Camp Eggers -- Or My Camping Trip

Arrived at Camp Eggers on 3 July 2009. I flew in from Bagram AFB (30 Miles north of Kabul, Afghanistan). It's all of a 12 minutes flight. We fly everywhere because of the chance of IEDs on convoys. However, still required to wear full individual body armor (IBAs), including helmet for the flight.

Camp Eggers is about 400 yards in diameter. I am staying temporarily in the Douglas House (men on the first floor and women upstairs (separate entrances)) -- a small room where they house around 30 guys temporarily until they can step up to a semi-private room the size of a jail cell that you share with a total stranger (new close friend). The apartment opens into a public area where you must walk through to get to the public restroom where you shower. We have a sink and toilet in our room but no shower. Across from my room is a "Green bean" shop (Coffee Shop), and the MWR (Internet cafe and Movie room). So all the amenities all within walking distance.

The DFAC (Dining facility) is a short 50 feet the other way and the PX is further up the street from there.

My office is in the Corner House -- a small house on the corner of the base -- aptly named. I work on the second floor in one of the two rooms. I share the room with a total of 5 other people (5 men and one woman). Not much room for anything else. It takes around 5/10 minutes to walk to work -- depending on how fast I walk.

I found the church faster than at Camp Arifjan. It so happens the guy that works for CALIBRE Corp here is a member too. So he told me all about it. They meet on Friday's from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Priesthood/RS first hour and sacrament meeting the second hour. Either the RS or Priesthood teach the lesson in RS/PH. They have around 50 members that attend. They are a branch, with their own branch president. The employee with CALIBRE is the Branch Clerk.

Since I work 7 days a week I only get two afternoons off. Today being one of them so I am trying to get caught up on my Blog.

I promise I will send some pictures as soon as I get them downloaded.

It seems like everywhere I go the power systems/cords are different. I now have to find some power converters/cords to fit the new place here so I can plug my computer into the outlet. The PX is out of the adapters so I have to wait for the next shipment to come in.

The weather here is nice. It's been in the 70s/80s during the day and 50s/60s during the night. It also has rained here -- something it didn't do in Kuwait.

The altitude is around 6,000 feet a little higher than Denver (5,200) and SLC (4,500). So I have been huffing and puffing around getting used to the altitude.

I must say they feed me well. Last night we had T-Bone steak and Prons. Today for lunch we had Chicken Cordon Bleu. Well you get the idea. Good food and lots of it.

When we drove in from KIA (Kabul International Airport) I couldn't believe the squalor. I had never seen anything that primitive. It's really sad.