When in Rome...

Greetings all,

As you may recall from a previous post, in many parts of the world (including Africa), folks often times don't have traditional toilets as you and I know them.

In Muslim dominated countries, it is considered very insulting to eat with or touch someone with your left hand.  As I had outlined in a 2009 blog, typical toilets are open pit affairs with nothing more than a hole to squat over.  When finished (number 2),  you pour or spray water on your backside and you scrub with your left hand.  Pat dry (with your robe, I suppose).  Wash with hot soapy water?  Not on this continent! 

So, based on the above, you too would probably be insulted if someone touched you or offered you food with their left hand.

One thing that I noticed here that was not installed last time I was here in 2009 are hoses with spray nozzles in each bathroom toilet stall.  That's right, the same type of spray nozzle you might find attached to just about any kitchen sink in the States.

Well, I had been here for awhile noticing these things and one day when no one else was in any of the other stalls, I figured I would find out what it was all about.  So, I grabbed the nozzle, positioned it just so, and pushed down on the lever.

It was a little out of the ordinary at first but the water was warm and highly pressured.  After a few seconds of jetting warm water, I thought that probably did the trick.  I grabbed a little bit of tissue to wipe/dry and then I was done. 

I must tell you, I think the spray/wipe combo takes post toilet hygeine to a new level, leaving me clean and refreshed.  Come to think of it, the Europeans/Asians have been on board with this by virtue of the bidet.

Hmmm...I wonder how much it would cost to have these little sprayers installed in the bathrooms at my house?  Jodi: would you mind calling a plumber and getting a quote?  What a nice home coming surprise that would be!!

On another note, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen Amos (4-star General), visited the base this past weekend along with (2) 3-star Generals and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.  This is noteworthy as both the senior Marine officer and senior enlisted Marine in the Marine Corps were here.  I was invited to a cocktail reception on Saturday night for them all which was very enjoyable.  I knew one of the 3-stars from my time with II MEF and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps said he recognized me from 29 Palms, CA, where we were both stationed in 2000-2002.  Small words are the words commonly heard. 

I was supposed to go SCUBA diving on Sun but received an email on Sat stating "if you are in receipt of this email, your presense is required at the CJTF-HOA mission brief to the Commandant of the Marine Corps."  Well, so much for diving.  Just as well.  I am just now getting over some sort of upper respiratory infection and you are not supposed to dive if you are sick, especially if it involves any kind of congestion. 

I guess I am breathing in too much of that burning camel smoke from the city dump. 

Until next week,
Michael

Ground Hog Week

 Greetings All,

Well, it was ground hog week here in Djibouti. 

You see, my schedule is largely the same every day of the week.  It starts off with staff update briefs or intel update briefs, followed by sorting through my unclassified and classified email accts, another meeting, lunch, various working groups, etc....

Saturday is a half day so I hit the gym in the morning, get cleaned up, go to lunch, then work.  In the evening, I meet a bunch up at the cantina and play texas hold'em.

Sunday is a day off.  I clean my room, change sheets, do a load of laundry, go to the gym and catch up on some reading or watch a movie or two. 

I do most things solo which is the way I like it.  The last time I was here, Marines had to wear their uniform unless they were doing some sort of physical training.  I think the regulations allow for limited wear of civilian clothes but I still wear my uniform most places.  I find that people I know will talk to me either way but people I don't know (or want to talk to) will leave me alone based on my branch of service and rank.  Most non-uniform types (civilian contractors) congregate together, enlisted members of the service don't want to or are told not to engage in chit chat with officers, and junior officers will maybe offer a pleasantry and move along. 

Even the menu in the chow hall follows a weekly pattern.  Not sure what Monday is but Tues is Tacos, Wed is pizza and pork night, Thurs is prime  rib and turkey carving station, Fri night (mostly fried) with every other Friday featuring 4 oz (overcooked) lobster tails, and Sat is steak night (very well done ribeyes, yum!).

