Keeping up-to-date...

Hello all...

I know it's been several days since I've been able to keep this blog up-to-date, but that is not because this past week hasn't been devoid of it's ups and downs nor lacking in any stories to share. It's just been a busy week, compounded by the fact that I've been sick as a dog. It doesn't matter how many times you've traveled to the Middle-East here, you are bound to succumb to the "crud" - in this case the "Afghan Crud." *smile* (just count yourself lucky you can't hear my lung-hacking barks as I write this article!)

One interesting thing that happened this past week is I apparently attracted the attention of David Stanford, Duty Officer and webmaster for the Doonesbury Town Hall. Yes THAT Doonesbury, as in the comic strip. He ran across my blog here and asked if I would be ok with him featuring an ariticle I wrote a few posts back entitled "In The Zone..." He called it "...a great day-in-the-life-and-work portrait ...a fascinating piece, and [it] really gets into an area we haven't had anyone post about before on our site...." Once I checked out his site ( http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/ ) and found it to be legit, I said it was ok. I also learned that for getting featured on his site, I will now also receive a complimentary copy of "The Sandbox" book that came out last October - a collection of about 90 pieces from the first six months of the site. *shaking head smiling* This blog thing has really opened up a new world for me. :-)

We just had one more from our unit back home just arrive here two days ago. Seth is a "power pro" guy who will help Chris Lambert and I figure out our generator and power "issues" that plague us here. It was suggested by the outgoing unit that we bring a power pro troop but our commander initially resisted, thinking that we didn't really need him. After just the first couple weeks, it was obvious we needed his expertise, so like the rest of us, he dropped everything in his world as he knew it.... a teacher and high-school football coach.... and packed his bags for a fun-filled vacation to a cold, dirty, and lonely abode in the middle of a war zone. What fun! *smile* Wes and I helped get him situated and awaited his arrival late at night. Of course, I also had to greet him with the customary "Welcome to paradise!" He nervously smiled.

Several of you have asked about the guy who exposed his "I [heart] Condi" t-shirt to Condoleeza Rice during her visit here a few days ago and I now have a picture of said shirt. I was also given a few other pictures taken by other guys in our unit - to include another shot of Wes and I standing by Condy that I was oblivious to. Enjoy!

Today was a sad day in Kandahar - one of the worst bombings we've had in the country here in as far as the number of casualties go. It's those types of intel reports that we get that remind us to stay vigilant in what we do here, and that we are still in the middle of the fight. If ever we begin to complain about "routine" days and being locked down here on the ISAF compound, something like this always pops up and promptly reminds us to just keep our mouths SHUT!


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I "heart" Condi...

Every now and then, our "ground hog day" here in Kabul gets shaken up a bit and opportunities present themselves for you to step outside the normal routine - should you choose to take advantage of them. Yesterday, one such opportunity appeared in the form of a couple dignitaries visiting the compound here - Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, and British Foreign Secretary, David Milibrand.

Now I'll be the first to say that meet-n-greets are not really my thing, but something intrigued me about Ms. Rice and I thought I would go - if for nothing more than to break the redundant cycle of my days here. Many years ago I used to work for D.I.A. at the Pentagon and seeing high-ranking Generals and government dignitaries were an everyday occurance. Back then, Colin Powell was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Dick Cheney was the Secretary of Defense, ironically. Lunches spent in the center courtyard of the Pentagon regularly turned up familiar TV personalities and the like. Five years ago I spent every waking moment with the likes of other Generals and government officials whom are now portrayed as heroes in non-fiction books that recount the major combat phase in Iraq. And also during that time, shortly after successfully taking Baghdad, Don Rumsfeld was coming to visit us to say congrats and I was one of only 6 chosen to to attend, but I turned it down because I had other work to do. The guy I let replace me came back jumping around, thrilled that he went, and thanked me by turning the viewscreen on his camera around for me to see that he had just had his picture taken side by side with the Secretary of Defense himself! Ugh. Oh well... I'm glad he was happy, but through it all I've come to realize one thing. They're just people. So going to see Condy Rice was more of an, "Ehhhhh, what the heck!" kind of choice.

