Found my way to the FOB!

LT Bullis and I finally made it to our FOB on Christmas Eve.  We actually took a convoy, which was a pretty interesting experience.  I am sure there are many YouTube videos or elsewhere on the internet that show what driving in Afghanistan is like.  It's pretty crazy, folks will pass other vehicles with an oncoming truck close at hand - these people are either fearless or not very smart.  I was also able to see the countryside and some of the local villages, which is unlike anything I've ever seen in America.  It's definitely not the best living conditions out there.  It has become evident to me in the short time that I've been in Afghanistan that America is driving the economy here (at least the legitimate economy).

I've had a few days on my FOB now to settle in.  I share my clinic with brigade behavioral health and we have a few frequent visitors (not patients) that have become good acquaintances.  The current therapist that I am training up with is supposed to leave pretty soon, so I don't have as much time with her to learn the job as I'd hoped.  And the brigade therapist position is definitely a big job - but I am optimistic that I can do a reasonable job, despite my lack of experience.  I hear that's how "fake it till you make it" works.

I've done some running out here but I've developed a cough now - I didn't realize how bad the pollution was (just assumed it was all dust)...so I may be switching to indoor treadmills for most of my runs here.  As boring as they are, I'd like to come back to the US with healthy lungs.  I'm not overly concerned about getting a cough though because everyone I've talked to got a little sick when they first got in country...and then many of them periodically get something.  I'm sure it has a lot to do with being somewhere that's 1) very dirty and 2) entirely new.

On a good note - the food at the dining facility is pretty good.  Okay, it's actually better than I usually eat when I am forced to cook for myself.  So I've been making an extra effort to eat more veggies and fruits, although the occasional holiday treat has snuck on my plate (i.e. a huge piece of pie a la mode).  At least I know that I will be eating pretty well while I'm here.


If anyone wants to put a little package together, some things I could use are...

Airborne Formula - tablets or powder form are fine - I like the orange flavor
Quart zip lock bags
Baby wipes
Cliff Bars - White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
Stride chewing gum - minty flavors
Vanilla Rooibos tea
Neutrogena "Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock"
Nose tissue- especially the kind that are soft with lotion
Lotion - especially thicker hand creams

Also, if you make a package for me, just use grocery bags for padding - I can save those and use them for trash bags.  None of these items are urgent, but if you feel like sending something these are things I can definitely use.

THANK YOU to everyone who has sent me a Christmas card, a letter, or a picture!  It meant SO much to me to get those things the last few days (Candice & Jose, Lindsay & Joe, Ruth & John, Janice & Abe.  It is harder than I thought it would be to be so far from home over the holidays.  I felt very loved getting those cards - so please do not feel that there needs to be a special occasion to send them.  It is and will be the highlight of my day to just get a HELLO.