Day 109

Have I mentioned Ramadan yet? I believe I have meant to but have not. Ramadan is the holiest of all times for Muslims and it starts this Monday. For months now, we've been preparing as things are expected to greatly slow down during this time as many Afghans/Muslims will work much less or not at all during this time. This impacts fuel delivery, construction, and many of the service-driven jobs as many Afghans are doing them in partnership with NATO. The length of Ramadan varies by the solar calendar but this year starts on August 1st and goes a few days into September. It is marked by much fasting, prayer, and complete reading of the Qur'an. It's also a time of great giving and charity. Some equate it to our Christmas season but I have a hard time with that. Our Christmas, to Christians at least is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ but so much of Christmas anymore is about materialism, marketing, profits, etc. Over here, from what I can gather, they are truly, truly giving and expect nothing in return. To Afghans, year-round, relationships are everything. That is a huge priority for Coalition Forces here and it's a very big deal if someone does something to harm years of building those bonds. In fact, the very security of my base is strengthened by maintaining bonds with the farmers that surround us so that they tip us off when the Taliban is planning something. So, I suppose Ramadan is similar in that it's religious like Christmas but I don't see many other similarities. Anyway, with it so close, I wanted to mention it. Ramadan is global, too...so pay attention where you live, work, travel, and play. You'll probably observe something...somewhere if you pay attention.

Today was better than yesterday. It was kicked off in the best way possible, that's for sure. I was in bed at 9pm and got up early again and headed on down to Facetime with Dorothy. There were so few people in the WiFi area that we had a flawless connection with little or no hesitation and crisp audio. She showed me around the backyard, her flowers, and even a magnificent sunset...those don't exist here with that kind of beauty. She even let me pick out a pair of used running shoes out of the garage that she will ship to me to replace the beyond-nasty ones I have here. The filth here has taken a dreadful toll on my running shoes and MUST find the trashcan soon. After we said goodbye, I commenced my morning routine and went about my day.

I did ask others to leave the room mid-morning so that I could talk to my boss about a few things...to clear the air, so to speak. It was a good talk and no topic went unspoken. It was time to make sure we're on the same page and he was very easy to speak to and offered good counsel. I was nervous, of course, just to breach the conversation as I could tell by his body language that he wasn't sure what I was about to say but once I sat down and projected a relaxed stance, he backed down and all was well. I felt MUCH better after our talk. Details will remain between us.

The rest of the day was mostly the same old stuff with not much to speak of. The occasional chatting with friends and family online broke the day up and made it better. Around dinner time, I caught the shuttle to the other side of the base, grabbed my laundry, had some homemade pizza in the galley, and called it a night. It's just past 9 now so I think it's time to head to bed. I'm a growing fan of going to bed earlier than later...more sleep and another day done...I'd say it's win-win.

Goodnight, everyone.