Back to the Fatherland.

Hello All,

Russia is called the "Motherland" but Germany is called the "Fatherland" (and the U.S. is the "Land of milk and honey" or it was at one time).

At any rate, I am back in Germany. 

I just arrived a few hours ago and the trip has gone really well.  I am up here for a week long conference to finalize the training package the new staff will get in December. 

A small group of selected individuals, myself included, left Djibouti Saturday evening from the airport around 7:30 pm.  We were connecting with a flight bound for Frankfort out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and departed at 10:30 pm. 

We arrived at the very early hours of 5:30 am in Frankfort.  I have come to discover that it is impossible to get anywhere outside of Africa at a normal hour.  The flight was very smooth and I enjoyed a couple of scotches and a couple of beers over the 6.5 hour flight.  I haven't had scotch since I left NC and it tasted good. 

A couple of people I was traveling with had carry on sized bags like I had and they decided to check them.  Apparently, they don't have very much experience traveling in and around Africa.  Once we were all met at the gate, I exclaimed, "You checked your bag?!  What, are you out of your mind!!?".

Sure enough, when we got to Frankfort, their bags were not waiting for them.  They will be lucky to see their luggage before we leave late Thurs night.  Lesson learned, I suppose.  I can tell you that I had NO intentions of parting with my gear.

Each of our two groups picked up rental cars and we were off after a little bite to eat.  The site of the conference is about an hour away and we arrived around 7:30 am.  Great, what ever shall we do for the next 8 hours or so until we can check in (keep in mind most everything is closed in Germany on Sunday).  Well, we were in luck again.  We got to our hotel (mom and pop place with a modern bed and breakfast feel like most hotels in Europe) and the inn keeper had a couple of empty rooms and handed us keys to our rooms.  Jackpot!

As you may recall from my previous post from my time spent in Europe, hotel rooms in Europe are very small by American standards.  I was very surprised to find that my room was the size of a small one bedroom apartment.  Jackpot again.  The first thing I did was take a hot shower in my private bathroom (as opposed to the bathroom I use in DJ which features a row of 8 shower stalls and 8 sinks).

Actually, I think this small 36 room inn used to be an assisted living facility based on its layout.  Jodi would say that this will be good practice for me as I am not getting any younger. 

One thing that I had not really considered was that late October in Germany is much different then late October in Djibouti.  DJ is still seeing highs in the low 90s and evening temps in the mid 70s.  It is actually a pretty pleasant time of the year in the Horn of Africa. 

This morning on our ride out to the hotel it was below freezing!  I really forgot what that felt like.  It felt cold for the record.  As I was getting ready to go to Africa during the hot summer season, I had not given much consideration that I might wind up somewhere cold.  I never gave any thought that I would be sent to the North Pole for a conference! 

May have to pick up something at the Rammstein PX to keep me warm in the evening when we head out for something to eat.  I will also have to have Jodi send me a jacket for my trip to Suffolk, VA, which is the first couple of weeks in December.

It feels great to be back in civilization!  I am looking forward to some really good beer and really good food!  I will keep you posted on how my trip to Germany goes...

Until next time,
Michael

My God! THEY'RE HANGING THE TOILET TISSUE THE WRONG WAY!!

Friends,

I've always said, "there is a right way and wrong way to do everything." 

Did you know there was a "wrong way" to hang toilet tissue?  Maybe you never gave it much thought. 

I was in the "never gave it much thought" camp until around the Fall of '97 when I found myself "couch-surfing" at a friends house in Raleigh, NC, while I was between assignments with the Marine Corps. 

One afternoon, I used the last little bit of toilet tissue and slapped a new roll in the holder.  Later that day, my friend, Joe S., returned from work, came out of the bathroom, and asked me if I changed the roll of toilet tissue.  Of course, I responded that I had, in an effort to be a good house guest.  He responded, "well, you put it in backwards."

I was thinking to myself, "what the hell is he talking about?".  Backwards?  I didn't recall seeing any instructions or suggested ways of mounting the roll of toilet tissue on the holder.

Backwards?  Really?

So, after a shot of bourbon (it was happy hour and I love bourbon), we grabbed beers and headed into the bathroom to explore this further.

Joe demonstrated that when the roll is backwards, it hangs close to the wall making more difficult to grab.  It also seemed to have a bit of rolling resistance.  We reversed the direction of the roll and it was like night and day.  The tissue hung out in front of the roll and it was very easy to grab.  Additionally, it seems easier to pull out the required number of squares.

Why am I telling you all this?  Well, there seems to be no standard operating procedure (SOP) with the cleaning crews with regards to how toilet tissue is hung in the rest rooms.  This is a little frustrating and I find myself putting rolls of toilet tissue in the right direction on a routine basis.  I'm not sure what kind of organization is in charge of this, but they are not doing a very good job.

For some, you may have long ago discovered the "right way" to hang toilet tissue.  For those of you in the "never gave it much thought" camp, give it a try.  Go ahead, right now.  Do a little experiment in your home and I think you will agree...there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.

Until next week,
Michael

The World's Largest Aquarium

Greetings All,

As many of you may know, I have been taking a SCUBA diving certification course over the last few weeks.  Turns out that people actually travel TO Djibouti to SCUBA dive!  I figured since I am here anyway and not really doing much when I am not working, that I would check it out.

Conveniently, a local dive shop conducts classes right here on camp.  The governing body of SCUBA diving certification is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.  They mandate the same training for divers everywhere in the world.  Entry level certification is called Basic Open Water Diver.  Training consists of 8 hours of class room instruction, a written multiple choice test, closed water (pool) practical application and (4) open water practical application dives.