This week, the Director of Strat Comm is taking his 2 weeks of R&R (only for the people here for 12 mos) so I will take my rightful spot as leader of the shop, lol.  A month ago, I didn't even know what strat comm was and now I am the lead man for the CJTF-HOA area of operations which is probably almost as big as the continental U.S.  This means I get to go to his meetings as well as my meetings.  This will include being the "talking head" at all the meetings the Admiral chairs as well as routine meetings with the Chief of Staff.  Well, I guess it will look good on my resume'.  Luckily, I have a great bunch working in the shop and I will count on them to make sure I know all the pertinent issues. 

I also started my SCUBA PADI certification leasons this past week and will finish up this week.  The PADI cerification means I can go SCUBA diving with local dive shops.  Turns out the divers actually travel to Djibouti as a destination for diving because there is lots to see and the water is really warm (92 degrees today).  I'll keep you posted as I plan on taking my first diving day trip on Sun, 28 Sept.

Not much else to report.  Attached are some pics I thought you all would find interesting.  One pic is an example of the Containerized Living Unit (CLU) that I live in.  It is a 40' shipping container with a dividing wall in the middle.  Each half houses 2 people.  Cozy, huh?

The other pic is of some camels grabbing a bite to eat along the fence line.

The picture of the baboon was taken as I was returning from an hour and a half ride out to a training area to see some of our guys conducting desert survival training with the French and Djiboutian Armed Forces.  I wouldn't have went if it weren't for me having to act as the Director of the Strat Comm shop this week. 

It was really something to see the baboons.  They were just sitting on the side of the road, climbing rocks, chasing each other etc.  (As always, you can double click on any pic to expand it.)

Well, that is about it for this week.  Next Tues, I am off to the Japanese base again for an official function.  Hope the sake is cold!

Cheers,

Michael

"Look", said the Frenchman, "the U.S. Marines are retreating!"

Greetings all,

Yes you read the title correctly and yes, those are Japanese Naval Officers in the picture above.  More in a minute as I will
start off with the Marines retreating.

Last week, I was especially looking forward to the upcoming week as I was to attend a military function at the French base just around the corner (uniform for the event for Marines was our "charlies" which I am pictured in above).

A small group of us left as the scheduled time.  The group representing the Commander of CJTF-HOA was (2) U.S. Army Colonels, (2) U.S. Navy Captains (equivalent to a Col), (1) U.S. Marine Colonel, me, and (1) U.S. Army Major.  We were met at the event by (2) more USMC Majors, and our French Liason Officer, a French Army Capt. 

We were directed to a parking area and then escorted to the Distinguished Visitors reception hosted by (2) French Major Generals (two star).  I was a little disappointed when we walked into the room and there was no beer or wine.  Boy, I would have really enjoyed a beer.  After about 30 minutes of socializing (I spoke at length with one of the 2 Stars about watches as he was wearing a very nice watch), we were directed to take our seats in the viewing area.  The military parade/program was about to begin. 

It didn't feel too hot while we were walking to the reviewing area but a few minutes after we were seated, it felt like I was in a sauna!  The sun had set over an hour ago but it still must have been 95 degrees out and not a trace of a breeze.  Sweat was pouring off of me. 

The program started and it was in French so I had no idea what they were saying.  Luckly, most military parades of this nature are pretty much the same so I could figure it out.  The program seemed to go on forever and they finally wrapped it up by showing a video on a Jumbotron TV.  This video also seemed like it just went on forever.  It was FINALLY over, much to my relief, and we were directed to the outdoor reception area. 

As we arrived in the reception area, I noticed lots of military uniforms, local clan/tribal elders, and Djiboution government officials.  This event must really be a sought after invitation!  More importantly, I noticed bars set up at various locations which appeared to feature soda, beer, wine, and what appeared to be whiskey. 

"Jackpot!" I was thinking to myself.  A few cold beers and socializing would make the torture I went through all seem worth it. 

But wait, not so fast.  The base Commanding General had a few words to say.  He concluded his remarks with "the bar is open". 

It was seconds later that one of the (Army) colonels said that a majority of the group wanted to leave so that was what we were going to do.  A majority?  I don't remember voting.

At any rate, I was pissed.  You mean to tell me that the American delegation was not going to stay for one stinking drink and speak with our host for even a minute.  Pathetic.

The battle cry "retreat" was sounded and we were gone minutes later.  I swear I heard someone say: "look, it is the Americans who are retreating for a change!"

