That map depicts only the locations that the army has sent me not places I've been on my own!
In four months I have been in Germany, Kyrgyzstan and multiple provinces in Afghanistan. I've shared some of the things I've learned and experienced about those countries but what I haven't talked about is all of the other cultures I've experienced by being on a military installation. Between the two different jobs I've had I've been exposed to and worked with members of the British, Australian, Korean, Czech, Jordanian and Egyptian militaries. There are also Polish, Slovakian, Canadian, German and Romanian units along with reps from other countries, I'm sure.
Its quite a spread. It definitely makes you realize that America isn't the only country that is offering aid to Afghanistan!
As you would expect, the British and Australians are the most similar and it's easier for me to learn about them because there is no language barrier. There are, however, lots of entertaining accents! It's harder to talk to everyone else and we have to have most conversations through interpreters. Talking through interpreters is an interesting experience; it's like when you're in middle school, mad at your best friend and you use a third party to argue with one another! The trick though is that you're still supposed to look at the person you're trying to talk to and talk normally. There's no, "tell him" "Will you say.." you're just supposed to have a normal conversation- like a Skype call with a 30 second delay!
I've been seeing and working with some Czechs lately and thankfully two of them speak English, one quite well.
I've never wanted to learn another language (or felt the necessity) quite so strongly. Other than the language barrier we all laugh at a lot of the same things and we all have the same complaints (missing family, dust etc).
Just like how the army brings people from all around the country together and unifies them, bringing people from all over the world and shoving them into Afghanistan unifies them. Nothing helps a bond quite like sharing in the same sucky situation, and it is a good thing that with as many different cultures and beliefs as there are here we all have a common bond. It's especially important because we all live on the same bases and work together in the same overarching chain of command. For instance here the US are ultimately in charge of everyone, but in another province the Polish are the highest authority.
I am extremely pleased to say that I haven't had any negative encounters with anyone from a different military, as a matter of fact some of them go above and beyond to be helpful. The Koreans and Egyptians have their own hospitals here that treat locals as well as their own personnel. The Korean hospital also has a beautiful flower garden along the perimeter that is full of local flowers as well as sun flowers and other plants they've found that can survive the harsh climate! I've also heard loud music and cheering as they participated in what I believe was either a soccer tournament or a field day. The Koreans know how to keep up morale. They aren't the only ones, the Jordanians offered a cultural awareness night where they provided Jordanian food to all attendees and they put on a performance that taught us a good deal more than anyone previously knew about them. We also offer morale events and make sure to keep them open to the public (obviously I use the term public lightly since the only people on the base are military, government or contractors!) and I've seen a handful of foreigners trying out, and enjoying, good ol' American Bar-B-Que :)
Although we were sent here by a common problem and initially bonded over less-than-desirable conditions, anyone that takes the time to talk to the men and women around them will come away from this experience with a plethora of cultural knowledge. Not to mention a new appetite for international dishes!
4 comments:
Much thanks, Tasha! Surely you have some Canadians there, right? It's these sorts of cross-national efforts and exposure that I really enjoying reading about and seeing/hearing.
Great post Natasha. I've always been a bit embarrassed I've never learned a second language. It's definitely on my bucket list. I can just imagine interacting with others on a daily basis who speak a different language. Kinda of Tower of Babel -ish. It's also interesting to hear how other militaries keep up morale and try to foster good will. One of your best post! <3
Why yes there are Canadians and as a matter of fact I talked to one of them last night at the DFAC. He asked where I was from and when I told him, told me his father went to optometry school in Forest Grove, Oregon! Haha he had been there, and to Seaside and Astoria even though he was from Newfoundland which is a Canadian island northeast of New York! He called it the "Mississippi of Canada" because of its socioeconimic standing. Like I said, I learn something new every day.
It's amazing to hear that so many different countries from such far reaching areas are all focused on the same common goal. Love to hear it.
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