A day in the life…

Many of you have asked about the project (LOGCAP IV); specifically, what is it that Fluor does over here. This is from Fluor’s website, which sums everything up rather well.

“A challenging world calls for adventurous people. If you are looking for a job that requires courage, determination, and quick, clear thinking, Fluor has a place for you. The U.S. Army’s Logistics Civilian Augmentation Program IV (LOGCAP) provides contractor support and logistics work for U.S. military troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait. As a LOGCAP prime contractor, Fluor is proud to support U.S. military personnel in various contingency environments around the globe. Fluor’s list of LOGCAP work opportunities includes many support roles such as construction jobs, construction engineers and superintendents, project controls, project managers, quality, site managers, HSE managers, logistics support, supply assignments, security jobs, firefighting opportunities, laundry service, food services support, water works, vector control sanitation jobs, billeting positions, maintenance jobs, and power generation support. We provide the Army with the logistical support it needs, so that soldiers can focus on the mission at hand. It’s a tough job, under conditions as demanding as any you will ever find. A LOGCAP assignment may place you in a hostile environment, even a war zone. But there are also rewards: Excellent pay, benefits, periodic vacations, and more. There is also the satisfaction of working at your utmost while helping others perform a critical service mission.”

Tent life has changed drastically this week. There were only 50-70 Americans and Bosnians in my tent at any given time – always some people out on R&R or at other FOBs. However, due to some military housing need, 150 subcontractors had to move into a couple of Fluor’s tents. They’re all from Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Laos. Let me give a brief disclaimer: I’ve never been to any of those countries; so, the following comments are extremely biased and only pertain to the individuals I’ve crossed paths with here. Imagine two times the amount of people and four new languages all being interjected into the mix. I had just recently settled in and really had no complaints. Even the thermostat wars were nearing an end! But no, now I have to deal with the most inconsiderate, annoying, and outright frustrating people ever. Is it asking too much to close the door after you; not blare movies and music at all hours; or take some interest in personal hygiene, as to not stink up the entire tent??? I cannot begin to imagine how they operate amidst such chaos. Billeting is working on a solution to move all subcontractors into the same tents…please hurry!!

On a positive note, you know the saying, “you learn something new every day?” Tis true and I’ll explain in a minute, but let me first digress. What if I told you that it took me being all the way over here in Afghanistan to learn the meaning of a CD title that I’ve owned and listened to for years? Achtung Baby, by U2. I was walking by the heater outside the tent and saw “Achtung!” on the label. I thought to myself what is that doing on a heater? Come to think of it, all I know is that it’s a German word that’s hard to pronounce. Keeping true to my habit, albeit not nearly as readily, I Googled it once I got into the office and Wikipedia tells me that achtung means “watch out, attention, warning, or caution.” Makes sense for the heater, but now I’m gonna have to sample some songs off the CD to find the connection there.

Fridays here are special because the Bizarre is open. This is like a Haji shop on crack! Here at BAF there are probably 50 booths set up, selling antique firearms, chess sets, jewelry, electronics, rugs, jackets, and even camel rides. Every single one of the tenants is a hustler. Everything starts at a ridiculously marked up price – until you start to walk away, then it magically becomes cheaper. It’s starting to get cold here, so I bought a jacket this week. It’s a leather bomber style with sheep wool lining and very warm. Not a bad deal at forty dollars.

I’m officially on my way to a steady workout routine. I went Monday through Friday after work. Ran thirty minutes, biked fifteen, and lifted some weights. Thanks to this lingering cough, I’m getting a kickstart on my abs. At this altitude and just getting over the cold I figured it was going to be a struggle, but I feel great and am enjoying it.

It’s official, booked my first R&R this week for 04-Feb-10 thru 21-Feb-10. I’m going to Italy – Rome, Florence, Venice and surrounding areas. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am. Regardless of being here, in less than desirable circumstances, traveling the world has long been a dream of mine. Plus, I love wine and Italian cuisine, so I imagine this will be perfect. The photographer in me is going to try to hit all the major sites possible along the way as well. Number one priority is rest and relaxation though.

Today we received an unexpected care package from the Greenville Finance team. I’m talking about all the good stuff that we don’t have here and probably shouldn’t be eating. Oreos, crackers, drink mixes, fudge, cookies, brownies, peanuts, trail mix, chapstick, gum, and beyond! Most everything was homemade too. All the people in the HR tent with us said, “wow, you finance guys sure are loved!” Thanks so much everyone, you’re the best!

I tried AIM video chat with my sister this weekend and it worked surprisingly well. I’ll try to stick with email and phone calls mostly, but it’s nice having that option available. My screen name is kevintaylor41084 if you want to give it a shot. Only Saturday and Sunday mornings your time would work because of the time difference and schedule here.

Movie time…talk to you later!!