Things I miss...

Things I miss about home include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Taking a shower without shoes on, in water that does not stink.
2. Grass. Actually, any living vegatation.
3. Paved roads.
4. Cold water from the tap.
5. Brushing my teeth with running water.
6. Leaving my room past sundown.
7. Not sweating the second I walk out of my room.
8. Air temperatures lower than 90.
9. Rain.

There is more than this. But anytime you all back in the States get to experience any of the above, send up a prayer of thanks. :)

The Marez RPAT Team

A day in paradise...

I have had a lot of people ask me lately, "What do you actually do over there?" Great question. I'm not sure...

So here is what a typical day looks like in beautiful Iraq:

I wake up at 6:00 every morning (okay, who are we kidding, 6:30 or 6:45), run across to the latrines and take a quick shower. No one is EVER in the bathroom when I am, which is nice, but I sometimes wonder when other girls take showers... Of course, I am pretty sure there are only about 20 or so girls actually here. I rush back to my room, throw on my uniform of jeans and a polo, and brush my teeth with bottled water (yes, bottled water... I am trying to convince myself it's fun... like camping...). I have about a third of a mile walk to work, which isn't bad in the morning when it is only about 90 or so degrees.

I make it to work a few minutes before seven, spend about thirty seconds with Josh and then get to work. Oh, and I haven't yet seen the DFAC in the morning, so breakfast is just a bowl of cereal that I pick up the night before at dinner. At work we input inventory into a computer when troops return items because they are going home. This is all part of the drawdown that is supposed to be done by the end of next year.

Now here is the funny think about work. I am at work between 7am and 7pm everyday, and I think I am actively busy to work things for about... 2 or so hours of that. So in the morning I input information in the computer for about a half hour, and then sporadically throughout the day something may come up. So most of my time is spent browsing the internet and watching the big screen TV in the front of the office. Emeril Live is on everyday at 3pm, and every knows that we are going to be watching, and have stopped complaining.

I have between 1 1/2 and 2 hours for lunch, so I usually walk back to my CHU and take a nap. The walk back to work again is not pleasant as the temperature is usually well into the 110's or above. I work/watch TV/surf internet until about 5:30, and if I am lucky enough to snatch up a vehicle I pick Josh up and go get dinner. The vehicles are a tricky thing because we only have two trucks that we have to share between the 20 or so of us in the office, so you have to be quick about getting one when it is available.

After eating dinner with Josh at our desks, I head back to the CHU around 7pm. Since I am a girl, I am not allowed out of the room alone past dark, around 7:45, so I get to spend my evening inside. I usually do yoga, watch a movie, and get on Skype. I am asleep by 10pm and start it all again the next morning.

Now Fridays... Fridays are different. They are the best day of the week by one thousand percent. Not only is every Friday payday, it is also our one golden, wonderful day off. 36 hours of amazing-ness of which I usually spend 24 sleeping. Josh and I have started a tradition on Fridays. He tries his best to stay up until lunch time (when he is usually fast asleep because he works night shift), and we make the couple mile trek over to the other side of base and go for lunch. There is one restaurant in all of Marez, called Falafel. It is a Turkish restaurant that serves what I think is Mediterranean food. They have shawarma, lamb meatballs, hummus (and AH-mazing Iraqi bread), and the best part -- REAL silverware and plates. Last week, when we went for the first time, was the first time I have not eaten off styrofoam in two months. I would pay for that alone. Also, this restaurant is cheap: Josh and I got soup, salad, bread, hummus, chicken, beef, and sodas for 15 dollars. So this has quickly become our weekly date.

So that is what I do here... work about 75 hours a week... and sleep the rest.

No pictures today. I have to recharge the camera and get busy. Anything you guys want pictures of?

Mosul, Iraq

Has it really been one month since my last post? Since this doesn't bode well for my book deal (haha), I suppose it is time for an update.

I will start from my last post, because I promised you all pictures. Like I said before, we flew out of Georgia into Bangor, Maine then on to Germany. We got fed just about every ten minutes it seems, but the food barely ranked above an MRE.

