Day 38

Short and simple today. Nothing at all happened that warrants much conversation. No phone calls home. No "firsts." It was a typical day here. I suppose the weather was a bit different.  The wind kicked up which made the mountains that surround us invisible because the wind brings all the sand into the air and reduces visibility to nothing. Bad taste in your mouth, too. Later in the day, we took a long walk to a bazaar on the outskirts of base to check out the offerings. Scarfs, wood carvings, local crafts...pretty nice stuff to start and learn about. Too bad the language barrier is strong. I think I need to learn some basic communication words like "Hello," "Goodbye," "Thank You, "Have a nice day," etc. I picked up a few small items for Tin Man and Scarecrow. I'm sure they'll like them.

I'll leave it at that for today. Here is a photo of a big clock on the wall in my office. I look at it...say...50 times a day? I only look at two times most often: "Oz" time and Eastern time where Kansas is. When I get to work, family back home is in bed or heading to bed and as my day progresses, they sleep...and I think about them all day. I wait anxiously for the 5 o'clock hour when Dorothy normally sends me a text that says "Good Morning!" That's the highlight of my day!

Goodnight, everyone.