*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
*BEE-*
I try to push the little button on my watch to turn the alarm off. Successfully stopped, I instinctively reach for the computer so I can say goodnight to Rachel back in the states. A quick conversation later and I am using the light from the laptop to peer into my closet so I can find my PT uniform. If you are out exercising anytime between 0500 and 0800 and are active duty Army the PT uniform must be worn. I try to stay quiet as I shuffle around, as not to wake my roomate, and put on my black wind pants, short sleeve ARMY t-shirt, and the ubiquitous PT belt. The PT belt must be worn with the PT uniform and anytime that it is dark outside. The PT belt is a reflective, glow-in-the-dark belt that can be worn around the waist or slung around your shoulder. If it is slung around your shoulder it must go from left to right (Over left shoulder going to the right).
I walk down the long corridor from my room to the bathroom. I live in a converted warehouse. No windows and the structure built to maximize space. There is a skinny hallway running along the perimeter of my quadrant. The quadrant is rectangular, about 150m long and 30m wide. Inside the perimeter hallway there are 12 short hallways going to the long hallway on the other side. The bathrooms are on hallway B12 and my room is on the B3 hallway. That means that I am a good hundred meters (football field) from the bathrooms. That is a LOOOOOONG hike in the middle of the night when you have to utilize. Needless to say, I try not to drink anything after dinner.
I brush my teeth and shave, take the hike back to my room to put away my stuff in my closet and exit the room so I can conduct Physical Fitness Training. "My room mate is lazy", I think to myself as I slam the door hard to wake him up as I leave to go on my run. He's going home in a couple of days so he doesn't do PT nor does he have to go to work. I guess I am sore that I am running and working a 7 day week while he just lays around all day. I make the long walk towards the bathrooms again because that is where the exit door is. The exit door is marked by a bright green "EXIT" sign with the Arabic translation underneath it. I exit and take my first breath of the Kuwaiti morning air. I wish I could say it was fresh, but it is heavy with exhaust from all of the generators running all night. The mornings are very cool and comfortable. It's humid and in the 50's and the cool breeze tickles my neck as I make my walk to where I will run. It's still dark outside, but the hundreds of lights on generators make it feel like it's daytime. I go walk back to Zone 1 where I run around the perimeter of the Zone. I used to live in Zone 1 when I first got here and that is where I learned that the perimeter is exactly a mile. It's a 5 minute walk and once I cross the main boulevard, I arrive. I find a nice place to stretch my legs and warm up. Once I feel loose I start running and let my mind wander.
I think about how the girls and Rachel are doing and how I can't wait to be back there to be Daddy and husband again. I know I am missing my daughters birthday in a couple months and the loss of her first tooth. I think about my other daughter and her princess world she lives in. Her goal in life right now is to grow up to be a princess and live in a castle. And, of course, my youngest daughter. Missing how she learns new ways to say things everyday and her cute dances she does as she sings, "Dooo doo dooooo". Thoughts of Rachel being a single Mom having to get all the kids ready in the morning, making all of their food, washing their clothes and working herself to the bone. Even giving up her personal time so I can pursue a career with the Army. She is absolutely amazing and I know I could never take her for granted. I think about my parents and sister back in Minnesota and how cold it must be there. I realize how I have probably lost my hardiness to the sub zero temperatures of the Northern winters and that makes me feel a little sad. As a Minnesotan I am proud to say that I live through -20F temperatures in January and February and the snowfalls of 12+ inches. I decide that the experience of being deployed is worth the hiatus of winter for 4 years.
I snap back to reality when I smell bacon and eggs from the DFAC. I know that just one more time around the perimeter and I can go back to Zone 2, where I live, to eat a nice hardy breakfast. The sun is starting to peek over the horizon in another spectacular show brought by Mother Nature. All the pollution in the air here creates brilliant sunrises. It's a little treat for getting out and being productive before it comes up. I like to think of it as my own private show. I finish up my two mile run as the sky explodes with reds, oranges and yellows while the blues and purples of night fade away on the other side of the sky.