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However, there are not too many ways you can ruin a Little Debbie snack, so I didn't complain. Also, on this flight, the attendants walked around offering hot/cold towels every ten or so minutes. Had I known what military-ran flights awaited me, I would have enjoyed this more.

We landed in Leipzig, Germany a short 6 or so hours later.  They cleared out a section of the airport for us to relax in, use computers, and make phone calls (if you could figure out the stupid German pay phones...we could not).

The airport at Germany. There were two giftshops for us to go into. One was like a 7-11 in that they had a whole section with hot dogs and fountain drinks. Although we were not hungry in the least bit, we couldn't resist this local "treat"....

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Alright, so it actually wasn't good at all, but it was only one and half dollars, and we got a drink... And this picture. So... money well spent.

Josh kept saying, "smile for real, smile for real". And I kept replying, "I'm pretty sure I am!" I guess I wasn't. Oh well, how happy are you supposed to be after 24 hours of no sleep and a transatlantic flight?

We landed in Kuwait four hours later, and although we then had to take a convoy from the airport to the Air Base, Ali Al Salem. I was most nervous for any convoys, but honestly I was so tired that I didn't even register that it might be dangerous. Alas, we arrived at Ali completely safe.

Like I said in my previous post, once we got to Ali it was late, but we weren't tired, so we just walked around. (Also they don't give you bedsheets, and sleeping on a plastic mattress in 120 degree heat proves to be one of the hardest things I have tried to do.) This is a view of the McDonalds at the fast food court.

And of course, you can't not take a picture with Ronald, especially if you find him in Kuwait.

Ali was pretty disgusting, so Josh and I couldn't wait to get on our flight out. We waited two nights in Kuwait, and finally got manifested on a flight to Balad, Iraq. I was very excited to leave Kuwait, but then again I was pretty naive, because I had never been on a military flight before.

This is the morning of our flight out at Ali al Salem. Yes, we had to wear our vests on our flight, which only added (50 pounds) to the 120+ degree heat. We all loaded onto a cargo plane, and proceeded to sit for over an hour. This was miserable. We were strapped in, with our vests on, in a tiny metal tube sitting in the sun, with absolutely NO circulating air. After a 45 minute plane ride, we arrived in Balad, and thankfully, got off the plane. That was my favorite part of the day.

Balad was... wonderful. I really enjoyed it there. It is a rather big base, with two DFAC's, two shopping centers, paved roads... and I got a wet CHU (a housing unit with plumbing!) my first day there.

My room was the "Cadillac" of military housing, and really, exactly like a college dorm, so I didn't have anything to complain about. Josh, however, stayed in a room exactly like you would expect...

He shared a room with 20 other people, and got one itty bitty locker to put his stuff in. All I can say it.... it's good to be a girl on a military base... haha.

Balad isn't near as hot as Kuwait, but still extremely uncomfortable, so Josh and I once again did our site seeing after sundown.

This was at sunset, about six thirty at night. You can barely see the sun most of the time because of all of the sand in the air. The sky is barely ever blue, and because of the sand, eveything has a yellow-y/orangey hue to it.

Since most of the military bases in Iraq were overtaken from the Iraqi Army, a lot of the structures were built under Saddam's regime. This is Josh and I standing in front of a bunker. There are a lot of these on base, and although they are not being used, they are all left standing.

This is the food court at Balad. It has a Pizza Hut, Cinnabon, Taco Bell, Burger King, KFC, Popeye's... more than the Rivertown Mall. Josh and I ate here one night, but only because we got out of work too late to go to the DFAC. It is very overpriced- we paid 15 dollars for a 10 inch pepperoni pizza. And with weekly surf and turf night (yes, real steaks and lobster tails!!!) at the DFAC, I don't know why you would ever want fast food.

Josh in my room in Balad.

This is the outside of the CHU's that I stayed in. Yes, it is just two shipping containers stacked on top of each other.

Now we are in Mosul, Iraq. Although we don't have paved roads, the weather is on average 20 degrees cooler than Balad. This is where we'll call home for the next year. More to come...

