Hey ya’ll!
Me here…all the way from Djibouti and another Black Flag day! I have actually gotten used to it, as much as one can say that. I don’t mind being outside…but just not for too long in the middle of the day. I run in the mornings about 0530. It seems to be “nice” outside at that time of the day. The air is usually thick with humidity and residual smoke from the leftovers from the incinerator that ran overnight. I smell like I just cooked at a BBQ when I get back to my CLU after running. Yummy…NOT! Gross! So being a Black Flag day just means that “Physical training and strenuous exercise suspended for ALL personnel!” Thankfully, the Black Flag is usually raised well into the afternoon hours. So my morning runs are good to go.
So what is a typical day like here at Camp Lemonnier for me, you ask? Hhmmmm….most days I get up about 0500 for my morning run. For now I am back up to 3+ miles a day, 4 days a week. I run Tues., Thurs., Fri. and Sun. mornings. Thurs. mornings is my day for Hills and/or Speed running. There aren’t too many hills here in Djibouti, but I found one good enough that gives me some tension. Plus not to mention it is a pile of loose gravel that I also work to keep traction on. So it works. My new friend Ben runs with me most mornings. He wants me to train him to run a half marathon, so we are on our way. Week #3 of our training program. This weekend on Sat. we will be running the Halloween 5K as our long run. We have 3 miles to do in the program anyway this weekend. I can finally sleep in on Sunday, which is my day off anyway.
Now that I am in a Wet CLU, I can go back to my CLU peacefully and get ready for work. My CLU-mate, whom I share my bathroom with, Sarah, is a Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Fitness person. She has to be to work early so I have the place all to myself once I get back from my run. That is nice. I get to work about 0730. I eat an individual container of cereal most days for breakfast – usually Honey Nut Cheerios. They have the individual containers at the galley, so I bring them back for breakfast. Milk here is a little weird, so I only stick to milk on my cereal. I don’t drink it. I am sure it is fine, but it does taste different. And they don’t have any skim milk. So I stick to bottled water, some Coke Light (which BTW is not my favorite either), and Sweet Iced Tea (which is really tasty here!!)
I work through the morning. By about noon I hop on the bus to take me to the galley for lunch, or walk with some guys from the IT department. Lunch is pretty good – you have the make your own sandwich area, the hot buffet line with multiple main course selections (yesterday, for instance, I had Beef Pot Pie and Cauliflower), and they have a grill with burgers, steak and cheese, and then one more line that usually has chicken nuggets, corn dogs, sloppy joes, fries, etc. They have a lot to choose from. There is a salad bar, and a dessert bar. Plus an ice cream counter – scoop ice cream. I try not to have dessert too often. But every now and then it just looks so good! After lunch, I’ll grab a few Coke Lights to bring back to my office, some cereal for breakfast the next day, and some milk. We have a small refrigerator in our office that we all share, so it gets crowded in there.
Each work day is different, depending on the hot topic for the week. I sit at my computer pretty much all day, which is not my favorite at all. Once it gets to be about 1830-1900 I pack up for the day. I walk down to the galley and have some dinner. I usually walk by myself. No one in my office ever wants to go to dinner; they say it’s too far to walk. Walking up to the galley is about a half mile each way. So that is a nice refreshing walk in the evenings to end my day. And once the sun has gone down, it feels quite pleasant outside. I usually sit with random people. I have met a lot of people, so sometimes I sit with people I already know. I have made fast friends with the CO (Capt. Banaji) and the XO (CDR Wilson) of the base, and a handful of other military peeps that I watch football with a lot. I also sit with the Education Center peeps a lot too. They want me to come teach a class or two through the University. But I think I will pass. I am actually enjoying having a little less to do at night than my life at home! I am going to be a Line Judge for the Flag Football League getting ready to start up. I decided not to play since it could mean injuries and put a damper on my running training.
Today I am going to spend the afternoon in Driving Class. We are not allowed to operate vehicles on base without taking this class first. Generally one would only borrow a Gator in the event I need to get somewhere and can’t walk there. Of course the speed limit on base is only 6 MPH, so I can generally walk/run faster to most places I need to go. But it’s nice to be able to borrow one if need be.
