Day 28 (153 days to go…) - A Month In Review

Well it has been an entire month here, and I’m still alive. It hasn’t been so bad. It really seems like I have been here for a lot longer though. One’s sense of time gets very warped out here. Sometimes it seems a day flies by and sometimes it seems to drag on and on and on. Weeks seem to usually go by very fast yet the month itself seems about 3 times as long. Since I work 7 days a week, you can really lose track of what day of the week it is. I sometimes have msged a coworker back in the States, only to find out it’s the weekend.

Most of my time here is working or sleeping. I had my friends put together hard drives full of media content so I wouldn’t get board; however, I have barely had the time to touch either drive. I have been watching an episode of Big Bang Theory every so often, and I have been playing Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time 3D on my 3DS for a bit when I get the chance. A typical day consists of 12 hours working, 2 hours for meals, 1 hour of personal hygiene and getting ready, 1 hour of personal time, and 8 hours “sleeping”. Sleeping is in quotes because I get woken up several times with roommates going out and in, turning the lights on, getting dressed, etc. at all odd hours.

The roommates I have are really not that bad. I have heard some real horror stories about some terrible roommates. Mine try to be quiet and are nice enough. They generally just keep to themselves. Still, it is annoying when one comes in at 4am, turns lights on, gets changed, maybe knocks something over or bangs something, and finally gets in bed. Since I am on the top of a bunk bed, I feel every time the one on the bottom rolls over or sits up. I really can’t blame them too much. In fact I am sure they have the same complaints against me. Try to be quiet as I might, I have banged the top light while trying to quietly get out of bed, or dropped something, or banged the cabinet shut. I feel horrible every time but accidents just happen. It still sucks though when trying to sleep.

As mentioned before on this blog, the food at the DFAC here is not the best. At least it’s free. I do like going to Eggers every Friday for steak for a change in pace. I also order a pizza for lunch every three days or so. When I do eat at the normal DFAC, I can expect the options to be fairly standard. There is always some noodles (in one of like 6 shapes), red and white sauce, three meal dishes with one being vegetarian, two potato products (mashed, fried, baked, French fries, hash brown nuggets, dumpling, etc) and some bread of one type or another. There is also some veggie stuff I don’t touch. I usually go for the noodles, one of the meat/meal dishes (if I can find one that looks edible), some potato stuffs, and some bread. My coworkers always joke about me ‘carb loading’ as my plate is always full of carb food. Whatever… they are just jealous that I can do it and not gain weight. ;-)

Speaking of that, one thing you DO have to have here is very ‘thick skin’. Though the people I work with are all civilians, many used to be military. That combined with the fact we are on a military base and are in very close quarters, you get a very military-like environment. Comments are sometimes crass and crude. You got to roll with the punches. Some people just can’t handle it. I don’t mind though; I’m used to the same kind of crude talk with my gamer friends. You just got to let it roll off you, and punch in a good comeback when you can. At most places people will talk good to you to your face despite what they truly think of you. Here it is the exact opposite. Everyone talks trash about everyone to their face. The real trick to finding out people’s opinion of you of course is finding out what they say behind your back. People here are good people though, and once you learn to talk the language, you fit right in.

So it is not the best place in the world but it isn’t so bad. Still with all such problems and complaints, I do realize that it could be much worse. I mean many Afghans don’t live much better than peasants 1000 years ago. In such a world, I basically live like a king. I live in a nice cool room. I am presented a feast of food where I can eat as much as I want. I practically have servants doing my laundry, making my meals, and doing all the cleaning. I have an unlimited supply of free bottled waters, usually cooled, and offered everywhere. I have the money to buy anything offered. About the only thing different is that I don’t have a group of women dancing for my pleasure… oh and you know, I have to actually get work done. I also can’t order the executions of random ppl… hmmm… In all seriousness though, it must really look like I am living like a king to these people and in their perspective, I really am. In fact many of the things I look forward to going back home would probably seem really weird to them. I look forward to going home and doing my own laundry, cooking my own meals (and yes going out to eat too…), cleaning my own shower. Why would I want to do all that myself when I get it all free here? Perspectives can be weird.

