First of all, thank you so much for your sweet comments on Bit's picture. I was telling myself as much as Aunt R to not cry! It was definitely heartwarming to say the least and the photo is priceless to us! Everyone keeps telling me to enter it into a photo contest. Maybe I will, but honestly, I don't have to time to research that kind of a thing. I still need to take Boo's picture. I need to charge the camera battery first...
Now, for today's post...
B-man has been sending out some group emails to our family. I thought that some of the material would be great to share on the blog so that y'all can get an idea of what it's like for him over there (he approved). Here are some excerpts from a few of his emails.
The first one is from right about the time that they got to their final destination:
We have SHOWERS here! (Although none of us showered
today because the 20 gallon hot water tanks was not cutting it -- ice cold).
Four of us used the two sinks to shave in ... one would step back and shave /
brush while the other was rinsing, then vice versa. No one complained but we
all expected these conditions and we are thankful that they aren't worse.
Chow is good. Very small facility, but they've got
what we need. And it was hot. (Hot chow = Good chow).
So far, so good right now, but now is when the team will get very busy!! We are
expecting long days and little rest as we get established and soak up as much
info as we can from the previous guys.
A few days later...
I think that most of us are getting pretty well accustomed to
things. I am sitting here in the MWR computer lab writing this email (with a
cracked computer monitor so that I can only see the bottom half of the screen)
with about 12 other Soldiers to my left and right and we are listening to
another Soldier sitting just outside playing his guitar and singing some songs.
It is actually enjoyable. He's pretty good. I don't think that anybody minds a
bit. Yeah, I think we all pretty much are settling in. We knew what to expect.
We have what we need. We are pleased with the availability of our wants.
I
can't remember if I already wrote this or not, nevertheless, it is worth
repeating if I already did. It is DARK here!!! When we first arrived
we commented every night movement that we were fortunate to have a full moon
(and good weather). Now that we've been here a few weeks, the moon has changed
phases and for the first few hours everynight, before the moon gets over the
mountains (overhead) we are are in a "black hole." It is like there is a
vacuum taking the light away. I normally NEVER use a flashlight whenever I move
at night. I just wait for my eyes to adjust and then move. Well, that is tough
to do here. I've even had to break down a few times and pull out the old
flashlight ... like last night when I walked into a 6 foot tall concrete
barrier!!!
Now, he's singing Roy Orbinson's "Old El Paso." I could get used to
this. Ha!And finally...We are SUPER busy now
that we are in the lead. I think things will settle down for us once we get
fully established and learn exactly what we're doing (terrain, Afghan culture,
enemy, etc).
Everything is good
here. Attitudes are good. People are happy. No major complaints from anybody.
Oh, speaking of being
happy ... I did my first load of laundry today! Yes! I've been so busy and
haven't had time, but today is "Jumah" (Islamic Day of Rest occurs on Friday) so
I knew my counterpart wasn't going to be at work. First thing this morning I put
my clothes in the washing machine and two and a half hours later I finished ...
it took an hour and a half for the washer to finish its cycle! Unbelievable!.
Thankfully, the dryer only took an hour.
I don't think I've
told you yet, but I was able to move into my room on Monday. It's very small (I
like to think "cozy") and very rugged (just Pakistani 2X4's and plywood ...
curved / warped), but definitely an improvement over the temp room that I had
been in. This room has heat! I don't have to zip up tight in my sleeping bag
anymore. We are in rough plywood "B-huts" (15ft X 24ft). There are six rooms,
three per side, with a 3 ft hall dividing the sides. Rooms are 6 X 8 ft. My bed
is a hand made structure that goes from one side of the room to the other.
Luckily I'm not 6 ft tall. I feel sorry for the tall guys! I describe the bed as
a structure because it is certainly not a bed ... the mattress has minimal
padding so I can feel every spring. It is about the width of a twin mattress,
but I have to lay on it very carefully because the structure under the mattress
is about 8 inches narrower than the mattress ... if you put too much weight on
the wrong side -- to the floor you go! I'm laughing as I type this because
several people have experienced the fall. AIRBORNE! Also funny is when you sit
on one side of the mattress the springs don't compress so the whole mattress
stands up behind you. Ha! One last thing about the beds ... they are about 4.5
feet high so you have to jump to get in them!
All that said, when I hit
the sack. I sleep like a rock. I don't hear a sound and I sleep through the
night. No sleep problems here!
I think he paints a pretty good picture of the things that he's allowed to describe to us. I must admit, I laughed out loud when I read about the mattress standing up behind him when he sits on the edge of the "bed". I'll continue to share things as he is able to send us updates.