A sad end to the evening to say the least.  If I was a little quicker on my toes, I could have said:  "You fellas go on without me, I will catch a ride back with the other two Marines" (who stayed until 2:00 AM).  Oh well, it was a missed opportunity.

An unexpected pay back was to be had on Fri.  The Japanese Self Defense Force commander invited CJTF-HOA personnel to take part in a guided tour of their brand new base, followed by dinner and drinks.  We had a great response from our office with a dozen or so taking part. 

We started the tour with a mission brief followed by a tour of their living quarters (much nicer then ours), gym, recreation area, small PX, library, and chow hall.  It was all very nice and very clean.  Of note (and pretty cool), was a large communal shower/bathing area.  What was interesting was a very large pool of water that they had in this communal area which served as a hot tub sans water jets.  It looked very relaxing.

After the tour, we headed for the chow hall where a Japanese chef oversees the kitchen staff who prepare traditional Japanese cuisine.  I'm not sure how everything was prepared but we had rice, soup, stew, a chopped chicken patty, and chicken tempura.  It all tasted fantastic as it was all fresh made in small batches which is a far cry from what we are served at our mess hall.

After dinner, we were ushered into their cantina where we were served beer and sake.  Our social hour was filled with great conversation ranging from what we each do in our respective military branches, our families, military equipment, and Formula 1 racing. 

I made many new friends and certainly got my fill of sake.  Maybe the week wasn't a bust after all.

Until next time,
Michael

Oh Irene, where art thou?

Greetings All,

It seems like it was a months ago but Hurricane Irene blasted up the East coast just last week.  I guess that is months ago by news standards.

I am happy to say Sneads Ferry, the house, and Jodi all faired very well. 

Jodi worked hard to get the place ready for what was sure to be a powerful storm. Anything that could be picked up by a 100 mph wind and propelled through the windows was secured. Filled up the gas tank, found the batteries, and inventoried food supplies. Check, check, and check.

The storm was predicted to make landfall Sat morning somewhere between an hour south of us and an hour north.  As predicted, the storm hit hard Saturday early morning.  The idiots on various weather channels were gleeful at the prospects of a "monster category four" hurricane, which was never in the cards.  I guess these dimwits have to grasp onto an chance of being in the spotlight when they can.

Chase had moved to higher grounds (or at least grounds to the south at his Dad's house) Friday afternoon.  That's him in the picture above down by the dock/boat launch. 

To my relief, Jodi's brother, Jarrod (a city fire fighter in Roanoke, VA) arrived late Fri night to offer his assistance.  I know Jodi appreciated his presence even more then I.  THANKS JARROD! 

The weather associated with the upper left quadrant of the storm moved through and it calmed down for a bit.  As the storm moved north, they also got hit with the lower left quadrant of the storm...round two.

By late Saturday night, Irene was an unwelcomed guest who moved on. 

To my surprise, Jodi never lost power or internet.  Not everyone in the community was as fortunate.  Most lost power for several hours to several days and there were downed trees and power lines everywhere. 

The house held up well with nothing more then some groaning and creaking under the stress of 90 mph winds.

As for us, there was no damage to the house but the yard was an absolute disaster.  There was debris everywhere, the tops of two trees broke off, and one tree was blown over at the roots. 

A special thanks goes out to Scott, our neighbor across the street, who spent the better part of a day chain-sawing those trees and removing it.  I owe you A LOT of beer, buddy!  Thanks again.

As for me, it was a pretty routine week.  We have Monday off as a holiday, not that there is much to do with your time off.  I have two weeks of the "Wall Street Journal" and "Investor's Business Daily" to read so I will use the time to get caught up.  I will go into work for a bit on Mon as I have to brief the boss (Navy Rear Admiral) on an issue that came up with a couple of our guys in Tanzania that has resulted in some of the embassy personel getting their pants all in a knot.  My estimate of the situation is that it is much ado about nothing. 

On Tuesday evening, I will be attending a reception held by the French Marines which will commemorate one of the battles they took part in.  Should be good fun and a chance to get off of the camp.  I also get to wear my "charlies" which is the one with green trousers and  a short sleeve, open neck shirt.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Until then,

Michael