09/02/2010 0710

Well. I am just blown away right now but things are starting to get a little bit better. Last I reported to you all, I was at the airport waiting to get to Afghanistan. We arrived without incident. As we were flying (actually, we sorta spiraled, which I must say was rather fun given that it was intentional) above, I was blown away at how deserty everything looked! That might sound kind of dumb considering that this is a desert, but it was utterly gorgeous. There is a lot of brown, sure, but the patterns in the ground and the other colors were pretty spectacular. I wished I had my camera on me but I didn’t have enough room to reach under the seat in front of me. It was a cozy little charter plane to say the least.

After we landed, we proceeded to stand outside and wait. And wait. And wait. Aaaaand… wait. Apparently they were having issues unloading some of our stuff. We finally got our bags and all the fire personnel met up together. We were carted off after doing yet more paperwork. We got to meet the fire chief, drop our stuff off at our temporary residences (oh and I use that word loosely) then gather again for more paperwork. I actually have to wonder right now if that paperwork will ever end. Doesn’t seem likely. Since I’m the only girl in the group, our fire liaison took me to dinner since the guys are staying pretty far away from where I am, and I’m close to the office. The original plan was for me to get a bit of a new-hire briefing that night alone in the room since the boys were having their own in the tent but that never happened. They just handed me the PPE (personal protective equipment for the non-fire/military/electrical/any other profession that uses PPE readers) and said if you hear the rocket or the sirens, hit the ground, wait 30 seconds, then proceed to the nearest bunker. Uh-huh. That made for a jumpy shower a bit later…

I'm at the door in this picture.  Couldn't even capture
the whole bed.  It was less than roomy.

When I finally made it back to my room (using that term pretty loosely as well), I was so thankful to see that the roomie I have here is a gal that I went through the original processing with in Texas. There was a sigh of relief from both of us that could probably have been heard in the US. We’re in a 10’x10’ connex box with AC.

The room from the end of the beds to the wall.
Note that box in the lower left.  That's a shoe box.

Getting a bad roommate here could be a few days of hell at best. Katrina is not a bad roommate. She’s adorable, smiley, and sweet. And she’s done this before a few times. I’m in good company. And the silly lady thinks I’m adorable, smiley, and sweet too! Either way, it sure beats what the boys are in. Their tent sleeps anywhere from 100-150 men from all different countries, some of whom don’t always think it’s a great idea to shower once a day. And their AC is questionable after about 1000. Of course the dudes that sit on the top bunk can actually sit on the top bunk. I can hunch over with my head perpendicular to my body while on the top bunk. But I’d rather take my option. This wouldn’t be too awful a residence for one person for a year. It’s possible to make it comfortable. And for a few days, it’s not too shabby at all to share. We’ve got the bathrooms down at the end of the row and on the other side are the showers. We don’t even have to walk downstairs for them. Definitely a plus.

Yesterday, I started off the day with our fire guy. He picked me up for breakfast then took me to the new-hire orientation. He is very particular about his breakfast. Said it’s his only time all day to be calm and enjoy life. He’s not getting paid for the services he does for the fire new-hires. He will be with us all day until we get our paperwork done and get settled. And he does this for each new group. It’s crazy, but we’re all really thankful for it. Breakfast was delicious. Their dining facilities (DFACs) aren’t bad at all. The food can range from very mass-produced to great. Some people get creative and make salads, sandwiches, anything to have a different meal. Others just stand in line and get the basic stuff, whatever it happens to be at the time. They usually have noodles. That’s enough to make me happy.

Our new-hire orientation was pretty cool. Some great knowledge, some moments where I wondered why we kept hearing about generators again, but by the end of yesterday I was feeling a lot better about things. Of course there was more paperwork to fill out. Ironically, we had our first sirens in class when they were talking about that very subject. I’m just really hoping that those never go off when I’m walking outside and have nowhere to land but on the rocks. Or in the sun on asphalt. Or the gratings outside of our rooms. Is that too much to ask? Probably. Okay, so a few scratches or a little bit of a burn isn’t much compared to the alternative. I guess I can deal with rocks. Shortly after that, I heard another phrase that I never thought I’d hear: “Wow, these are really nice bunkers!” Yep, it’s a different world here.
I found out that I’m going to a different place than I was originally told. I’m not surprised at all. This one sounds pretty tiny, hardly even a PX to talk about, but that’s okay. Of course I’m not even really banking on that until I unpack and put my pictures up. The amount of change we have here on an hourly basis is almost impressive. But if I do end up there, apparently I’m literally in the middle of nothing at all, which means that anything/anyone approaching can be seen long before its/their arrival. That’s good news. I can’t remember for sure but I think some of the fire guys referred to it as the desert of death because of the “pleasant” weather in the summer. Aww, and I’m likely going to miss the best of it this year. Shucks. By the time I’m ready to leave, however, things will be a different story!

The view looking toward the main part of camp at night. 

A view of the "houses" at night.

Oh, for you guys that work at Pendleton, you’ll love this. You know how almost every station is strategically placed within smelling distance of the “treatment ponds” depending on wind direction? Yeah… I was warned a few times about the stench of Kandahar but not even time near the facilities at Pendleton could prepare me for this. Truly, nothing compares. Our “pond” used to be on the outskirts of camp until camp expanded. Now camp is on the outskirts of the “pond”. The aroma is overwhelmingly unpleasant just when driving by it. Last night, we had an unfortunate wind shift at which point walking outside makes you instantly gag. The wind shifted away again last night but was back our way this morning. I can think of about 50 more pleasant ways to wake up and that’s not even trying to get creative! I doubt that it’s even possible to get used to this one. I wonder why camp didn’t expand the other way.

Alright, my friends, I have to get ready for breakfast. Being without internet is really rough right now, but I’m going to try to do something to get this blog updated. Just know, no matter how long I have to go in between actual updates, you all are on my mind and in my heart. I’m having a great experience here (okay, I’m making it a great experience) but I definitely look forward to going home again. Of course, given the current state of wind, I really look forward to getting to my candles, plumerias, perfume, kitty’s fur, incense, ocean air, veg fires, delicious meals, and anything else that smells good! Aah, funnel cakes at Knott’s. Waffle cones at Dairy Queen. Jasmine. That wonderful smell of a freshly carved pumpkin with a candle burning inside of it. Cinnamon rolls. Oh I need to stop this! I can’t handle the teasing :)

I’ll talk to y’all soon!
Much love,
Day