Updates

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated and I have lots to share, so where do I start?

First of all, thank you to the First Presbyterian Church, Kooeinga’s, Clarks, Colburns, and Garners for your packages.  I got all kinds of goodies this week, including homemade cookies, almonds, mixed nuts, chewing gum, Hanalei Tea, Kaui Cookies, Mauna Loa Macadamias, Kaui Nut Roasters, starburst candies, and sandal-shaped gummies.  Also, thanks Kim and Matt for the sleeping mask, it has really helped.  It’s always fun to receive boxes from people who care about you and love you.  Thank you!

On Saturday for lunch 4 of us guys decided to eat at Aziz’s (below).  Aziz’s is a locally run, traditional Afghan eatery located on the Northwest side of the base.  There are only 4 tables in the restaurant.  I had a rack of lamb on rice, topped with fried raisins, slivered carrots, and pistachios.  It turned out pretty good.  Lamb is the most widely used meat in Afghanistan.  The only downside of the lunch was waiting one hour and 45 minutes for the food.  It was snowing outside and you could see the cook through a hole in the wall cooking up the lamb outside.  I think the falling snow slowed his cooking time.

Here’s my entrée below.  Let’s just say I don’t think Dad would ever eat at this restaurant!

Here’s a picture of my room with my new desk.  I found this desk broken, on the side of the road outside my B Hut.  All it needed was some extra screws in the leg to hold it in place.  A few days later, I found a broken metal chair and bent the metal back in place, so now I have somewhere to sit as I type.  It has been so nice to have a chair and desk in my room.

Here’s my view from the desk I work at everyday.  The building I work in is one of the newest buildings on the base.  Directly in front of me is a flat-screen television where I can watch highlights from news channels in the states.  Early this morning we had a group of people in here watching the Super Bowl.  The Ops Center is directly across the hall from my office, where about 30 people do the day-to-day mission work here at the Regional Support Command. 

Thanks to Kim and Matt for the beautiful Hawaiian calendar I get to look at each day.  It reminds me there are other places in the world besides Afghanistan.  Next to the calendar are some of my favorite pictures from our little family.