My cool down is the walk back to Zone 2. I feel very refreshed and energized as I take my time walking back. I will have one of those, "WOW" moments as I remember exactly where in the world I am and what I am doing with my life. I jokingly imagine myself at 29 going back in time to talk to myself at 19. I would probably have found myself at a Perkins at 2am with a large group of slacker friends.
"Hey, John...it's me, yourself from the future...Just wanted to say in 10 years you will be deployed with the Army in Kuwait with a pregnant wife and three daughters at home."
My 19 year old self probably would have fallen over laughing never thinking he would amount to all of that. Or he would have just fainted. hahah Well...goes to show you really can do anything you want as long as you put your mind up to it.
I reach my warehouse and make the hike from the entrance to the door to my room. I go in and, of course, the roommate is still sleeping. "REALLY!?", I think to myself, "He was asleep at 2000 last night". Shaking my head I rummage through the closet for the computer. I use the laptop again for light as I get my shower stuff and clean clothes. I make the trek to the bathroom and shower off the sweat and dust I have accumulated from my run. Breakfast is number one priority on the mind so I quickly get my ACU's on and walk to the DFAC.
Zone 2 DFAC is a large structure build from corrugated metal. It is nestled in the middle of a small community of more corrugated metal buildings, all with matching metal roofs. The whole commercial area is built on coarse gravel. The surrounding structures are much smaller. There's the shopette PX first, then Panda chinese food, Subway, Green Beans Coffee, Pizza city, barber shop, salon, mini-bazaar, qnet and a few administrative buildings. The DFAC is known for their great breakfasts and they have yet to fail me. All of the food here is GREAT. There's a smaller room in front of the DFAC with 6 sinks in it. It is mandatory to wash hands before eating, so you wash your hands then walk up a small staircase and enter the Dining Facility. I get my ID scanned so they know I can't come in again for seconds. All of the workers are what people call "TCN's" or Third Country Nationals. Since Kuwait runs the whole Camp they hire workers from third world countries. It's a mix of workers from India, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines. I get my tray and silverware and to go the omelet bar. The worker quickly executes my ham, cheese and green pepper confection and sends me down the line to get my sides. I am feeling bacon-y today so I get some bacon and a biscuit. I grab a bottle of water and, of course, coffee. The DFAC is divided by TVs. One side is the fox news channel, and the other side is CNN. I giggle to myself as I sit down on the Fox News side for some great morning entertainment. One side must leave breakfast thinking Obama is trying hard and doing the best he can, while the other side must leave, excited to join the republican domination that is forecasted in 2012. Full of yummy eggs and hot coffee I make my way out of the DFAC and back to the room for the last time of the day to get my security pass to get into my work complex.
I get into my room, open the closet and take a minute to organize all of my stuff, make the bed, sweep the floors and throw away any trash I have laying around. I grab my ID and as I walk out I almost trip over the roommates clothes he has strewn everywhere. He is passed out, face down in bed, with his laptop still open and his role playing game still on. His character is just standing there in his fantasy world. Another shake of my head and I exit. Again, I give the door an extra hard slam to let him know it's almost 0900 and I am going off to be a productive member of the Army while he wastes his life away in bed.
I open the door to the outside world and the sun blinds me. I put my hat down further to shield my eyes and I squintily walk around my warehouse. I reach the road that goes behind the building and turn right. As I walk along the road I pass two more warehouses that are surrounded by a 20ft tall fence with barbed wire spiraling across the top, running the whole perimeter. It looks like a prison within the secure camp I live on. I go to the small security shack that's situated between the two warehouses on the outside of the perimeter. I enter and I am happily greeted by two armed guards who check my security badge and military ID. I am waved through to the other side and now I am inside one of most secured places in Kuwait. My badge is yellow which shows I have a secret clearance, so I can freely walk through the compound and not get hassled by the roving security that roams the complex. I walk into my building and navigate the maze of cubicles, wires and computers until I reach my office. We are in the very back of the building and I use my key to get into the office, sit down at my computer and start the process of checking mail and entering in packets that we have recieved since 1800 the night before.
