21 March
Well, I made it back to my home base finally. It took 4 days due to a sand storm in Kuwait. I was exhausted and miserable and all I wanted to do was shower and sleep. So I got to do both last night! It feels weird being back here after being home for so long. I was able to stay home longer than most due to the funeral, and so now that I'm back I feel very out of the loop and behind. Overwhelmed is more like it. I know it will come back after a few days, and everyone says take it one day at a time. So that's all I can do for now. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayer, though. The transition back has been hard on me. I am sad to be gone from the family again, and today would have been my dad's birthday. Going home on leave is a good thing. It is necessary and important for your emotional health. But coming back really tears your heart out again -- like it did when I first left. (This part of the militray is NO fun).
I was stuck in Kuwait for two extra nights due to a sandstorm. So I am attaching a picture of the base there and another picture from the TV monitor where I stayed. I have to tell a funny story about Kuwait, though. I decided to honor my wife and wear my "I Love My Wife" t-shirt on the return trip a few days ago (as we were required to be in civilian clothing). So we land at the Kuwait City International Airport after 12 hours in the air, and I get off in the crowded airport to mingle with men in their traditional robes and women wearing black burqas. Most women has their faces exposed, but some you could only see their eyes. It was weird. Now granted, I was not the only American militray personnel walking through there that day, but I was the only one who grabbed his green duffel bag with white crosses painted on it (to help me distinguish it from all the other green duffel bags) while wearing an "I Love My Wife" shirt. The contrast between my culture and theirs was striking. (If some of those women hidden behnd their burqas could have even read the English on my t-shirt, I wonder what they would have thought!). Well, gotta go. We'll talk again later.
Well, I made it back to my home base finally. It took 4 days due to a sand storm in Kuwait. I was exhausted and miserable and all I wanted to do was shower and sleep. So I got to do both last night! It feels weird being back here after being home for so long. I was able to stay home longer than most due to the funeral, and so now that I'm back I feel very out of the loop and behind. Overwhelmed is more like it. I know it will come back after a few days, and everyone says take it one day at a time. So that's all I can do for now. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayer, though. The transition back has been hard on me. I am sad to be gone from the family again, and today would have been my dad's birthday. Going home on leave is a good thing. It is necessary and important for your emotional health. But coming back really tears your heart out again -- like it did when I first left. (This part of the militray is NO fun).
I was stuck in Kuwait for two extra nights due to a sandstorm. So I am attaching a picture of the base there and another picture from the TV monitor where I stayed. I have to tell a funny story about Kuwait, though. I decided to honor my wife and wear my "I Love My Wife" t-shirt on the return trip a few days ago (as we were required to be in civilian clothing). So we land at the Kuwait City International Airport after 12 hours in the air, and I get off in the crowded airport to mingle with men in their traditional robes and women wearing black burqas. Most women has their faces exposed, but some you could only see their eyes. It was weird. Now granted, I was not the only American militray personnel walking through there that day, but I was the only one who grabbed his green duffel bag with white crosses painted on it (to help me distinguish it from all the other green duffel bags) while wearing an "I Love My Wife" shirt. The contrast between my culture and theirs was striking. (If some of those women hidden behnd their burqas could have even read the English on my t-shirt, I wonder what they would have thought!). Well, gotta go. We'll talk again later.
Oh my goodness! Love the airport story. Yes, the culture difference is very striking.
ReplyDeleteGlad the travels back were safe for you. Hope the overwhelmed/feeling behind feeling is able to go away soon!