Hello everyone. (this is all in my blog too, so you may get it twice)
It has been awhile since I wrote to everyone. Been busy and the Internet isn't always in my favor. Kevin and I talk and half our conversations are, can you hear me now? How about now? Etc....so very frustrating.
But, all of that is going to have to take a break. I am coming home. It may only 2 weeks of my life, but, they will be the best 2 weeks of my life! The last 6 months have been tough, I have missed so much. I have gotten so much support from so many people, so many friends from high school, friends from our tour in England, family-it has been amazing. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. I have made some really good friends here and we help to get each other through the long days. We find ways to find humor where we can. Been doing a lot of running here, on another set of running shoes. It is the only time I feel sane, albeit if it is 104 degrees or more out there. We have created a movie night and that has helped out a lot. The new Army folks have seemed to work out great proving not all Army folks are unprofessional, careless, selfish and disrespectful. So that is helping to make the living environment better too. The food is good. We have a new Major on board who gets it. He gets that I should be treated as the Senior NCO that I am and worked hard to achieve, he recognizes that the morale is important and to keep that up, recognizes that we are all here to teach the Afghan National Army to stand on their own two feet and to put them first, not do their job, not take credit for their achievements and recognizes we are not their boss. Sees the importance of why we need to do our best to make sure our children and grandchildren don't have to come here. It is a complete breathe of fresh air!!
Our ANA are doing great. I say everyday I wish I scoop up this job and put it in the US so I could have my family with me. They are making a lot of progress and make me proud on a daily basis. I know I always wanted to be a teacher when I grew up and doing this job has shown just how rewarding that job can be. It makes me so proud to see them take the initiative to improve their own environment, their own living accommodations, improving the path to their futures. We have had one of the soldiers that worked with us go AWOL, it happens a lot, this was the first one I have known. They tried to retire Satar (in an all volunteer force), but, he fought it and he got another 5 years. He has been in for 30+ years, this is is life and he loves his job. He loves Afghanistan and the direction it is going. He doesn't hand out trust like candy and he gave me the keys to all of the containers-a first. He has never done that with no other mentor and he is hesitant to even give them to his co-officers. It was a huge step for him and makes him even more receptive to ideas and suggestions I give him. For anything I do with/for him or the FSD I ask is this something they could do without me? If the answer is no, then I find a way to show them how or how to get the resources to do it. He sees me as his sister and I see him as my brother. He is a good person who has worked so hard to get where he is. He has one wife, not multiple like some do here. They have been together for 27 years. It wasn't an arranged marriage either. They met and fell in love immediately-according to him. They have had 13 children together. All girls except 3. He lost 3 children to all very unusual circumstances. A 5 month old, 3 year old and 5 year old-it has been 6 years since his son, the 5 year old died. The oldest is 23, the youngest is 2. They are each 15 months apart with one set of twins-his boys. He gets apple juice from the chow hall at lunch for his 2 year old. She is quite demanding for it. Would love to meet his family somehow, but, it just isn't safe for him to bring them to base and not safe for me to go see them. They are all very proud of him. He lost half of his hand from when he was a tanker, he used to be a tanker years ago. His soldiers fear and respect him. Wish I could show him America someday. But, America will have a chance to see a little of him-I am working on coordinating an Armed Forces Network (AFN) commercial on them. It will be after I get back. I will share it with everyone.
Because the relationship I have established with ANA has been so successful, they have shown an outpouring of gifts to me. I am only coming home then going back again, I think they worry I am not going back. Satar gave me a very unique gift of a dress, it is red velvet-very heavy with gold embroidery-all hand sewn, for Cecilia-it is so pretty. It is typically a dress a lady will wear the day before a wedding. Kevin asked if that meant she was married off to one of his sons....no of course. Nyozi my interpreter said he got it from Jalalabad and it is quite expensive looking. It is simply gorgeous. I am going to get pictures of her in it and bring them back for Satar and his family to see. I was also given a gift from Col Mir today. It is a hand woven blanket and pillow cases-two of them Satar pointed out. Col Mir said that I have become a sister to everyone in the FSD and they are sad to see me go, if only for a couple weeks it will seem forever to them. They are such giving open hearted people that I think so much of world has no idea about. It is hard for them to get such nice things and they thought of me over so many other things they could spend their paychecks on-it touched my heart deeply. I know that I am making a difference here in not just the job, but, their views on Western women and what a success female mentors can be. So many feel that female mentors can't succeed-but, I am doing my best to dispel that belief!
Speaking of other female mentors, my friend Judith-she is in the Canadian Army/Air Force-she is sort of both. She works with one of the units the FSD supports. She leaves soon, she has been here for a year. She has been so very successful too. We made very good friends. We had a pretty significant weapons swap out with them. The Canadian C7 was swapped out for M16s, 939 of them. The Canadians have been trying to do this for 3 years and we finally got it done. It was a huge success. She was able to coordinate certificate of appreciations for all involved-it was great. We got a chance to get some lunch with her on KAF-she bought Freddy and I TGIFridays, that was nice of her. It was good to hear her story too. She has been in for 23 years, she is a parachutist and on her 4th knee surgery. She isn't married, no kids. She was with this 'clown' for 13 years as she says. She is funny. We swapped emails and if I am in Canada I have a place to stay. She is in Quebec. She learned English shortly after she came in. She invited Freddy and I to a lunch they had, an Afghan lunch with their unit-huge group of folks. It was a nice meal, the rice is so flavorful. It was great to make new friends in new countries.
