Tuesday, August 16, 2011




11 Aug: I had the chance to go out on Tues and spend time with some locals who were trying to learn English. It reminded me of Adrian Kronauer from the movie Good Morning Vietnam. Anyhow, it was very iteresting to hear their views on things like religion, love, and such. Based on what I saw, the Djiboutians are living proof that you don't need a lot of money to be happy. These were some of the happiest people I've seen and they have virtually nothing. One of the questions that was discussed amongst the group was "What is your best and worst day?" Many of the Djiboutians couldn't even think of a day that they would classify as their worst but all could easily come up with their happiest day. Also, I had a good discussion with a local on Sunday. I asked her what she thought of the Americans she said were well-liked amongst the Djiboutians. We give them jobs and build them schools. The French, according to her, are a bunch of bums and are simply relics from their colonial days

1 Aug: So let's talk weather. The problem is that when the winds blow from the ocean, it's super humid which makes it unbearable. 97 degrees with 100% humidity is miserable. The other problem is that there are few trees down in the low lands such as here. The trees that are here are stringy and are more like bushes. I'll take some pictures when I get a chance so you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about. I suppose it could be worse considering that the weather today up in Saudi is over 120 degrees.

So I'm passed my second milestone--I'm in a new calendar month! Glad Aug is here and it came in with a bang! It rained hard last night. Yes, it rains here! Started around nine at night and lasted until around midnight. Feels really great. The air quality here is crap due to the blowing sand and the absolute lack of environmental measures when it comes to waste disposal and such. The rain cleans the air if for only a few minutes. Don't get me started on the air qualtiy around here. It's terrible.

28 Jul We went out to eat last night to a restaurant called "The Mask" in downtown Djiboutiville. While the surrounding area was super ghetto, the restaurant was an oasis. Atmosphere was phenomenal...kinda reminded me of the Elephant Bar. The walls were covered with bamboo and tribal warrior masks. Anyhow, I actually had to think about what day is was when I woke up this morning. This is actually a good sign! When the days start to blur together, that means time will start to fly by. Thank goodness. It helps that I've bonded with some of the other medics in the office across the hall. Definitely makes the quality of life better.

26 Jul: Today marks the 10% mark in my deployment. Only 90% to go. I hope it goes by faster than the first ten percent. To add to the good news, Jen and I are going to meet up in Germany at the end of next month. I'll be up in Stuttgart for a conference and will be allowed to take a few days off afterwards. This is the alternative to our Dubai trip. As it turned out, they won't allow military to go there on vacation. Guess it's too close to some global hot spots. Ironically you are allowed to go to Israel but it's definitely more dangerous there relative to Dubai. Regardless, Jen had zero interest in going there for whatever reason. Guess I'll have to make a pilgrimige to the Holy Land without her someday.
Work is going well. Some days fly by and others drag on. I worked all weekend because of the newly declared famine in Southern Somalia. I'm hoping we'll be asked to help these people out the best we can. Can't go into much detail but due to government policies, we have to be invited to assist. So far, the call hasn't come and it may never will.
It's nice to get off the base for a change. I was stuck here over the weekend because of the potential mission but I'm determined to break free this weekend. Next month they have arranged a bunch of morale trips to a local resort that is supposed to be spectacular. That's the weird thing about this country--there are little diamonds in the rough. Much of this has to do with the historic presence of the French in this area. These little gems are usually run for the French and for other Europeans.

17 Jul: Anyhow I'm about to watch the us put the smack down against japan in soccer. Will u be watching? (Post Script--We lost. Barely)

8 Jul: It's day two here in Djibouti and I have only 177 to go. Hope it goes quick. Anyhow, I made it here just fine and was travelling for two straight days. Needless to say I was super tired when I arrived. Things are much better now that I got a little sleep.
Living quarters are fine. Exact same as the last time I was here. In fact there is a chance that Im in the exacct same containerized living unit (CLU). Oh the irony. Got a roommate for now but will have my own place once a space opens up in the Field Grade CLUs. Until them I'm stuck. The good thing is my roommate is cool and is also a Major. That is always a concern.

7 Jul: I'm now up and running here at camp lemonnier. Just after landing we went off post and went to a training session with new medics from dj. No rest for the weary. Anyhow the heat here is legendary and is even worse than I remember it. Not sure how I'm going to train for the half marathon.

6 Jul: I'm in an airport terminal in Bahrain for another ninety minutes before we split for Dj. The journey so far hasn't been too bad except for a guy behind me that kept kneeing my chair. I was woken up multiple times by that fucker. Aside from that, it's just been a long trip. I've been sleeping on every leg so that time is passing alright. We're on a commercial charter flight and have made stops in Rota and Sigonella Sicily. Both of those places were fantastic and I was hoping the plane would be grounded while we were there. The weather in Sicily was perfecto and I was able to slip out of the terminal to find the NEX. I bought some sicilian cookies, pesto, and a ceramic wine topper. Was nice to be in Italy if only for a couple hours.

5 Jul: So the airport was crazy this am! Bags were checked but late. Am on the plane but bags may not make it. I finally got trough the line a mere 45 min before the flight. I'm crossing my fingers.

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