May 1, 1956 - No Longer an Only Child

Happy Birthday Pitzah! I love you.
xxxooo
Your Seeeeeesssssssster.

Cheap Treats and Reflections

I don't know if I mentioned, but about 2 weeks after I arrived, Camp Virginia decided that they would discontinue paying for meals for USO employees. I've been saving my receipts (it's over $10/day) and turning them in on expense reports. I'm still waiting to see if I get reimbursed. Some of the Camp Virginia USO employees have been driving to other bases (Camp Buehring and/or LSA*) to get the free meals. Last night Christine and I left the USO to Jose (Center Director) and Drumm (one of our wonderful volunteers) and went with Mike C. and Mike E. to LSA. Although the food is basically the same, the DFac at The Rock is a lot different than the DFac at Camp Virginia. They have small tables for 6; we have long, institutional tables. Their set-up encourages conversation, whereas ours encourages people to veg and watch TV. They have metal flatware and ceramic plates; we have plastic forks, spoons, knives and disposable plates. (You should try eating steak with cheap picnic forks and knives.) Their chocolate soft serve is a lot darker and more chocolaty than ours. Their streets are paved, their bathrooms indoors with flush toilets, their sidewalks cobblestone, their bunks have balconys, etc., etc., etc. Ahahahhhhhhhhhhhh!

*Life Support Area/Ali Al Salem Air Base aka "The Rock." (For more on LSA/Ali Al Salem see http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/ali-al-salem.htm)

The actual reason for this post is to tell you that Christine bought a mirror. I don't know why she went to The Rock BX (Base Exchange) instead of the Camp Virginia PX (Post Exchange) since we have plenty of mirrors, but . . . anyway, she needs a mirror to see what her outfit looks like before she goes to work. What she had been doing -- this is the absolute truth -- is taking digital pictures of herself and using that to see how she looked. She doesn't know how to work the timer on her camera, but the flash takes ~~1.5 seconds to activate after the button is pressed, so she presses the button, runs in front of the camera, gets in three pictures and then can see her outfit from the front, back and side. Now that she has a mirror she does't have to do that anymore. Christine is not even blonde; she has red hair! (Looks like the mirror worked. Love that outfit.)

I'm in the office and the USO is opening so I'd better get back to my bunk. I hear thunder so there's a good chance it's pouring outside. Sand, dirt, crust, mud -- it all looks the same after awhile. Cheers.

Too Much of Nothin'

OK, so I just wrote for 10 minutes and then the freakin' Internet went down and I lost everything. ajajaughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! The Internet has basically been down for two days, but it's NOT THAT FRUSTRATING! aughgersfhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Not too much going on here. If you are one of the people who think I am making a sacrifice, you might want to read this section twice. I'm basically on an 18 month vacation. In my off hours I've been watching TV and movies. Saw one show from the current season of Rescue Me (I forget how good it is), three complete seasons of Entourage (I'm ready for more), watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall (much cuter than I expected), Marley & Me (I did not cry; I have dust in my eyes), Step Brothers (hilarious!), College (glad I saw that after my kids graduated) and Quantum of Solace.

Weather has been hot during the day (108+) and lovely at night. Sometimes we get our dinner to go and eat it outside on a picnic table.

For a couple of days it was really slow at the USO, then Camp Virginia had an influx of Marines, then Navy, then Army so we were very busy, now back to normal. Last Friday I asked one of the guys how he was and he replied, "I'm just swell." so "swell" became the word of the day. Our Words of the Day since then have been "modification," "perspire," and "enthusiasm." I haven't been to work yet, so I don't know what the word will be today. I'll decide when I get there. Everyone must use the Word of the Day in a sentence.

Yesterday I finally put up the murals I had bought months ago. I found out we are not allowed to alter our rooms permanently (makes sense) so instead of using wallpaper paste, Berry and I put these up with two-sided tape, Scotch tape and thumb tacks. Considering, I think they look pretty good.

