New Bed (Mattress)

Got a new mattress the other day. If the government paid more than $25 for it they got taken. It is hard as a board but collapses like a deck of cards if you sit on the edge. Then you find yourself sitting on the floor. Luckily I am on the bottom bunk. Some of the guys have fallen out of bed when they roll over in the night. However, this mattress is an improvement over the one I got rid of. You would sink into it and you could feel the metal springs on your back. Needless to say I have had back aches since I have been here.

Yhe weather is heating up here. Ninety-Nine degrees yesterday. Still beats the 115s in Kuwait.

I am in my 4th week here and am still in temporary housing. They have an influx of people here in Afghanistan and we have very little leaving. So they put people up where they can. They have taken over the library and the MWR movie room to house new people. So I guess I should be glad I'm not sleeping on the floor or in an un-air conditioned tent. Augh the pleasures of life!!!!!

Papa Smurf Goes Outside the Wire II

Additional Pictures of my trip outside the wire.

GI Papa Smurf Goes Outside the Wire

Went outside the wire today for the first time since arriving at Camp Eggers. Went for a meeting at the New Kabul Compound. You can see pictures of the compound and the armored vehicle I rode in.

Pictures of Kuwait

Here are pictures I took while in Kuwait but didn't have a cord to download the pictures.

Pictures of Camp Eggers

I have included pictures of Camp Eggers to show you where I live (Douglas House), I eat (Goat House) and Worship (Chapel House). Also, note the bunkers for when there are incoming !!!

Maps of Kabul Afghanistan and Camp Eggers

Here are maps of Kabul, Afghanistan and Camp Eggers. I work in the right bottom corner of the map -- corner house. I sleep on the left bottom corner of the map in Douglas House. Takes 5 minutes to walk to work.

Dining at Camp Eggers

Above is a menu for what we had to eat today at Camp Eggers. There is always plenty of food.

Family Home Evening

The Camp Eggers Branch has FHE on Monday nights at 6 pm. I will be going again tonight for the second time. They have someone teach a lesson. We meet in a small room on the second floor of a small building. The room maybe holds 30 people. It is where a lot of churches hold their services. The larger congregations meet in what is called the clam shell. It is a large tent in the shape of -- you guessed it a "Clam".

The District President ran into me on Sunday afternoon and he said he planned on getting me more involved in the branch -- Yikes I come half way around the world for some down time. Maybe a Home teacher assignment. That would work for me. However, I don't know how anyone could HT me in my current situation. One room with 18 of my new closest friends, no place to sit let alone stand. Maybe out on the patio -- for the Green Bean Coffee Shop across the way.

Church

Went to church today at 11:30 am, after spending 5 hours at work. We had Priesthood/Relief Society together. It lasted 1 hour. A guy gave the lesson. No Sunday School. Took a 10 minute break and then 50 minutes for Sacrament meeting. Two talks and we were done. It was interesting having two guys in Desert Combat Uniforms with side arms blessing the sacrament. The bread we got from the dinning hall. The water had to be poured out of bottled water. No water on Post can be consumed. Not Potable. Got to stand and introduce myself again today. I would imagine I will be speaking in Sacrament meeting shortly as there were about 23 people attending today. You get a lot of opportunities when there are only a few to pick on.

They gave me the Middle Eastern Coin for Church members and a District Conference Video to view. We have FHE on Monday nights at 6 pm. I went last week and enjoyed the time there.

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.

Arrived Safely in Afghanistan

Arrived safely in Bagram AFB, Afghanistan. Flew over on a C-130. Dropped out of the sky and landed -- what an experience. Had to wear my body armor for the trip. For security reasons we left at 2:45 am local time. Was an all night flight. I hope to leave tomorrow for Camp Eggers around 30 minutes away. We fly everywhere here. No driving because of the IEDs.

The weather in Ali Al Salem was horrid. The whole time I was there it was 120-125 degrees with blowing sand -- around 50 mile an hour winds. The heat was so bad that when you went out your skin felt like it was burning. It is as close to hell on earth as you can get.

I have been up for around 3 days straight so I could get a flight out of dodge. I missed my first flight because I think I fell asleep and didn't hear the announcement to get in line for the flight. My luggage came a day early because I missed my flight, but the luggage made the flight. So not only did I have no sleep but no shower and no clothes. I finally broke down and bought a pair shorts/t-shirt and some toiletries so I could clean myself up.

I will be working 7 days a week here. Ten hour days every day except Friday/Sunday -- 5 hours days those days.

Worked 6 days a weeks and 10 hour days at the last place.

I finally got a cord for my computer so I can download pictures. So when I get to my personal computer I will download the pictures.