well im not sure if anyone has heard on the news, but the OCs tank hit a land mine! We were driving close to the base when our entire squadron went into a mine feild! It was crazy, 4 vehicles just missed the same landmine! The track blew off but that was it, everyone was ok. We got everyone out of there, worked all night on the OCs tank and he went out the next morning on it! so it wasnt that bad!
besides that weve been really busy! anyways gota make this short!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
1st month
Well, Im sorry aunty Jan, I know I said I would write journals and post them up but well when I was starting to type them up to put them on my portable hard drive but well its just too much of a pain in the ass!!! So well I will give you a quick blurb of my first couple of weeks here in Afghanistan.
Well, as soon as we got here we were busy. We are staying on the other side of camp as everything else, lol of course. So every chance I got, I raced over to see Mike. We made the most of it, man was it ever good to see him. I was only about to see him for 5 days before I was sent out, but that’s better than nothing, I guess. It was so sad for me to say good bye to him again, Just when I had him back. I can still remember the my first night here. We had to go for a ramp parade! Man is that ever depressing when you first arrive into theatre! Anyways, soon after, I raced over to where his bunk was. I was a little nervous, it had been so long. We had to stop ourselves a couple of times from going to touch each other or to hold hands or call each other babe in public. Well 4 months to go, and we can do whatever we want! Man I cant wait to see him when I get off that bus!
Anyways, enough of that, lol. Well I went out for 12 days before I was sent back. Man I wish I could go out there again! People left you alone, as long as you did your job, people weren’t looking over your shoulder trying to find another job for you! We went to a couple of FOBs (small camps). The one that we were mainly at was nice. It was gorgeous at night! Man the sky lit up with an amazing amount of stars! The mountains look beautiful too! We generally stay in valleys, and there’s a lot of sand and dirt, but there’s also a fair bit of trees! Apparently it takes 4 sticks of dinamite just to try and take one down! Lol I couldn’t believe it when I heard that one. There’s a lot of mud huts around. In the poorer areas the locals live in what looks like mud hut storage units! Its crazy and they have little shops out of these things too.
There’s no showers or fresh food at any of the FOBs or anyway of washing our clothes, so it was interesting trying to clean out the old oil bucket so we could wash our clothes. The American rations was pretty good though! It wasn’t too bad anyways, plus the guys got pop and pop tarts when they wanted. LOL it was good for a laugh though, I brought out a Sunlight bar for my clothes and id scrub at my clothes, smell them before they went on the line to make sure they were clean enough. By the time they would dry, they would smell the same as they did before I washed them! LOL! it’s the dust in the air that does it! You really don’t feel grubby like we do after not showering 3 days in Wainwright. So there is a good chance there will be times where we wont be able to shower for months at a time so at least It wont be as bad as it sounds.
Another good laugh was the locals that came to work at the camp. They would line up at the top of the hill, side by side and crouch, throwing rocks down the hill. that’s all they did all day, clearing the rocks off the hill for a run off ditch, for when it rains ( astonishing but yes it happens! LOL and it pores when it does) but man I got my buddy to take a pic of it. Of course they got paid for it, but man it looked funny. Just throwing rocks down a hill! Im not sure if I can send pics, so I may not be able to attach pics until I get back.
LOL man I had a laugh at the ANA guys (Afghanistan National Army), they just stare at females. Im not sure if anyone’s familiar with their culture, but females have to be fully clothed at all times, you can only see their eyes. Plus they aren’t exactly held in high regard! The ANA would stare and if I stared back they would wave. At first it was very frustrating. They were always watching me and It was a little unsettling. Then I went to tea with the Major and several other members. Well I got a kick out of them. The major was very blunt, didn’t hold back! LOL told one guy he was fat, another that he was weak, and kept on insisting another guy he should have a shower! There was another guy there that I’ve nicknamed dancing hands. I saw him one day with white gloves on waving his hands around and dancing as he was driving. All I could think was, man I bet he’s listening to Michael Jackson, LOL! So needless to say, I got used to them. LOL soon after you’d see them watching even closer, walking along the wall, walking whatever way we were moving, never letting us out of their sight. So interested on what we were doing! Yeah It was good for a laugh. (Aunty Jan, when you asked about the locals, that’s what I was talking about)
Well nothing really happened, I’m sure some are wondering. While I was out, I never had to fire my weapon. I’m sure they were watching. We found out about computers and phones a couple days before we came back. Of course there was retarded drama. This phsychotic lunatic that I was friends with a long time ago, was acting like a raging lunatic again!!! Man, there was some unneeded stress for a bit! She was trying to get into my house as soon as I left to destroy my things. Anyways talking about that nonsense will only make me mad.
I went to the gym tonight and man did it ever feel good!!! Man I went from running over 20km a day and playing rugby up to 5 days a week to absolutely nothing for 2 months! So lets just say I’ve been itching to get back in the gym and I went for a nice run, went on the punching bag for a while! It felt really good, looks like ill be doing it almost every night! Then waking up early to go on the phones and computer.
