12-28-09

I woke up early and tried a couple of times to call my oldest kid, no luck this time. I called the wife and it really seems like she could use a break, I am glad she is going to spend some time with her family.

I went and talked to my new boss at 7:00 and he said that he was going to put me in a shop today to start turning wrenches. I thought I was just going to stay out of the way for a couple of days and wait for my bag, but this changes things. Now I might as well go and just have them ship it to me. So we had to drive down to the terminal to find out what flights are leaving because they can’t tell you the day before what the schedule is for the next day. There is only one flight today with a first call at 1:15, so we went back to the other side to pack up. I went to the shoppet to get a foot locker to move all the crap they have given me, they didn’t have one so I had to get a bus and go back to the other side, get a locker, get another bus back. Then I had to go to property to get another pair of boots, cold weather gear a sleeping bag and my body armor and helmet. You have to have body armor and a helmet to fly mil air. We came down to the terminal and made the list, so now we sit here and wait.

We landed in Kandahar at 6:00pm. The plane ride was a lot different than I expected, military air is absolutely no frills way to go. The pre boarding briefing was from one of the crew “Emergency on ground, follow crew. Emergency in air, hold on.” It was fold down bench seats but they were made with red netting, there was something like a seatbelt but it had a quick release and never actually latched. After sitting on the netting for 10 minutes my ass went numb and there was really no way to get comfortable because you are so close together and you are wearing body armor. Its four rows of seats, the outside rows have their backs to the hull and the inside rows have their backs to each other. And it is so noisy, I was wearing ear plugs and it was still deafening.

It took about an hour to get picked up at the terminal. Then a ride to the HR/Security/Billeting/Tire Shop, that’s where we got our meal cards.

Then they took us to our tent. I can’t describe the utter despair I felt when we walked in here. It is like living under an overpass, but in a tent. I have tried to take pictures, but I think the best way to describe it as a feeling of losing all hope. It smells in here of sewage, it isn’t so bad that it makes you gag, but it is always here. We found some empty bunks together and I got one that doesn’t have a top, which is nice but you kind of need the top in order to have any kind of privacy.

12-27-09

I didn’t wake up as early today so I wound up in the shower at five am and it was already busy. I have to use these crappy prison style flip flops, they are too small and I am always scared my feet will slip off into that cesspool shower floor. Whenever I go in the main/only real bathroom I see guys brushing their teeth with that nasty chemical treated water. Even though there is a sign right by every mirror saying not to drink the water.

I had breakfast with the guys at about 5:45, there are eight of us mechanics who are headed to Kandahar together and who came in together. I never realized how much having friends would help me get through this, but it is.

We caught the 7:30 to the other side again. When we got there the teacher had gotten Scotty a birthday card and a little cake thing. His name is actually Gary but we are all kind of latching onto nick names here. It’s funny but you kind of get reinvented here, and the nick name seems more appropriate. Like the real world is only something that we all remember together, but not much of it makes it to this place. We live in the memory of what it’s like somewhere else. This is the world’s armpit, and I don’t know what that makes me.

So we had coffee and cake while we reviewed for the test, which I then got 100%. Actually one guy missed 2 out of 25, but that was the lowest score.

Then the movies again until 3pm. The movies are kind of harsh really, because for a little while you forget where you are and get caught up in something else and then when you go outside for a break that cold air hits your face you can’t ignore where you are and how long you will be here. The cold is really starting to make me resent this place, as if the cold is a physical manifestation of the loneliness and isolation I feel here.

After class we went down to Military Air so I could see if my bag had come in and so the other guys could remanifest. Which is what you do when you take a military flight you go get your name on a list and then you have 10 days to try and take the flight. Taking the flight means you go down and wait and if there are no military guys show up in front of you then you get to take the flight.

When we got back I went to HR and she said she got an email saying my bag would be here on Wednesday the 30th. So she said I need to wait here for my bag and everybody else is going to leave tomorrow for Kandahar. So right now everyone else is packing up to go except me.

12-26-09

I talked to the wife a little this morning; it’s so nice to hear her voice. Then I went to breakfast and caught the 7:30 bus to the other side of the base to take the class. It takes about 15 minutes to go just a few miles because they can only go 25km per hour. We spent the first 45 min going over the last little bit of info and then we did a review. After that it was movie time until lunch. After lunch it was movie time again until 3pm. We started watching “Sons of Anarchy”, we are going to try and get through the whole season before the class is over. I am not sure if we can do it though because we have a cigarette break after every episode, which eats up a bunch of time.

