Getting a place to stay

             We made it to Camp Phoenix and were dropped off in one of the alleys and pointed in a direction where someone should be able to help us.  So finally, a commercial jet, a few bus rides, a cargo flight, helicopter ride, and a convoy later I am at the place that will be my home for the next year.  Now what do we do? Again it was in the evening, starting to get late and my co-worker and I were not sure what exactly we needed to do, so the PFC we helped out stayed with the baggage while we went to find a place to check in and get some help.  It is hard to explain how difficult it is to find places in such a small area, but buildings are everywhere if there was a spot there is a building, and then there are bunkers around so in order to get where you want to go you have to make a few turns, go down some alleys and there you are.  Well, at night, when you have never been there it is pretty difficult.  But we found the Welcome Center, and sure enough there were people inside who actually had an idea that we were coming. 

                So my co-worker and I checked in, which meant we signed our name on the roaster gave them some contact info and then the lieutenant proceeded to give us the rundown of the camp rules where everything was, and then explained to us that she had temporary rooms for us and hoped to get us into different rooms soon.  Soon is a relative term, basically there is a place on camp called Lego Village, it is named this because it is a bunch of metal conexes stacked on top of each other and turned  different directions, with wooden steps going to the second level.  It has the appearance of a Lego apartment complex.  This is the coveted housing here because: 1) it is close to everything, 2) two they are individual rooms, 3) they are bigger than most rooms (that is not saying they are large).  This area tends to be for officer housing so it stays pretty full.  However, my partner and I were not lucky enough to get housing in these units just yet, hopefully we will be moving there in the not-to-distant-future.  But for the time being I got a room in a “newly constructed” building and it had indoor plumbing so I don’t have to walk outside to take a shower or use the bathroom.  This is HUGE!!  However, there is no window in my room which honestly is more difficult than you would think, because there is NO light coming into the room so when I wake up whether it be in the middle of the night or later morning I don’t have any idea what time of day it is.  A couple mornings I have woken up and could have just slept the rest of the day and never known I missed the day.

                Still I will say no matter what I had prepared myself for and what I was expecting it was still different and kind of a shock to walk into my room.  I have lived on my own for a while now and my last place was a three-bedroom two-and-a-half bath townhouse that my dog and I shared.  So walking into a room that is no more than 6 by 6 and seeing that there is enough room for a bed and then the door so you can walk it was shocking.  I am not complaining though, not at all, (although that may come, just remind me it could be worse)  there are tents that the lower enlisted are in with row after row of bunk beds and they have to walk down the road to get a shower.  So trust me I know how lucky I am to have a single room and even more blessed to have it in a building that has running water.  

                Also we are in buildings or like I said of the enlisted they are in huge tent bays where there are thin or few walls and it is still quiet, because we respect each other, and your neighbor respects you.  The building I am in I fully expected to hear my neighbor talking and moving around and her tv or computer but no, it is quiet occasionally I hear someone coming down the hall, that is to be expected or I hear my neighbor talking to someone on the phone or more likely the computer.  But mostly it is quiet, very quiet.  Today I had the opportunity to go in to one of the open bay tents and it was the same way, soldiers taking a nap or watching TV with their headphones in.  Playing games on their computer with the volume turned off, again because there is respect.  It really made me think about all of us going through this at the same time looking out for each other.  Don’t get me wrong I am a realist I know the silence won’t last and there will be times you hear load noises or someone turns up a TV or movie and I can hear it but it is not crazy here that is for sure.

                I plan on being honest on this blog and truthful, so even though I am very thankful for the room I have at first I was kind of appalled, and wondered how I was supposed to live here for a year, and make this a home.  My mind again goes to those in even worse situations than me.  What are we putting our soldiers through and how much are they giving up so that most of us can sit at home in our comfortable chair or sleep in our comfortable bed, and not worry about being attacked while we sleep, or on our way to work.  Honestly some of the homeless shelters I have seen in America have a better quality of living than our soldiers fighting for our country down here.  And that is not because of the Military or the US, but simply because that is the situation where we are.  Running water for showers and a bathroom is a luxury and one that I will gladly give up to defend freedom so that others can have that, but that would be a struggle I will say.  Even with the running water, it is not potable so we still have to use bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth and all that.  So life here in my 6 by 6 room will be an adjustment and one that I am sure I will struggle with at times but every place is what you make it and I plan on making this the best home it can be for this year.