I went to the market today. LOL yeah, I went Christmas shopping! I think the best gift I got was dads! This I know your going to love! I’m not sure though to send them out before or after. Glenny and Garnette will love what I got for their little ones! Its very cute! Well I Hope everyone likes them. I’m going to try and send things out ASAP so that everyone will get it in plenty of time for Christmas.
Well Mike was so kind to give me his computer for while I’m here. Plus he was so kind to lend me the big beaver and broke back mountain that I sent him (he he he). So I’ve been trying to set things up at my bunk and make things organized. Our sleeping arrangements are interesting. We are in bunk beds in a large building! So the 3 big boxes and 3 backpacks that we brought out, is a lot considering its about 1 ½ feet apart from the next bunk. LOL well as long as I’ve got my things organized I’m okay. Besides its really only 4 months and we aren’t going to be back much anyways, not sure on that one but I’m willing to bet on it! Anyways that’s more or less my first month here.
I think of everyone, especially in my dreams! We have to take malaria pills and man I get some wacky dreams! Yeah I miss everyone. Vero you know I’m talking about you 2!
Yesterday was my moms Birthday. I’ve been thinking about her a lot. I know she’s my guardian angel! So I think If something happens to me out here, its because its my time to go! Anyways, know that I’m thinking about you guys!
Oh if I didn’t say anything before, Kim Wuthe, man I was surprised to see your little note on their! Long time, eh! Well thanks, hope everything is good on your end!
Love Gerri
hey, well im sorry its taken so long but ive been busy and a bit of drama has been happening.
well im single now. I knew it was coming! anyways things are ok though, I go to the gym every chance i get, plus ive got my buddys to keep me laughing! The only problem i have is, when your used to thinking about someone all the time and devoting your time and effort into them, its kind of hard to stop right away. Meh, im sure anyone thats read this knows what im talking about!well on a different note,
I experienced my first rocket attack soon after i wrote my first note, man at 3am! nothing too scary though. weve had about 2 since but nothing close. apparently i was on CTV during remembrance day. man i happened to get stuck behind the OC and the camera was on him most of the time. So of course it was bright out and it looked like i was crying cause my eyes were watering. Of course its a sombre day but no i wasnt crying. we are always busy. glad that we havent had any ramp parades since the first day we got here!!!! Man am i ever glad i brought out my boxing gloves, i worked out for 2hrs today and went nice and hard on the punching bage! It felt really good. went for a run and lifted some weights. so pretty good work out! I wish i could have some more exciting things to add but its not as bad as they make it out in the news. In Aug the Canadians were hit pretty hard but its not vietnam. On that note, all the support that ive gotten has been awsome!!! Ive got a family thats been behind me all the way no matter what ive done, ive got great friends that are behind me all the same. one of these days i'll find a man that will do the same! Anyways i've got a poker game to play.
love you guys!!!Miss you like crazy! I cant wait for my first webcam date with garnette and sanora!!! Thanks for everything!!!
Love Gerri
Well, as soon as we got here we were busy. We are staying on the other side of camp as everything else, lol of course. So every chance I got, I raced over to see Mike. We made the most of it, man was it ever good to see him. I was only about to see him for 5 days before I was sent out, but that’s better than nothing, I guess. It was so sad for me to say good bye to him again, Just when I had him back. I can still remember the my first night here. We had to go for a ramp parade! Man is that ever depressing when you first arrive into theatre! Anyways, soon after, I raced over to where his bunk was. I was a little nervous, it had been so long. We had to stop ourselves a couple of times from going to touch each other or to hold hands or call each other babe in public. Well 4 months to go, and we can do whatever we want! Man I cant wait to see him when I get off that bus!
Anyways, enough of that, lol. Well I went out for 12 days before I was sent back. Man I wish I could go out there again! People left you alone, as long as you did your job, people weren’t looking over your shoulder trying to find another job for you! We went to a couple of FOBs (small camps). The one that we were mainly at was nice. It was gorgeous at night! Man the sky lit up with an amazing amount of stars! The mountains look beautiful too! We generally stay in valleys, and there’s a lot of sand and dirt, but there’s also a fair bit of trees! Apparently it takes 4 sticks of dinamite just to try and take one down! Lol I couldn’t believe it when I heard that one. There’s a lot of mud huts around. In the poorer areas the locals live in what looks like mud hut storage units! Its crazy and they have little shops out of these things too.
There’s no showers or fresh food at any of the FOBs or anyway of washing our clothes, so it was interesting trying to clean out the old oil bucket so we could wash our clothes. The American rations was pretty good though! It wasn’t too bad anyways, plus the guys got pop and pop tarts when they wanted. LOL it was good for a laugh though, I brought out a Sunlight bar for my clothes and id scrub at my clothes, smell them before they went on the line to make sure they were clean enough. By the time they would dry, they would smell the same as they did before I washed them! LOL! it’s the dust in the air that does it! You really don’t feel grubby like we do after not showering 3 days in Wainwright. So there is a good chance there will be times where we wont be able to shower for months at a time so at least It wont be as bad as it sounds.