A few others from my unit and I went to stand in line in front of the gymnasium - the only place big enough to house that many people. After standing in line for about 30 minutes, the announcement came that she would be delayed by an hour. We left. When we came back an hour later, we were let in the door, checked for weapons, passed through security, and led into the gymnasium. I had slowly wandered my way back to the gym after running a few errands, but little did I know that as soon as I had walked in, WHACK!.. they shut the door behind me and wouldn't let anyone else in.

The Sergeant Major on the compound here ran us through several drills of getting lined up in formation, standing at attention, resting "at ease", and bunching up X number of steps into a second formation. I had NO idea that this was going to be such a dog-n-pony show.... I mean sheesh!.. I just wanted to hear her two-minute speech, shake hands if the opportunity presented itself, and then get back to work.


Well, soon one hour turned into two..... and then we got the message that she would be here in 30 minutes..... An hour had passed and still no one. To fight the bordeom, I egged the guys on to run up on the still-empty stage and get our picture taken all together, so we did. And then finally, after another 90 minutes, we were all called to attention and in walked our dignitaries. Finally! After 3 1/2 hours of waiting, they were here.

As expected, they both got up on the make-shift stage - back dropped with the flags from each of the 39 nations represented here and covered with a huge traditional Afghan rug for good measure - and spoke of the work we were doing and the pride they had in us and the many sacrifices we had made. To be perfectly honest, I originally just wanted this part to be over, but when Condoleeza got up on stage, I felt that her words were very sincere and genuine. It was an impromptu speech... nothing prepared.... and she spoke with candor and made good eye contact with all of us as she scanned the entire gymnasium from left to right. She made no mention of her attempts to try to garner more support from other NATO nations..... she just simply said, "Thanks!" I have to say, I for one, was pleasantly impressed with her.

After the short speeches by both, they came down off the stage, Condi going left, and Milibrand going right, to shake the hands of the troops. I was on the right and was awaiting my chance just to see her up close, not expecting to actually get to shake hands with her or anything, but then something happened by the time she got to the middle formation to shake hands. Lieutenant Cox, an EW (Electronic Warfare) guy that works with us pulled a fast one on Ms. Rice and unzipped his flight suit. He then pulled it open to expose his t-shirt underneath that had written on it, "I [heart] Condi Rice!" *LOL* Once he did that, the formation erupted into laughter. The news media, not wanting to be left out, went running over to them to see what had happened and then filmed the entire thing. We were briefed beforehand not to ask for autographs, but Cox didn't care. He asked her if she'd sign his shirt and she happily obliged. *smile* That was the ice-breaker we needed! Once that happened, all formations and semblance of organization were gone. She then began to simply walk through the crowd, shaking hands and taking pictures with everyone that was left - to include "my" formation (which now looked more like a cluster than anything else).

A minute or two had passed, and then BOOM... there she was, standing right in front of me. She reached out her hand and I shook it as I said, "Thank you..." (I don't even know WHAT I was saying thank you about!... It's just the only thing I could think of to say! *lol*) She said, "Heeeeyyy... thanks for your service. Nice to meet you!".... About that time, Wes asked if he could have his picture taken with her, and she turned around in between the two of us and "SNAP!"... a picture was taken for posterity.



The thing I observed about her was that she was very genuine when greeting all the troops here, and would often say to them, "Hey you want to switch cameras now and have your picture taken too?" so that no one was left out. She laughed - not a fake laugh - and engaged in real conversations with many people. She wasn't just putting on a show in my opinion. But based on how the previous day's agenda went with other NATO commanders and Afghan Prime Minister, Hamid Karzi, I'm sure this was probably the highlight of her day.

I wish her and Mr. Millibrand well in their quest to get more support here from other NATO nations because I for one don't want the U.S. to have to pick up the slack AGAIN and be forced to come back for my "fourth" tour.

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Random thoughts...

It's not been "all" doom and gloom here by what you hear in the news reports, and hopefully you get a glimpse into some of what real life is here at ISAF in Kabul by reading this blog. But let me share with you some other not-so-well-known truths I've discovered so far on this tour and some other light-hearted things we do to keep ourselves entertained here.

Lessons learned so far:

1. 
   Do not take off your shoes on a cross-Atlantic flight and expect to find clean, “dry” floors in the lavatory
2. 
   Do not take off your glasses, place them in your unzipped toiletry bag, and expect to find them later after swinging and dangling your toiletry bag on your way back to your room from the shower.
3. 
   Do not mix a packet of Crystal Light lemonade into your water bottle, and then immediately attempt to put in your contacts without first washing your hands!
4. 
   Do not go to chow with your M-4 Carbine, unsling your weapon, sit down and eat, and then walk out lighter than when you came in.
5. 
   Do not put on your armored vest AFTER you’ve already slung your weapon over your shoulder!
6. 
   Do not walk into work carrying 5 care packages you just received in front of the only guy in your unit who hasn’t received any mail!