Our teacher is woman who retired from the air force; she is nice but pretty rough around the edges. She said she came to Afghanistan because they told him she wouldn’t have to cook, clean or do her own laundry. She gave us a ride back to our side of the base. It takes a while because you have to drive in a loop around this giant airfield at 25kmph. If the mp’s catch you speeding they will kick the vehicle off the base, the transportation guy said it’s because the military wants to get some of the cars off the base because there are too many. We had to wait until 3 again to leave, so that we don’t go back too soon and get her in trouble.

12-25-09

It’s my first day of MRAP training, I am doing pretty well. I am following what the teacher is talking about. We got out of class about 3:00 and the teacher told us to make ourselves scarce. We went back and hung out in the tent until dinner time.

The nice thing about being in such a shit hole at Christmas is that nothing about this place feels cheerful or at all like Charismas. The food is super shitty and no one really seems to care. There are some decorations up here and there, but the spirit that usually comes with the season is noticeably absent. I am growing to dislike this place.

I got to talk to the wife and the kids, it was so great. I get so happy knowing they are happy. The wifey sent me pictures of the presents under the tree, I cried for myself for a little while when I saw that. It’s so hard being away from all that; I miss the kids so very much.

(the picture is of my Christmas dinner)

12-24-09

The project manager came and talked to our class today, he is the guy with the final say on everything here. He seemed like a nice guy, he said he has an open door policy. Then we split up and met with our new bosses. I like my new boss too.

We went down to the shop where all the trades work out of. The plumbing shop is a 12 x 12 room with a few bins of parts. Then we got a tour of the compound and plumbing we maintain, which really isn’t that much. Then we met up with a guy who was putting showers in a shipping container, it consisted of one giant water heater and 10 shower stalls. There was one expat and two Indians working on it and he wanted the help of the three of us new plumbers. I stood and watched for ½ an hour before I told the guy I needed to go to HR and check on my luggage. I made my way to HR and there was no news on my bag and when I got back to the container there were tools everywhere but no one in sight. So I met up with the mechanics in my group, they said that I should be a mechanic and go with them to Kandahar. So I told them what my mechanic experience was and they said I should put it on a resume and take it to the project manager. So I pulled up my resume and they helped me church it up, I went to a meeting with the PM and told him what the situation was and he said ok. He told me I should take the MRAP training the next day and go with my friends to Kandahar.

12-23-09

Last day of class. I really like my routine of getting up early and taking a shower and calling the wife and getting online. By then some of the guys are up and we will go and get some breakfast. It’s working pretty well for me.
A bunch of people came for little lectures to our class today. There was someone from Quality control and transportation and security and also facilities who I will be working for.

I have been texting the wife, which is so good for my morale. To know that I can talk to her from the other side of the globe anytime I want makes me feel so much better.

My new boss seems like a pretty nice guy. I’m not really sure about working for facilities though. My job is a lot different than I thought it was going to be though. I thought I was coming here to maintain the whole base, but that’s not the case, I am just here to maintain my company’s part of the base. I’m not sure how I feel about that yet.

12-22-09

I woke up super early again this morning. I was so glad to get to talk to the wifey. Just knowing that I can call home has made things so much better for me. I love her so much, I really miss the kids. I am so proud of the little people they are, and I can’t wait to see the people they become.
I am really getting to like the guys I work with more and more they are cool guys and really nice.
We had classes/meetings all day, one of the things we had to do was go to property and get shirts and boots. That is fantastic! Because I still haven’t heard about my bag. Today’s classes included a lecture from the safety guy and a cultural sensitivity training. I think it’s because of all the Indians we will be working with and around. They said today that the company is trying to reach a 70% Indian work force. Mostly because they will work here for next to nothing, no one will say exactly but it’s between 20 – 30 thousand.
One of the big differences is… the toilet. They don’t sit on them because they are dirty, so they stand on them. No joke every portable outhouse has boot prints on the seat and a mess everywhere. The stench is incredible. Even the flushing toilets have signs up not to stand on them.