I got hit on last night at the Ice Cream Counter by some older Army guy. Bon Sang (Good Grief in French – my new saying!!) He came by later to the table I was sitting at to invite me to have a beer with him at 11 Degrees North. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…looking around here on the base, I am the minority. And pretty new still. So they aren’t tired of looking at me yet! Ha ha And I stand by what I have always said – a Man in Uniform…Mmmmmm Hmmmmm! There is some nice eye candy here on base!
Ok, enough about that. Sorry…
On base they do a lot of activities. Like this weekend is the 5K at 0600 for Halloween on Sat. morning. Then they will have some fun treats in the galley this weekend to celebrate. They are also having a medley swim meet on Sat. as well. We have already received the invitation for the Veteran’s Day celebration on Nov. 11. I hear Thanksgiving and Christmas will be very nice for all the troops and us contractors. I look forward to all of it – especially Veteran’s Day. I love military celebrations. I think I mentioned that every morning they play the Djiboutian and American National Anthems as the flags are raised at 0800. There is usually a lot of air activity at that time of the morning too – so kind of like our daily flyover. I love listening to and watching the jets flying all over the sky! And when the Marines (and navy too) come in on their helicopters…that takes me back to growing up at the Air Station, Camp LeJeune, NC. Love the sounds of FREEDOM! And at the end of the day, as the sun begins to set, they play Taps as they lower the flags for the day. So these are the things that get me through my days! I just love it!
One of the guys I have become friends with, Charles, is retired Navy who came back here within 6 months of his retirement for a new job as a contractor. He is currently taking the Scuba Diving Classes here on base. So I can’t wait until he is done – we are planning our escape to do some diving in the waters around Djibouti. I hear it is quite beautiful and this time of year the Whale Sharks are prevalent. So we should be able to swim with them while diving. Besides scuba, there isn’t a whole lot that I want to do out in town…well except maybe get on a plane and come home! ;-)
I leave on Nov. 5 for Italy. 4 full days in Rome and Florence. I am looking forward to it. My boss was scheduled to come with me on the trip; however she has had to cancel. She has been in the French Hospital here since Sat. morning. She is in need of surgery and they can’t do it here. So they have been spending days trying to make arrangements for her to go to Paris or Germany for the surgery. This is the thing that scares me, especially now since I am witnessing it firsthand. The thought of being sick and not being able to access quality healthcare in a timely fashion! That just makes me nervous. Knock on wood, I am very healthy. But one never knows. Anyway – we are hoping they can get her out of here today and on her way to Paris for the surgery. Keeping my fingers crossed and my thoughts with her. Worst part is being stuck here on base and not being able to even go visit her at the hospital.
Anyway, other things about life on Djibouti. We have a Post Office – so I can mail packages and letters from here directly home. We receive mail every Thursday and Saturday. It comes in via Air France. Our mail does not come with the military’s mail. It’s funny how exciting it is to get something in the mail! Even though I can email and Facebook with people every day all day, getting something in the mail just means more! I hit 11 Degrees North on the weekends for some sports and some Wi-Fi. If the Ravens are not playing on the American Forces Network (AFN), which provides us with our TV, I listen to the game via the radio online. I cheer when no one else in the place is cheering – so it’s funny sometimes! But I am glad I can listen. I email back and forth with my Dad, and we drink beers together virtually. So it’s almost like I am there! I miss not being there for the games. Tailgating, beers, family, friends, noise, hotdogs inside, and just a lot of fun!
So I think that is about it for now. I need to head to the galley on the noon bus. Need my nourishment so I can make it through the Driving Class this afternoon!
Enjoy your week and more later!
Cheers!
Here is our Black Flag Day reading:
as of October 26 Tuesday @ 12:20 H |
Heat Category | Black |
Digital Thermometer | 101 F |
Dry Bulb Thermometer | 101 F |
| Relative Humidity | 37.9% |
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