Another good laugh was the locals that came to work at the camp. They would line up at the top of the hill, side by side and crouch, throwing rocks down the hill. that’s all they did all day, clearing the rocks off the hill for a run off ditch, for when it rains ( astonishing but yes it happens! LOL and it pores when it does) but man I got my buddy to take a pic of it. Of course they got paid for it, but man it looked funny. Just throwing rocks down a hill! Im not sure if I can send pics, so I may not be able to attach pics until I get back.
LOL man I had a laugh at the ANA guys (Afghanistan National Army), they just stare at females. Im not sure if anyone’s familiar with their culture, but females have to be fully clothed at all times, you can only see their eyes. Plus they aren’t exactly held in high regard! The ANA would stare and if I stared back they would wave. At first it was very frustrating. They were always watching me and It was a little unsettling. Then I went to tea with the Major and several other members. Well I got a kick out of them. The major was very blunt, didn’t hold back! LOL told one guy he was fat, another that he was weak, and kept on insisting another guy he should have a shower! There was another guy there that I’ve nicknamed dancing hands. I saw him one day with white gloves on waving his hands around and dancing as he was driving. All I could think was, man I bet he’s listening to Michael Jackson, LOL! So needless to say, I got used to them. LOL soon after you’d see them watching even closer, walking along the wall, walking whatever way we were moving, never letting us out of their sight. So interested on what we were doing! Yeah It was good for a laugh. (Aunty Jan, when you asked about the locals, that’s what I was talking about)
Well nothing really happened, I’m sure some are wondering. While I was out, I never had to fire my weapon. I’m sure they were watching. We found out about computers and phones a couple days before we came back. Of course there was retarded drama. This phsychotic lunatic that I was friends with a long time ago, was acting like a raging lunatic again!!! Man, there was some unneeded stress for a bit! She was trying to get into my house as soon as I left to destroy my things. Anyways talking about that nonsense will only make me mad.
I went to the gym tonight and man did it ever feel good!!! Man I went from running over 20km a day and playing rugby up to 5 days a week to absolutely nothing for 2 months! So lets just say I’ve been itching to get back in the gym and I went for a nice run, went on the punching bag for a while! It felt really good, looks like ill be doing it almost every night! Then waking up early to go on the phones and computer.
I went to the market today. LOL yeah, I went Christmas shopping! I think the best gift I got was dads! This I know your going to love! I’m not sure though to send them out before or after. Glenny and Garnette will love what I got for their little ones! Its very cute! Well I Hope everyone likes them. I’m going to try and send things out ASAP so that everyone will get it in plenty of time for Christmas.
Well Mike was so kind to give me his computer for while I’m here. Plus he was so kind to lend me the big beaver and broke back mountain that I sent him (he he he). So I’ve been trying to set things up at my bunk and make things organized. Our sleeping arrangements are interesting. We are in bunk beds in a large building! So the 3 big boxes and 3 backpacks that we brought out, is a lot considering its about 1 ½ feet apart from the next bunk. LOL well as long as I’ve got my things organized I’m okay. Besides its really only 4 months and we aren’t going to be back much anyways, not sure on that one but I’m willing to bet on it! Anyways that’s more or less my first month here.
I think of everyone, especially in my dreams! We have to take malaria pills and man I get some wacky dreams! Yeah I miss everyone. Vero you know I’m talking about you 2!
Yesterday was my moms Birthday. I’ve been thinking about her a lot. I know she’s my guardian angel! So I think If something happens to me out here, its because its my time to go! Anyways, know that I’m thinking about you guys!
Oh if I didn’t say anything before, Kim Wuthe, man I was surprised to see your little note on their! Long time, eh! Well thanks, hope everything is good on your end!
Love Gerri
hey, well im sorry its taken so long but ive been busy and a bit of drama has been happening.
well im single now. I knew it was coming! anyways things are ok though, I go to the gym every chance i get, plus ive got my buddys to keep me laughing! The only problem i have is, when your used to thinking about someone all the time and devoting your time and effort into them, its kind of hard to stop right away. Meh, im sure anyone thats read this knows what im talking about!well on a different note,
I experienced my first rocket attack soon after i wrote my first note, man at 3am! nothing too scary though. weve had about 2 since but nothing close. apparently i was on CTV during remembrance day. man i happened to get stuck behind the OC and the camera was on him most of the time. So of course it was bright out and it looked like i was crying cause my eyes were watering. Of course its a sombre day but no i wasnt crying. we are always busy. glad that we havent had any ramp parades since the first day we got here!!!! Man am i ever glad i brought out my boxing gloves, i worked out for 2hrs today and went nice and hard on the punching bage! It felt really good. went for a run and lifted some weights. so pretty good work out! I wish i could have some more exciting things to add but its not as bad as they make it out in the news. In Aug the Canadians were hit pretty hard but its not vietnam. On that note, all the support that ive gotten has been awsome!!! Ive got a family thats been behind me all the way no matter what ive done, ive got great friends that are behind me all the same. one of these days i'll find a man that will do the same! Anyways i've got a poker game to play.
love you guys!!!Miss you like crazy! I cant wait for my first webcam date with garnette and sanora!!! Thanks for everything!!!
Love Gerri
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