September Update!

8 WEEKS DOWN! 

Here are my September Pictures... Better late than never!!

I had planned to upload pictures weekly, but the internet makes it hard to upload things and I have been pretty busy with work. I'll do my best to catch you all up on my happenings. These don't really happen in any particular order, but just recaps what went down in September.. ENJOY!

It seems like we are always saying Goodbye even when we just met. This was a going away party for, Betty (Lady in the Glasses). Five of the people in this photo have departed, with two more on their way out. I'm here until almost April so I will be saying Farewell to a lot of people.

This is the view from the Patio of our office building. We overlook the Mosque that is right next door. This is a look of their garden.

If you have seen my facebook posts, I've started a collection for the Afghan kids at the Egyptian Hospital here on Bagram. This was our first visit. This kid to the right enjoyed the candy we gave him, but was more interested in having a pen to write with for school.




                                                                                   
I got to visit the Women's Ward of the Egypitan Hospital and I dropped off some candy to the ladies. This little girl was not happy to meet me. But enjoyed the dum-dums I dropped off

I am blessed with AMAZING Friends. The first care package gets the shout out. My 4 Degree Year (Freshmen Year) Roommate, Kelsey, sent me some Yummy cookies and Brownies! My office was pretty happy to receive those! THANKS KELS.

My job is to travel around to closing down FOBs to ensure the contractor is ceasing its services properly and getting off the FOB on time. My first trip was to the North. I figured that because we are in Afghansitan I would be flying around on badass Military planes. You would imagine my surprise when we pulled up to this lil plane. There was even a flight attendant (in a polo and khakis)!! I fell asleep like I would on any flight back in the states and for a moment I forgot I was here in Aghanistan.









On my way to  FOB Spann, I had a short layover in Mazar-e-Sharif. While in the Pax Terminal I ran into my Air Force Academy teammate Brittany "Whit" Gilmer. I was so excited and shocked to see her. She then introduced me to her coworker, Maj Amanda Knotts, who happened to be my former coworker at AFOTEC at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico. What a SMALL WORLD!  I was pretty lucky to spend my four hour layover with them.

 

While at MES, Whit took me on a tour of the base. This is a German Coalition base so the feel of it is different. For one, their DFAC has real plates and silverware. I was so excited about it and had to brag to my coworkers, so I snapped a shot of the yummy Ravioli from the German DFAC! Of course, when I stopped by their BX (store) I HAD to grab some German Chocolate and my favorite, HARIBO Gummy Bears!

FOB SPANN: A SPANN-TASTIC TIME

 On my way to my final location, I stopped at FOB SPANN. This FOB is named after Mike Spann, the first American killed in combat during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. This is a smaller FOB and the people here are really nice. A lot more so than at Bagram. (People don't smile at Bagram).

Here's a look at some of my adventures while at Spann!

FOB Spann was a lot of fun. I went to the German Compound where they showed me their "POOL" and the German's rode around in the Gator that my DCMA coutnerparts drive. 

 I got to capture the sunrise the following morning when I was heading to FOB Kunduz. It was beautiful!

 FOB SPANN had a restaruant called Mak Team Afghanistan. It was great to sit around and enjoy milkshakes and pizza.

FOB KUNDUZ

I arrived at FOB Kunduz to complete an Audit and here's a look at the Pax Terminal. I chuckled at this one!

This is how we traveled around to the smaller FOBS. 

A couple of pictures of me in the helicopter flying across the northern country side.  

 

 The country side in Afghanistan is Beautiful! There were moments when the desert bumped right up to green plains.  I didn't get a picture of it, but I got to see my first camel. YAY!

This is a look at some of the towns we fly over to get from one FOB to another. 

CAMP MAZAR-E-SHARIF/MARMAL

After hanging out at FOB Spann, I flew back to Marzar-E-Sharif and got to hang out with Brittany "Whit" and Amanda for the evening. They were hosting a Knitting class at the USO.

She's a pro at knitting now!

Whit and Amanda leading the class.

I did all of that in 2 hours.. (YEA RIGHT!)



Back at Bagram I was greeted with a package from my Aunt Michelle in Anchorage, AK! The socks  have been a great now that the weather is getting colder. THANKS!

THE GUYS!!

This is Maj Medeiros (back), TSgt Clonick (showing me the proper position in case of an IDF Attack aka "Rocket attack") and Lt Col Ray. These are the guys that took me under their wings when I got here. They even make sure I got my Ice Cream Saturday if one of the Chow Halls isn't serving it. They are great!

What do you do when you are bored on Tuesday Night??   B-HUT Volleyball!  The objective: Keep your butt in the seat and try to hit a small ball over the table without it touching the back walls or the sides. (Imagine the table as an imaginary net). There are more rules, but you have to witness it to appreciate it. It is pretty funny to see 4 grown men trying to finesse a ball across a table.

Using the bathroom is always interesting. There are pora potties everywhere and there is decent women's bathroom near my office building that has a cipher code to get into. But there is ONE bathroom inside the builidng next to mine with two stalls. Here are two pictures to show you how to use it. It's an ingenious idea, but it can cause problems when a male runs in there and forgets to change the code.

On Setpember 10, the base was hosting a basketball tournament. I cringed looking at the court (which is now resurfaced) but it was great to watch some basketball. As the teams warmed up, the IDF alarm went off. So everyone hit the floor (Bottom photo.) After that, we all went to the bunker and enjoyed an ongoing night of attacks. Now that winter is approaching the attacks are becoming less common. Rarely is anyone impacted by them here at Bagram. But we always take precautionary measures.

One of the many flags that were flown on September 11th. 

 A look at me in the bathroom airport! You are never too good to take a Bathroom selfie..even in Afghanistan!  

September ended with Shawn and Chase (2 guys in the middle) competing in a squat competition. It was a great chance for us to get out and show our support! After all their smack talk, they both tied for second place.

Septemeber was a great month filled with tons of first time experiences. I am truly blessed for all of these opportunities, especially when I get to travel. Hopefully, I will get the chance to keep you all more updated on my experiences.