Keep praying.

Kuwait

We are FINALLY in the Middle East!! But still not yet were we are supposed to be. Right now we are in a purgatory of sorts in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait. It is not a rather small Air Base that we flew into yesterday. Now we have to wait until tomorrow to get a flight into Iraq. But let me back up a little.

Friday we flew out of Georgia an a DC-10, the largest aircraft I have ever been on. It was ten seats across and had three big screens. We also got to watch four movies: Avatar, What Happens in Vegas, Tooth Fairy, and GI Joe. Surprisingly, I was able to sleep for most of the flights. Our first flight took us into Bangor, Maine. Josh was very excited about that because I guess Stephen King lives around there. We looked for him but didn't see him unfortunately.

After Maine, we had a seven hour flight into Leizpig, Germany. Sadly enough, my first trip to Europe consisted on nothing more than the inside of an airport terminal. And a very small one at that. We had one more four hour flight into Kuwait. And if I have one word for Kuwait....it would be....HOT. At least 120 degrees. Insanely hot. But you don't actually sweat in this heat, so oddly enough I am handling it better than the nasty sticky heat of Georgia. It is hot enough though, that you walk a little faster so you can get your hiney into some air as quickly as possible.

Ali Al Salem is made up of hundreds of tents. Most of the tents to have cement floors, but some do have plywood floors. But thankfully, every indoor area is constantly blasted with air conditioning. We got on base about 2000, had a briefing, and signed up for a flight out. Balad is pretty popular, so that flight filled up fast, and we had to be put on a waiting list. After we got everything squared away here, it was almost midnight, but only 1700 back home, so neither Josh or I were tired. Instead of going to bed, we walked around base. There is a PX, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, calling area, MWR (a wellness and recreation center) and much more, all open 24 hours a day. Everything is busy too, even at 2 in the morning. Ali Al Salem is a lot like Las Vegas in that respect....but only in that respect.

The flight to Balad left at 0400, but we were so far down the list we didn't get on it. So we had a formation at 1000, just to make sure we were still here, and now we sit and wait until tomorrow's flight, and see if we can get on that. We don't have anything to do, so at least we can catch up on our sleep, and movie watching. Someone said we could be here for a week waiting for a flight. I am praying for tomorrow. I'm not a big fan of tents.

I did take pictures of our flight and layovers, but the computer connector thing is in my other bag, so once we get on Balad, I'll post them.

Keep praying!!

CRC Day 6

Things have gotten busier here at CRC. The last two days we have had formations as early as 0520. Tuesday we went to CIF (*disclaimer: I really don't know what these abbreviations mean, but I pretend I do...*) to pick up our gear. That consisted of our Kevlar vest and helmet, gas mask, and duffle bags. Josh had to put my vest together. It weighs about fifty pounds. Here's me modeling it... but not too happily.

Also, my helmet, which is near impossible to smile in...

Getting our gear took from 5:30 until close to 10:00, then we went to the medical building. I was there until 1800 (6pm!). Since we had such and early formation, we missed breakfast, because the DFAC opens at 0530, and then we missed lunch as well because we were at the "Med Shed" all afternoon. But they prepared for this and fed us....... MRE's. 

And I don't care who you are trying to kid, MRE's are bad news. Chicken Pesto Pasta sounded very "Olive Garden-ish", but was more along the lines of "Stinky-Chef-Boyardee". It came with apple sauce, pudding, wheat bread, and bacon cheese spread. I ate the apple sauce and the pudding. 

Yesterday was fairly exciting. We went to the range up the hill and had TSIRT training, which stands for Theatre (someplace out of the country, in our case, IRAQ) Specific Individualized Readiness Training. This consisted of 12 hours of medical and IED/UXO training. For the first half of the day we learned about combat wounds and how to treat them. This included sucking chest wounds, abdominal injuries, open head wounds, shock, and inflating lungs. They had dummies for us to practice on, but I already had Josh. Haha....