One of the Army guys (Spc. Troy Yocum) is trying to break a record for the Guinness Book. He will be playing the drums on stage for five days straight, trying to reclaim his own former record that was recently broken. He gets 5 minutes break every hour and the whole thing needs to be recorded for verification.

Update: Spc. Yocum's attempt was not successful. I didn't see it, but from what I understand, after 32 hours he got up to take his 5/60 break and his leg collapsed out from under him. They took him to the TMC. He's OK, but the Guinness Book will have to wait.

I had some weird hours because a lot of people have been out. Joe is on R&R for 18 days. He works graveyard, so I covered 1800 to 0200 last Thursday and Friday. Don't know if I'm built to work until 2:00 a.m. Kristine took her respite in Aman, Jordan for 3 days; Bettie (my roommate) is now in Dubai for 3 days. Soon Jordan will take an 18 day tour of Europe. I'm still trying where to meet my family; some place we can get to without spending too much $$ and where I don't have to fly through Dubai.

Guess it's time to go to lunch. I wish I had more interesting or exciting events to report.

What We Love and Where We Love It

Thank you for all of your inquiries. We LOVE getting care packages. My address is:

Bonah Bachenheimer
USO Southwest Asia
Camp Virginia - Kuwait
APO
AE 09327

The troops enjoy all kinds of munchies: hard candies, chocolates, cookies, brownies, GoRP, nuts, bagged Doritos, Fritos and chips (Pringles don't travel well), microwave popcorn, energy bars, indivudally wrapped cakes or pies and beef jerky.

Me, personally, I'd really like to get some Golden Spoon, any flavor. . . .sigh.

I wish you could see these young faces light up when I put out some snacks and tell them it came in a package for them. Huge thank yous to everyone for your support.

p.s. My e-mail of choice is bonnie.bachenheimer@kyl.com. Thank you.

Warm and Fuzzy in Kuwait

Archie and Edith are Everywhere

For reasons known to the military and not to me we are getting a lot of new bunkers. I will go into a building for a half hour or so and when I come out there's a new bunker. I don't know why this is happening, but I do know that there are a lot more places to smoke a hooka.

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

It’s been very quiet at the USO since (at this moment) there’s no one except resident troops on base. We have one new group of 40 marines from North Carolina that will be here for 90 days. (That’s considered permanent.) Martin (picture) is one of the nicest and one of the most adobrable. I hear from him and all of his buddies every single day, “Thank you ma’am. We really appreciate you being here for us.”; “I don’t know what I would do without the USO.”; “You people are wonderful. We’re so glad you’re here.”; “Life is bearable if I can hang out at the USO.” "I wish there were more people like you."

I’ve heard these with my own ears.
Thanks to YOU (who are reading this) for your continuing support. bon

Happier Endings

The day that didn't start out well got it better:

The day after his promotion to E5, my friend Doug (not his real name) got the call from home that things were not going well with is fiancée. He was pretty upset. Doug went to the Chaplin who recommended that his weapon be taken away and that he go off duty for three days. Fortunately it turned out that the information was not wholly true, Doug is back on duty (with weapon), and things are getting straightened out with his fiancée.

Subway recently changed their hours 1000 – 2000 which really sucked because I had been going to Subway for breakfast at 0900 when I woke up too late to get breakfast at the DFac. Just received an e-mail from the AAFES lady (they run the concessions on Camp) that Subway and Charley’s (the steak sandwich place) were going back to being open 24/7 and McDonald’s is now open until 0200 instead of closing at 2200. Yay!

I had a ton of fun at the seders, but it’s still difficult to be away from my family on my favorite holiday. I received delicious and fun Passover care packages (thanks Amy, Joan and MOT), some really wonderful and warm e-mail wishes and I got Passover cards and/or notes from JoAnn (always the right card at always the right time), Deb K. and Bertha D. Thanks ladies. You make my heart warm.

