Its Been A While

Wow! Its hard to realize its been a month since I wrote on my blog - but it has been a very busy month. And sometimes, I couldn't get a good internet connection. Yesterday while dining in the D-Fac (Dining Facility, Chow Hall, Mess Hall, etc. etc.) one of my co-workers was talking about how last year at Christmas, people had to go out on the roof tops where the satelite dishes are located and scoop the snow out of them because the snow interrupts reception. Yeah! Good news is I'll be home for Christmas. It'll be Jan - April that will concern me and before I leave this trip - 22 days and a wake up! Yeah!!!!! Let's see, which exciting episode should I tell you about . . .there's been so many.

I would like to say that I'm getting use to all the explosions that occur, but that would be a lie, but I can say I'm not jumping out of my skin anymore - but still very cautious.

I'm sure you all read about the UN Guest House that was attacked and burned here not to long ago. It was about 1/4 mile from our compound. It happened early in the morning. I remember I woke up about a quarter to five that morning thinking the security team below my room was being awfully noisey and I opened the door to my balcony and stepped out to look over the railing to see what was going on but there wasn't anyone right under me, I could hear them talking and since it was dark, I backed into my room and shut the door. It was a bit chilly, so I crawled back in bed to get warm and thought I really should get up and exercise, then I thought that maybe I would call my husband and then the next thing I knew our security manager was pounding on my door, I jumped out of bed, asked who it was, he responded, I opened my door and he said, "We need you to go down stairs to he basement we have small arms fire around us" I said ok, put on my flip flops, grabbed my pullover hoodie and walked downstairs. That was at 0530. As I was turning the corner to ascend the basement steps I ran into a co-worker who giggled and said, "Jeannie, your not awake either, you did the same thing I did, we need to go back up stairs and put on some real shoes in case we have to run, come on" I turned around and followed her upstairs, and she said, "I don't care, I'm going to brush my teeth too" and I remember saying, "I just want to put on some real clothes cause I don't want to have to run in pajama pants" we both kind of giggled a bit, she went to her room and I climbed the next floor to mine and she yelled, don't forget your helmet and vest. So, I grabbed a pair of jeans, pulled them on, a pair of socks, my hiking boots and as I walking out the door I stopped to listen and said to myself, "heck, I don't hear any gun fire, I'm gonna go potty and I might as well brush my teeth too". Nice huh? So I'm standing in there scrubbing my teeth like a mad woman, listening, not hearing anything, got a nice big mouth of foamy toothpaste and I hear "pop, pop, pop" and I never spit so fast in my life, grabbed my bottle of water, rinsed, swiped my long sleeve across my face to dry my mouth, grabbed my vest and helmet and went out the door. Now if that wasn't crazy enough - I turned around to lock my door. I said outloud, OMG, how stupid can I be and made a B-line for the basement. Where we sat until 0930 hours, when it was finally deemed safe enough for us to move about. I have learned so many lessons from that event. Do's and Don'ts. We are truly blessed with an awesome security team - security enhancements were immediate and continue . . . I really appreciate them.

Life goes on and so does our work . . . we have mission tasks to accomplish over here and we shall persevere to complete them.

Several staff got together and carved pumpkins for Halloween. They turned out so cool. I believe there was a total of 11 pumpkins carved. They were proudly displayed down the middle of the D-fac dining tables. They looked so neat and they did such an awesome job! No, I did no carve, I was at a going away party for our nurse over at our sister compound. But we still made it back to watch the tail end of the carving and to see them lit up.

To answer everyone's questions - yes, we do average an explosion of some sort at least once a week, but a lot of times those explosions are from the military getting rid of contraband discovered during the week etc. It has been more than usual because of the run off election, the Inaugeration of Karzai last week.

Last Wednesday, we had a going away luncheon for our Deputy Chief of Team who has moved on to another position with another agency. It was combined with an appreciation luncheon for our local national staff. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed sitting and chatting with our staff. Some of them were telling me that they have to be very careful working because it is not approved of by relatives and that if they knew they were actually working for Americans, they would be killed. I had heard before, anyone traveling either in the city or to another town, if they're stopped by Taliban and if anytype of documentation is found that could link them to an international organization could get them killed. So they have to be really careful.

In the last two months, I've learned how to play "Texas Hold 'em". Yeah!! Actually, night before last, Carlos and I were so close and I had been folding the hands I had been receiving because I was getting nothing but junk, so he asked me if I wanted to split the pot or go for it all. Either way, we'd still play the hand but this way we would both win. So, I told him sure, that was cool. I won the hand with a flush of clubs and then everyone wanted us to count the chips to see how close we really were and I was 40 ahead. Boy, that was close. We split the $80 pot. Had a blast! A $10. buy in is cheap entertainment for about 3 hours of fun. Helps to pass the time and everyone has good time. Lots of laughs, its so worth it.

Thursday, we've been invited to our sister compound for a nice Thanksgiving feast. It will be fun, they usually host a dinner for about 200 people. Some of our folks prefer to stay here, so our JSSP dinner will be at 1800. I don't believe I'll eat again, don't wanna be in a food coma but it will be fun to visit with everyone again. How funny, we'll be having dinner while everyone in the states is waking up and having breakfast.

Next week, our Program Manager and HR Manager from WDC, will be for a two week visit. I'm looking forward to meeting them. Heard lots about them and I always enjoy meeting those steering the ship I'm a member of.

We also have a Christmas party on December 10th that we're hosting. We'll have lots of people from different places in the world attending. It should be a lot of fun.

I'm counting down. I'm so excited to be going home for Christmas. I will be back in Afghanistan in early January. On the way back, due to flight times, I will arrive in Dubai, United Arab Emirates around 1030 in the morning. So I have decided to get a hotel room for the 10 hours I'll be there until my flight leaves for the states. So, I will be shopping and taking in the sites. Some of my co-workers will be there at the same time so we've decided to have some fun!

It has been drizzling all day, now its pouring. Everyone seems to think it will be snowing soon, probably by Thursday. Hmmm I think there's a reason why I live in Arizona - I've always enjoyed the fact that I can swim on Christmas in the heated pool if I wanted too. I think I'll swim while I'm home. I have to get my fill because my next leave isn't until April. :o) But I plan on swimming then too.

Anyway, gotta run. TTFN