Afghanland III

I thought "Afghanland 3 - The Redemption" would be a cool title for this one but, as it turns out, there's still little that is actually redeeming at Kandahar. Sort of like "Terminator 3: Redemption" or "Kickboxer 5: The Redemption", but probably more like "Rock Bottom - From Hell to Redemption", where Jason Mewes tries to kick Heroin.

Why can't I quit this place? 'Cuz it's fun. "It's a blast", sings Jello Biafra. Actually, he sings "Tomorrow you're homeless. Tonight it's a blast!" But who's picking nits.

Big changes here in the past three months. For one, is about a thousand degrees hotter than when I left here in May. Every day is above 100 (er,... 1000), and the air conditioners have a most difficult time keeping up with it. Construction continues apace throughout the base, with new shelters and housing and stuff all getting built at once.

They've even added short block walls to the interiors of each of the DFACs, to subdivide the space and increase PAX blast protection.

The biggest change is that this time, I'm working for one of the many contractors here, coordinating the design of some big thing between him and the design team back in the States. As it turns out, one minute after I stepped off of the plane here, I became the Companyman with the most experience in country. Hopefully, it won't turn into anything more than a fleeting honor, as I'd much rather be known as the Companyman who has the most time on a tropical island.

The hugest change is in the accommodations. This time, I've got a 40 foot C-can (we used to call them "CONEX Boxes", but that is *so* last quarter) to myself - bedroom, private bath, lounge. There's another bedroom, but noone lives there this week. This place is comparably sized to Miss Liberty, my trailer on Lincoln Swing, although my current blue and white vinyl walls and ceiling still pale in comparison to her green shag, floor-to-wall-to-ceiling carpeting.

And I got a vehicle assigned. A right drive Toyota. Not that I need to drive anywhere, but I've got one, just in case. Of course, I could drive to a more distant DFAC if I wanted to, or use it to haul donuts to the office. Probably use it to tool around aimlessly, as my legendary efficiency has resulted in me being about done with my assigned tasks, just one day into a one week gig.

I brought some books, figuring this would be the case.