And that is an average morning.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
*BEE-*
I try to push the little button on my watch to turn the alarm off. Successfully stopped, I instinctively reach for the computer so I can say goodnight to Rachel back in the states. A quick conversation later and I am using the light from the laptop to peer into my closet so I can find my PT uniform. If you are out exercising anytime between 0500 and 0800 and are active duty Army the PT uniform must be worn. I try to stay quiet as I shuffle around, as not to wake my roomate, and put on my black wind pants, short sleeve ARMY t-shirt, and the ubiquitous PT belt. The PT belt must be worn with the PT uniform and anytime that it is dark outside. The PT belt is a reflective, glow-in-the-dark belt that can be worn around the waist or slung around your shoulder. If it is slung around your shoulder it must go from left to right (Over left shoulder going to the right).
I walk down the long corridor from my room to the bathroom. I live in a converted warehouse. No windows and the structure built to maximize space. There is a skinny hallway running along the perimeter of my quadrant. The quadrant is rectangular, about 150m long and 30m wide. Inside the perimeter hallway there are 12 short hallways going to the long hallway on the other side. The bathrooms are on hallway B12 and my room is on the B3 hallway. That means that I am a good hundred meters (football field) from the bathrooms. That is a LOOOOOONG hike in the middle of the night when you have to utilize. Needless to say, I try not to drink anything after dinner.
I brush my teeth and shave, take the hike back to my room to put away my stuff in my closet and exit the room so I can conduct Physical Fitness Training. "My room mate is lazy", I think to myself as I slam the door hard to wake him up as I leave to go on my run. He's going home in a couple of days so he doesn't do PT nor does he have to go to work. I guess I am sore that I am running and working a 7 day week while he just lays around all day. I make the long walk towards the bathrooms again because that is where the exit door is. The exit door is marked by a bright green "EXIT" sign with the Arabic translation underneath it. I exit and take my first breath of the Kuwaiti morning air. I wish I could say it was fresh, but it is heavy with exhaust from all of the generators running all night. The mornings are very cool and comfortable. It's humid and in the 50's and the cool breeze tickles my neck as I make my walk to where I will run. It's still dark outside, but the hundreds of lights on generators make it feel like it's daytime. I go walk back to Zone 1 where I run around the perimeter of the Zone. I used to live in Zone 1 when I first got here and that is where I learned that the perimeter is exactly a mile. It's a 5 minute walk and once I cross the main boulevard, I arrive. I find a nice place to stretch my legs and warm up. Once I feel loose I start running and let my mind wander.
I think about how the girls and Rachel are doing and how I can't wait to be back there to be Daddy and husband again. I know I am missing my daughters birthday in a couple months and the loss of her first tooth. I think about my other daughter and her princess world she lives in. Her goal in life right now is to grow up to be a princess and live in a castle. And, of course, my youngest daughter. Missing how she learns new ways to say things everyday and her cute dances she does as she sings, "Dooo doo dooooo". Thoughts of Rachel being a single Mom having to get all the kids ready in the morning, making all of their food, washing their clothes and working herself to the bone. Even giving up her personal time so I can pursue a career with the Army. She is absolutely amazing and I know I could never take her for granted. I think about my parents and sister back in Minnesota and how cold it must be there. I realize how I have probably lost my hardiness to the sub zero temperatures of the Northern winters and that makes me feel a little sad. As a Minnesotan I am proud to say that I live through -20F temperatures in January and February and the snowfalls of 12+ inches. I decide that the experience of being deployed is worth the hiatus of winter for 4 years.
I snap back to reality when I smell bacon and eggs from the DFAC. I know that just one more time around the perimeter and I can go back to Zone 2, where I live, to eat a nice hardy breakfast. The sun is starting to peek over the horizon in another spectacular show brought by Mother Nature. All the pollution in the air here creates brilliant sunrises. It's a little treat for getting out and being productive before it comes up. I like to think of it as my own private show. I finish up my two mile run as the sky explodes with reds, oranges and yellows while the blues and purples of night fade away on the other side of the sky.
