Hey y’all! Happy New Year! Sorry I have been absent…I have been doing some of my usual crazy stuff around here! Well, maybe not around here…but we’ll get to that in a minute. New Year’s Eve turned out to be a grand celebration at 11 Degrees North. It was packed! Let’s Make A Deal going on inside and party music outside. The weather was great! So we hung outside for the most part. My CLUmate Lorraine and I dressed up to the 9’s and off we went. And yes, I went with the red. Check out the photos below. I am surrounded by the fine Ecuadorian Fire Fighters and other friends here at Camp. The beverage lines were out of this world – they were like 40-50 people deep at times. It took forever to get another drink…and we are only allowed 3, remember? They did mix things up a bit – they sold Sparkling Wine starting at 2300 (11 p.m.). I never got around to getting any of that…it was just too ridiculous at that point to get into line. So I began to rely on the kindness of others who were willing to share. I was asked out by about 6 different men throughout the night. I guess one advantage to being a lady on this base with so many men! We were able to take the party back to our CLU area and continue after the midnight celebration. We listened to some awesome Latino music, danced, sang and just had a great time ringing in the New Year - had a few more beverages that one can never be sure exactly where they came from <wink wink>. I am really enjoying my new friends from the fire and rescue and look forward to hopefully working with them too this year!
New Year’s Day I was off to go scuba dive. We had a new dive experience that day. We headed out on a couple of the smaller, faster boats to Moucha Island. We went ashore and got all of our equipment together there on the beach. We then divided into 2 groups. There were 2 wreck dives we could do. I went to see The Rafael – a German ship that sunk in the waters here off Djibouti. I couldn’t find any information on the ship itself…and I have been told it is called several different names. So maybe that is why I can’t find anything on it. The dive was great, even if I wasn’t feeling totally well to be out there. As you descend into the water it was hard to tell where the ship was. It is so big; it just looks like the ocean bottom! It was a big vessel. And the fish down there were quite something to see too. I was able to check this one off of the requirements for my Advanced Open Water certification (wreck dive). It ended up not being a deep dive though – it was only down to 60-65 feet. But no worries…it was a great dive anyway!
After the dive we headed back to the beach to hang out, snorkel, eat some fantastic lunch (we had beef and shrimp kabobs, salad, rice, bread…it was awesome!) After taking a nice break on the beach, most people went back out for another dive. I opted to stay on the beach and chill. I took a nice nap and listened to my music. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Then once everyone was back, we packed everything up and headed back to the Port. Nice first day of 2011!
Sunday I found myself out on the water again! This time back to the normal routine. Headed out on the big boat and split groups up for diving, snorkeling, and swimming with the Whale Sharks. This day I was able to get 2 more requird dives complete – navigation and peak performance buoyancy. Both were great dives…but man, the water sure is chilly these days! Still no wetsuits! Dang mail still backed up! But another great day out on the water! I just love my Sundays.
January 2 also saw the Baltimore Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the last regular season game of 2010! With this win, the stars and planets aligning just right, and some other team losing who should have won and other teams winning who should have lost, I found the Ravens lined up to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City to kick of our play-off schedule! Woo Hoo Wow – talk about luck! For those of you that don’t know….1) I am a huge Ravens fan! (DUH!) and 2) when the Ravens and the Chiefs play each other, it’s almost as good as the SuperBowl for us! My Dad’s extended family lives in Kansas City and they have a number of season tickets. We live in MD, VA and PA and have season tickets for the Ravens. So when these 2 teams play, it’s a great opportunity for a nice Family Reunion! And who knows when all things will line up just right again and we’ll actually play each other again in the play-offs! So….having said this…my Cousin Jeff promptly emailed me after hearing this news to let me know he had an extra ticket if I wanted to come home for the game! Yeah right…come home for the game! Whatever… BUT, the more I thought about it, the more it sounded like just what I needed! I missed the entire season in Baltimore this year! The first season I have missed! I also found most of Dec. to be excruciating as I tried to get past the Holidays being away from home for the first time. Wow – I am seriously considering this? LOL
