale…

A variety of leather jackets and name brand perfumes and colognes are also sold in the shop.

If you are looking to get buff and want to impress the ladies, the Tiger Gym offers equipment to help you in your quest.  The gym is open 24 hours a day.

You know, we kind of have it good out here in when it comes to laundry.  First, laundry bags are brought in and inventoried before giving them to the laundry service.  This means emptying the bag and counting off every article of clothing.  Good luck in trying to hide dirty underwear!  After the clothes are inventoried, they are given to the worker and a receipt is handed to the soldier.  In 2 days you come back and your clothes are washed and folded neatly in your laundry bag.  It’s good in the sense that you don’t have to do it yourself, but on the other hand it takes 2 days to get your clothes back.  The service is great and the workers are very friendly!

The Tigerland MWR is almost like a sports bar, with the exception of alcohol.  It has a pool table, foosball, air hockey, big screen TV, and even a DJ booth.  Different varieties of music are played weekly and it’s a place to hang out and have a good time.

The internet café offers free internet access to all soldiers.  Just walk in, sign the roster, and jump on a computer.  It’s that simple!

For spiritual and physical healing visit the TMC and the Tiger Chapel.  The TMC is run by Charlie Medical Co. out of St. Martinville.  The Tiger Chapel holds services for all types of religious backgrounds and Chaplain Baker is always available to talk with soldiers.

The Tiger Den DFAC feeds thousands of soldiers daily.  Think of a Ryan’s buffet every day!  People tend to think that soldiers must not eat well since they are in Iraq.  I’m here to tell you that we do eat quite well! Burgers and philly cheese steak sandwiches are cooked at the grill in front of the main line.

The main line is known for traditional American food.  There is a potato and salad bar, and on certain days it is also a taco bar.  An Italian bar is right in the middle if you feel like having lasagna or spaghetti.  Drinks are kept in coolers.

Many varities of cake are made daily if you feel the urge to indulge in something sweet.  There are also tables with brownies, cream puffs, and other goodies.

Sometimes you just feel like stopping at a nearby Baskin Robbins and having some tasty ice cream.  Soldiers have that choice every day.  We have an ice cream parlor inside the dining facility where soldiers can have anything from plain ice cream to sundaes, and even milkshakes.

Last but not least…are a few pics of where soldiers live and the shower facilities.  Everyone lives in a trailer.  For the lower enlisted, 3 room trailers are set up.  For higher ranking personnel, 2 rooms trailers are set up.  Each room usually holds 2 people in it.  The photo below is of SSG Clause’s bed, her room is the neatest one, I find.  Imagine that side of the room doubled with about 6 feet of space in between, and you’ve got a living space for 2 soldiers.  Most rooms have fridges, microwaves, and they all have dressers and night stands.

The showers and bathrooms are in separate trailers.  It’s annoying when you’re comfortable in your room in pajamas and you have to walk outside to go to the bathroom, it kind of gets to be a pain in the a**!  But hey, such is life, deal with it and drive on!  Where I live, there is a trailer full of bathrooms and another trailer that has all the showers.  The toilets and sinks are very nice and cleaned daily by workers.  The showers have adjustable shower heads and there is usually never a shortage of hot water.