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.