And some other fun things we do here to keep entertained.....

Recently we all finally finished in-processing the base by attending the last orientation class about a week ago. But up until that day, before getting issued our meal cards, we had to manually "sign in" when going to the chow hall to eat. There were over 30 different notepads with each nation's flag on it, so it was a hassle to sign in every day. It only took 2 or 3 episodes of this to turn it into a fun exercise in names. One day Bixby signed in as Bert, and I signed in underneath him as Ernie. The next day I was LuLu, and he was Trixy... and on and on and.... (you get the picture.... *grin*)

We also have these forms that have to be filled in and submitted to the chow hall if you plan on picking up a "to go" meal, for instance, if you are on-shift and can't leave your post. Bixby went to pick up two meals for "Bruce Banner" and "Clark Kent" the other day when two of his guys couldn't leave their post. *lol* It's not done to make fun of the guy who sits there monitoring signatures, but it does seem peculiar to us that he can't even read English. *smile*

Ok...enough random humor for now.... have to head to work.

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Boring Days...NOT

Some days around here you have to be careful what you complain about. A couple days ago the guys and I had just complained about how boring it was that morning, and then BOOM!, off goes another bomb just a few blocks away. Strangely enough, I heard it muffled in the background, but didn’t even take notice, but Roger was the one who said, “Was that a bomb?...” We all looked around the room at each other, pondering his question, and then finally said, “Yeah…. I guess that was.” And without missing a beat, went back to work without even opening the door to see what happened. Heck, no one even got out of their seat for that matter… nor was another word spoken about it. (It’s a surreal world we live in here.)

About an hour and a half later, someone called my shop. Roger answered, but couldn’t understand a word he was saying so he gave the phone to me. Now, I won't go into detail about what was said or what exactly occurred, because I am sensitive to the fact that my family – and particularly my kids – read this blog, so I’ll just say it was VERY suspicious. And rather than act on what I was told to do in that phone conversation, I questioned him on several fronts, stalled him, and then notified the authorities. Before we knew it, the gentleman at the other end of the phone call was gone. Crisis averted. What really bothers me about all this is that, this time, it directly involved me. This was not some incident I heard about second-hand, or some “boom” I heard down the street. It was “right there” in front of me and I had to deal with it. This whole "suspicious" episode encompassed about an hour of time, and it was exhilarating, frustrating, and frightening, all-in-one. By the time it was all over I was exhausted. But when we finally knew that the coast was clear, the guys and I decided that we would no longer complain about being bored. *smile*

Despite the threats of that morning, the day went on as usual (finally) and by lunch time, I had taken Roger and Wes back to Bakhtar Jewelry for a full-course Afghan meal that Ismatullah and Abdul were preparing for us. Inside their little shop there, they brought in home-cooked delicacies, like beef and chicken kabob, a rice/beef/spices/grapes combo in a big bowl, another spicy meat wrapped into what looked like a fillet, and then lots and LOTS of fire-oven-cooked Afghan bread. (and of course, once again, LOTS of green tea! *smile*) They both spread out a nice table cloth over their jewelry counter, brought in fancy plates and silverware, set out the chairs, and made a nice spread. You can tell by the pictures, this was no small meal. This is the way Afghans congregate or, in our case, “negotiate” when doing business. I have brought just about everyone from my unit into their shop now, and they’ve all purchased various items, but the ironic thing is I haven’t yet. I guess you could say that I’m working on what they refer to as my “friend price” and maybe at some point I can afford to actually buy something there. Either way, I love sitting and chatting with them. They’re incredible people.


Things at work have been busy… and to add to our hectic schedule, we’ve recently discovered some additional duties that we’re supposed to perform that we weren’t told about by the outgoing unit. *frown* A critical data link for a "key office" (can't say who) went down at the end of the month because their crypto expired and….. well…. we fixed it once we were frantically made aware of it. Add it to the list I suppose. Also, I have resigned myself to the fact that there is no such thing as an 8-hour day…. It just doesn’t work…. Minimum 12… most of the time 15-16 now… but that’s still better than before, and besides!... What would I do with my extra time here anyway? *smile* Ok…. Don’t answer that. *lol*

Praying for more “boring” days ahead….