It really does make you appreciate the things you have. Here I am living way better then these people, WHILE making tons of money, yet still complaining. I do know I am very fortunate for what I have. I also would not be out here in the first place if I knew it wasn’t worth it. That being said I still get flustered with limitations here and greatly look forward to going back home. It’s mixed feeling really. Also complaining is not always bad. Complaining is by definition not being content with your situation, and being content can be far more dangerous. Being content can lead to stagnation, and as many of you know, my personal motto is that if you’re stagnant, you’re dead. I always look to better myself, my situation, and those around me. To climb higher, to reach farther… so to speak. To do so, you must ALWAYS have some ‘complaint’ that you aim to solve. In this way I can both be very grateful for what I have, and still have complaints. ;-)

Well I’m rambling, and it’s late. So that’s it… a month in review. A bit longer of a post which is why it took me several days to write it. FYI I did write this about 2 weeks after the date posted. Yah I am still behind. With this post out of the way, it should be easier to catch up now though. Next post will have some random pictures that didn’t fit any particular category. Till next time…



~David

Day 26 (155 days to go…)

Well a shout out to my friend Bonatz. He sent me a care package and it arrived today. Thanks man! Included in the package was some Clorox wipes (a must with all the dust here!) and a bunch of delicious treats. He sent some doughnuts but they got a little crushed. They still tasted AWESOME!

Here is one last picture with some of the guys before they leave. No that is not beer on the table… ok well it is beer but it’s NONalchoholic. Again… General Order 1…

One more thing, I finally got my first FULL 2-week paycheck for being out here. I’m not going to lie; it was pretty nice! I think I can handle being out here a bit longer. ;-)



~David

Day 25 (156 days to go…)

Today some of my colleagues that are leaving decided to go to an Italian restaurant right at the edge of the green zone. This was the first time we ventured so far from the base. To get there we had to pass through what I guess was some kind of neighborhood. It was pretty run down. There were Afghan guards every 50 feet or so. We finally got to the checkpoint at the edge of the green zone where they made sure we had our badges to get back in. We then proceeded to the building on the corner. The outside looked like the rest of the buildings - run down, dirty, and overall uneventful. You would never guess there was anything important inside.

We stepped inside, then went through a big blast door. We then had to empty our pockets and go through a metal detector. Once we went inside another door the entire atmosphere changed. Inside was a very nice restaurant. It was well decorated and completely out of place from the look of it outside. It was kind of like a combination of the Olive Garden and the Cheese Cake Factory in how it looked. I ordered chicken parmesan and it was absolutely delicious. Below is a picture taken with a coworker’s camera. No, that is not wine in the wine glasses, it is just coke. While this was ACTUALY one of the few places anywhere around here where you COULD buy alcohol, we were all good and obeyed General Order 1...

The meal came out to be 40 to 50 bucks a plate, but worth it. After the meal we headed back. By now it was dark making the neighborhood all the more dingier. It was pretty surreal as we trekked back to the base. We got back safe and sound though. It is definitely not something to do all the time, but it was a very nice little adventure and some awesome food. 



~David

Day 24 (157 days to go…)

I would like to take time in this post to offer my condolences to everyone affected by the wildfires in Colorado. My heart goes out to everyone. We spent the day tracking the one encroaching upon Colorado Springs. Our company headquarters is in Colorado Springs so many of my coworkers live there. It was very scary watching the fire and the footage of it as it came rampaging through the outskirts of the city. It was very surreal. I personally have been around some of the areas during business trips to Colorado. People here know people whose house was literally burnt to the ground with nothing left. Even both of our company buildings in the area are in the mandatory evacuation zone and are in the direct path of the fires should it continue. All we can do is hope and pray that the brave firemen and firewomen are able to beat back the flames. 



~David

Day 22 (159 days to go…)

Had an interesting little event today. While in the DFAQ (the dining facility) for whatever reason you are not allowed to wear a hat. They get pretty anal about it too. The first week I was hear I got caught twice and told to take my hat off by one of the high ranking US officers here. SINCE then I have been very good and have always taken it off. Well today for lunch I forgot. Oops. A couple minutes after sitting down this older civilian who I have never seen or noticed before aggressively comes over and chews me out for wearing my hat, saying that I had been warned before and that he BETTER not catch me again. I was more surprised than anything. I was like, who the heck are you? Jeez, you would think I committed a major security violation or something. In any case my coworkers and I all had a good laugh about this guy’s over reaction as we retold the story to everyone. I guess I’ll be extra careful about my hat from now on. I am also very careful to gleefully tip my hat to him every time I see him NOT in the DFAQ. He kinda just glares at me with this disgusted look… it’s great. 



~David

Day 21 (160 days to go…)

Well I FINALLY got my package. It only took almost a MONTH to get here. Ah well. I was very excited though. Unfortunately while lugging it all the way back to my room, I somehow lost my badge. I felt like such a complete noob >_<. I don’t know exactly where I lost it; I tried to retrace my exact steps to no avail. So I had to get in contact with Amanda and go through all this paperwork to get a new badge. How frustrating.

