I sometimes pick up on things. I like details. That is where you find life…in the details. So I often find myself observing people and places. I try to pick up on the mundane as well as the extraordinary. And this place could fill whole notebooks. A concise way to reveal some of my initial observations may be by listing them, in no particular order, of course:
1. Toilet Paper for your hands. Paper towels don’t seem to exist here. The latrines, and every other place you’d find a sink has a commercial size dispenser out of which comes a never-ending stream of toilet paper with which you dry your hands. It is about twice the width of the stuff used in the U.S. and has the consistency of Scott Tissue. It tends to clump up and ball up all over your wet hands. Sometimes I find TP boogers on my hand later in the day. Go figure. No explanation on this oddity.
2. The Harley Davidson Shack and the Bizarre Bazaar. Aside from what many of you may think about my remote and troubled existence in a faraway land, there are many comforts here at Arifjan. We even have a bazaar made up of aluminum sided shacks, somewhat resembling those you might find in backyards for lawnmower storage. Some of them are even quite nice inside. One of these will sell and finance Harley Davidson’s. Buy them here tax free and ship them home. Now there’s an idea. Here are some others. Buy new cars and trucks. Oakley Shop. Beauty Salon/Spa—pedicure and massage, anyone? Tailor Shop. Hookah Shop (not even kidding). And others.
3. Starbucks Goes to War. Ok, so we have a Starbucks. And if you are inside the thing, you would swear you could be in Anytown, U.S.A. It’s quite remarkable actually, and so are the prices. $26 dollars for a mug, anyone? $5 for a piece of cake? Or how about $4 for coffee? Oh wait, people pay that back home. I still think it is a lot pricier here. I brew my own, and save my moolah.
4. The Colonel versus the DFAC. Ok, I’ll get into this in another entry, but the Dining Facilities (DFACs) are pretty outrageous…and they’re free. There’s a saying here, “You can go home a stud, or you can go home a muffin.” I believe it. Anyway, if you just gotta have it, then you can get KFC here on base. Along with Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonald’s (I think), and some others. Are you kidding me? I live and work in a tent!
WARNING: Complaints of funky taste. Ingredients are reportedly not always genuine. May not taste exactly like the real thing. Have not verified this, and don’t plan on doing so anytime soon. Would you like (goat) cheese on that (camel) Whopper? Have it your way!
5. The George C. Scott Salute. Reveille plays at 0600 every morning. It bellows out of the many speakers that seem to be secretly hidden next to my head. Although I’m usually dressed and heading toward breakfast at this time, I have found it interesting that after playing the Reveille music (whilst which we all stand at attention and salute the nearest flag) they play the theme song to the movie, “Patton.” How’s that for motivation? Get some!