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Short...

...shortest verse in the Bible:

"Jesus wept." (John 11:35)


...shortest blog entry in Third Times A Charm:

"Ken slept."


(I'm too tired to post much tonight.... Yaaaaawwnnn!.... G'nite all!) *grin*























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G.I. Jill

For those of you who don’t know who Jill Stevens is, you should get to know her. As she competed in the Miss America pageant tonight, she represented what I thought was a real role model – not just a “model” – and came away a winner despite what the judges said by their votes! Of the 52 contestants, she was in the top 16, being voted as “America’s Choice” by an online poll taken on TLC’s website. THAT speaks for itself right there!

Sgt. Jill Stevens is an Army medic who served in Afghanistan for a year from 2004 to 2005. While there, she tended not only to soldiers in the clinic at Bagram Air Field, but also to the Afghan people in the surrounding villages. It was on one of those trips to the village of Jegdalek that I had the privilege of meeting her.

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t know her… nor did I converse with her much. My only recollection was being a part of a conversation with her and several others at one point when I was drinking the green tea offered to us by the village elders, but that’s about the extent of it. My day there in Jegdalek was about so much more and our chance encounter was relatively uneventful. What that day did, however, was bring focus and purpose to my desire to help the Afghan children in some way, and changed me in ways that I cannot begin to convey. I have spoken of that day many times with friends and family and some still ask me about it. When my kids first learned I was heading back to Afghanistan, the first sentence out of their mouth was a disappointed, “Again??!!”….. The second was an excited, “Are you going back to see Zahid??!!

Zahid was a young, twelve-year-old boy whom I befriended when a series of events led me to him as I cleaned and bandaged several of the other villagers who had cuts or other minor injuries. He had severely chapped lips so I gave him my lip balm out of my medical kit and some baby wipes to clean his face with. We spent the entire day together, getting to know each other… our families… our professions. I discovered that at the young age of twelve, he was already an English teacher in the school there in the village. At one point, Zahid and I even taught an impromptu English class together to the other pre-teen boys of the village. Much later in the day, we walked up a nearby hill that overlooked the village, to the top of a very long rocky staircase leading to the school, and sat down together. It was quiet up there…. We shared more stories, talking again about family as I showed him pictures of my kids. He then introduced me to his father and uncle who were masons and mixed the cement for the new school. As we relaxed there in the breeze on the top of that hill, we shared one of the most memorable moments of my young life as we seemingly broke the language barrier with hand motions, simple expressions, and newly-learned expressions in each of our own languages. At one point, I had run out of paper with which to write, so Zahid used my pen to write on the palm of my hand. *lol* And then, without warning, Zahid reached back into his pocket and pulled out a small rock with a large ruby still embedded in it. He took one of my hands, flipped it over and cupped the palm of my hand. He then placed that ruby in my hand to give to me, as he simultaneously patted his other hand over his heart and said, “You! My friend!”
He was “giving” me that ruby because he considered me a friend! *sniff* That ruby was probably worth more in value than a month’s salary, yet he gave it to me. I’m telling you, I almost “lost it” right then and there! As I fought back the tears, I fumbled for something to give back to him as my way of affirming my friendship as well…. and then I remembered - every teenage boy in the tribe had asked me repeatedly for my sunglasses and I had turned them down. I even had to fight some boys off as they grabbed for them. Knowing they were of some value to Zahid as well, I took them off and proceeded to slowly slip them over his eyes and ears as I mimicked his same motion over my heart and said, “Zahid! My friend!” It was, without hesitation, one of the most amazing moments in my life.

Soon we had to head back down the hill because we got the call over the radio that the Chinook’s were on their way back, and it was at that moment when I observed Jill playing tag with the young girls of the village. I admired how she was not afraid to be goofy, and it was evident all the girls knew her and loved her by their laughter and the expressions on their faces. (I even remember all the girls shouting, “Jill!..Jill!!” when we first got off the helo' after landing!) As I watched fondly from a short distance, I took pictures of that moment and remember thinking to myself, “Whoever this girl is, she GETS it!” I also observed at least half a dozen other young male soldiers there providing security for our contingent who were obviously smitten with her, but she had nothing to do with that. She was there for those kids, and it made quite an impression on me.

