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| 25 December 2006 Camp Phoenix Merry Christmas from Afghanistan!!! I wish you all many blessings during this joyous and holy time, and although I can't be with you to celebrate, please know that I am thinking of you and praying for a very special holiday season. This Christmas is obviously a very unique one for me, but is one that I will never forget. It has been snowing for two days now, and I am completely and utterly enjoying our beautiful white Christmas. As one of my friends stated, it is just like a fairy tale, and has made this day magical enough to ease some of the heartache of separation. Being in a more solitary place for the holidays has made it easier for me to focus on the more important aspects of this time of year, instead of getting caught up in the usual stresses. It has also solidified in my mind the reality of both anticipation and hope that are so significant for the Christmas season. Overall, it has been very relaxing and a good time to get away from the office and enjoy some comforts from home that people have sent, as well as some of my traditional favorites like It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. We also enjoyed a special treat for the holidays….. A few days ago, Camp Phoenix was honored to host the Sergeant Major of the Army's USO show, which came through from Iraq for their last few stops before heading home. The show included country artists Mark Wills and Darryl Worley; radio host, author, and comedian Al Franken; two Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders (don't worry Dad, I got their autographs for you); and several other people. My personal favorite, which I am probably biased for because I had the opportunity to escort and get to know them while they were here, was a hip-hop group from L.A. called The Washington Projects. If any of you are on MySpace, be sure to check them out-especially their song for the troops, "Bring Y'all Back Home." They are a brother and sister group, and are fantastic people. Another treat that I will also soon enjoy with a good friend/roommate is a four day pass to Qatar (if you don't know where it is, it's probably time to get out the ol' map-look for a tiny country jutting out from Saudi Arabia into the Persian Gulf). This is something the Army has set up for Soldiers deployed in the Middle East, and is similar to (but much shorter than) the R & R leave I will be taking at the end of March. I am definitely looking forward to it, as an opportunity to leave my weapon and gear, wear civilian clothes, go shopping, eat good food, swim in the ocean, and yes…….I am deployed. J Thank you all so much for your patience in my lack of communication as far as answering e-mails and writing updates. I hope to do better in the future. Until then, feel free to look at the photo album I put together online, at http://karlahoover.myphotoalbum.com . God bless and happy holidays!!! | | |
| 15 Dec 06 Camp Phoenix
I spent the day at the “front gate,” fulfilling one of the menial tasks given to me because of my low rank. In reality, not much time is actually spent at the gate, but it is the beginning and ending point for the day and is easier to explain as such to anyone unfamiliar with it. Basically, the job entails escorting the Afghan men who work on Camp Phoenix, as they do their jobs. They are not allowed to be on post by themselves, so we have to follow them everywhere they go, to make sure they’re not plotting anything while they pick up trash or clean the port-a-potties. Ah, paranoia.
Despite the fact that this duty forces me out of my bed earlier than I would like and wastes entire workdays, it is actually a tolerable job. What makes it enjoyable for me is that I get to know some of the local people. As I don’t get much of an opportunity to get outside of Phoenix, I cherish this time as my small chance to learn, test, and sometimes break down the preconceived ideas I have about Afghan men, as well as learn a little of the Dari language.
My job this afternoon consisted of watching approximately 20 Afghan men while they rebuilt the roof on one of the old Russian buildings here. After a couple hours they decided to take a break, and very graciously invited myself and the other woman with me to join them for lunch. We both looked at each other warily, and after weighing the pros and cons, decided to try it (just in case you’re wondering, my stomach was fine). The meal turned out to be bread with soup poured over it, which ended up as soggy, warm bread. We all sat on the backs of our heels (us Americans attempted, anyway) and crowded around three steaming bowls of food. We all dug in with our (right) hands, and thankfully it only took a few minutes to empty the bowls. My legs were burning and I was very happy to stand up and get back to work. | | |
| 5 December 2006 Camp Phoenix
Winter has officially come to Afghanistan, and has left me in the cold wondering….where did the past three months go? I apologize for my writing furlough, and I thank those who have let me know that you have not given up on me. I am still here, and hope to update you more frequently during the last half of this tour.
A brief summary of the past few months includes: a short (but very busy) transfer to the brigade J-1 office to help finally complete the extension packets for the Florida soldiers who stayed on with us; two sergeant majors’ coins-one for my work at the brigade office and one for cooking Thanksgiving dinner (no joke); a traumatic hair dying disaster at the beauty shop (unfortunately I don’t speak Russian or Uzbek); and a few trips outside the gates-to include a very interesting dinner at the German Embassy, and a few lunches at ISAF.
