Mi casa

I've finally settled in, for the most part. This base has some noted improvements from the last one, but also some glaring downgrades. When I say downgrades I mean, my office doesn't have running water and we use portapotties. Literally. Also, our office building in the compound used to be a soviet era crematorium! The guys joke about turning the lights off and turning on their nods to try and find ghosts... The good ol' army always gives you a story to tell, if nothing else.

Aside from the crematorium randomly losing power occasionally, sometimes for up to 4 hours, it's a good space. Our desks are freshly made out of plywood and 2x4s so there's a nice sawdust aroma in the office. I actually like the smell of sawdust, it reminds me of home improvement projects when I was a kid, and it sure beats the smell of sweaty dudes! You just have to watch out for splinters while you're working. 

The worst part about our office is the lack of running water. I don't mind using the portapotties, mostly because there is one that's just for women (and there are only 3 of us) and its cleaned daily. But I hate not being able to wash my hands! I use bath and body works pocket bac religiously, but every healthcare provider and good mom knows that hand sanitizer just doesn't beat a good hand washing. And because my mother was both (and because I don't like dirt caked on my hands and under my nails) I  have a bottle of soap sitting on my desk so that I can take it and a water bottle outside and wash my hands throughout the day. I'm not trying to get some illness from poor hygiene! That would be terrible out here, especially with no Matt to take care of me! 

Aside from all of the negative, there are some perks to the new base. The first being the DFAC. This one has fruit! Not just the same apples and yellow oranges every day, but bananas, peaches, strawberries and grapes too! Fruit is a main staple of my diet, especially in the summer. They also have v8 juice, so I can get my veggies in without having to worry about being poisoned with insecticides and fertilizers that are illegal in the US! I can't accurately describe just how happy I was to see fruits and v8 juice. It made my day, seriously. 

The next perk is the weather. Being up north we've got a higher elevation and the day I flew in it was about 15° cooler than KAF! So I don't sweat when I walk to work in the morning! And the air is clear. You don't breathe in poop-particles from the sewage plant, or constant dust and pollution. It really makes a huge difference on how you feel both physically and mentally. 

Finally, although my room is not close to a bathroom or shower (ughhh), it is semi-private! By that I mean even though its a crappy building with 8 girls in it, there are little plywood walls that make tiny Harry Potter sized rooms for everyone! 

I don't have drawers anymore, but I do have a plywood and towel/wool blanket wall between me and the person next to me! 

And I might have had to leave my carpet behind and been unable to find any for sale here (huge bummer), but I do have a shelf and a mirror!

I saved the best for last.. My prized possession, my Mona Lisa, my full length mirror!!! 

Go ahead and laugh. My bed may come up to my ribcage, and I've got about 3 feet of visual privacy, but no auditory privacy but I do have quiet roommates. QUIET ROOMMATES!! I gladly gave up the convenience of the cauliflower bathroom down the hall to start getting uninterrupted nights of sleep! Now the only thing that wakes me up at night is when I have to go pee... And yes, I feel every ounce of that irony as I walk out to the portapotties, guided by a cell phone flashlight app in the middle of the night!

All in all, I am very happy with my new location and even happier to be having a positive impact at work. 

Tune in next time for an in-depth look at the inner workings of the Bagram Bazaar!

...just kidding- I have no idea what I'm going to write about next time. Although, I am considering checking out the bazaar at some point this week to see if there are any potential souvenirs for the kids. I'll keep you posted-