Fast-forward to a few months ago - I saw a news story on the Internet with the headline, “Soldier Trades in Kevlar for Tiara” or some such thing. Intrigued, I clicked on it and saw someone done up in makeup in an Army uniform that I didn’t recognize at first, but then I scrolled down, and there was a photo of Jill, holding a young girl that I recognized from the village of Jegdalek that day. I can only imagine the wild ride she’s had since those days in Afghanistan that led up to the stage at The Planet Hollywood Resort tonight in Las Vegas!

As I worked tonight, with the AFN (Armed Forces Network) channel set to “Miss America - Reality Check” and later the pageant itself, I was impressed with her conservative approach to dress and appearance, not wanting to make her body a showcase. She was funny, and had more depth to her than any of the other contestants. And when the final 15 were announced - sans her name - it didn’t surprise me at all to see that all the fans had voted her to be the 16th contestant to vie for the crown. To me, she had already WON the competition at that moment. It didn’t matter what the judges thought about her unwillingness to change and make herself more competitive by mimicking the likes of Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan. She stayed true to herself and her values and set the “real” example for all young girls out there who look up to her. I can honestly say she is someone whom I wouldn’t mind my “own” daughter meeting and looking up to.

At the end of the day, I’m sure she’s glad to be able to get her life back after all the fuss and preparation for the Miss America pageant, but “post pageant”, I can still see her in a leadership role somewhere, paving the way for young women in America and even abroad to believe in themselves and their capabilities.

One such way where she still "paves the way" is by being the spokesperson for The Afghanistan Orphanage Project (http://www.taoproject.org/). She and others from her Army unit formed that non-profit organization after coming back from Afghanistan. That chance connection to her is what led me to the TAO Project several months ago as I emailed them offering any help I could for them since learning of my impending trip back to Kabul, Afghanistan -just 12 short miles from where they want to build the orphanage. To make a long story short, I have been helping behind the scenes logistically, and have also been the “address” for them with which to send humanitarian assistance and any items needed for the orphanage that they are building. I would encourage you to check out their website and please donate to their efforts, no matter how large or small the amount.

Well, that’s about it for now…. It was nice to see Jill do so well, but better yet, it was nice to see her come away from all of this with her identity still intact, confident in who she is and still a role model to others. Congratulations Jill!


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Another day in the life….

I wanted to let everyone know I’ve been getting their mail… I’ve gotten 5 packages and 2 letters to date already and it has been wonderful! I think it goes without saying how much we depend on mail here. Even in this Internet age of email, webcams, instant messaging and free Internet phone conversations, there is still nothing like getting a card, letter, or care package in the mail. The U.S. post office on the compound here is conveniently “in between” just about everywhere we need to go, so we are constantly stopping by and checking the spreadsheet of who got mail that hangs on a clipboard on the outside wall. I seem to be the one who got mail “first” and subsequently the one who’s gotten the “most” mail so far again, and I’m going to get lynched here soon if some of the other guys don’t start getting mail soon. *smile* I was afraid someone would say something soon, and it finally happened today when I picked up two more boxes today – one from the VFW Ladies Auxiliary in Danville IL and one from Operation New Knoxville Cares. I think I am going to have to start hiding my mail. (Above is a picture of the Beanie Babies that Operation New Knoxville Cares sent me to give to the orphanage in just their “first” package last week)

Yesterday was an interesting day in that Bixby and I had to embark on a journey off post here into downtown Kabul to walk over to the U.S. Embassy several blocks away. We had to issue equipment and help provide training on it to the team that provides security to the U.S. Ambassador. Call them the Ambassador’s “secret service” if you will. That trek was interesting on a couple fronts – First, because it was the first time we had ventured off post (“walking” in Kabul’s downtown streets no less!) and Second, because I have never been to a U.S. Embassy before.

