Alright. I've been in Afghanistan just over 24 hours. Impressions, you ask?
First of all: WOW. That's the first (and only) word that came to mind when I finally paused to look up from my struggles with two bags plus safety gear. It's breathtakingly beautiful here. The snow-topped peaks surreally seem like clouds rising from nothing until the sun begins to change them to whichever shade of pink, orange, or red it so desires.
Work space: wonderful. We have so many donations and wonderful volunteers and building neighbors that work should be excellent. We have a crock pot, pizza maker, bread maker, toaster oven-y thing, microwave, industrial coffee pot (should be interesting to have me in charge of that!), and Keurig (am I forgetting something?) in the canteen room plus a casework office to do all of our messages. There are a couple of storage rooms and CONEXes (big metal containers for storage) with supplies as well. Plus we've got a couple decorated trees and some other decorations for the holidays. It's a really friendly atmosphere. I've already got the briefing on all the stuff I have to make/bake (yikes!). Apparently my predecessor spoiled all the local units with baked goods and coffee. I suppose I'll learn to improvise!
Living arrangements: sufficiently swell. I live in what's called a B-HUT (don't ask, I don't know what it stands for) which is a little plywood-esque building with 8 rooms in it... also separated on the bottom by plywood. The top of each room is open to a little hallway but it seems most of them have blankets hung to keep the light out. I think (fingers crossed) that my B-HUT mates are accomodatingly quiet. I'm not sure if there are other day sleepers or not, but aside from a crashing noise every now and then I haven't heard anything from anyone. It is a very small area so I can't really accomodate "stuff"... I think two twin beds would take up the entire space and I've got one twin bed in there plus all of my gear, a wall locker, and a chair. You can do the math. The other two ASMs and myself are all in the same B-HUT and the bathrooms/showers are a relatively short (but cold!) walk away. The B-HUTs are heated but drafty. I've been layering to sleep, but have the issued sleeping bags and an extra blanket if it gets really cold. The BAB website recommends an electric blanket, but I live in a wood hut and work for the Red Cross - fire hazard anyone? ;)
Local area: we're in a pretty "main" part of BAB (or so it seems to me). All within quick walking distance are quarters, MWR (the reason I've been on the internet so much), gym, office, and laundry drop off... just a little further is a dining facility, a bazaar, and a PX which are still well within easy walking distance.
Sending "stuff": Please don't send me stuff unless I ask for it! Again, I'm in a pretty small space and I don't have room to store ANYTHING. Also, there have been critter infestations in the past so no food! We're overflowing at the office with stuff and have 84 boxes of donations that we have to pick up at the post office. Now, to completely disregard what I just said, the office is in a slightly different situation. We've got PLENTY of donations of already-made things, but could use some brownie, muffin, or cookie mixes (and maybe bread, too) that DO NOT require eggs (can't get 'em). Send me an email or comment here and I'll tell you where we're sitting for that stuff specifically. Also, if there are crock pot things that can be made with ingredients that can be sent (I know we've got some non-meat chili ingredients), let me know what you're thinking and I'll let you know if we can handle it. If there's an ingredient or two that you can't send, check with me-we might be able to pick it up at chow.
Difficulty of the moment: the bathrooms. Literally, I can't go into them without gagging. I can't imagine trying to go in there if I actually feel sick. Raw sewage combined with dead rotting animal carcasses (not real ones; I'm trying to make a point) is the only comparison I can think to make right now (can you tell I recently went to the bathroom?). On the flip side, the showers seem not too bad. I got the 411 from my outgoing team partner on exactly which shower stall to go into to get not-freezing water, so I'll definitely be taking advantage of that (and have already).
Other items of little to no consequence: I had forgotten how long it takes to get ready while in uniform (at first). It's easy because you don't have to figure out what to wear, but it's so much more complicated than the jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops to which I'm accustomed. Tying shoes? Who does that?
It's COLD! I knew that going in, but I have been pretty consistently chilly since I got here. It's been nice during the day (mid-high 40's?), but it was definitely freezing overnight. When the sun was rising it was about 36 degrees. I have been assured, however, that it has been exceptionally nice since we've been here. It's supposed to be much colder and we're expecting snow on Thursday. Should be... uh, fun? That's the proper line, right? Ugh... well, I'll just add more layers. Positively, it doesn't seem like it will get nearly as muddy as it got in Iraq. Whew! I did send my little horse hoof pick from my first deployment, though... just in case!
Feel free to leave comments or ask questions! It's now a little after 6pm and I think I might take a nap before I go to work at midnight. Or perhaps I'll unpack. Hmmm... decisions, decisions...
