I've been adjusting to life here on Bagram and my little wooden hut that I share with seven other women, all of which don't get along. Even so, it is predominantly quiet. What isn't quiet is the regular announcements of "The aerial gunnery range is now hot, I say again, the aerial gunnery range is now hot!" Meaning their doing firing exercises so I'm going to get the luxury of sounding like I'm living in a battle field even though technically I'm not. Or the ever so subtle Allah worshipping blasted over the loud speaker about 20 times a day from the Egyptian Field Hospital around the corner from where I live. There's also the extremely loud flight operations that go on all hours of the day and night. I almost thought I was back on an aircraft carrier but the lack of ocean reminded me that I'm not.
My roommate never could understand why I loved having a fan run in my room. It served two purposes, one to keep my room cool and two, to add white noise so that I didn't have to hear all the other odd noises that would surely keep me awake. I was desperate for a fan here and they didn't have any at the store but just when I was about to beg my supportive friends and family to send me one, Voila! There was the answer to my prayers just sitting in front of somebody's hut looking for a home. It was a small oscillating fan with a sign that said, "Free, this fan works." Wow, that made my day.
My office was a slight annoyance to me until I finally cleaned it up and organized it to my liking. I share the space with an Army staff sergeant who is quirky and sarcastic but I like her. My job is by no means demanding but I'm hoping to bring more out of it. Looks like I'll have to create work or try to get involved in more Sailor things because the Navy needs to help each other out here because we're one of the smallest components of what makes up people here. Taking a class or two is also something I wish to do. I have a good Chief here who is very willing to provide input and assistance.
I have a few goals while I'm here. I want to get in the best shape of my life (requires lots of weight training and running), eat a healthier diet and bring my bad cholesterol down, pay off some debt, take two college classes and come home alive and healthier than I left.
I have been reading this book called the Kite Runner. It's a fictional story based on real events about an Afghan boy and his trials and tribulations growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, coming to the U.S. with his father as a refugee and then facing the demons of his past. I want to learn more about this country and its people so I don't fear them so much. Most of them are not out to get Americans but you can not tell who is and who isn't so it's best to be cautious.
Tonight the Chief I work with invited me to dinner with her and another Cheif at the UAE dining facility. At first I was very apprehensive because I remember all to well the young soldier who left the base with two Afghans and has not come back. Even so there were several of us going and I didn't want to hide from potentially good experiences and miss out on expanding my understanding of Afghans and their culture. I did pack a knife along with my M16 which I carry everywhere just in case. I feel silly now but it only takes a second to go from good moment to bad moment and I didn't want to be left with no options.
So we met up with our group and an Afghan interpreter. He took us to their UAE part of the base. It was a small camp run by Arabs. The other chief we met up with could not go to dinner with us because she was wearing shorts and their is a modesty code for dress. She wasn't feeling well anyway so I think she was glad to go back to her hut and rest. When we passed through the gate, one of the Afghan women said the reason women can not show their legs is because Arab men can't control themselves and they would be aroused. What do Arab men who come to America think of the half naked teenagers going to school these day? Sounds like trouble to me.
We ended up having the best dinner since we arrived. They had lamb and chicken done up in many ways and all were delicious. My favorite where strips of marinated lamb with cilantro over rice. They had flat bread that looks something like a tortilla but a million times better called, Naan. It was a wonderful dinner and I spoke with the Afghan interpreter about all kinds of things dealing with Afghanistan. He was very excited to talk about his country. I hope to have more experiences like this.
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