One young soldier was totally freaked out until we told him he could use our phone. He was behind-the-counter on our Center line for the better part of the evening while his wife was in labor. Poor guy is on his way home, but was going to be about 48 hours too late to see the birth of his first child. That was night before last. I trust that now he’s home and enjoying his new daughter, Rachel Michelle Pruitt.

I left my freakin' shower gel in the freakin' shower again! I'm really getting tired of supplying the people of Bangladesh with soap. Buying a new freakin' bottle of gel every week is getting freakin' expensive. It's a pain that I have to keep freakin' buying it and I'm really getting annoyed! ------ Oh. The gel was laying down behind the shampoo on the top shelf of my war locker. Never mind.

In addition to lots of movies, the USO has some television show DVDs: Deadwood, Sopranos, Entourage, South Park, Rescue Me, etc. Kristine and Berry convinced me that I would enjoy Entourage, so I watched the first season and one-third of the second season and then the book with the TV show DVDs disappeared!!! Man, was I annoyed. (If you know me, you know that I wasn’t annoyed; I was ranting-raving- pissed.) Anyway, two days later the book reappeared. Now I can watch the rest of seasons two and three of Entourage and I’m not so annoyed any more.

Still everything goes around, turns around and comes around; even in Kuwait.

Little Boxes

I’ve received quite a few CARE packages. I can to tell you again and again how grateful we are. First of all, I get to look like a big shot. It’s obvious to everyone as I’m opening this huge box that I am a very important and loved person. However, when we (USO staff and troops) see what’s inside, all heck breaks loose. I hide the microwave popcorn in three different places because we always run out. One person will ask for popcorn and by the time it’s finished popping and the aroma has wafted for a few seconds, there are six more wanting popcorn and then the requests multiply exponentially. (Is that the correct word? Does it work in this paragraph?) Anyway, the popcorn is always a huge hit. I put the candy out immediately so that I don’t eat all of it. We got at least 10 pounds from Alexis the other day. I kept refilling the tray at the front desk and between 1600 and 0600 the next morning ALL of the candy was eaten. The troops just love it. I see them coming back numerous times to get handfuls or cupfuls; they’re not shy. The guys and gals get possessive with the Girl Scout cookies. Someone will see their favorite and grab a sleeve or the whole box. Then they come back looking for more. They also love the beef jerky, chips, snacks, fruit leathers, GoRP, nuts, brownies, etc., etc. Snacks are definitely a luxury; the troops say that having snacks makes them feel “normal.”

I drew a crowd when I opened the toiletries from KY&L. The water here is sort of icky, so it’s difficult to find anything that smells fresh. Even the laundry coming directly out of the washer/dryer and people coming out of the shower don’t smell clean. The soaps, gels and lotions were snatched up before I could put them in a drawer. (I took a couple too.) It’s nice to smell like a luxurious hotel and not stale desert water.

Thank you again to Karen Kearny, Leslie Jenkins, Leorit Rodriguez, Alexis Lewis, Amy Abrams, Beverly Bingham and everyone at Keesal, Young & Logan. I hope to heavens I didn’t forget anyone. If it did, I will update immediately. Your kindness and generosity are very, very much appreciated.

Traditions

Three times every day we hear a bugle call played over the loudspeaker. Reveille, the wakeup, is played at 0600 every morning. If the flags had been lowered the night before, this is when they would be raised. At Camp Virginia, the flags fly 24/7, so it’s only the signal to get out of bed. Unfortunately there is no snooze for Reveille. Even with our window open a little, sometimes I sleep through it. I’m amazed when that happens since it’s pretty loud and very persistent.

At 1700 every afternoon is Retreat or Colors. It’s supposed to be the time when the flags are lowered. At that time all personnel come to attention and/or salute facing the flags; traffic stops. It’s interesting to see guys just hanging out and when Colors starts to play they all come to attention and become soldiers for a couple of minutes; when it’s over they go back to being guys hanging out. I don’t like to be outside during Colors because (like everyone else) I must stop what I’m doing, but then I just sort of stand there facing the flags feeling awkward.

