Not Quite there...yet

Hi All;

I still do not have my "Contractor Verification" at Ft. Drum. After a month and a half of daily paperwork, learning hundreds of acronyms, and dealing with a 9 1/2 hour time difference between Adams Center and Kandahar, Afghanistan this glitch may or may not be cleared up today. I am scheduled to leave (on my own mental time table) tomorrow! The contract formally states that I have to be there on September 30, 2011, but this has 'allowable' delay factors built into it...like when computers and people do not interface correctly. The 'CV' allows me to get my CAC (common access card) which allows me to do all kinds of things...get my helmet and armor on post, get the flight from Kuwait to Kandahar, get onto the base there, use computers in military installations, etc. It is a bit nerve wracking to not know when I will depart.

On the other hand, things look like I will have a busy and productive 90 days. I've had nearly a dozen lessons at Ft. Drum with Abdul, an MI (military intelligence) language expert who is from Afghanistan. Intermingled with these lessons are tons of cultural tidbits...don't nod or shake your head- Afghans think this is 'stupid', no thumbs up (hand gesture for having an erection), no 'okay' gesture with your thumb and forefinger making a circle (hand gesture for anus or vagina),
to get permission to come into a home you ask the head male to see if the women are aware that a strange man is about to come in, never offer anything with your left hand (this is the unclean hand, used for cleaning after deification), don't show the bottoms of your feet, as in crossing your legs when seated (not sure why...it is just impolite)...and a thousand other little details. The language aspects were fun too.

I might or might not get another posting before I depart...there is a lot to do with packing and related stuff. I will post as soon as possible once I am there. Krista will be posting shortly to get you the list of stuff and where to donate to "Operation Spartan Stork" which provides birthing kits to Afghan women. Afghanistan has the second highest infant mortality rate in the world.