Day 17 Don't Eat the Hash Browns

I'm slowly accepting that I can't text or call my fam and friends on demand because of the whacky time difference. So this is what people go through who live overseas while life as they knew it is in the states.  Thankfully, I'll only have 6 months of the barrier.

The second thing I'm dealing with is walking everywhere.  My heart is grateful but my feet hate me for it.  Fortunately it's not plantation hot so I'm not Kunta Kinte sweaty after walking across the base, just Ms. Celie sweaty.

Good news from Afghanistan, my billeting (room I'll be staying in) and cell phone are all setup.  I've never been into gigs that require a cell phone but the time has come *key screeching horror music*

While at Manas I wandered around the base since I may be here a few days before my flight leaves for Afgh.  The amenities are pretty good and have the comforts of being stateside...sorta.  There's a "trailer park" of shops and restaurants like Burger King and Taco Bell, an electronic accessories joint and some other little places.  There's  also a barber/beauty shop AND spa!  I'm thinking about getting the massage that I previously had no time for..or at least a mani/pedi.

Random thought-I feel like I'm in a village from Call of Duty and I expect to see posters of Vladimir Puten plastered everywhere.  Well, the view of the Himalayas in the morning is breathtaking.  

At breakfast this morning, I tried to decide what NOT to eat.  An Airmen suggested not to eat the hash browns.  What he should've said was don't eat anything that is unidentifiable AND skip the drinks that have labels in other languages.  Lesson learned, I'm wiser because of it.

A few observations:

- Camp Bullis, TX is like the Waldorf Astoria and Hotel Alaska at Manas is like a Motel 6 :-(

- Sleeping in a tent with 40+ other women means you really won't get any sleep

- Chapel Annex is secret hotspot...coldest water, best care package leftovers, and not as crowded as other areas.

...and so the travel saga continues