Hot and Dusty

Hot and dusty. That pretty much fits the definition of Afghanistan.

We've been here for a week now; this is only the second time I've managed to jump on the internet. I've submitted a request to get my personal laptop hooked up to the wifi on base; until then it's touch-and-go.

Afghanistan might sound like an exotic place, but it's really not. I haven't seen a plant up close since we got here. It's regularly around 100 degrees in the afternoon. They water the streets every hour or two, but there's still a lot of dust kicked up all the time. In the afternoons, the wind starts blowing and blows a lot of dust around. Last Sunday, my first full day on base, we had an actual dust storm blow through. It was pretty cool--you can actually see the dust moving like a wall across the base. It's not a whole lot of fun to be in, though.

Other than the environment, things here are unremarkable. We have three projects scheduled, all construction. I was supposed to head out to a different FOB (forward operating base) to do a site survey for one of them today, but the flight got cancelled, so I'm not sure when we will go.

I was very surprised at the quality of the chow here on base. There's always a nice selection of fresh vegetables, and the entrees don't seem to be the same ones I would eat at the chow halls back in the US.

The main body just arrived a couple of days ago, I'm living in a room with seven other women, all Staff NCOs and officers. We have running water for showers, and there's an outlet in my room to plug my computer in.

Really, being here is a lot like working in the states, except we walk about 3/4 of a mile to work every day, and the afore-mentioned dust and heat.