Returning to the Afghan Life

Josh is getting back into the swing of things in Afghanistan, though things seem different now. When he returned two of the other men in his truck had just left for their leave, and therefore things were not "normal". ("What is normal?") Josh's truck was not in the same condition as he left it. After taking the time to make sure everything was "just so" day after day, returning to anything but that was a bit frustrating for him. He called me on Saturday and he had it back at the maintenance hut getting it "tweaked". The other two men had also returned from their leave. We have learned that moods, motivation, and morale change drastically after leave, and in a variety of ways for each person. Some return more depressed than others, while some come back and have a new outlook and perspective on what really matters, using the proximity to returning home as motivation to just finish their job.

Oddly, as close as they are to China, the opening ceremonies were not aired until August 9 for them. He was hoping that some of the duties would coincide with an opportunity to watch some of the Olympic games.

In an e-mail late last week, he wrote, "It has been cloudy or smoggy, not sure which one for the last two days, but it helps to kill some of the sun's intensity, but it is still wickedly hot." Wickedly!

Josh and I purchased some items while he was home that finally arrived for him last week. It's amazing to think that those 9" plastic fans we buy for college that barely blows enough air are now such a relief in the place where he is. He loves his little fan. The person who will move into his room when he leaves will be in for a treat. There is no way that Josh can bring everything home, not that he wants to at all. He decided that he will leave his things - fan, the rug, chair, etc. for the next group to use. Anything to make things a little easier on them.

In news from home, I ran in the Tromptown 1/2 Marathon last Thursday evening. A nice 13.1 mile run through country scene (and smells) of DeRuyter, NY. It kicked off the Fireman's Field Days. My cousin Deanna drove me and cheered for me along the way. I crossed the finish line with Deanna, my parents, Donna, Dominic and Jonathan watching. They didn't recognize me at first. I think it was because of my lightening speed. KIDDING! I finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes, well ahead of what I thought I would do it in and before it was dark, so I was very happy. I am training with flat runs and this was full of rolling hills, so needless-to-say I was very pleased. Josh sent a very nice e-mail to me before the race too which was a great extra push, letting me know that he would be right there running with me. As soon as I returned home, I e-mailed him with the news, and added, "It wasn't the same without you, but I talked to you a few times out there. And I imagined you running by my side... Not too many smells of cow poop either."