After learning all things medical, we learned about IEDs and UXOs (Improvised Exploding Devices and UneXploded Ordnances). They actually even have a Iraqi Village of sorts set up here at Fort Benning, so you can walk around and try to spot IEDs. They have them hidden everywhere, and if you accidentally set one off, they have it rigged up to make a loud noise and smoke. Scares the pee out of you if you aren't paying attention. 

We got back from TSIRT training about 1830 and ate dinner. Still amazing food...

And I got a chance to take some pictures around post here. 

I posted the outside of my barrack before, but this is my room. I have the bottom bunk, and the locker on the left is to store all of my stuff. However, I still haven't figured out how to make a bed with two flat sheets and no fitted sheets....

This is the bathroom that about 25 or 30 of us share. The toilets are to the right, the showers are through the doorway on the left. 

These are the showers attached to the bathroom. There are eight shower heads in the room. I was NOT a happy camper when I saw them. 

This is the sign at the main entrance to CRC. CRC is actually a very very small part of Fort Benning, on the map below, it is number 20 on the bottom right. We've gone to the PX (1 on the map) on base a few times, and it is at least a ten minute drive. 

Today we have a briefing at 4:45, then we go over our flight information. We fly out to Iraq in the morning. I am very excited, because we will be making a stop in either Germany or Ireland. Either one would be really cool to see, even if only from the air. 

By Saturday I will (hopefully) be in Iraq. Keep sending prayers....

CRC

After a great deal of stress, frustration, and lack of sleep, Josh and I arrived at CRC at Fort Benning, Georgia. CRC is basically a week of making sure you have all of your ducks in a row to get deployed. It is ran by the Army, and we train and brief with troops who are also getting ready to deploy. But, like I said, it is ran by the military, so it is a whole lot of hurry up and wait. Something I am getting used to, and also hating more and more everyday.

We arrived here on Saturday, at 3 in the morning. Josh and I were assigned to separate barracks, issued two flat sheets, a plastic pillow, and one boiled wool blanket. I made my bed in the dark, trying not to wake up my room mate, and slept for forty five minutes before waking up to get ready for the day. Needless to say, by the time it started, I could tell Saturday was going to be a very long day. I met Josh for breakfast at the DFAC just around the corner from our barracks. Let me throw in an interjection while I am thinking about it - everyone complains about Army food, right? I L.O.V.E it. I have eaten four meals at the DFAC so far, and I was expecting powdered eggs and dried bananas. Instead I have had cooked to order omelets and fresh cut fruit and salad bar every meal. AND I don't have to wash ANY dishes. Why do people complain about this??

Anyway, after breakfast we walked over to the pavilion to wait to get signed in. This was a very tricky process. There are over five hundred people that show up every Saturday to get processed, but only four hundred actually get to stay. The rest get sent home, like two of my room mates. And everyone processes together: Army, Department of Defense, and Contractors, given priority in that order. So every soldier that shows up is guaranteed a reservation, then the DoD's fill in, then the leftover spots are filled in with people like me. So it doesn't matter if you show up two and a half hours early, like me, to stand in line (which there wasn't one), when they call your category, you had better run to get to be first. I was fifth, so I did pretty good. If Josh and I would have been further back in line, we would have been sent home and told to come back later. The soonest we could come back is in 6 weeks.

After we got our nifty red badges, saying we were accepted into training, we bused over to a big white tent for briefings, which are ironically anything but short. After that was lunch, veal parmesan and mashed potatoes, a few more briefings, then we were done for the day. I almost jumped for joy at the opportunity for sleep, so both Josh and I went back to our rooms to do just that. Then we caught a shuttle over to the PX on base so Josh could pick up a few things, and we were back in bed by nine o'clock, or should I say... 2100.

Today we got to sleep in, until six, then it was an early morning formation. I got fitted for body armor, which was humorous, because everyone just lines up, while one person walks down that line, points at you, and tells you your size. We had a few more briefings after that, in which they repeated everything from yesterday, and at 1600 released us for the day. I wish I could say we have been very busy, but we very much have not been.

My barrack. I share a room with one other girl.

