03/19/2012 1213 hours

I have spent the past 18.5 months creating an official list of the Top 10 worst things about living in Afghanistan. After much deliberation and many sleepless nights refining these issues, I present to you the list: 


1. Spring sand storms
2. Summer sand storms
3. Fall sand storms
4. Winter sand storms
5. Morning sand storms
6. Mid-day sand storms
7. Afternoon sand storms
8. Evening sand storms
9. Night-time sand storms 
10. No booze  


It's almost as if there is a theme...  
Afghanistan has what is known as the 120 days of wind.  That happens during the summer months.  And it provides a lot of sand.  Not fun.  In fact, when I first arrived here, we were still pretty well in the middle of it.  What we have had going since yesterday, however, brings totally new meaning to a sand storm.  And I thought yesterday was bad.  See, the thing about sand storms is that, well, sand gets everywhere and affects everything.  And that's with a normal one.  This is a whole new beast.  It actually kept me awake much of the night last night.  Not cool.  Yeah, and speaking of not cool, just a couple of days ago it was 102º.  It was hot.  I made iced tea since it's "that time of year."  Today we're at 53º (um, hot chocolate anyone?) and that's not including the wind chill factor which I think is pretty significant.  Feels like this wind is straight from Russia!  Of course it has been coming from literally every direction imaginable so perhaps Russia did send some of this.  How is that even possible?  Seriously!  How does wind come from every direction?  I was out brushing my teeth one day a couple of months ago and noticed 4 different flags around this area, all of which were blowing different directions.  Oh this is such a strange country.  
So I've got to tell you about some of the funny stuff that comes with these sand storms.  Things that you probably don't have to think about too much.  First off is the walk to and from the DFAC.  I almost got launched many feet ahead of myself on the way there and felt like I was struggling through mud with a baby elephant attached to my waist on the way back.  My gosh, I am a solid, well-grounded person.  I have weight to me.  Someone smaller might have easily got taken away by this!  Inside the DFAC isn't much better either.  Granted, you can't feel the wind in there, but it is a tent that is blowing wildly, not to mention the fact that sand gets in every time a door is opened.  They had all the food covered today.  That doesn't happen very often.  Showers.  Seriously.  What is the point?  If you're not losing your clothes that you're carrying, or your towel, you're lucky.  That wind just has a knack for sneaking up on you and grabbing whatever you don't have a death grip on.  I only had to chase my towel once before learning my lesson.  I hope...  But really, what is the point?  You shower and by the time you walk back to the station, you're completely covered in sand.  Even worse, now, because the humidity in the showers is so high that you're now a sand magnet!  And if you're one of those silly people who cares about your skin and wants to put on sunblock or lotion or anything, forget it.  I normally use a face scrub in my morning shower.  I actually have had so much sand exfoliation that I didn't want to overdo it!  Oh yeah, and brushing your teeth is a great event.  We have no bathroom here in the station.  No running water.  No nothin' that makes life easy.  You go outside to brush & just spit in the rocks.  Well when the wind is blowing from every direction, where do you stand?  You don't want to get toothpaste all over your clothes.  They'll never be the same.  Trust me.  And if you have hair, how do you hold it out of your face so as not to get foam in it as well, while still trying to hold your toothbrush and water bottle at the same time?  Again, not an easy task.  I tried to wash my face last night.  I kept putting the soap into my hand and it was blowing away before I could get it to my face.  Sounds amusing until you're the one trying to function!  Okay, so how about the port-o-potty.  No good blog update can go posted without reference to that amazing creation.  So imagine that our wonderful cleaners come along and do their job.  It's usually pretty decent right after being cleaned but not now.  Not at all.  The walls are covered with so much dust that when the door closes behind you, about 3" worth falls from the walls onto you.  And the really cool part is that no matter what, every time you walk in, you have to clean the seat first because of the layer of sand on it.  Now imagine (seriously, do imagine this) you pull on the toilet paper roll and a cloud of sand comes flying off at you.  Think of all of the implications of that scenario.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.  
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Got it?  Yeah, it's a real winner.  
Imagine sleeping in your room, no windows, one door.  Imagine wind and sand so bad that you can literally smell the dust in your room.  An intense smell, especially for those of us with allergies and other sensitivities.  Oh, and the doors.  Boy, when a gust of wind takes a door straight out of your hand, it can catch your attention!  It's a wonder we haven't lost any fingers yet!  The uniform shirts are a really special treat as well.  Navy blue.  At least for the majority of us.  The chiefs have tan.  That makes sense.  It's the color of the sand.  Navy blue, not so much.  What a nice contrast between the visible shirt area and the part that's tucked in your pants.  Though the very good thing to this sand here is that if I were to just take my sweatshirt off and shake it out a bit, it would look clean again.  The smell of dust wouldn't go away, but appearances are everything, right?  The computer issue is a real bear as well.  Just think that if a room with a usually closed door can get that much dust inside, our dispatch center, with a door that is constantly being opened, is covered in dust on a pretty regular basis.  It's mind-boggling how much dust can pile up on the equipment in just a couple of hours, not to mention a whole day. 
So, needless to say, this has been a really interesting windy season so far.  I'd love to know what our 120 days are going to bring!  Of course if this keeps up, we won't have to worry about it.  All of the sand will have blown away by then.  Wait a minute, is that why it blows in all directions?  Just to ensure that the sand never really leaves?  I get it!


It was brought to my attention recently by my dad that it has been quite some time since I've posted on here.  I'm not quite sure why, but I just haven't been doing too much writing lately.  I've written about my last R&R but haven't finished or posted it yet.  I'll get to that soon.  Hopefully before my next one!  And Dad, thanks for reading.  That's pretty darn cool :)    


Love to you all, 
A very dusty Dana