At 2300 every night is Taps. I usually hear it (like I did just now), even if I’m inside or working at the USO. Taps signals lights out. Of course we all recognize taps as sad since it’s also used at funerals, wreath-laying and memorial services. Again, everyone (outside) stops what they’re doing. I don’t know if we’re supposed to face the flags so I usually just stand still and bow my head.

===================================

Inside the entry to our DFac is a POW/MIA table. I’ve seen it, but never really noticed it until the rabbi talked about these tables at the seder. The tables are at every military function where a meal is served. According to what I found on the Internet: It’s a small round table, set for one symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner, alone against the suppressors; The tablecloth is white, symbolic of the purity of intentions to respond to the call to arms; The empty chair leaning against the table represents the person who is not present; The salt shaker or salt on the plate reminds us of the tears of the family; The single red rose in a vase represents the blood shed in sacrifice; The yellow ribbon around the vase reminds us of those awaiting the POW/MIA’s return; The slice of lemon represents the bitter fate of the POW/MIAs; The glass is empty/upside down because the POW/MIA is unable to toast with us; The candle is for the light of hope we keep in our hearts and to illuminate the way home; The hats represent the various military branches.

Beauty is the Beast

Went to get my hair cut at the "spa" next to the Radisson. When I went on Wednesday to make an appointment for Thursday there were three women walking out. They were all covered head to toe in black; no eyes, no hands, no nothing; just black. probably not a good sign at a beauty salon.

The lady who cut my hair (Miriam) was really nice, even though she was from Iran (oops). I asked her if she cut a lot of curely hair; she told me she doesn't understand what curely means. There were a lot of women and young girls in the salon, many of whom were having their make-up done. I don't know if this was for a wedding or other special occasion, but I'm telling you they looked frightening. One girl came into the place where I was having my mani/ped (2 hours!). She was about 13 years old, had long stright BLACK hair, huge RED lips and about 1/3" of BLACK liner all around her eyes. Some of the ladies had glitter around their eyes. They all had powdered faces, necks, chests and arms with powder all over their clothes. It must be a tradition and I'm sure it's beautiful to them and/or their men, but with those faces around me I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Mo Matzo

On Wednesday, Joe and I drove to the Sultan Center to buy parsely and tablecloths in Kuwait City and then to the Radisson. In afternoon headed to Arifjan for Passover Seder. As you can see in these pictures, the scenery between Camp Virginia and Arifjan is spectacular! When I first arrived in Kuwait I stayed at the Radisson for one night. I had forgotten (until now) that it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to turn on the shower. The wall in the tub is as complicated as a jet control panel.

The Passover seder conducted by Rabbi Soussan, the chaplin at AJ, was wonderful: thought provoking, fun, full of spirit and tradition. There were about 30 of us in attendance, including troops, troop families, troop support and American embassy personnel. We had gefilte fish (same as home), charoset from a bag (really good), horseraddish from a bag (good, but not very strong), lots of grape juice (saving wine for 2nd night), parseley, eggs (with Arabic markings on them) and beef goulash MREs (totally, 120%, incredibly, uncompromisingly disgusting! I'm the person who thinks airline food is good. I could not take more than 1/2 bite of the MRE. That's how bad they are.) Met some new friends. A wonderful time was had by all, especially me.

Second day we went to buy ingredients for tsimmis, prepared and put up to cook in Joe's room, I went to the beauty salon (see separate post) and headed for AJ in the afternoon. Since we had suitcases and boxes, etc., security at AJ sent the car through the Xray. Good for national safety; bad for my goldfish (j/k). Got back to Virginia at 2356, just in time for Joe to start work at 2400.

