Goodbye Afghanistan (Again)

Well some friends gave me a goodbye pizza party. The Norwegians gave me a pair of hand knitted Norwegian Mittens which I really like. Between the Americans, Swedes, and others I think I also got around 6 commander/unit coins.

I can’t think of one thing I’ll miss about this place. Now let’s just hope my flights go smoothly.

Long Day / Rug

Yesterday started at 2:15am for me. That's after having a horrible dream and then waking up with a mattress spring stuck in my rib. Anyway, I had a 3:45am check-in for a flight to Kabul so I had to get up anyways. We sat on the German C-160 for an hour while it got de-iced. Keep in mind the engines weren't on so the heat wasn't either and it was around 12 degrees outside. Unfortunately during the flight the heat kept coming on and off so I never warmed up and couldn't sleep like I normally do on flights. We had 1 1/2 hours on the ground in Kabul to do our business and then it was check-in time and return to MeS. Thankfully the return C-160 had a heater that worked the entire time. I left work just after dinner and somehow managed to stay awake till about 8:30pm. Needless to say it was hard to get up this morning even after sleeping in until 8:30am. But it was nice to wake up and know I only have 45 days left.

Now onto the rug. It is 6' x 4' and thicker than the one I got in Kandahar being made of different material. The primary color is a dark teal green...that's the best way I can describe it. It is folded and wrapped so I didn't want to unfold it because I know it would never go back the same. I also was given 3 colorful female scarves as a "thank you" token. In Kabul I finally got the t-shirt I was suppose to get for playing in the Rugby Tournament I didn't get to play in. They did a go job with front and back embroidery. Only problem is they were all size large and very few of us can wear a large. Oh well, guess Kyle gets another t-shirt.

A New Year

Another day, month, and year. But with this one I can say I'll be heading home next month and this year.

It was a bright, sunny, cloudless day here today. The German DFAC is now a real German Dining Facility as they got rid of the contractor running it and the Bundeswehr is actually running it now. Pork tenderloin and potato balls are always a good way to start a new year. I would have prefered the rice and black eyed peas I'm sure they had at home.

Christmas in MeS

On Christmas Eve the J2 Branch had dinner together in the German DFAC. The food was ok, but not nearly as good as home would have been. I was at least able to sit and eat with friends and colleagues.

We had Christmas morning off which was nice. Since Chapel is at 1030, I didn’t have to go 2 miles to work and then 2 miles back this week. I had a special breakfast of Chocolate/Fudge Pop Tarts (thanks Karen), a banana, cranberry juice, and a quad mocha latte from Greenbeans.

We decided to go to the US DFAC for Christmas dinner around 1400. Since nothing was emailed out, or posted in a prominent way (read on) we figured everyone (US and Coalition) was able to eat at the same time. But, we were wrong. The Army dude running headcount showed us the PowerPoint slide (Dark Grey background with grey lettering) taped half way down the black door to the DFAC (the entrance way is covered and dark) that explained who could eat when and said it had been there for a month. Gee, how silly of us not to have noticed it.

So there I sat eating a meal that didn’t look as good as it should have. It was good, but with nobody to eat with it wasn’t that festive. I understand special times for US only at Thanksgiving…it’s a US holiday. But Christmas is international and being there wasn’t a line when we showed up what would it have mattered? Ah, the Army still can’t get stuff right even after being in existence for more than 2 centuries.

We finished up our Christmas eatery with the final free Christmas bratwursts in the Atrium tonight. Yum Yum!

“Frohe Weihnachten” and “God Jul!”

Christmas Decorations

When the Germans deployed they thought ahead and shipped Christmas stuff. I took some pics around camp to give you an idea.

On the Sundays of Advent, during the evening, they have booths set up in the Atrium and you can get wursts and waffles and such.

Thanksgiving 2011 in MeS

Well I am thankful I didn’t wake up with the ear ache and sore throat I felt coming on when I went to bed. I’ve been blessed that I have stayed well despite many around me suffering different ailments. Ok there was that one 24 hour stomach bug in Kabul but that hardly counts.

The US DFAC decided that they would allow our coalition partners a one hour time span for Thanksgiving lunch and 3 ½ hours for the Americans. Problem is there are more of them here than us. Another problem is the guys I eat with are German. Then there was the weather. I am glad the Americans I know enjoyed their turkey and all, but they were also soaked to the bone from standing in the rain (for a minimum of 30 minutes for those who ate really late and at least an hour for others) waiting for that bird.

Anyways, my friends and I decided on the German DFAC. They enjoyed the cabbage rolls, me I just made sandwiches with rolls, cold cuts, and cheese. But they did have potato balls which made me happy. So I was thankful that I remained dry (and probably stayed away from pneumonia or something) and I could share another meal with my friends.

First Snow

We got our first snow yesterday.