Preparing

It is Friday and my day off. I have been packing and getting ready to go on the next stop in my year-long experience. I will miss my little room, but I am looking forward to seeing my next little room, which is slightly larger than this one. I also am looking forward to having dinner on Monday with some of my friends from Washington and from Kabul.

I was going to shop at the bazaar today, but I forgot that Eid is being celebrated today, and so the camp is deserted, and the bazaar is not open. I will have to buy my backpack next week.

Ferocious brought me another present yesterday. I think he will miss me. Our team is going to one of the military bases tomorrow or the next day, and I am getting my interview with him so that I can tell you more about him. He never knew he would be famous!!!

I looked yesterday to see how many people are reading what I say, and I am overwhelmed and grateful for the audience – which, believe it or not, extends to Russia and South Korea. What in the world? How did that happen? I’m thrilled for the audience in Sedalia!

I started looking around today, and will try to take some pictures so that at some point, I will be able to show you where I live. For today, I have a couple that I think are interesting: roses among thorns. Seriously. It is hard for me to believe that in this place of dirt and dust and gravel, these beautiful flowers can thrive. I think they illustrate that old bromide: Bloom where you are planted. For some, obviously, it’s easier than for others. But these roses remind me that where seeds take hold, some good things can follow.

Yesterday, we had a little excitement. I was working at the computer, very diligently working, and something crossed my brain that sounded like something but it wasn’t loud enough or important enough to distract me from my task. A little while later, I heard Julie yelling, “What’s going on?” and so I thought I might want to find out what the problem was. I opened the door and looked out and saw the guy from Jefferson City walking past our building holding his AK-47 at the ready. I was getting the idea that I missed something, and Julie told me she thought the noise might have been a gunshot.

I have always wondered what I would do in a situation like that – when something unexpected and probably dangerous happened. I have always assumed that I would be logical and clear-headed and simply do what was necessary to handle the situation. Well, I was right except about one thing. The FIRST thing I did was act like my father, who, when the tornado siren went off, went outside and scanned the sky to see God knows what. So my unbelievable first reaction, after making fun of my father for years and years, was to take a step toward the open part of the building to see what was going on.

Then I followed with the logic and clear-headedness, and headed toward my little room, where I quickly put on my Kevlar and then got back to work. I did move from my desk to Esman’s, as his is away from the window and he had the day off for Eid. After all, what was I going to do about it? I don’t have a gun, and everyone thanks God for that, even if he or she doesn’t KNOW that thanking God is the correct response. All the security guys were out in force, doing their thing, finding out what happened and where the shot, if it was a shot, came from. I felt very safe, which is exactly what I would not have felt like if I had a gun.

When I shot a gun in training, my hands were really sweaty. I think it’s because I just had never held one before, and I certainly didn’t feel comfortable holding one – or firing one, for that matter. Something tells me, though, that if I had to fire one, I could do it. I have been able to do, during my entire life, whatever it takes to get me through whatever it is, and I think firing a gun would be exactly the same. Let’s just keep me where I don’t have to find out.

After a while, I took off the vest – it is blue, and I was wearing black, and my wearing the two together would distress Emily to no end. And it turned out that whatever happened was not a shot, and whatever it was occurred when one of our guys did something, so we were never in any danger. I never felt any danger anyway. I am telling you that the security force, all of them, looked fearsome. Their reaction was a good thing to see. When I leave on Monday, I will be thanking them for their protection during the time I have been here.

The kitchen is cooking out hamburgers tonight, and so I will be eating dinner. This day has been lovely, just like a September day in Missouri – the morning was crisp and a little chilly, and then the sun took off all the chill and was beautiful as I walked around. I know it will get chilly again when the sun goes down, but I expect that the evening will be invigorating. It will be perfect for a cookout. The moon is approaching full, and because we rarely see clouds, the night sky becomes luminous when the moon is up.

I will leave you now, as I must ready my next column for the Democrat. I know you will recognize it, and I hope you enjoy it.

Until tomorrow!

Post Publication: I can't figure out how to insert my pictures. I will have to wait for Esman to help me!