I know....

I haven't posted in a long time but honestly, I have a good excuse:

a) I haven't been on the internet in probably two weeks (I can't post from my work computer.)

and

b) There really isn't a whole lot to say.

Things are still going well here and I am making more friends all the time. The weather is sometimes unbearably hot (around 45 degrees everyday) and apparently it's not even at it's hottest yet! I finally moved into a permanent bed space so now I actually feel like I live here. The girl that was there before me even left a mat on the floor, a desk and a clothes rail! A really home-like environment, yeehaw. Too bad our space is smaller than a jail cell. Work is good but things have really picked up in the last two weeks and I have been given a lot more responsibility - right now I am doing my job, covering for someone in another sub-department, and starting Monday will begin a long-term file archiving project. At least I am kind of using my skills. We still play ball twice a week but this week we haven't played at all because most people are away on leave. Last week I got drilled in the shin with a line drive and now I have a nice big bruise to show for it. I've sorted out my leave and I am returning to Canada in 21 days! I'm spending three nights in Dubai to do some shopping and relaxing and then it's back to Vancouver for two weeks. My mom is coming out for a few days and Matt and Susan are getting married on Sept. 4th. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone but I need to get working on my tan so it actually looks like I've been living in Afghanistan.

What else...

I've been taking lots of pictures here but won't be able to upload them until I get home. I just get way too frustrated with the slowness of the computers here and not being able to do it at work.

That's really about all I have to say. The days here are generally all the same so unless anything really exciting happens I'm sure you don't want to read about what I ate.

Oh! I experienced my first drill here and it really brought home the situation and where I am living. It didn't help that I had no idea it was a drill and was pretty freaked out. I was in the middle of photocopying when the alarm sounded and my boss told me to grab my PPE (personal protective equipment) and follow him to the bunker. We only sat in there for about 15mins before they gave the all clear but those were a long 15mins. Apparently drills can sometimes last up to 3 hours!

Anyway, time to go get my two drinks and then it's off to bed. Tomorrow's my day off and it's going to be the first day I can actually lie out and tan because my old tent was in a very public area.

Hope all is well with everyone at home and I will be seeing some of you in a month.

Finally

Well, it's been a while since my last update, and while nothing of any real importance has happened I thought I'd write all the same.

Things here are still going well and it's still hot although apparently it gets even hotter in late July and August - not so sure I'm looking forward to that. Canada Day was great and being over here makes everyone very patriotic. Human foosball was a lot of fun to play and hilarious to watch. Some of us even got roped into playing blind volleyball (they put a sheet over the net) because the rest of the team didn't show up. That night there was even a concert and they held Camp Julien Idol. All in all, a pretty good day.

I even had a good birthday despite all expectations. I've met some really cool people here and they organized a little something and even got me a cake. And thanks for all the emails - it was nice to hear from everyone.

Work is going well but things are starting to slow down a bit as we start ordering less and less. There's always something to do though and I am getting trained on the purchasing side of things as well so there is new information constantly coming at me.

That's about all that is new and/or exciting with me. It's my day off today so I have to find some way to amuse myself. I've already called home and checked my email so there will be a lot of wandering for the rest of the day. Maybe I'll work on my tan. :)

Hope all is well with everyone back home and keep in touch!

Canada Day

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Canada Day from Camp Julien. I am just getting ready to go over to the parade square to hear the opening address and then the festivities officially begin. I'm participating in human foosball which seems interesting - they blindfold you and tie everyone together while your teammates on the sidelines tell you where to kick. There are two BBQs today and more exciting stuff happening tonight.

Have a fabulous day!

I'm here

It is officially day two at Camp Julien and so far I am doing pretty well. After Amsterdam I flew to Dubai where even at midnight when I arrived it was 32 degrees with 90% humidity! Never in my life have I experienced something like that. I found a cheap hotel so I could shower and when I stepped out of the air conditioned airport I had trouble breathing and my glasses even fogged up! The hotel was really nice (and on $66/night) and although I was tempted by the bed all I was there to do was shower - it really helped to wake me up to. At the Dubai airport I met a few people who were going to Afghanistan to do their own work. Three from Canada going to teach English in the North, one from the States going to be an intern for Save the Children, and a guy from London who was going to help with the elections in September. It was really nice to have people to talk to and go through the craziness with so I wasn't totally alone. The Ariana flight into Kabul wasn't even that bad and at passport control there were even lines. The camp security guy was there when I got out with my luggage and then me along with a guy who was coming back from Egypt piled into the armoured Bison and headed to camp. So far the camp is exactly what I was expecting. I got most of my paperwork done yesterday and today I have my in-theatre training. Tomorrow will be my first day of work. It's also been really nice having my PDT group already here because then I at least know some people. The only bad thing so far is that I have a heat rash on my legs. It's not too bad but I should probably get something to put on it.

Well, that was my first day. It will probably be more of the same from now on so I might not have anything really exciting to report on but I will definitely keep you updated.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Amsterdam

After a long nine hour flight I am here in Amsterdam. The flight itself actually wasn't that bad and KLM has lived up to its reputation for being a great airline. They kept us fed and hydrated (non-stop beverage service), the wine was free, there was lots of leg room, they brought around hot towels periodically and the food was actually pretty good. I even managed to get a few hours of sleep which will help immensely. At the moment I don't feel overly tired (although I'm really hot!) but I do have a leg-ache so I know my body is protesting a bit.

Once I arrived in Amsterdam I went searching through the shops at Schipol to find a small purse because I didn't want to lug my insanely heavy carry-on around the city. Then I bought a roundtrip train ticket and came into the city. I got into Amsterdam proper at around 9am and the first thing I did was take a canal cruise. Definitely worth the 8 euros! I saw a lot of amazing architecture and actually managed to relax in the breeze coming off the water. Surprisingly the harbour and canals in Amsterdam are fresh water because of the locks that block off the sea. Now I'm trying to decide what to do for the next hour. I wanted to go to the Rijksmuseum but it's pretty far away so I nixed that plan. I was also thinking about going to the Anne Frank House but we passed it on the cruise and there was a huge line-up. I think I'll just find a nice cafe and sit outside in this amazing city.

My flight leaves for Dubai at 2:35pm so I should be at the airport around 12:30 or 1:00. Hopefully that flight goes as well as the one over here. I'm kind of nervous about traveling all the way on my own (the guy I was supposed to meet up with was delayed) but I'm sure it will be okay. As long as I can find a place in Dubai to shower and change clothes I'll be happy.

My love to you all.

Adios

The time has come to unplug all electronics and get ready for the nine hour flight to Amsterdam. I hope everyone has a fabulous summer!

The next time you'll hear from me, I'll be in Afghanistan!