08/27/2010 somewhere around 1am

We are officially one frustrated group. The entire lot of us. Those of us who arrived in Kuwait last week, those who have been here longer, even those who just got here yesterday. We have no idea when we’re going to be released into the big brown desert and all we can do is sit and wait. I don’t get bored easily. Years of being an only child have provided me with one awesome imagination and a flair for self-entertainment, but this is a totally different story. This is nothing short of maddening! I’m trying to make the best of it. We all are. It’s just very trying. We want to get out of bags, have a schedule, have something to do. Every day is the same ol’ thing. Same faces, same food, same smells, same everything!



So here’s the scoop as we know it. Yesterday, our little group was able to find out where we’re going. None of us are going to the same place. That’s a major bummer, but quite like going from Texas to Kuwait, I’m sure there will be more guys & gals that will make the time bearable. I was told I’m going to FOB Frontenac. That’s just a bit north of Kandahar, and from what I read on the internet, it’s a rather nice FOB. And for those that don’t know what the military version of FOB stands for and don’t want to look it up, it’s a forward operating base. There are so many of them all over the place. According to Wikipedia, there are over 90 in Afghanistan and Iraq alone, with a few more in the United States. So It’s nice to know that I’m currently assigned to a good one… BUT. Of course there’s a “but”. We have actually had a good laugh about some of the similarities of the contractor companies to the military over the past few days. The most glaring similarity is the unreliability of any and all information given to us at any point in time. Our recruiters must have been former military! Not one of us has had what has been promised, and likely with good reason. Who would sign up for this if we actually knew what it was like? Heh, okay, that might not be technically true. I’m not sure. Anyway, the “but”. So far, of the group of us who arrived in Kuwait together, one has already gotten to Afghanistan and he’s already being told that he’s not going where he was told he would. And another has already gotten word that she’ll not be going to where she was assigned. Needless to say, I’m not getting my hopes up at all. I’ll go where they tell me and enjoy every last moment of it, damn it! Now why can’t I do that now?


Apparently, the reason that we’re not going to Afghanistan yet is that there just isn’t room for us. We would have to go to Kandahar for a few days then be taken to our respective FOBs if that, indeed, is where we are to go. They don’t have anywhere to put us at any given point. A few people have already headed over. One construction worker, a manager or two, an HVAC worker, and an electrician amongst the others. They have a major need to be there. The construction worker needs to be building places for the rest of us to live. Somewhere to lay our head at night. The HVAC workers? Yeah, in the desert, they’re about the top of the list. AC is the best thing possible. Same with the electricians. They can’t have an AC without electricity. Some of the FOBS apparently haven’t even been built yet. Those will be the more miserable ones, but everything is relative. There will be perks and downfalls to each of them.


We got the news the other day that between here, Dubai, and India, there are over 350 people waiting to get sent over. That’s a lot of people who are earning paychecks for literally doing nothing all day but check in twice a day. And a lot of people who are not earning what we were told we would. Overtime may make that up in the long run, and one month isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but we came here to work! This is just crazy. I’ve got a major case of cabin fever. We all do. There are only so many times one can go to the mall in a week before even that gets boring. I guess the best thing is the ride to and from the mall. That’s more excitement than your average amusement park can provide and the ride is free. It’s still very hilarious to me how things work around here. The lack of rules and regard for people. It’s great to observe from a distance, not necessarily from the middle of the game.


Regardless of how frustrating this is, how much we all feel that our hands are completely tied, we did sign up for this, all for different reasons. We’ll make it. Some have gone home already. Some are considering the possibility of taking other jobs or going other places. Some have been sent home for not complying to the company’s standards and rules. Even if we can’t do our job, we still need to remember that this is a job and we are getting paid. There is still good to be found here, and I’m still with good people. I saw a few more from our original Texas group come in last night. It was good to see them. I just hope to see a few more. Word is that they’re holding people in Texas now. Wonder how long it’ll be until the Marriott is filled also! What a major backup this is. All I know for sure is that I do not look forward to spending my birthday here. It’s a definite possibility, but we’re all hoping and praying for the best.


Alright my readers, it’s quickly approaching 3 am and I think I should probably head to bed. I’ll write again tomorrow and add some pictures and hopefully a bit more optimism. It’s tough not to let this get to us but I’m still fighting it as much as I can. I hope you all are doing well in your respective time zones and many different environments. Heh, it’s moments like this that I realize how lucky I am to be doing this at a time when technology is so advanced and available for us. How isolated we would feel if that weren’t the case. Goodnight, my friends.