Home Sweet Home!

I officially have a new favorite FOB. This place does it right. It’s a small base, which means everything is close, convenient, and personable. Fluor has its own separate complex. Most of the tents house eight people, which is roomier than normal because they also double as offices. Right next to the bed – yes, an actual bed with mattress and frame – is your desk, complete with power and internet connections. I literally rolled out of bed and was at work! Some people I told about this arrangement weren’t too fond of the idea. I really enjoyed the setup during my two day visit. It was convenient and reduced the number of people in the office. There might be upwards of 30 people crammed into the same space at BAF. And unless there’s been a radical staffing change, I’m quite sure nobody wants any part of that!

Getting out of the base wasn’t too bad either; only a two hour wait at the flight line. What’s even more impressive is how fast I got out of KAF. Being a large base, similar to BAF, I figured I was in for another endless wait at the terminal. Thursday, 24-Dec-09, I got to the terminal at 0645. My luggage and body armor was checked in, weighed, and x-rayed. I even had to empty my pockets and go thru a metal detector. NATO bases sure operate differently. I felt bad for the soldiers. They typically have every available pocket stuffed full; must have taken five minutes just to empty them. Don’t really understand the point of that. They let me keep my leatherman, knife, and water bottle. How ‘bout them apples, FAA! I’ll just have to remember to leave all that here when I board the plane for R&R. Last thing I need is a security crisis at the Dubai International Airport.

At 0900 we were told to gather our bags and head out to the runway. No way. Could it be? Already!?!? I figured this was just to palletize luggage. Miraculously enough, this was our boarding call. We didn’t even have to wear body armor. Everything was stowed in the aft cargo hold as we made our way to the stairs. By the way, this was a Dash 8; a thirty passenger STOL (short take off and landing) plane that seemed like a Gulfstream at this point. I had my own window seat and nobody next to me. In contrast to the C-130, where you sit in the open fuselage, on a narrow canvas bench, facing the side of the plane, and have to constantly maintain balance. The Dash 8 flight was an excellent way to conclude my two weeks of travel. Even reminded me of being back in society on a commercial flight! That is, until I looked out the window. An hour and twenty minutes later I arrived at BAF. It felt good to be “home” and, even though it’s a cot, sleep in my own bed.

I’ve now been to eight FOBs and will soon be making monthly rounds to many more. Once my boss returns in January, we’ll put together a schedule and hire several new Finance employees to assist in this massive undertaking. But, before I head out again, I’ll be enjoying a different variety of travel – R&R!! I’m a week away from the official one month countdown. Italy has no idea what’s about to happen.

Here in BAF, it’s very sparse as many people are out on R&R. Christmas seems to be the most sought after time to get back home. Those of us stuck here enjoyed similar events as Thanksgiving. The DFAC put in extra hours preparing another fantastic meal. I was able to limit myself to only eating lunch.

My afternoon and evening was extremely busy. Many of the tier three and four employees (other country nationals) aren’t issued laptops. Consequently, they do paper timesheets and have to turn them in to HR/Finance. There was a revolving door of people dropping off their timesheets and asking millions of questions. The biggest issue we faced was dealing with the language barriers. Even though everyone on the project is required to speak English, there’s a vast range in fluidity. Bosnians seem to be the Mexicans of the US. Meaning, they are by far the most populous group we have over here aside from Americans. I’m attempting to learn the language. Figure I’ll save a whole bunch of time and confusion this way. And, I must admit, there are some beautiful Bosnians coming in. Very nice!

After all the chaos settled down and my shift was over, I opened a few presents I received from someone I’ve never even met. John’s grandmother heard that he had a friend over here and asked if she could send me a care package. Of course! Everything was perfect and will be used daily. I got waterproof gloves, neck/face fleece “thingy” (for lack of a better word), hand warmers, and a beverage heater. Thanks, John’s grandmother! Never met you, but you’re a wonderful person in my book.

I’m hoping to resume my normal routine this week. It took a few days to settle back in and get caught up on everything here at BAF. As fun as the FOB-hopping was, I really enjoy getting a workout in before bed; helps me sleep much better. I found myself relying on Rip-Its (energy drinks) to compensate for all the odd travel hours. That probably explains why I was an insomniac a couple nights throughout my travels. One benefit was having time for extra movies, phone calls, and emails during those wee hours.

I hope everyone enjoys another short work week. Make sure to have a drink for me at your New Years party. I might even splurge and have a Beck’s near-beer – then again, probably not. I hear they’re just a tease and don’t even taste good. I’ll survive until R&R, which might be 37 days and a wake up away; if anyone’s keeping track!!