Vacation

I finally got around to writing something. I have been on “vacation” for the last two days. It was a surprise to me, but I have been trying to make the best of it. It started out quite different than it has turned out to be. About three days ago soldiers from the company headquarters came and found me just as I was waking up. They told me that I was leaving in about 12 hours to go on a four day pass to Qatar. I had been told a few weeks earlier that my name had been picked for an extra pass, but I hadn’t heard anything since then and had pretty much forgotten about it. Being in the army I am used to things changing. So I was pretty surprised when they actually came and told me I was leaving. I was also surprised to find out with such little time to prepare. I don’t know anything about Qatar or even why people go there on their passes. I guess they have set it up so that there are things that soldiers can do but as I asked around it all seemed to cost money. I guess the most popular thing to do their is drink. You can’t do that here, but you can there. Since I don’t drink that didn’t leave much. There is a mall, but I really don’t have much of a need to go shopping. That leaves restaurants like Chili’s. Basically four days of paying for all my own food and entertainment. I guess that is what a vacation is supposed to be, but I wasn’t really budgeting for it so the prospect was a little unnerving.

I know I am starting to sound negative about the whole thing, but I was starting to feel negative about the whole thing. To make it even less appealing, the trip down there is not pleasant. You have to ride a helicopter to Baghdad, and then an army transport for several hours to Qatar. All at strange hours. Finally once I arrived I would have to adjust to a day schedule and then adjust back to a night schedule once I returned. Pretty petty I guess. After all it is supposed to be treat and a vacation, but what I really wanted was just some time to relax. Not sight see, or go restaurant hopping or long hours of unpleasant travel, but just relax.

I was really nervous about it as I was getting ready to leave on the first leg of the trip a couple of days ago. I had to stay up all day in order to wait for our flight. The weather was bad, meaning of course too much dust in the air, so after waiting all day in the heat they finally cancelled out flight. Not only did we miss our chance that day to leave, They mixed things up and I didn’t get manifested on the flight leaving the next day. They said that I would have to wait on the standby list. I decided right then, after all my apprehension about the trip and after 24 hours without sleep, that I was going to ask if I actually had to go. I went back to headquarters and asked if I could just take my pass here on Camp Taji. They told me if that is what I wanted to do with my four days then they had no objection. I talked them into letting that first day be a travel day and not have my pass start until midnight. They told all the company leadership that I wasn’t to be touched or bothered or anything, and the let me go back to my room. I have been chilling ever since.

It has really been nice! I have gone to the PX and bought some souvenirs for my boys like I have been meaning to do for a while now and have spent some time in the gym. I have slept a lot and basically just done whatever I wanted to! I still have two more days of this and I think it has turned out great! I am still here, but I can feel the weight of my responsibility lifted off my shoulders and have been able to enjoy myself. And I have saved a lot of money!