Back from Iraq!
I'm back on U.S. soil!!! :D
I want to try to keep track of all the ordinary things I had come to miss while I was gone. A few absolutely amazing ones struck me tonight:
- My own shower. I can't describe how happy I am to be able to just take a shower at anytime without having to walk through a sandstorm in PT gear, towel and toiletry bag in hand.
- I can wear my own clothes!!! I literally don't know what to do with myself here. Granted, I have a limited wardrobe in my suitcase, but the usual sense of after-shower urgency to get in uniform and get to work is gone. There's no one to answer to, and I'm in awe of the simple freedom to walk out of my room in comfortable clothing for the first time this year.
- Internet access. No more waiting in line once a week to connect home.
No AFN (Armed Forces Network) - the only way to get news television from the US was to settle for a single channel which combined programs from CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. All commercials and promos were replaced with endless government PSA's.
- Cell phone. My once-lifeless brick has come to life again, and... for the moment.. I've not used it much. Things can get overwhelming pretty quickly, and I'd prefer to just wait before starting to make contact with everyone once again.
More later.
I want to try to keep track of all the ordinary things I had come to miss while I was gone. A few absolutely amazing ones struck me tonight:
- My own shower. I can't describe how happy I am to be able to just take a shower at anytime without having to walk through a sandstorm in PT gear, towel and toiletry bag in hand.
- I can wear my own clothes!!! I literally don't know what to do with myself here. Granted, I have a limited wardrobe in my suitcase, but the usual sense of after-shower urgency to get in uniform and get to work is gone. There's no one to answer to, and I'm in awe of the simple freedom to walk out of my room in comfortable clothing for the first time this year.
- Internet access. No more waiting in line once a week to connect home.
No AFN (Armed Forces Network) - the only way to get news television from the US was to settle for a single channel which combined programs from CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. All commercials and promos were replaced with endless government PSA's.
- Cell phone. My once-lifeless brick has come to life again, and... for the moment.. I've not used it much. Things can get overwhelming pretty quickly, and I'd prefer to just wait before starting to make contact with everyone once again.
More later.