Double AAs, AJs and Holidays

On Monday, my day off, Joe and I drove to Camp Arafjan. The Passover seders are being held at AJ and since Joe didn't know the directions from Camp Virginia to AJ we decided to do a dry run. In addition to being much larger, AJ is very different from Camp Virginia in that it has permanent buildings, paved roads, a swimming pool, indoor plumbing, and numerous essential administrative facilities. We found the chapel in Sector 1, then SSgt. Timothy Wiggins (my new best friend) took us to the chapel annex in Sector 6, where the seders will be held. We did not meet with the chaplin/Rabbi. I was going to cook my famous and fabulous tsimmos, kugel and date charoset, but the rabbi told me that I'd have to buy new baking dishes, new utensils (knives, cutting boards and peelers) and new appliances (food processor/chopper and crock pot) if I wanted to cook. He also told me not to leave the food with the DFac people so they didn't touch it while it was baking or put something non-pesadich in it. So anyway, we're having MREs and I'm not cooking. I think this person may be a little too concerned with the letter of the law and not enough concerned with the spirit of the holiday. I also think that if someone is a very strict religious Jew that person is probably not in the American military. Am I pissed? Uh, yeah, a little. Hopefully after I meet the chaplin/rabbi or attend the sederim I'll be able to remove this little rant.

UPDATE: I am happy to report that I was 100% wrong. The rabbi is an absolute doll, the seder was a rockin' good time and we witnessed a rendition of Chad Gadya that will be spoken about for generations to come. Tsimmis cooking in Joe's room now. Another seder tonight. More to report soon.

On Tuesday morning the USO had its first annual NCAA championship game party. I don't remember whose idea it was, but somewhere along the line Kristine and I became the sponsors. Since the pre-game started at 0300 local time, that's when our party started. We had near beer, nachos, Subway, chips, cookies, etc. and a game pool with half time and end of game winners. (Each got an iPod!) I did the flyer (some things never change) and then Command Cell sent it by mass e-mail to everyone at Camp Virginia. Starbucks sponsored and had my flyer blown-up and posted on their door. That's the first time one of my notices has been enlarged; pretty cool. We had 80 people watching the game on our cinema screen and large TV. Everyone had fun and the party was definitely a success.

Mating Season (May not be suitable for children)

The other day, by shear luck, I was able to capture on film the early morning mating of the male Kuwaiti Water Truck and the American Female Latrine. I have witnessed this once before in the afternoon, but was not previously able to obtain an actual photograph. It happens like this: once or twice a week the large male truck approaches the smaller female latrine. (The latrine is not visible in this picture, as it is behind the large truck.) The male's hose is then extended and enters the female through a small opening in the female's side. The liquid (known as "water") then enters the female, but remains in special tank or reservoir on the outside of the female until the female knows by instinct when it is ready to draw the male's liquid and provide the ecologically essential shower, wash or flush.

Today I was almost able to get a picture of a litter of the smaller "Aqua Gulf" water bottle containers being delivered. Interestingly, the Aqua Gulf liquid, which is also called "water," arrives in a plastic bottle which is surrounded by a cardboard "box," which is in turn contained in a protective wrapping which the natives refer to as "plastic". See picture of Aqua Gulf above, albeit a few hours after delivery. It's fascinating to me how nature takes care of us, even in the desert.

I'm Not Scared

A couple of weeks ago there was this creepy announcement that they were securing the base until further notice; that is, no one could go out or come in. Lasted only about 20 minutes and I did found out the next day the reason for the shut down. (If I told you I'd have to kill you.)

A couple of days ago I was jolted out of my afternoon nap with a test of the emergency alert systems. Many LOUD eerie noises to warn us of an air strike, ground attack, incoming, or chemical breach; one sound and announcement was for hospital and medical staff, another communication service, one for fire personnel, then combat, convoy and escort workers. Instructed us to stay inside with doors and windows closed or proceed immediately to a bunker. Weirded me out, especially when I think the announcer was trying to convince himself: "This is a test. This is only a test!"