Sunday, 2 Oct, was my first dive outing.  Lauched from base with a group of (4) other student divers and we made our way down to the pier.  We were surprised to find that we would be going out on a 80', twin mast sail boat with inboard/outboard motors.  You are probably thinking: "Wow, an 80' sailboat!".  Well, it was nice by Djibouti standards but not as nice as the one Donald Trump owns.

There were about 20 other divers so it was a fairly large group.  We sailed around 9 am with a couple of 12'-15' skiffs in tow.  We slowly motored out into the Gulf of Aden towards Moucha Island which is about 6 miles away.

Once we got to our anchor point we got into one of the skiffs and launched for our dive site, some 800 meters or so away.  Once there, we "kitted up" and plunged in (actually, we sat on the side of the skiff and rolled in backwards). 

Once everyone was in, the plan was to descend to the bottom to about 13 meters (45') and begin our practical application.  They tell you don't go diving if you are sick.  I almost had an upper respitory infection beat with a little bit of congestion in my nose and sinuses.  I can tell you, it was very difficult equalizing the pressure in my ears on the way down.  You have to equalize every few feet and the technique you use is to pinch your nose and blow air out your ears (like on an airplane).  If you can't equalize and continue to descend, it is very, very painful (think ice pick through your ear drum).  I took twice as long to get to the bottom as everyone else but finally made it.  The fact that I didn't have enough weight on my weight belt didn't help either.  I never thought I would have so much trouble sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

Once down, we went through our drills and then finished with exploring the reef.   Diving in the reef was like being inside the world's largest exotic fish tank.  Many of the things you might see at an aquarium could be seen here, out in the wild so to speak.  I saw clown fish, angel fish, moray eels, scorpion fish, rays, and all kinds of other colorful sea life.  It was really, really something. 

We came in, had lunch, and went out for our second dive to demonstrate other required skills and to see more of the natural beauty found below. 

We wrapped up the day with a slow ride back to the pier.  I was half way to being a certified basic diver.

This past Sunday, I headed out again to finish up my certification.  I was all set...gear, book to read while underway, snacks, camera, etc.

I was a little surprised when we walked to the pier to find that the boat the instructors were loading gear on was a small 15' skiff.  I asked the question: "Are we taking this skiff out to the big boat?"  Nope that was our boat for the day.  I was a little surprised given the size of the last boat.  Well, I'll stow my gear and make the best of it.

We sure got to where we were going on the smaller, faster boat!  I was sitting in the rear of the skiff and got to feel the full effects of the 2'-3' sea state.  As we bounced over the swells, I was in receipt of a delightful spray of sea water.  Actually, it was like someone throwing a glass full of salt water in my face every 3-5 seconds.  By the time we got to our dive point, I was soaked.  Towards the end of the ride out, the 2 guys sitting next to me and I were re-enacting the beach landing scene from opening of "Saving Private Ryan".

The diving was great!  Our first dive was a wreck dive of the SS Archon Raphael which sunk in 1968.

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?102427

The second dive was the same reef we dove the week before.

Having completed dives #3 & #4 of my certification, I am now a qualified PADI Basic Open Water diver!

I will have to work hard to come up with a new adventure for next week.  Right now, the calendar is pretty empty.

Cheers,
Michael

At last, I'M AN A-LISTER!

Well, maybe I'm a solid B-Lister.

You have probably all heard the term used to describe the social cream of the crop; those who are on the primary guest list or the "A List". 

I scored an invite to a sought after event which was the farewell party for the members of the Japanese Self Defense Force unit who are responsible for a P-3 (aircraft) counter piracy mission.  They will be leaving shortly and returning to Japan to be replaced by another unit who will pick up the mission.

I must say, it will probably go down as the best party I will attend while at CJTF-HOA.  I headed out this past Tues with a group from the command and we made our way over to the Japanese base on the other side of the airport. 

I was surprised at the size of the guest list which included the US and Japanese Ambassador to Djibouti, local government officials, and high ranking members of the French and German military.

I met up with my Japanese friends from our last get together and headed for the bar.  The sake was cold as I had hoped and, after brief comments from the Japanese Ambassador and the Commanding Officer of the outgoing unit, it was time to eat some hor d'oeuvres.

The food was a real treat!  The spread included 5 kinds of sushi, shrimp tempura, edamame, chicken yackatori, smoked white fish, vegetable dishes, and assorted rice dishes.  Of course, the fish was flown in special for the celebration. 

Also featured was live musical entertainment and a table where a few of the Japanese soldiers were doing Japanese calligraphy.  I asked them to do one that has Chase and Sarah's name on it.  It will serve as a nice memento of the party as well as my time in Africa. 

Turns out that there a several parties at the US Embassy which I am not being invited to so I am probably a B-lister at best. 

Another bit of good news to announce:  I have been selected to participate in the training of the incoming core staff which will take over in Jan 2012.  Why is this good news?  I will doing a bit of travelling to accomplish this task which will take me off base.

First trip is 22 - 29 Oct where I will be in Rammstein, Germany for the week.  Looking forward to some good German food and beer!

The second trip is from 2 - 18 Dec where I will be traveling to Suffolk, VA, of all places!  Suffolk is near Norfolk and Virginia Beach.  It is probably 4 or less hours from home so I will be travelling back to see my Sweetie for the weekend. 

I look forward to getting a start on my "honey do" list!

Until next time,
Michael