Well after I finally cleared all that up I went to my room to unpack. It had been so long that I forgot some of the stuff I had packed. Was very good to see all my stuff safe and sound though. It was mostly clothes, an extra towel, and toiletries, but it was very much needed items. I was glad to get the rolls of paper towels I had packaged. You would be surprised at some of the things you take for granted that are hard to get out here. I had been rationing a half roll of paper towels for the past 3 weeks. Well no more going to the laundry building every day now ^_^.

In the evening I went to a going away party for some fellow coworkers. We went over to the Destille Gardens for some burgers and steak. It was a fun time and I know the four will be glad to get home. Somehow I will miss them though. Below is a photograph of me and all my coworkers. The ones leaving are the three in the middle row on the left (Gustavo, Kevin the Theater Lead, and Wally) and the one right behind me on the right in the orange shirt (Brad the Tech Lead, AKA my direct boss). They will all be leaving within the next week or two, one at a time.

 

Here are some more pictures during the event. We presented a few things to Kevin. One was an old map of Afghanistan with all of our signatures on the back.

  


~David

Day 19 (162 days to go…)

I was up late last night as we were pushing a release. Everything went very smooth which was good. I got to bed at around 3:30am or so. Unfortunately I didn’t wake up in time to go to the Embassy to eat. Ah well we will go over there another day. 



~David

Day 16 (165 days to go…)

Today was pretty cool. A few of us went to the US Embassy grounds to pick up a lunch ticket so we can eat there on Friday. The Pizza Hut I went to the other day was on the outskirts of the US Embassy grounds but this time we went right up to the US Embassy and the nearby condos. It really was like I was back in the US again… which I guess technically I was. It had beautiful buildings, green grass, nice landscaping. There was a standard rec-center size in ground pool. The people walking around wore nice suits or dresses, except those at the pool which wore bikinis or swimming trunks. It was like night and day compared to the base I stay on. You really couldn’t tell you were in a different country, and Afghanistan at that, while there. Unfortunately pictures were forbidden so I can’t upload anything. The restaurants there were all nice, and even served alcohol unlike everywhere else. (Course we still couldn’t have any… General Order 1 and all that >_<) It was a very nice change of scenery.

Later on I found out that my package was STILL sitting in Bagram. I honestly don’t know what is going on there. Luckily the main guy down there got back from leave, and he promised to take care it the next morning. Guess I will wait another 3 days or so and see what happens…



~David

Day 15 (166 days to go…)

Well I got a package in today… It wasn’t the package I have been WAITING For but the second package, the one my parents’ sent out about a week ago. It contained a couple things I couldn’t fit in my carry on stuff, plus some good snacks my parents packed in. The Texas Cinnamon Rolls they packed in tasted awesome after having been here for 2 weeks without proper snackage. They also packed in a wireless router for my room which will make chilling on my top bunk much more easy. I have been watching Big Bang theory on my lapdock (that my phone plugs into), but I have had to run a cord all the way up to it so I can stream it off the shared drive. This box certainly was appreciated. I thank both my parents and my sister. Still, it would be nice if at some point my box I sent out about 3 weeks ago now would arrive…



~David

Day 12 (169 days to go…)

Well I still have not received my package. It has been over a week and is still not here. I got in touch with Bagram and it turns out that for SOME reason it is still at the Bagram post office. I guess the guy we talked to previously tried to fill out a change of address form, which is silly because it’s only one package. I don’t know why they just didn’t slap a new label on it. They said they will look into it in the morning. It is just getting annoying at this point though. I have to do laundry every day. If I forget to pick up the clean clothes before they close (which I did once) I have nothing to wear except the previous day’s clothes. LUCKALLY this base has a one day turnaround on laundry unlike many others. I would have been screwed. Also I am just about out of shampoo but Dani was kind enough to give me her travel one to use.

Later in the day I went over to the Bazaar that the locals host every Friday. There is all assortment of local items, scarves, jewelry, rugs, knives, and all kinds of other stuff. They are very aggressive about selling you their items too. I would say take a regular sales person in a Best Buy or something and multiply it by 10. If you shake their hand they will grab on and not let go until you buy something, or forcibly remove their hand. At one table I assumed the owner was away so started looking through some interesting knives. It turns out that this little 10 year old boy was running the table. He was one of the best salesmen I have ever seen, relating to me, showing exactly why I needed this one knife, cutting down the price, and trying every technique in the book. I probably would have bought it if it wasn’t for the fact the knife was a switch blade that I wouldn’t be able to bring back to the U. S. It was definitely an interesting experience though. Below are some images of the event. At one point some helicopters decided to land in the field, much to the annoyance of the shop owners trying to keep everything from blowing everywhere.

 

 

~David