Afghanistan, Week One

Has it been a week already? Time flies when your're having fun - yes, I must admit that I quite like the circumstances into which I have chosen to be put in so far. Today, the CO of the Finnish contingent (SKJA) and his successor paid us a visit. They were pleased with what they saw and heard, for which we can direct our gratitude only towards our predecessors. I also had time to unload the food delivery lorries (a task in which ALL available personnel at the PO take part), to do some more administrative duties, to clean the magazines to my weapons, to repair my equipment vest's radio pocket and my desert goggles, which were both broken and to take some pictures.


The food delivery lorry is decorated in a typical way with lots of everything.

Things still to do today is exercise - even a little bit - because I feel like haven't done practically anything physical since whenever. Running on the treadmill in the gym sounds like a plan, once the barbecue dinner has settled. Did I mention that there is a tradition of having a barbecue on the roof on thursdays? I mustn't have, because it's my first thursday here. Beef and lamb, salads, fried onion rings and jalapeños with cheese, grilled peppers and garlic butter. Oh boy.


Barbecue on the sundeck.


Everyone brings up their own chilled beverages of choice from the welfare kitchen's fridge.

Last night we had a few drops of rain, and the air seems cooler. My room is still too hot, but in the evening we managed to haul in an indoor airconditioner and to connect it with a hose to a hole in the wall, a feat which might help me sleep better tonight than the previous one. Either that, or I'm getting used to the heat and dust.

P.S.: This blog is now being scrutinised by the Finnish contingent's Information and Public Relations Officer, captain O. Should I have violated any information security regulations by publishing the information that I have, this blog might promptly vanish. Make your copies now! =;-p