05/08/2011 1356

Okay, I've got to be honest.  I feel like a little bit of a complete and total retard now...  and I mean that in the gentlest sense of the word.  I am a 33 y/o woman and every time I see a TV, child, car, or store front, I giggle like a 5 y/o.  I don't remember what to do with such things! 
Okay, let me rewind a bit.  I've been out of touch for quite sometime.  My name is Dana.  I haven't changed.  If you're reading this, you likely know me.  It's all good.  Enough of that.
So I got to Dublin day before yesterday.  When I made it to the hotel, I was sufficiently frustrated and angry.  It took forever and a day not only to find the right bus but also to find the hotel.  But I finally made it, I'm happy to report.  My first hotel/vacation-related order of business was a shower and it was spectacular.  I think it lasted at least 30 minutes.  No shoes, no slime, no turning the water off in between sudsing and soaping.  Sheer paradise, I tell ya!  I went down to the bar and had a drink (or 4) and my first real meal.  Aaaahhhhh.... Spectacular :)  Spicy beef sandwich.  Basil.  Watercress.  Cheese.  Real cheese.  All sorts of deliciousness that I don't get in my Afghanistan paradise.  It was wonderful.  I met a local who gave me a lot of good information.  Truth be told, after watching him as he spoke, I have a sneaky suspicion that he and I might be related.  No joke.  His expressions varied between my dad's and my grandpa's.  It was bizarre to say the least.  I'm going to have to get a picture of him to show the fam.  Uncanny.  Anyway, I wanted to stay up late but could not.  I was almost falling asleep mid-sentence on Skype.  Not pretty.  So I crashed and slept for somewhere around 9 or 10 hours.  It was nice.  Yesterday wasn't too pretty either.  I was lacking motivation to do much of anything.  Breakfast was overpriced and not worth it.  I took a nap, went back down to the bar for another round of 3 Guinnesses, and then sent out to find food.  Mexican food to be exact.  Of all the places I found, that looked absolutely delicious, a burrito the size of my face was the winner. Came back and relaxed again, more movie, a bath even!  
Didn't get all the sleep I wanted to last night but I still feel vastly better today.  I swam, hit the sauna and jacuzzi, and had wine.  And more beer.  And I'm out exploring a bit.  Hit up the pub/restaurant at the end of the corner where the hotel is.  I just consumed a beer (Smithwick, which, for the record, is infinitely better on tap than from a bottle), garlic bread with cheese, and garlic fried mushrooms.  Um, yum! So this is what it's like to feel human!  I almost forgot.  
From here, I plan to head to the nearby shopping center to do some shopping and look into my tattoo. Defnitely looking forward to that.   
I just met a nice gentleman named Robin.  I do believe he's currently teasing me for being such a writer.  Yes, I'm sitting at a bar writing.  He actually just came over to ask if I'm writing about him yet.  Might as well give him a place here, right?  I realized that people are a lot nicer (the typical Ireland friendly that everybody talks about) behind closed doors than they are on the streets.  I suppose on the streets everyone is going somewhere.  In restuarants and pubs, they're just chilling, chatting, watching a game...  If they're anything like me, watching people.  Europeans are such a fascinating sort to me.  As are Brits.  And there is a very large amount of both here, which really appeals to my love of observing people.  I started off sort of slow, but I'm pretty sure I'll have a good time here.  If nothing else, I'll get to watch a HUGE amount of people.  
Alright, signing off for a bit so I can go spend money on things I don't necessarily need.  Hmm, I've sorta missed that too! 

Ooh, before I go, my pictures! 

The lightning I mentioned.  Gorgeous shot, isn't it?

And this beauty is a sandstorm coming in. The walk to breakfast that morn was NOT fun.

Our rocks when they're wet. When dry, they're all the same color.

Rain on its way.

The ditches we're supposed to find "safety" in.  We might drown first!

The two guys I traveled from Dwyer with. They kept me sane.

Real trees.  Real greenery.  Really beautiful.

Definitely not what I'm used to seeing...

05/05/2011 1835 local time, 1905 “home” time.

I’m currently sitting in Dubai airport.  The dear guys I’m with and I all got passes to go to the lounge until our flights, which are all early morning, but none of us can check in yet because our respective desks aren’t open until 8 or 9.  Oh this waiting game can get old when traveling!  So we got to KAF yesterday after a flight that actually caused a significant amount of nausea in all of us.  I don’t recall that ever happening from turbulence.  It was beyond impressive.  The bumps didn’t really bother me, but apparently the ride bothered my belly.  It was rough.  When we landed, it was just in time to watch a dust storm cross the airfield as well as encounter the rain, thunder, and lightning as we got to stand waiting to go inside.  Charming.  We all snagged rooms at the “hotel” at KAF.  At that point in time, there was nothing to complain about, but it’s still not the real shower without shoes that I’m anticipating enjoying in less than 24 hours…  

Did our checkout today, meeting yesterday, just the basics of going through the motions to be allowed to go away.  Go here, go there, wait forever in between… It’s drama, I tell you!  Nothing can be simple with this company, I fear.  But we’ve made it this far.  That’s a good start.  I had two beers on the flight.  That was a major perk.  I contemplated not having them, waiting until I got the good stuff in the lounge, but as they got closer and closer, I decided I may as well.  Took a picture of the second.  I’ll introduce you as soon as I get to the hotel and have connection and can unpack all of my cords & chargers and such.  At any rate, that was a good call.  I’ll have gotten them completely out of my system by the time I get to the lounge.  Oh but they were spectacular.  Heinekens.  Twins.   I’ll never forget their faces…  

Anyway, I just wanted to provide a bit of an update.  I miss my “home”.  It is very possible that I may be the only person in that station that did not look forward to leaving.  I’m okay with that.  I’ll also probably be the only one not dreading going back from R&R.  I’m sure I’ll have a good time… and I’ll be here to tell you all about it.  

Ooh, while I’m thinking about it, I’ve been meaning to write a blog with updates on our weather as of late.  I know I complained bitterly about the cold (which, incidentally, was completely tolerable and I was wise enough to enjoy it while it lasted…) but I haven’t updated on anything since then.  The rains were amazing.  I’ve got pictures of lightning, flood waters, some dust storms, all the good stuff we get.  And when I left, it was 120.  Aah, spring.  Actually we hit 100 the first week of March.  It cooled off again for a bit, but I’m fairly certain that the summer is here to stay for another few months.  So time to put away the warm clothes and bring out the baby wipes and twice-daily slime showers.  Woo-hoo!   It’s a fun experience.  I’m glad that I’m doing it.  Glad that I have a lot to enjoy.