My cool down is the walk back to Zone 2. I feel very refreshed and energized as I take my time walking back. I will have one of those, "WOW" moments as I remember exactly where in the world I am and what I am doing with my life. I jokingly imagine myself at 29 going back in time to talk to myself at 19. I would probably have found myself at a Perkins at 2am with a large group of slacker friends.
"Hey, John...it's me, yourself from the future...Just wanted to say in 10 years you will be deployed with the Army in Kuwait with a pregnant wife and three daughters at home."
My 19 year old self probably would have fallen over laughing never thinking he would amount to all of that. Or he would have just fainted. hahah Well...goes to show you really can do anything you want as long as you put your mind up to it.
I reach my warehouse and make the hike from the entrance to the door to my room. I go in and, of course, the roommate is still sleeping. "REALLY!?", I think to myself, "He was asleep at 2000 last night". Shaking my head I rummage through the closet for the computer. I use the laptop again for light as I get my shower stuff and clean clothes. I make the trek to the bathroom and shower off the sweat and dust I have accumulated from my run. Breakfast is number one priority on the mind so I quickly get my ACU's on and walk to the DFAC.
Zone 2 DFAC is a large structure build from corrugated metal. It is nestled in the middle of a small community of more corrugated metal buildings, all with matching metal roofs. The whole commercial area is built on coarse gravel. The surrounding structures are much smaller. There's the shopette PX first, then Panda chinese food, Subway, Green Beans Coffee, Pizza city, barber shop, salon, mini-bazaar, qnet and a few administrative buildings. The DFAC is known for their great breakfasts and they have yet to fail me. All of the food here is GREAT. There's a smaller room in front of the DFAC with 6 sinks in it. It is mandatory to wash hands before eating, so you wash your hands then walk up a small staircase and enter the Dining Facility. I get my ID scanned so they know I can't come in again for seconds. All of the workers are what people call "TCN's" or Third Country Nationals. Since Kuwait runs the whole Camp they hire workers from third world countries. It's a mix of workers from India, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines. I get my tray and silverware and to go the omelet bar. The worker quickly executes my ham, cheese and green pepper confection and sends me down the line to get my sides. I am feeling bacon-y today so I get some bacon and a biscuit. I grab a bottle of water and, of course, coffee. The DFAC is divided by TVs. One side is the fox news channel, and the other side is CNN. I giggle to myself as I sit down on the Fox News side for some great morning entertainment. One side must leave breakfast thinking Obama is trying hard and doing the best he can, while the other side must leave, excited to join the republican domination that is forecasted in 2012. Full of yummy eggs and hot coffee I make my way out of the DFAC and back to the room for the last time of the day to get my security pass to get into my work complex.
I get into my room, open the closet and take a minute to organize all of my stuff, make the bed, sweep the floors and throw away any trash I have laying around. I grab my ID and as I walk out I almost trip over the roommates clothes he has strewn everywhere. He is passed out, face down in bed, with his laptop still open and his role playing game still on. His character is just standing there in his fantasy world. Another shake of my head and I exit. Again, I give the door an extra hard slam to let him know it's almost 0900 and I am going off to be a productive member of the Army while he wastes his life away in bed.
I open the door to the outside world and the sun blinds me. I put my hat down further to shield my eyes and I squintily walk around my warehouse. I reach the road that goes behind the building and turn right. As I walk along the road I pass two more warehouses that are surrounded by a 20ft tall fence with barbed wire spiraling across the top, running the whole perimeter. It looks like a prison within the secure camp I live on. I go to the small security shack that's situated between the two warehouses on the outside of the perimeter. I enter and I am happily greeted by two armed guards who check my security badge and military ID. I am waved through to the other side and now I am inside one of most secured places in Kuwait. My badge is yellow which shows I have a secret clearance, so I can freely walk through the compound and not get hassled by the roving security that roams the complex. I walk into my building and navigate the maze of cubicles, wires and computers until I reach my office. We are in the very back of the building and I use my key to get into the office, sit down at my computer and start the process of checking mail and entering in packets that we have recieved since 1800 the night before.
And that is an average morning.
1 comment:
Fascinating!
As far as it being cold here, there was a heat wave the other day. 32 degrees! I considered wearing a sundress and flip-flops!
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