Bixby and I suited up in our full “battle rattle”, with armor, weapon, Kevlar, radios, etc to ensure our safety and I have to admit I was a little anxious as we walked through all the concrete barriers, checkpoints and gates and finally found ourselves “outside the fishbowl” on our own. To be honest, we only knew the general direction of the Embassy too, and did not know where the series of gates and checkpoints were to actually get “in” so we began our walk on a wing and a prayer. Several minutes later, we did find the right gate (first of many!) to get in and began the rigorous process of getting access to get in. (we had to get temporary “walking” badges just to allow us to walk from one building to the next just so we could get our next badge in the Embassy building itself! – in other words, security is TIGHT! *smile*) Once Bix and I got there, we learned that the team wanted to push back training a couple hours, so we walked around the campus and found a nice coffee shop. It was there we ran into our other acquaintances that had flown in (two from Al Udeid, one from Bagram) to help train as well, so we all sat down, kicked back while enjoying a tall Macchiato coffee and shared “war stories.”

Master Sergeant Hurst, from Bagram Air Field here in Afghanistan, is a prior Afghanistan & Iraq veteran like Bixby and I, however, his vehicle was struck with an I.E.D. (hidden roadside bomb) a few years ago and now walks around with a glass eye and visible scars. He begged to remain in the Air Force and in his career field and after much rehabilitation, it was granted. He is an incredible individual and it was a pleasure to get to know him and share stories. It’s these kind of guys that you truly feel uninhibited with while sharing your “own” stories because there is an element of “been there, done that” that you just can’t explain to someone who has no idea. There was a Lieutenant Colonel and a Staff Sergeant also from Al Udeid there and we all laughed and sipped on our coffee, killing time with our stories of the funnier side of war that we’ve all experienced. I can’t explain it, but there is a healing power in rare moments like that. As much as you try to convey to friends and family what it is like to live in a combat zone and live through the gamut of emotions that is “war”, you resolve to yourself that it just isn’t possible. So not having to “prefix” a conversation like that with fellow veterans is nice because that element is already understood. You can skip right past it all and get to the story because they are already feeling what you’re feeling as you recount those past episodes.

Three o’clock finally came and we met back in the Embassy and began unpacking our cool, neat-o, gee-wiz gizmos that they’ll use in their convoys and security details as they transport the Ambassador and other visiting congressional delegates from the United States. It was there that I learned that the reason for our delay in training was they had to handle a “situation” that happened in Kandahar that morning. Apparently there was a kidnapping of a U.S. aid worker and they were getting the intel on that to help find her and her captors. I hope and pray for her and her family that she is found soon.

The training lasted well into the evening, unexpectedly, and Bixby and I now found ourselves having to walk back through downtown Kabul in the dark - NOT exactly what we were expecting nor hoping for! After putting on our many layers and locking and loading, we slowly made the hike back to the ISAF compound here, constantly turning around, covering fire for each other as we kept a look in all directions and behind every corner. When we reached the first security checkpoint at ISAF, I felt the relief rush over me as I gladly whipped out my military I.D. and hastened past the armed Afghani guard. Whew!

I arranged to take Wes and Roger back to see Ismatullah and Abdul again at Bahktar Jewelry a couple days ago because they’ve never had the pleasure of tasting the Coultcha. As we entered, there was an older German officer already in there who enjoys sitting down for a cup of Green Tea on occasion as well. I’ve been in there enough times now that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting this gentleman before, but Wes and Roger were oblivious to this guy's hilarious antics and jokes, so it was a real hoot to all sit down there in that cramped little store and laugh and joke and eat. "So" anticipated and enjoyed are these get-togethers by Ismatullah & Abdul (hereto referred to as Izzy and Abby! *smile*) that they go all out for us sometimes. Not only did they bring the Coultcha, but they also brought out the Eesh-Meesh, a new kind of “Cake” (this time with a jelly-like orange center layer), a new concoction called Gee-bee-lee (think elephant ears covered in sticky, sugary glaze), and then there were these round pastries with a cream center. Izzy tried to pronounce the name to me and I was just having a difficult time understanding…. It sounded something like “Cr-r-reem-a-r-r-r-ro”. After several futile exchanges, Roger chimed in as the light bulb went on and exclaimed in his thick Chicago accent, “He’s saying Cream Roll!!” (LOL!! Here we go again!) We all laughed and then sat down with our cup of Green Tea and spent the next half-hour or so forgetting about the war and how much we missed our loved ones back home. Times like these are so necessary. *sigh* I hope Roger and Wes understand this. It’s not the food I’m there for….. it’s the relationships and the memories and the added benefit of momentarily forgetting that we are stuck here, in another country… away from our kids…our family….. our comfy world as we know it.

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