This is a sign outside of my door that points to all different places in the world. There is one for      Iraq...that way, eight thousand miles.

   My red badge!!!! Similar to Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. Minus the chocolate.

Thanks!

11 more days!!

Thanks to everyone who made it out to our party today. It was so nice seeing our friends and family before we leave.

Less than two weeks now. We still have so much to do. Packing won't take much time, seen as we can only take two duffle bags each, and already know what 14 outfits we have to wear. But there are so many loose ends to take care of here.... forwarding mail, canceling bills, getting our house ready, doctor's appointments.... I should have started sooner. But if you know me, you know that I have a personal relationship with procrastination. Ha. Also before we leave, we have to finish up with the "visting-family-one-last-time" trips. Last will be Josh's family way down in Southern Indiana. Thankfully we are flying, which saves a 8 hour car ride, and the stress of Josh's driving.

I went to Barnes and Noble the other day with my good friend Kristina, and got a few books on Iraq. One of them is a documentary book written by an Iraqi woman and an American reporter titled "Saved by Her Enemies". Very very good book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't understand the cultural tensions between ourselves and Iraqi people. The book talks a lot about the religious and political climate and restrictions on people who live in Iraq. Women get beat publically for talking with a male they aren't related to, and men lived in fear of Hussein's power. We really do take for granted the freedoms we have as Americans.

If I am going to Iraq, I have to believe I am going to make a difference in someone's life, if only in the smallest way. No matter what people may say, we, as Americans, are in Iraq for the people of Iraq. I have to make a difference, or else it won't be worth it.

Keep sending up those prayers.

June 5th

We finally have a date! June 4th we will be leaving for CRC (training) at Fort Benning in Georgia. When we are there we will spend one week getting physical, vaccinations, and training for being in Iraq. After that "we'll hop the puddle to the sand box" (yes, that is clever military lingo for go overseas to Iraq haha).

I ordered boots today. And if any of you know me very well, you know I hate shoes. Well, only shoes that tie, zip, or cover the foot at all. And, yes, I am willing to sacrifice comfort for style. So ordering my boots was a big deal....because I had to find cute ones. Even if I am in Iraq, I am not wearing dumb looking shoes. After hours of searching, I ordered three pairs. I may or may not send them back. But I was told cute strappy sandals are not allowed, so I'll have to find something.... :)

37 days to go. Start sending up prayers... I'll need them.

Getting Ready

For the next two or three weeks we will be getting ready to leave. This includes a lot of tasks, which can be more than a little overwhelming. We aren't going to be in our house, so we are cleaning and packing everything in sight. I can't wait to come home to a dirty house full of dust...

When we leave, we have to pack everything for a whole year in two small duffel bags. I can only pack two weeks worth of clothing (only fourteen shirts for one whole year?!?!), and hope I can buy everything else on base in Iraq. It's silly, but I'll miss the small things like the smell of my own laundry detergent.

A lot of people have asked why I am doing this and I'm not exactly sure how to respond. It started out that Josh and I were doing this for the money, which is a very high incentive. Although, to be honest, I can't wait to actually do something. I have a good job now, love what I do, but I don't feel like I am actually making a difference. When I go to Iraq, I'll be doing something really important. I can look back in fifteen years, when my kids are studying the 9/11 attacks, and be able to say, "I had my part in helping America". As most of you know, my husband is in the National Guard, and I couldn't be more proud of him. I never thought I would have it in me to make this great of a sacrifice to support our military men, like him. So I guess it isn't all about the money, it's about something more...

I will post my address as soon as I know what it is, so everyone can send me lots of cards and letters!

The Job Offer

Today I got a job offer to work in Iraq. Josh and I have been talking about this for the past three weeks. I have mentally prepared myself for being away from all things familar, but the fact that I will be in Iraq just two short months from now has not completely sunk in yet. I'll be working in Logistics, something I have no experience in, in a country I have never visited, surrounded by people I have never met. We haven't told very many people, just our works, parents, and a few friends that we have happened to run into. Maybe once more people know, it will start to feel real. Until then..... this is the day when it started.... the day we found out.