Coming home is all I have been thinking about for the last month. I am so excited to come home. I have been packed for 2 days, it has been some of the longest days the last few days. I leave out of the base sometime on Wednesday-it will take me at least till Saturday to get home. I will have as much patience as possible for the whole travel time because each step is getting me closer to getting home. While I am home my plans are to spend as much of every day of every second with Kevin and the kids. I know sleep deprivation may happen, but, it is all worth it to spend it with them. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone. I look forward to spending some grown up time with Kevin at our get away to Star Pass. This deployment isn't definitely what he signed up for, but, he has been nothing short of amazing. Just today I got my 182nd letter from him and he has kept Cecilia on track with pictures for me-which have filled up one wall and half of my ceiling. When I get back for every one she sends me I will replace it with the one she sent. I have pictures everywhere. I have pictures from Matthew too which are great too.
Here is how everyone is doing back home.
Cecilia made it through the 7th grade, she did very well. For the 8th grade we are going to discuss her going to the school in the district Kevin's house is in since we will be moving in with him when I get back it will also make going to high school easier with going with her friends from the 8th grade. There is a girl who lives down the street who is in the same grade and willing to help Cecilia get settled in. It will take a lot of stress off of Kevin over the next 6 months of not going so early to take her to the other house. His hours change to 0600 and the school start times have changed to 0900, so this will work out best for everyone involved. We are going to talk it over with her. He brought it up to her a couple weeks ago and she seemed receptive, but, we are going to talk to her together. We are going to move the kitties over to his house when I am home-which is all helpful towards taking a lot of stress off of Kevin-plus it is good for the kitties. The braces are going well. They really seem to making progress and she is doing good with them. Of course there is the struggle with cleaning her teeth and all of that is involved there. She has been doing great with William and has been really helpful with Matthew. She has really made some great achievements at home with making her dinner, doing her chores, keeping the attitude in check, trying to do things that she is quick to say I quit too. Kevin is great in pushing her and motivating her so well. It isn't always easy at all, but, she is doing great. She has finally made it to 100 pounds. Our goal is 120-the doc said 155 is appropriate for her height, but, I didn't see 155 until I was 22-so, we are aiming for a healthy 120. She is going to Ed's after I leave for the summer.
Matthew is doing well. Pre-school has been going great. He seems to really enjoy school and looks forward to it. He has been taking swim lessons and getting so strong with it. He has been doing really well with helping out with William too. Kevin just moved the fire engine bed into his own room which is a big step for both Kevin and Matthew. Cecilia and Matthew have been playing very well with each other. They have made homemade ice cream together and they seemed to be getting along a lot better. Kevin sends me lots of pictures of them flying kites together and playing. I miss him so much. William is doing well too. He is teething right now, so that is kind of a rough time. He has his cranky time in the day with Kevin, but, he is doing so good with him. It is going to be exciting and weird to meet him for the first time. I look forward to it though. It will take some getting used to a baby in the house again.
Kevin has had a rough month and never ceases to amaze me. He got bit by a dog, a great dane that was dazed, dehydrated and confused. It bit him and didn't let go, so it was a tough bite. it bit his right lower arm which kept him from doing his job due to lack of mobility in his hand. It made it difficult for him with doing the daily tasks of diapers, dinners, homework, laundry etc. He sent me pictures, it looked so bad. He was just getting over the pneumonia and the meds he had for that gave him upset his stomach, then he got bit by the dog and back on meds and it started all over again. He got a tetanus shot in the other arm and found out today the dog didn't have rabies. The dog had to get put down, he was in bad shape-not because of the bite, he was in such bad shape. He is going in for some more tests for the pain in his side-they are going to try a nerve block to see if that helps him some. I worry so much about him. I worry about the stress of everything on him. He is invincible in so many ways and I am so proud of him. The day he got bit by the dog he still went to compassionate friends meeting and was a source to help out some other families there. He has an inner strength unmatched by anyone out there. The Army should tap into the strength he has, bottle it up and give it to soldiers to get through combat!! He is being such a great single father to Cecilia and the boys. He is amazing! I am so lucky.
I have many stories to tell and can't wait until I can sit down with a cool glass of wine, some time on my hands and share them with you all. My experience here has been a roller coaster of scary, look mom no hands to holding on with my dear life. It has been a job full of rewards and a life of challenges. My love for Kevin, the kids, family and friends has grown stronger. I can't wait to come home. I know getting back on the plane back is going to be tough, but, I know I made it this first half, the rest will be easy...right?
Homeward bound....
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