Deployment

We have a guest post today! Well, I suppose it's not a guest post since the author is technically a co-owner of this blog...his name comes first in the address after all. And here I (Jena) am commandeering the blog and taking it over all the time. Anyway, I was so excited to hear what Zac had to say and I'm sure you are too...so without further ado...on his blog debut...

As Jena has mentioned earlier, I am away on a “business trip” to southwest Asia. All the events surrounding a deployment are kept close to the chest for security reasons but I will share with you what I can.

It was a whirlwind of transitioning from my job on the MEU to coming back to my home unit and preparing for deployment. Luckily I was able to get a lot done early and so the last few days before I left weren’t so hectic. I was packed up in advance and spent my final days in Okinawa enjoying Jena's company and, oh ya, celebrating her 24^th birthday.

When it is time to leave for 7 months, no matter where you are going, it finally hits you and there is really no way to know exactly how you are going to feel until you are in that moment. I have to say that that was the hardest part, walking the other direction knowing you will not see your wife until you are a year older. 

At the airport leaving Okinawa

After the goodbyes it was back to the states for the first time in almost a year. If there was any culture shock on the way to Japan, there was certainly culture shock on the way back. Being able to go to the customer service desk and have my question answered immediately and without a pickup game of charades was one thing that really stood out. I ordered food without needing pictures on the menu and was no longer a giant. It was great. When I got to North Carolina I had a rental car to get me around. I don’t know if that was the best idea, giving someone a car to someone that has been driving on the other side of the road for the better part of the year, but I made it. Needless to say I played plenty of games of "chicken" as I turned onto roads, and changing lanes usually called for a quick swipe of the windshield wipers.

After North Carolina it was off to the middle east. A quick jaunt in Kuwait allowed me to realize how hot the desert is and allowed me to acclimatize a little to the culture. This is a picture of one of the larger Mosques in Kuwait.

Large Mosque in Kuwait 

(Nice caption, Zac)

It wasn’t long until I was able to catch a flight out to Afghanistan. I have been here for a couple of weeks now and am settling in. I am safe and learning a lot about my new job.

I do have to mention one thing about the country as a whole. It is the only place I have been to where it is exactly as you imagine. When people think of Japan they usually get an idea of Sushi and people walking the streets in Kimonos. When you think of China you may get some image of rickshaw carriages and the Great Wall. When people think of Texas (I’ve come to realize), they imagine the wild west with cowboys and horses.

When you actually visit these places the reality is usually a lot different. They have McDonalds, KFC, and American style clothes in Japan, China is a predominately modern society, and Texas is far beyond the days of cowboys and Indians.

Afghanistan is not.

The majority of the country lives in mud huts exactly as you imagine. They push wheelbarrows or ride donkeys to move things (although there are vehicles as well). They dress exactly as you imagine an Afghan would dress. It is almost like stepping into a time machine and going back a century or two. It is a nation of farmers and people with simple homes and simple lives.

Camels on the side of the road

Typical Qualat (or house)

Kids in the typical dress of the area

Well I think I will wrap it up for now. I will hopefully get you some insight into my daily life later on, but obviously a lot of stuff is not for internet distribution. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I miss everyone back home and can’t wait to get back.