So I guess its been just over 2 weeks since I got here. I've pretty busy with the transition and getting settled into a routine here, so I put off blogging until something exciting happened. After all, no one really wants to hear about my daily life (which consists of sleeping, working out, eating, working, and more working out). It is like groundhogs day here. I even eat the same thing almost everyday. I'm sure that surprises no one. We will see how long that last. Anyways, I will go into more detail about everyday life here when I run out of interesting things to talk about. But for now, I will tell you the story of my first time going off the post and into the wild of Kuwait...
A couple days ago, we got a tasking to have our public affairs noncommissioned officer go up to Camp Beuhring to take pictures of the Virginia State governor's visit to Kuwait. Since I am that Soldier's supervisor, I volunteered to go with her. Partially to help her take pictures/interview people, since I have newspaper experience, and partially because I just wanted to freaking leave and see Kuwait. After talking to some people, I convinced them it was best for everyone if I went on the trip, and so it was settled- SGT Felix and I would go up to Buehring to see the governor, but we would also take our commander and first sergeant with us so they could explore the area too. This turned out to be in our favor, as a stop at Ali Aslem was added to our itinerary, allowing us to leave around 10 and be gone for the whole day. Score. I was getting bored of the office anyways.
So we all pack into the commander's truck at 1000 and hit the road. As soon as we drove off post, I immediately noticed there was a plethora of sand. I knew it was everywhere on post, but I hadn't realized that it literally stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. We saw some small cities, and the houses were very different than anything I was used to- they were very squat and square. Not what you would call architectural masterpieces. Anyways, we drove by a couple of towns, but eventually turned off onto a road that just went on into the desert for as long as the eye could see. There was literally nothing but sand in every direction. Every now and then, you would see a nomad in a trailer. I wonder how they sustain themselves. Where do they get food and water in the middle of the desert? Our best guess is that they were camel herders, but no one really knew where these people came from. One notable thing about the desert highway was every couple miles you would see a dead or decomposing camel on the side of the road. I can only assume they were hit by cars at night, as there is no other logical explanation for all the dead camels. At one point we passed a particularly intact camel, and decided to stop and take a picture (in case we didn't get a chance to see any live ones)
A couple days ago, we got a tasking to have our public affairs noncommissioned officer go up to Camp Beuhring to take pictures of the Virginia State governor's visit to Kuwait. Since I am that Soldier's supervisor, I volunteered to go with her. Partially to help her take pictures/interview people, since I have newspaper experience, and partially because I just wanted to freaking leave and see Kuwait. After talking to some people, I convinced them it was best for everyone if I went on the trip, and so it was settled- SGT Felix and I would go up to Buehring to see the governor, but we would also take our commander and first sergeant with us so they could explore the area too. This turned out to be in our favor, as a stop at Ali Aslem was added to our itinerary, allowing us to leave around 10 and be gone for the whole day. Score. I was getting bored of the office anyways.
So we all pack into the commander's truck at 1000 and hit the road. As soon as we drove off post, I immediately noticed there was a plethora of sand. I knew it was everywhere on post, but I hadn't realized that it literally stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. We saw some small cities, and the houses were very different than anything I was used to- they were very squat and square. Not what you would call architectural masterpieces. Anyways, we drove by a couple of towns, but eventually turned off onto a road that just went on into the desert for as long as the eye could see. There was literally nothing but sand in every direction. Every now and then, you would see a nomad in a trailer. I wonder how they sustain themselves. Where do they get food and water in the middle of the desert? Our best guess is that they were camel herders, but no one really knew where these people came from. One notable thing about the desert highway was every couple miles you would see a dead or decomposing camel on the side of the road. I can only assume they were hit by cars at night, as there is no other logical explanation for all the dead camels. At one point we passed a particularly intact camel, and decided to stop and take a picture (in case we didn't get a chance to see any live ones)
It was hilarious. Not funny that the camel was dead, but funny that 4 Army soliders were just standing around taking pictures of a dead camel. We need a new hobby. After the camel photo op, we drove another half hour and finally arrived at Ali Asalem to visit our two soliders that are tasked on mission there to work with military dogs. It was really cool to see the kennels, dogs, and trainers. I wish I could have gotten tasked for that mission, but unfortunately as the S1 I am too important to get tasked off base. The highlight of our trip to Ali Asalem was lunch, which was at a restaurant on post that served traditional Kuwaiti food. At first I was a little apprehensive, but our first sergent convinced me it was delicious. He was right. I had the chicken swarma, which is basically a chicken wrap with a ton of delicious spices and stuff in it. SUPER DELICIOUS. After lunch we hit the road again, and luck was on our side. We saw real camels. Live ones.
As you can see they are really sanitary creatures that love to eat the trash people have dumped on the side of the road. Unfortunately, my commander said I was not allowed to get out to pet and/or ride them. Party pooper. The rest of the ride to Buehring was pretty uneventful, but it still was fun to just look out the window at the desert. It's beautiful in its own way, although I can see how it would get tedious to drive hours through it. I can't imagine how people walked through it before cars. It's so hot and empty and endless. When we finally got to Buehring, we got to listen to the governor speak for about an hour. He was well spoken (for a Republican). He also did a rather lengthy question and answer session for any Virginia residents who wanted to stay and ask things. He touched on everything from VA benefits to the tolls they are imposing on the tunnels right by my house. It was pretty interesting. He also posed for pictures with anyone who wanted them, and let us fill out a paper where he will send a letter of encouragement to your loved one (mom/dad expect a letter from the VA governor in a bit).
That's my commander and first sergent with the governor. As you can tell, my commander is way to cool to smile for pictures. After the governor visit, we stopped by Green Bean on the way off post to get delicious coffee smoothies for the drive back. Green Bean is slowly growing on me. I still will always love Starbucks, but I love the protein smoothie Green Bean does. The ride home was uneventful. Same scenery, different time. Although, I believe we missed three turns on the way back, so it took almost twice as long. I was neither driving nor navigating, so I take no blame for that. The commander and first sergeant said they had it covered. Yeah right. Luckily, our little detours took us past McDonalds, and I got a picture with the Kuwaiti Ronald.
We really aren't supposed to stop anywhere public in uniform, but I pretended I had to pee so we could get pictures. It was fun. I had a lot of fun the whole day. The trip took longer than it should have because of getting lost and fooling around, but it was so nice to get out of my little tent. And it was good company too. I love my commander and first sergeant. They are good people. As is SGT Felix. Good people always make road trips better. Needless to say, I will be volunteering to go on as many trips outside of post as possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment