Boredom ensues....

Hello from Afghanistan,

Two things are evident in Afghanistan during the wintertime. The first is that it does get cold here. Most mornings hover around 0 degrees and the days are hardly reaching a high of 20 lately. In the past couple of weeks we have received a satellite dish and we can watch hockey in a unheated modular tent. When I get up at four in the morning to catch a hockey game I am wearing three layers of clothing including long underwear, fleece shirt and pants, and my Leafs Jersey. My toque does not leave my head until ten o'clock when the temperature is high enough to keep me warm. It does warm up fast though, and after eleven o'clock a guy is down to a t-shirt and shorts. This may sound okay but in the back of your head you know that you are only setting your body up to plunge into a chill the second the sun drops beyond the horizon. I would not feel so bad but it is hardly warmer than it is back home! 

The second aspect of winter in Afghanistan is that the action slows down. The fighting season is during the summer and the Taliban cease their own operations during the winter time. Inevitably there are long hours that need to be killed. As fate would have it, Canadian soldiers seem to be gifted with the unique ability to turn just about everything into a competition. Soon after it has become competitive it is organized into a tournament to find out whom is best at what ever we are doing. For instance, a group of soldiers could be standing in a circle waiting for orders or just "smoking and joking". One soldier will pick up a rock, find a bigger rock about thirty feet away and chuck it at the big rock. If he doesn't hit it he will proceed to throw more rocks at the larger rock until he hits it. The next soldier will rebuke the other for his inept ability to hit a larger rock and attempt the same. Soon every troop in the circle is laughing and ribbing each other as they throw stones at other stones. Then other soldiers within hearing distance pick up on a possible contest and join in on the fun. At this point there is a full blown competition with ego and pride in the sway to be gained or lost. If you think this is strange I can even one-up that story. A couple of days ago I seen a simple rock throwing contest get twisted like it never has before. Two soldiers were throwing rocks at a pole but decided that a champion rock thrower could only be decided after they spun around a baseball bat ten times. Yep, you read that correctly. They spun with their heads on a baseball bat like they were seven and then proceeded to throw rocks at the unlucky pole while stumbling about like apes. I guess boredom brings the neanderthal out in anyone! 

There is definitely one day since I last posted that stands out beyond the others. We were caught up on receiving our mail! It was like christmas! Boxes upon boxes of parcels were thrown to us with all the mail that has been sent in the past month. Men quickly turned into kids again ripping the paper off the outside; not checking the letters and cards until they find a private moment much later on. There was candy from one end to the other and every magazine under the sun could be found on our tables. I was no exception as I got a parcel with some books and clothes from my mother and father. It truly was a great moment and I do not feel as though I am doing it justice but I am finding words falling short of joyous mayhem of that moment.  

That is all I can really report at this time. The next little while promises to be a little busier and hopefully I can comment on a Rider win. I will get up to watch them at 0100 with the four other boys from Saskatchewan here! Should be a good but chilly time!

For now,

Bdr Fossum