I Have Arrived

Well - I'm here - in Afghanistan. Smack dab in the middle of Kabul - and its cold as you can see in the 1st pic. I'm writing with mixed feelings at the moment. See, I'm no longer assigned to the "cushy base" I was tenatively slated to go to. Instead, I've been assigned to Camp Eggers. Those who are here say its THE place to be, but I will need to be convinced. It's not the actual base that bothers me - its where I'm staying - OFF base. Sure, I have my own room (will get a roomate eventually) in a safe house - and it has a balcony to boot. I'm just not crazy about having to "commute" to & from work, or just to eat or utilize the services on the base.

The 2nd pic does no justice to the wild ride it will take for me to get from point A to point B - at least twice a day (the pic was taken prior to getting to my site/living quarters location). Security concerns won't allow me to post pics or get into too much detail as to how the commute really is. All I'll say is - its filled with police, checkpoints, absolutley insane driving conditions & lots of "unknowns" that have left my stomach in knots. I'm told that will pass - and I'll get used to it - and embrace my location & conditions - but I'm skeptical while writing this. Don't get me wrong, I knew the risks getting into this - I was just "hoping for the best" - and have to let things set in a bit.

One bit of good news is that I will definitely be busy & hard at work "on the job". I had heard rumors of folks in my position getting to their job sites & not having much to do. The last thing I want is to twiddle my thumbs all day for the next year. Had I gone to the other camp, that may have happened, but not here. I'm sure to be challenged & will be in a high profile position supporting the likes of folks who's names are mentioned routinely on the news.

I'll post more when I learn & discover more. And again, I apologize for vagueness at times - but I have to be ever mindful of operational security. Mine & others' lives literally depend on it.