Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam...
Posted by Rob Carey on Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Yep, it's another one of those days! I'm feeling a little homesick the closer my birthday gets. At least I don't have to be here on my 40th. Knowing my luck, I'll be on a ship for that one! Speaking of coming home, there is a slight chance that I will be back in October. The reason is that there was already a relief for the person that I relieved. They are going to send that person here to replace me. I would finish out my time in Ft Bragg. At least I hope that is what happens! They can't really ship me anywhere else, except for Djibouti maybe. I better not jinx myself. Of course, I don't have the right uniform for that place anyways.
I forgot to mention the toilets here. I know what you are thinking, "why is he writing about the toilets?" Well, they are backwards! The hole that the water goes down when you flush is in the front! Use your imagination to figure out why that is a problem! The stalls have shower curtains instead of doors. A stiff breeze and everybody can see you do your business! Yes the windows are open because they are not air conditioned. Also, the water that we shower with is non-potable. It's disinfected for washing only. You can't drink it or you'll get sick. I can't wait to take an American shower! Chlorinated tap water doesn't sound so bad now! We have to brush our teeth with bottled water. It's not so bad though. At least the gym is nice! Oh speaking of getting sick, there has been a case of cerebral malaria reported here. Luckily I have been taking my Doxycycline since I got here. That medication is required to come here since malaria is very common in this area. But I haven't seen any mosquitos since I got here.
You would not believe the weather here. The highs have been around 103, which is no big deal since I just came from Iraq, but the lows have been in the low 50s. Around 52 or so. It drops 50 degrees in about 2 hours! From sunset until about 2 hours after that. That is nuts! I'll tell you though, the nights feel great here. I still haven't seen a drop of rain in almost 4 months, not even a cloud! The first rain I see when I get home, I'm going to just stand in it and let it soak me. I've learned that rain is a good thing. If it is always sunny and clear, it'll start looking like Iraq, and that place is depressing!
Well, I guess that is all for now. Unless something out of the ordinary happens, I will post again day after tomorrow. Considering how this place is, what is ordinary anyway?! Everybody take care and remember, wherever you go, there you are! Until next time...
I forgot to mention the toilets here. I know what you are thinking, "why is he writing about the toilets?" Well, they are backwards! The hole that the water goes down when you flush is in the front! Use your imagination to figure out why that is a problem! The stalls have shower curtains instead of doors. A stiff breeze and everybody can see you do your business! Yes the windows are open because they are not air conditioned. Also, the water that we shower with is non-potable. It's disinfected for washing only. You can't drink it or you'll get sick. I can't wait to take an American shower! Chlorinated tap water doesn't sound so bad now! We have to brush our teeth with bottled water. It's not so bad though. At least the gym is nice! Oh speaking of getting sick, there has been a case of cerebral malaria reported here. Luckily I have been taking my Doxycycline since I got here. That medication is required to come here since malaria is very common in this area. But I haven't seen any mosquitos since I got here.
You would not believe the weather here. The highs have been around 103, which is no big deal since I just came from Iraq, but the lows have been in the low 50s. Around 52 or so. It drops 50 degrees in about 2 hours! From sunset until about 2 hours after that. That is nuts! I'll tell you though, the nights feel great here. I still haven't seen a drop of rain in almost 4 months, not even a cloud! The first rain I see when I get home, I'm going to just stand in it and let it soak me. I've learned that rain is a good thing. If it is always sunny and clear, it'll start looking like Iraq, and that place is depressing!
Well, I guess that is all for now. Unless something out of the ordinary happens, I will post again day after tomorrow. Considering how this place is, what is ordinary anyway?! Everybody take care and remember, wherever you go, there you are! Until next time...