Steve's Big Adventure
 

Steve accepted a position for one year in Afghanistan working as an electrician. Work has been very spotty for him in the last year, including six months unemployed. He'll work on a US military base, won't be allowed to leave the base except on military aircraft. He gets leave every 90 days, so a couple times a year I can fly somewhere and meet him (ha - let the snu snu begin!).

This is going to be quite an adventure for him. He leaves tomorrow morning.

angela

Exciting, does he get hazardous duty pay. Sounds like quite an experience.

Wishing him good luck and you peace through the coming year.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Best of luck to you both.

Good luck to both of you.

Having been unemployed for awhile, I've thought about something along those lines...

sta;u safe; stie/ge!@@@

Death by snu snu!

Best of luck to Steve with this gig, tell him to keep his head down base or no base.

Even though you probably keep Steve plenty busy Angela, he must feel good about going back to work and pulling in some decent coin.
I hope he has an uneventful journey and stay.

good luck steve, keep safe.
angela, he'll be back before you know it, and with a hat full of bucks.

If they are paying these guys like they are some of the mechanics... It will be worth the year out....

Good luck, Just think of it as working at the beach (without the water, babes, beer, volleyball)
How does one get lined up with one of those jobs?

Thanks guys! Took him to the airport this morning and stayed until he went through security. It felt pretty weird, usually he's the one taking me to the airport. This is the first time he's travelled without me and oh baby, what a trip!

Steve got picked up by a company called Fluor. It was an on-line application on their website. He actually applied 6 or 8 months ago but missed that round of hiring. Then in August, all of a sudden a bunch of jobs "opened" up for him on their website (indicating QUALIFIED) so he resubmitted. He accepted a hire offer a few weeks ago and then everything went in a panic rush. Originally, he was to depart in mid-late November. Then they called on a Sunday and said BE HERE SOONER...

He'll spend a few days in Greenville SC doing some company paperwork, security training (already has his clearance), and "cultural sensitivity" training. They're going to teach him how to not be a prick - LOL! Good luck with that one!

Got a couple of car projects that I'll do while he is gone, but a few others will just sit and wait for him to come back. I can do things like put engines in, wire the cars, get them running and sorted, but the body and paint is Steve's area. I will try to paint our son's car. That will be my first paint job. I figure since it's only a 97 Subaru, not a big deal if I do a less than stellar job. The PO painted it with a roller so I'm sure I can do better than that. ;)

angela

My wife and I have done two one year rotations...we were married a month before I shipped out for the first PGW.

A few tips:

Write each other, a lot. Little things mean the most. Write, Angela, all the silly, vapid details become important. Tell him you love him every day.

You will both be different as the year goes by, not better or worse, just different.

Pictures. Take them, send them.

If you can, go see him...find a place you both have wanted to visit, meet him there. Coming home in the middle of a tour is hard. It seems like a good idea, but it isn't.

I don't know you, but I think you are uniquely qualified to make this work.

My best to you and Steve.

Put me down for that part.

Wow! What an opportunity. A year will go by quicker then you think. Best of luck to both of you. Tell Steve to stay safe.

Hopefully, it works out well. I've got a few buddies that went and worked for Halliburton/KBR. At least in their cases, they made a ton of money. I think it worked out to be 2 years pay in about a year.

All of the above but make sure that he has computer access (buy a laptop if needed) and get on skype with the video phone. You can talk every day or two and see each other and that helps.

Tell him NOT to go off base, period. I know its fun to play around (did when I was there but it was a few years ago and not as "sporty" as it is now) but they in most cases do not want us there.

Also believe its 330 days a year out of the country and his earnings are tax free. Keep an eye on that. Any other questions email or PM me directly. May still have one friend still on Bagram...

Joe A

Werd...

Many moons ago. I worked in the sandbox..

I worked in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Kenya, UAE, etc...

To help with the pain of being separated, I sent her a plane ticket every time I had R&R.. She and I had a bunch of great vacations that really helped our states of mind..

Not much to do in the Seychelles.. but it was a nice week together..

She mentioned she had not been back it Ireland in awhile... we met and spent a week in Dublin..

This was before Skype and the internet..

What Paul said, well maybe not exactly, because the webcam thing is even better, but there is something about having a letter, perhaps because you can hold it in your hand.

Try not to hurt him too badly, when you see him in three months.

Well, let's just say after 90 days absence, he better eat his Wheaties. I consider it my feminine duty to return him to work EXHAUSTED, but with a very big smile! ;)

Looks like Bagram for starters. We bought a computer for him before he left, with a webcam, and set up Skype. Did our first Skype call last night. He's in Greenville SC right now for orientation/training. He'll head to Bagram in about a week.

Turns out he packed way, way too much stuff. My husband does not do the backpack vacations. He has FOUR PAIR of shoes and NINE pair of jeans in his luggage. Yes, he'll be there for a year, but whatever you bring, you are going to have to drag/carry across the rocks wherever you go, when you're tired, possibly in the dark, maybe even while you're in a hurry. He went through the list of stuff he is shipping back home. I'll forward it to where he's working when he needs it.

Seychelles? Hmmm....

angela

Let me help you a bit Miss Angela...

Look up the Maledive Islands on the map. Much closer and nicer than the Seychelles. Then there is P h u k e t Thailand and is also a lot of fun and also closer.

The Seychelles is ok but they frankly do not give a chit if you have a good time or not. We would ask for a drink and 20 minutes later it arrived. Food took about double the time.

Give the Maledives a try and bet you will like it a lot more.

Joe A

Evidently the spam filter does not like how I spell the town/beach in Thailand!

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I have been to both...back in the '80's!

I'll defer to Joe's more recent experiences...the Maldives were great. I stayed at a small Island called Little Hura. Primitive, sort of...electricity off at 9pm. etc. but we had a great time.

The snorkeling (I am not a diver) was unforgettable.

So many cool places to go near where Steve will be...also try Turkey if you get a chance.

The Maldives are unbelievable. Do some research. Hundreds of islands—all gorgeous.

They're also all about two inches above sea-level—so no tsunamis please!

Paul is correct and it goes from very nice to primative. There are about 400 islands in the grouping and that gives you a lot to choose from.

Ours was the one pictured and had huts for each family or group. Each one was no more than 20 feet from the water and absolutely beautiful.

Its a long way from America but if he is in that part of the world its a hop, skip and jump for him.

Joe

Oh you guys ROCK! Joe that place is beautiful! Neither one of us want the exciting glamor night life, just peace, quiet, beautiful beaches, and good local food.

Most excellent suggestions!

angela

Didn't notice that nugget..

I worked for Fluor, and Aramco, and B&R (Brown and Root) now KBR also Perrini...and drawing blanks on some of the others

I had some amazing experiences living and working abroad...Mentioning the Seychelles was just one example of some of the things I did with my s/o while I was playing ex-pat.

The high life.. send her tickets to some great places... spend a week or two together, then I would get back in the sandbox and work for a few months...

In the end.... I decided that it was not the life for me.... she and I did go our separate way a few years after I returned home..

In all an a great time in my life

Steve has settled into his workplace in Bagram. Calls usually every day and we email as well. The skype has proven to be an issue with the specific place he is at in Bagram, but I suspect he'll get that sorted quickly.

He set before me a project with a one week timeline. We had intended to take a vacation together and I had begun to gather ideas. The Maldives and Seychelles as noted, and the Cook Islands looked pretty amazing as well. Then he realized he had a week to make the decision (due to employer scheduling) and decided he only wanted to spent $3,600 including air fare. Oh goodness... Game on.

With the help of a good travel agent, I pieced together a trip that came up to $3,600 including air fare, transfers, hotels, etc.

Three days in Bangkok, including a trip up-river to the ancient city, followed by nine days in Koh Samui. Easy trip for him from Dubai, kind of nasty for me from Oregon, but all in budget. Diving of course, will be extra! :D

Really looking forward to this adventure and his wonderful company in February!

angela

Angela...May you & Steve find time to leave your room! ;)

Exotic locales have always fascinated me. Probably because I didn't travel a lot. Now that I have the time, I can't...Cindy wouldn't make it through an airport, let alone a flight to an exotic local.

if you could hit koh chang it would be a huge plus over koh samui just a suggestion
trust me it is a diamond undiscovered.

Have been to both Bangkok and Koh Samui with my wife, you will have a blast in both places... very different from each other but both extremely enjoyable, and a great mix of the things Thailand has to offer.
Is the ancient city you're visiting Ayutthaya?
Hope you two have a great time, you deserve it.

Yes, we have a side trip booked up the river to Ayutthaya. We also stretched our stay in Bangkok to five days which better accomodated Steve's schedule.

Today marks 100 days for him on Afghan soil. Just for the record, he has hated all 100 of them... Steve is not a big fan of where he is, and suggests that if any of you are looking for a really great vacation spot, that you pass Bagram, Afghanistan by - LOL!

This is a picture of him on the Bagram base at a memorial built in honor of 9/11. It is a chunk of steel from the WTC, shipped half way across the world by private citizens. I tell him that he looks exceptionally manly in this picture! Of course, I'm a little prejudiced. :D

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The best part is that our vacation is nearly here. I fly next Wednesday, we meet in Bangkok on Friday (my birthday)! Steve and I have never had a honeymoon. I think we'll just count this as it!

angela

Hope you guys have a great honeymoon! Sounds like a fun adventure.

I'll 2nd that. Thanks for sharing the adventure.

Have fun and take lots of pictures!

Please let Steve know that although being deployed to Bagram really sucks, there are a lot of people back here in the US that really appreciate the sacrifices that he (and you) are making to help keep us safe. Nothing makes it clearer than that picture. So a big THANKS to you both, and enjoy your well deserved holiday!

With my utmost respect,

....... and post the ones that are safe for us to see!!!

Have a great time!

Have a great trip!

If you have time, hire a car (cheap) and head to Pattya Beach. Nice change of pace;)

Angela,

I missed this thread when it started.

All the best to your and Steve.
Be safe and hope to hear from you again soon, (once the silly grin is eased off your face). SmileWavy

Les

angela ,
have a safe trip.
enjoy the pat-down.
say hello to steve for me.

david