So indeed I did…I started looking at flights and how many days I would have to take off. I also began to get real excited when I noticed I would have 2 pretty decent layovers in DC in which I could sneak in a couple of visits with some friends and family…and best of all – Sleep in my own bed for one night! Oh yeah! Of course then the dollar signs began to appear…wow, last minute ticket to fly back to the US from Djibouti? Who would have thought?? HA HA Yes…the MOST EXPENSIVE football game I have ever been to! So on Tuesday, after much deliberation, I bought my round trip tickets to go home for some Haley family time and for some Ravens Victory time! I didn’t want anyone to know but my cousin Jeff that I was coming – this would be a great surprise for my Dad, Uncle and Brother! I flew out of Djibouti on Thursday night (1/6/2011), and arrived at Dulles Airport by about 1000 the next day (was supposed to be more like 0730…but we were delayed about 3 hours getting out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!). I hopped into a cab and met my friend Michelle at the Starbucks in Herndon. She then drove me to Reston Town Center and we met up with Connie and Jennifer to have some lunch! It was so great to see all 3 of them…I even was able to sneak into the Apple Store while there and bought a fabulous Purple Skin for my MacBook Pro to help protect it better. Nice! After lunch we hit the Red Velvet Gourmet Cupcake place and split 4 different cupcakes! Heaven! There was even a little snow on the ground…so I was like a kid crunching through what little there was left! Then the ladies piled me into their car and took me back to Dulles.
I called my cousin Jeff from the airport to let him know I was on schedule and would be in Kansas City by about 1700 (5 p.m.) Mind you, I have no cellphone…I was like from the stone ages using a calling card and a pay phone. I think people were actually either pointing and laughing at me, or I think I saw some sincere looks of sympathy for me while I stood in the middle of the concourse talking on a payphone! Jeesh! So Jeff says to me when he answers…the first thing he says – “Your Dad figured it out. You want to talk to him?” Damn it – how does he do that? I was so careful…and who would have really thought I was crazy enough to fly 8,000 miles for a football game? Well….that was a rhetorical question peeps! ;-) Anyway – my Dad had sent me a final email before departing and I had already set my Out Of Office reply. Even though I tried to be cryptic…he knows I would tell him if I was going somewhere. So first thing when he got off the plane in Kansas City, he asks Cousin Jeff “What time does Kathi get here?” LMAO! Dads are soo smart! It was so great to see him when I landed! Once we gathered up my things, we headed North to Sheridan, MO. Sheridan is where my Great Grandparents were from and lived for many years. My roots take me all the way back to Sheridan, MO y’all! Wow – it was really cold! Forgot how cold cold really feels! Winter in Djibouti is a nice balmy 80-90 degrees. Maybe into the 70’s at night! Tough life for sure. MO…well it gets into the single digits! Bbrrrrr…… I grabbed as much stuff when I packed that I thought might help keep me warm!
On Sat. my Dad and I headed back to KCMO to pick up my brother from the airport. He flew in from Pittsburgh. He was also excited to see me there – and he was truly surprised. So I pulled off the surprise for at least one of them! We pulled into a McDonald’s because I NEEDED some French fries. They just don’t make ‘em like McDonald’s fries over here. Wow – those were some good ones too! I also wanted to have one of those McRib sandwiches…I used to love those! But of course today I am not sure I could tell you what they taste like! The McDonald’s we stopped at was not selling them…so I settled for the fries and a double cheeseburger. I also have to say I immediately grabbed a Diet Coke to drink…yummy! A real Diet Coke! Sat. evening we found ourselves watching the other play-off football games. I watched the Seahawks take the Saints. But I slept through most of the Colts vs. Jets game. I was beat. That’s a LONG flight!
Sunday morning we rose early and headed back down to KCMO for the game of all games! The Haley SuperBowl of sorts! It was about 13 degrees upon our arrival. My cousin Jeff was able to secure me some snow pants – thank God! Those really helped keep the wind off my legs. I had hand warmers in my gloves and feet warmers in my boots. So with those and the scarf and hat, I was set. I was cold…but not uncomfortably so. And once we got inside the stadium, it was even better. I have to admit, I told everyone who would listen that I had just flown 8,000 miles to come to KCMO for the Ravens game! So I was sure they would win it for me! I was trying so hard to get a minute on TV to do a shout out to Camp Lemonnier! But I was unsuccessful. I think I found that being a Ravens fan in Chiefs territory was not doing me much good! Well, at least not until the end of the game…when the majority of the Chiefs fans had already vacated the stadium due to their miserable loss. I still love them! But wow – they broke an NFL record I hear. Most consecutive losses in the play-offs - 7 in a row! Poor Chiefs! Their time is coming…I can feel it!