First of all: WOW. That's the first (and only) word that came to mind when I finally paused to look up from my struggles with two bags plus safety gear. It's breathtakingly beautiful here. The snow-topped peaks surreally seem like clouds rising from nothing until the sun begins to change them to whichever shade of pink, orange, or red it so desires.
Work space: wonderful. We have so many donations and wonderful volunteers and building neighbors that work should be excellent. We have a crock pot, pizza maker, bread maker, toaster oven-y thing, microwave, industrial coffee pot (should be interesting to have me in charge of that!), and Keurig (am I forgetting something?) in the canteen room plus a casework office to do all of our messages. There are a couple of storage rooms and CONEXes (big metal containers for storage) with supplies as well. Plus we've got a couple decorated trees and some other decorations for the holidays. It's a really friendly atmosphere. I've already got the briefing on all the stuff I have to make/bake (yikes!). Apparently my predecessor spoiled all the local units with baked goods and coffee. I suppose I'll learn to improvise!
Living arrangements: sufficiently swell. I live in what's called a B-HUT (don't ask, I don't know what it stands for) which is a little plywood-esque building with 8 rooms in it... also separated on the bottom by plywood. The top of each room is open to a little hallway but it seems most of them have blankets hung to keep the light out. I think (fingers crossed) that my B-HUT mates are accomodatingly quiet. I'm not sure if there are other day sleepers or not, but aside from a crashing noise every now and then I haven't heard anything from anyone. It is a very small area so I can't really accomodate "stuff"... I think two twin beds would take up the entire space and I've got one twin bed in there plus all of my gear, a wall locker, and a chair. You can do the math. The other two ASMs and myself are all in the same B-HUT and the bathrooms/showers are a relatively short (but cold!) walk away. The B-HUTs are heated but drafty. I've been layering to sleep, but have the issued sleeping bags and an extra blanket if it gets really cold. The BAB website recommends an electric blanket, but I live in a wood hut and work for the Red Cross - fire hazard anyone? ;)
Local area: we're in a pretty "main" part of BAB (or so it seems to me). All within quick walking distance are quarters, MWR (the reason I've been on the internet so much), gym, office, and laundry drop off... just a little further is a dining facility, a bazaar, and a PX which are still well within easy walking distance.
Sending "stuff": Please don't send me stuff unless I ask for it! Again, I'm in a pretty small space and I don't have room to store ANYTHING. Also, there have been critter infestations in the past so no food! We're overflowing at the office with stuff and have 84 boxes of donations that we have to pick up at the post office. Now, to completely disregard what I just said, the office is in a slightly different situation. We've got PLENTY of donations of already-made things, but could use some brownie, muffin, or cookie mixes (and maybe bread, too) that DO NOT require eggs (can't get 'em). Send me an email or comment here and I'll tell you where we're sitting for that stuff specifically. Also, if there are crock pot things that can be made with ingredients that can be sent (I know we've got some non-meat chili ingredients), let me know what you're thinking and I'll let you know if we can handle it. If there's an ingredient or two that you can't send, check with me-we might be able to pick it up at chow.
Difficulty of the moment: the bathrooms. Literally, I can't go into them without gagging. I can't imagine trying to go in there if I actually feel sick. Raw sewage combined with dead rotting animal carcasses (not real ones; I'm trying to make a point) is the only comparison I can think to make right now (can you tell I recently went to the bathroom?). On the flip side, the showers seem not too bad. I got the 411 from my outgoing team partner on exactly which shower stall to go into to get not-freezing water, so I'll definitely be taking advantage of that (and have already).
Other items of little to no consequence: I had forgotten how long it takes to get ready while in uniform (at first). It's easy because you don't have to figure out what to wear, but it's so much more complicated than the jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops to which I'm accustomed. Tying shoes? Who does that?
It's COLD! I knew that going in, but I have been pretty consistently chilly since I got here. It's been nice during the day (mid-high 40's?), but it was definitely freezing overnight. When the sun was rising it was about 36 degrees. I have been assured, however, that it has been exceptionally nice since we've been here. It's supposed to be much colder and we're expecting snow on Thursday. Should be... uh, fun? That's the proper line, right? Ugh... well, I'll just add more layers. Positively, it doesn't seem like it will get nearly as muddy as it got in Iraq. Whew! I did send my little horse hoof pick from my first deployment, though... just in case!
Feel free to leave comments or ask questions! It's now a little after 6pm and I think I might take a nap before I go to work at midnight. Or perhaps I'll unpack. Hmmm... decisions, decisions...
1 comment:
Do you have room for canned goods for crock pot meals? Sara (one of my nurses) makes a Mexican chicken meal with canned chicken, black beans, corn, diced tomato,& spices.
Do you have access to cheese? Chris makes his amazing crock pot mac & cheese! yum yum!Let me know what you could use & I'll ship some "stuff!"
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