Even though it's only Stars and Strips, CNN, FOX and AFN, we do get "world" news. Good freekin' grief people! At least at Camp Virginia we're not being mowed down in citizenship class, or ambushed because we're cricket players, or trampled at football games, or flooded then frozen out of our homes or asphyxiated with volcanic ash.

Maybe a military installation in Kuwait isn't as frightening or dangerous as previously thought.

Life is Good

Amnesty

I think I mentioned in one of my previous postings that we have "Amnesty" boxes on base. These are places where troops (or anyone) can dispose of something they are not supposed to have (live weapons, ammunition, alcohol, drugs, pictures, etc.) without repercussions. The other evening one soldier called me aside. He looked sweaty and stressed. He said, "I know this is a weird question ma'am (they always call me ma'am), but where is the closest amnesty?" I told him and asked him if there was anything I could help with. He said "No, thank you very much ma'am" and left immediately.

Once every week the boxes are disposed of -- actually blown up. So I'll be doing something, minding my own business and all of a sudden I hear KA BLAM! Oh yeah, it must be that day. Then a couple of minutes later I hear BOOMBOOMBOOMK'POW! There goes another one. Sometimes it's three. B'B'B'B'B'B'BAAAAAAMMMM!

BTW and FYI: WTF??

The military never met an acronym it didn't like.

USO: United Service Organization. NOT a government agency.
USO.SWA: Includes USOs in Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, Afghanistan and Iraq.
PO: Post Office (duh!)
PX: Post Exchange. Pavilions mates with 7-11 and produces a shop open 0800 - 2100.
DFac - Dining Facility. Where we eat DFood.
TMC - Troop Medical Center
BFE - BumbF---Egypt. (Not really Egypt.) It's where Spc. Berry spends his days defending sand. A suburb of Yenemsvelt.
TV/NTV - Tactical Vehicle (or non-). We enter camp through security in the NTV lane.
LOU - Letter of Understanding. My emloyment contract.
BDU - Battle Dress Uniform
GS - General Support (pay level). We are GS-13, which impresses a lot of people.
E - Echelon (or level). The supervisor in the DFac says he's the E5 in charge
TCN - Third Country Nationals (mostly from Bangladesh, India, Shri Lanka and Philippines)
LZ - Landing Zone
QRF - Quick Reaction Force
APO - Army Post Office
ACU - Army Combat Uniform
NST - Negro Standard Time (Berry's watch)
PT - Physical Training
APFU - Advanced Physical Fitness Uniform
MCT - Movement Control Team
MRE - Meals Ready to Eat (Blechey)
MWR - Morale, Wellness, Recreation (competition to the USO)
TOC - Tactical Operation Center
ETS - Estimated Time of Separation
LES - Leave and Earnings Statement (paystub)
ECP - Entry Control Point
DSN Lines - Defense Switched Network (telephone)
CAC - Common Access Card (your ID)
MRAP - Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
7/11 - Johnson & Johnson (long story)
AAFES - Army and Airforce Exchange Service (concessions on base)
ACH - Army Combat Helmet
BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing
IOTV - Individual Outer Tactical Vest
J-List - Chem Suit



much more later.

Who Needs Louis Vuitton?

Every time I go out the door I carry:

Left Pocket: Cell phone (I'll load the two 20 KD cards this afternoon, I promise).

Right Pocket: Three Crystal Lights (with caffeine OK in the morning; not in the afternoon or evening); four Altoids; found pogs; Revlon lipgloss; receipts for recent meals; keys (bunk and USO -- not in picture); one cough drop.

Card Carrier: CAC (ID) card, Eagle Cash card; three partially used calling cards; UBOC Debit card; US Government Motor Vehicle Operator's ID Card with CDL; Army Post Office Military Postal Clerk card; Department of the Army Invitational Travel Order. Must keep every one of these items with me at all times.

Nuff said??

BTW: Really good deals on Coach and Dooney & Bourke at the PX.