After the game we headed to the hotel. We had a few drinks in the bar…I was falling asleep in my beer, so I went up to hit the sack. Wow – it was 1930 (7:30 p.m.)! Loser! Ha Ha I was trying so hard to avoid any jetlag when I came back to Djibouti, so I was doing my best to get to bed early and rise early. I woke up about 0330 to find out that my flight out of KCMO was cancelled (1/10/2011). I was on USAir through Charlotte. The Charlotte airport was closed due to the ice storm they were having. My Dad, Uncle Jim and my brother’s flights were on schedule to depart that morning. So we were all up! Jeff took the boys to the airport and I got on the phone trying to find out how I was going to get out of there! What a pain in the arse!
Anyway the long (ha ha I had started this by saying SHORT…until I noticed my wordy self could not keep this story short) story…so, it’s a USAir flight that is cancelled, so I call USAir. They inform me that I am traveling on an international ticket so therefore they cannot help me. I ask who to call, and they say Expedia, since I bought the ticket from them. So I call Expedia. They also tell me that it is on an international ticket and therefore they cannot help me. So I call Ethiopian Airlines…the international part of my ticket. They inform me that this is a domestic issue and therefore they cannot help me. If I were stuck in DC where they fly into, they would be able to help me then. After some harsh words from me, after being shoved around already by USAir and Expedia, Ethiopian is able to get me onto a USAir flight for Tuesday, 1/11/2011. Ugh….that means I am staying in KCMO after everyone else was able to fly out. So my cousin Jeff, being the fabulous person he is, agrees to stay with me. I discuss the dilemma with Ethiopian and again am told that since it is a domestic issue, they will not be able to put me up in a hotel. If I were stuck in DC, they would be able to foot the bill for the hotel then. So I just call to extend my stay where I already am. No sense moving around!
Mind you, staying in this hotel has been a real treat too. The power went out at about 0130, so when the boys went to leave, the elevators were not working. And there were no lights in the stairwell! Wow – safe stuff! Due to the power outage, for some reason, it is extremely hot in my room and I can’t get the temperature to drop. It is in the teens outside – this is ridiculous. I also note that when I go to take my shower, there is no hot water! COME ON! Apparently, the power outage caused problems with one of the pumps and the hotel at that time was unable to pump hot water up to the upper levels of the hotel! Good grief! So I take a cold shower only to get out and sweat in my extremely hot room! Fun times for sure! I just felt like NO ONE could help me with anything! Jeff and I head out to grab some lunch. He takes me to the Famous Gates BBQ for some real good KC BBQ goodness! Yummy! Then I am able to watch the latest installment of the Saw movies on pay per view in the sauna (room). And I call for engineering to come up and do something about that temperature in there! Whew…finally relief. Saw turns out to be a decent last movie in the series. Of course it was left open for another one…so we’ll see. For dinner we head down to the bar again, have a few beverages and some snacks and then I head to bed early again. Wore out! Of course I missed one of the Chiefs players – we came into the bar after I had left. Oh well…he wasn’t a Raven anyway!
