I have a lot to catch up on here.

My replacement arrived at FOB Salerno last Monday morning, and within two hours I was able to catch a tiny plane to Bagram. I was prepared for another waiting game there, but I was actually able to get out within 24 hours. I did have to stay up all night waiting for a flight, though. I caught another small plane to Kabul International Airport in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, and then the fun started. I was supposed to call my point of contact at Camp Phoenix to arrange for transportation from KIA to there. But the phones at the airport were down. And I don’t have a cell phone here. So I waited. And waited some more. I asked around about ways to travel the short distance from KIA to Camp Phoenix. After about 4 hours I met a Lieutenant Colonel who called Phoenix and arranged for a convoy to come pick us up. There were about 12 other people stuck at the airport as well, all trying to get to Camp Phoenix. Finally a convoy arrived.

Convoys carrying personnel through Kabul generally work like this: There’s the Rhino (also called a Twinkie, assumedly because it’s tan and vaguely twinkie-shaped), which is essentially an up-armored Winnebago, with bus seats inside. Then there are the humvees; two in front and two in back, with gunners and everything. We all put on our body armor and helmets, got into the Rhino, and left the confines of the airport, which is a secured ISAF facility. We proceeded to tear ass through Kabul, flying around corners, blocking off traffic, and never stopping until we got inside the wire at Phoenix, which is about 5 miles away from KIA. Thus ended my action-packed 36 hours of travel with no sleep.

So I’ve been here for a week now, and I’m getting used to things. There was a lot of work to catch up on, since there was no Maryland field rep here for over a week. But things are basically smoothed out, and now I need to focus on my own classes. They’re requiring a lot more of my time as I approach finals week.

Also: new president. I am cautiously optimistic. I did allow myself to get a little giddy when I read the phrase “Obama administration.” This is the first election I’ve ever participated in where my candidate won. I’m proud of you, America. This is a pretty big deal. Now let’s not screw it up.

There is some sad news, though. My Aunt Sybil died yesterday afternoon. She introduced me to the books of Shel Silverstein at a young age, which I think was probably a big influence on who I turned out to be. I hope she knew that. It had been a few years since I’d seen her.

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