I have decided that I am cursed to live with girls involved in strange military marriages (reference the update this summer about the roommate who had been married to her husband over the phone, while he was in Iraq). The most recent drama is of a fellow roommate who decided to get married while on leave in Hawaii, to a fellow soldier whom she met here. They have been back a week from their tropical nuptials, and started what I refer to as the “hang up” marathon….how many times can two people hang up on each other in one day?? Only time will tell.*
*The count during the past 15 minutes is up to 12.** **Slight exaggeration, but not too far off. | | |
| Here are some pictures from a barbecue I went to last week with the Romanians. They are part of the coalition forces, and were celebrating birthdays for four of the guys who are here at Camp Phoenix. The first is of myself and my roomate Sheryl with our friend Fane. He was "DJ Fane" that night, hence the headphones. Second is some of the guys who were cooking the delicious meal. After that is me with the four birthday birthday boys, the commander (in the blue PTs), and the cheesecake I made for them. Next is a greedy American dishing up some yummy food! And last but not least, me in my honorary Romanian PTs, attempting to dance (and failing miserably!). It was a great time, and an experience I definitely wasn't expecting to have in Afghanistan!! 
 
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Today is Independence Day in Afghanistan, a celebration of the end of British control over Afghanistan in 1919. I have been behind the gates of Camp Phoenix since I got here, so I don’t know if anything is going on in Kabul today or not. But in the spirit of the holiday, here are some random facts I have learned about Afghanistan:
- In ancient times, one of the trade routes on the Silk Road ran through Afghanistan.
- Kabul is over three and a half thousand years old.
- The city of Kandahar was founded by Alexander the Great (fourth century BC.).
- Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of opium, and supplies 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe.
- The legal minimum age of marriage for women is 16, but more than 50 percent of marriages involve girls under 16 (including at least one story of a family marrying their five-year-old girl to a 55-year-old man).
- Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with the estimated number of landmines ranging anywhere from 450 thousand to 7 million.
- The fecal content of the air in and around Kabul could be as high as 30 percent.
August 12, 2006
I made a cheesecake today and I am happy. My awesome mother sent a pie pan and a box of Jell-O No-Bake cheesecake mix, and I “borrowed” the remaining ingredients from the chow hall. I learned how to convert ml (of milk) to cups and how many individual packets of butter (12) and sugar (8) it takes to make a crust. It was quite the little adventure. My cheesecake is now waiting patiently for me in the refrigerator, until take it out tonight to enjoy with some of my Oklahoma friends. They are bringing Cuban cigars and I am bringing a cheesecake. Life is good.
It rained this afternoon. I have lived in Portland long enough to become familiar with precipitation, and the clouds and sprinkling today took me back there. In celebration of Portland, I sat on my barracks steps in the rain and read Chuck Palahniuk while listening to Pink Martini. These are three unique characteristics of the city that I have come to enjoy. Well, maybe I don’t completely enjoy the rain. But in a place so unfamiliar, anything that can temporarily take me home earns my respect.
August 6, 2006
In violent opposition to the constant change in my personal emotions, my job maintains the same uninspiring daily redundancy. Not that I mind, because a little stability does a body good. Much to my dismay, I am getting used to working at a desk. In some ways, I have begun to understand how important my job is in the whole scheme of the modern military. When a soldier doesn’t get paid or receive their awards, the(ir) world ends. I have the power to keep that from happening.
Despite my new-found importance in administrative work, it is still hard for me to accept the fact that my time in Afghanistan is going to earn me the status of a war veteran. The other night I was watching Love Actually and having tea and Girl Scout cookies with some infantry guys when one of them pointed out, “You know that we are going to be able to refer to each other war buddies when we get home, right?” Of course this is not what it is like for every soldier who is deployed, and I don’t want to negate the hardship of deployments. Believe me, I have had my share of hard times since I have been here. But my personal experience is only what I am able to write about. And personally, my experience is not that exciting.
July 31, 2006
I walk into church on Sunday and leave my weapon at the door. One hour a week I make-believe that I do not carry with me the ability to destroy. But just like everything else I’ve shed at the door, it is always there for me when I leave. I do not need an M-4 to ruin lives.
My purpose in life for a couple of weeks was to build things. Every morning I would grab my coffee and jet down to the “self help” shop, to continue yet another carpentry project for my tiny room. I am now typing on a desk I built myself, and my books and clothes are organized on shelves put together by my own two hands. I even surprised myself with how well they turned out. Maybe I can function in the adult world.
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