Tuesday I get up and immediately check the status of my flight. It’s a go! So I start getting myself together. Before heading to the airport I check it one more time and dang it – it’s cancelled AGAIN! Well, I am going to the airport anyway and I am going to get out of there for sure! Besides cousin Jeff has things he needs to do, besides babysit me. Arriving at the airport I walk into the USAir ticketing area. Yep – everyone else is in the same boat as me. The line must be about 100 people deep! UGH! I am hungry and cranky. So I opt to sit in the bar and get online. I decide to check other flight options. God knows I don’t want to go through many cycles of “We can’t help you” today. So I check Frontier Airlines into Reagan. I find a one-way ticket that is reasonable. I mean, come on. I already spent a fortune on this trip. So reasonable is certainly subjective! But instead of being pushed another day with thousands of other passengers who are going to be flooding USAir to try and get out of there…I buy the ticket to at least get me back to DC. Then maybe Ethiopian will actually help me if there are any other issues. So after booking my flight to Reagan and then going to check in, I call Ethiopian to let them know and make sure I am still set to depart DC on Wed. at noon! They promptly tell me that I can’t just buy another ticket and not show up for my USAir flight. I tell the man 8 times the flight is cancelled so there is nothing to show up for! He says he does not see where the flight has been cancelled and they will list me as a no show and therefore will not allow me get onto the Ethiopian flight from DC to Addis. OMG! Are you kidding me? I tell him many times I am in the airport currently looking at the departure board with all cancellations into Charlotte. I also note I am currently on my laptop online on USAir’s site with the flight number showing as cancelled. He insists he can’t find anywhere that the flight is cancelled. So I suggest he call USAir and verify it. 20 minutes on hold later…he comes back to let me know that I am right and the flight has been cancelled! Thank you God! Anyway, he is able to cancel me out of the USAir flight but keep me on the Ethiopian flight. Then I hear this Oh No on the other end of the phone. As he is processing this, their system goes down. He is unable to complete this change. So he asks me to call back in about an hour and hopefully the system will be back up. UGH! UGH! UGH! So I go to the bar and order a very large BEER!
I do call back and am told the transaction was complete. So I ask them to send me an email confirmation so that I have a copy of the change. He then informs me that he cannot email me the change since I originally purchased the ticket through Expedia, not them. So it is their responsibility to email any changes that are made! AGAIN, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I explain to him that my USAir cancellation email that Expedia sent to me arrived in my Inbox 2 hours after I was supposed to have been on the flight! So much for their timely information dissemination. After much pleading, he finally agrees to send me the updated itinerary for me. Somebody please shoot me now! I just couldn’t even believe it…one thing after another!
BUT HEY! I got to go see my family, I got to see the Ravens win and I got to see Saw! Ha ha – sounds like a stellar weekend to me! So my little sister Michelle picks me up from Reagan at about 2330. She and I stop at McDonald’s…my last ditch effort to find a McRib….alas, DC is not selling them anymore. Sigh…so I opt for the next best thing from there – a Big Mac! Woo Hoo Nothing like greasy goodness at midnight! Michelle takes me home and Blake is up waiting for us. He is just then pulling out fresh baked chocolate chip cookies from the oven. Oh…it’s sooooooooooo good to be home! I am going to sleep in my own bed. I am going to wash all my clothes the way I like to wash them. I am going to sit on my own couch. It was such a great thing! But so tempting to just stay there. Thanks Blake for making me feel so at home!
Wed. morning my friend Jess comes to pick me up. We grab some breakfast and then she swings me by my old Lockheed office to visit a couple of people. I am able to see LA, Nicole, Lee and Hal. And brief sightings of several other people – Rich, Todd, and John W. It was a nice short visit. Then back to the airport. I am headed out of here!
So I finally do make it back to Djibouti. Nothing too exciting to report on the flight back. I watch the Social Network movie – the one about Facebook being founded. Good movie. I also partake in 6 of those small bottles of free white wine and that promptly puts me to sleep for most of the ride over. Aaahhhh…..back in Africa.
So that’s my story. The New Year is off to a most excellent start! I am so glad I made that trip home. It was just what I needed to help me get through to March when I will be home for a couple weeks. I can’t wait to see everyone again and to see everyone I was not able to see on my short pass through of NOVA. I still miss you all so much!
Good news – I did get my approval to take the National Registry EMT exam. I plan to take that when I come home in March. I am studying diligently and have the EMTs here helping me. The plan is to come back after vacation in March and transfer into the fire department here to finish out my contract. So wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed! I am so excited about the opportunity…so like the Ravens being able to play the Chiefs in the play-offs this year, there are a number of things that need to fall into place for this to happen. So let’s get it going!
Okay – I have babbled on enough for today. As you might have guessed…I am just trying to make the time pass today. I will post more soon. Hope you all are enjoying 2011 so far too! Y’all take care and will check back in very soon!
Ciao!
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