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

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