Day Six

As luck would have it, I rolled out of bed without the help of my tiny, grey alarm clock again today. It sure has been nice lately to not have to hear the nagging of a loud, beeping sound in my ear telling me it's time to get up and start my day. As I already mentioned, our ANA's are gone for a week, and without them, we can't train. So, there really aren't any set hours for us to do things right now. Training them, after all, is what I'm here for. While one might think that the "freedom" to get up late every day is a good thing, it does make for long days in a place where the days filled with work would surely make the time go by faster. The past 6 days might possibly be the longest days of my life.

I put on my PT gear and grabbed the towel I had hung so neatly on a wood screw in the middle of the wall the night before. I took my personal bag and headed to the showers, only to find that my showers were closed for cleaning. I would have to use a different one on the other side of camp. Frustrating. Good thing this camp isn't very big. Of course, it took me 20 minutes to find another one, as all the buildings in this place look the same, and all the latrines/showers seem to be hidden amongst them. I walked for a while, trampling over the stone-filled ground while my ankles screamed for mercy, and finally located a shower facility near the Germans' side of camp. As luck would have it, I forgot my shampoo, and I actually think I might've left it in the other shower the day before. It's long gone now. Good thing I have about 8 bottles of shampoo in my suitcase. That didn't help me much at this particular time though, and I ended up washing my hair with the soap I had on me at the time. Not ideal at all, but good enough I guess.

It was another nice day outside, as I trekked back through the stones to my room after a nice, long shower. "The air is a bit cooler today," I thought, as I looked up into the clear, blue sky before making it back to my hut. After putting on my uniform and boots, I made my way toward the office to see what was going on. Sure enough, the thermometer read 50 degrees...about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. It was still a beautiful day though, and I am much happier with this than seeing a bunch of snow on the ground.

I finally cracked open my black, heavy equipment cases and started going through all the cables, wires, cameras, and other accessories that my Airman had so graciously packed up for me before I left home. It was time for me to set up my little multimedia center. I pulled out my computer and set it up, only to trip a circuit breaker and create some sparks and smoke when I plugged it in. 110 voltage doesn't really work with 220 or 240 voltage, and/or vice versa. I'm just saying. I had to re-work some things, but finally got power and was able to start setting things up. The computer worked beautifully as I suspected, and my Airman did a great job loading all the software I had asked him to load on there. I got my little clamshell video player hooked up, after going through a myriad of cables and connectors trying to make everything match up the way I wanted. Finally, after a couple hours, I had the editing system up and running and ready to go. The only thing left to do now was go out and shoot some video, to see if the camera that was here when I got here, actually worked. I tooled around the camp a little bit with the camera and a brand new tape I had just ripped out of the package, and took some shots of buildings, signs, and vehicles. I wasn't in the mood to be fancy today. I was just trying to get everything working properly. I'm big on credibility when I deal with others, so I'm constantly making sure that my own credibility about the things I do is where it should be. If I didn't troubleshoot all these things prior to working with my ANA's, what would they think if I ran into problems WHILE working with them? I wanted to make sure that everything was in perfect order before I finally get a chance to sit down and teach them.

I brought the tape back and was able to successfully control the video player with my computer program and get it digitized. "Beautiful," I thought. I had everything laid out on the table, the computer set up, and everything I needed to do what I do...right there in front of me. It couldn't have worked out better. I'm ready for them...let the fun begin.

It was about 1430 before I finally made it to the dining facility for some food. Of course, lunch was over, so the hot meals were gone, but they always have bread and lunch meat there during the "off" hours. I grabbed a couple sandwiches and a cup of vegetable soup and went back to the office to eat. Luckily for me, I recorded about 250 episodes of 'Roseanne' on my computer at home before I left, and had them all on my external hard drive in my computer case. Entertainment while I eat...ya know. Roseanne is my favorite show in the world, and it was nice to sit and watch something familiar for a change. You really learn to appreciate real commercials when all you have to watch is Armed Forces Network all day long. Those who have spent any time overseas know exactly what I'm talking about.

I made it over to the MWR hut and hung out there watching some of the Army guys play pool. The crown thinned out and I was finally asked if I wanted to play. I decided to go ahead and pass some time there, so I picked up a stick and gladly obliged. I've tried to check the place out once or twice a day and talk to the young Army guys in there, if not for anything but to at least make a few friends and have some people to hang out with. Today was the icebreaker I guess, as I won game after game and all the guys in there started talking and calling me a "shark." One win became two, four wins became five...eight wins became nine...I was shooting pretty well today. I normally CAN shoot well when I put everything together that my dad has taught me over the years...I just never do it. I get lazy or just don't concentrate as much because I'm normally just trying to have fun and not be so competitive. Today, I did though. "Don't rush...take your time...low, controlled bridge...steady stroke...don't hit the balls too hard...see your next shot but concentrate on making the one you're shooting"...it all seemed to come together, as dad's words echoed through my head every single time I leaned over the table. I was in there for a couple hours talking to many of the guys and we even played partners for a little while. Two guys actually fought over who was going to be my teammate. It was funny to watch actually. Kids. All because I drew a little attention to myself playing so well at pool today. Thanks dad. Not for making me a great pool "shark," but for giving me another way to make friends and find at least one way to make this six months a little easier, and make it go by a little faster.

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. My equipment is set up and I'm ready to train. My room is set up and I'm living ok. I've been lazy and haven't been to the gym yet, so maybe tomorrow will be that first day. I keep saying I'm going to start on Monday, but maybe I'll try a treadmill or a bike tomorrow at least. Omar would be killing me right now if he knew how lazy I've been. I can't lie and say that I haven't had the opportunity, that's for sure. So, we'll see what happens. Rolling out of bed tomorrow may feel like I'm in the movie 'Groundhog Day'...but at least I'm still rolling out of bed. I'm truly blessed and thankful for that, regardless of how my time is being spent here so far, and all the "not so good" things happening in this country right now. It'll turn around, I know it will. I know that gratification is coming with all the work I WILL get to do with my ANA's. I have to believe that and keep a positive attitude...for them...and for me.