Day 246: A Quick Update

Okay, I know lately I haven’t been writing as frequently as I had in the past. Perhaps, it’s because I am a little lazy or experiencing a little “blogger fatigue.” Perhaps it is because every day seems like groundhog’s day and I struggle to find new things to talk about. Perhaps, it is because there has been a lack of excitement lately around here...at least compared to my good friend Mike. The honest answer is probably a combination of all of the above. However, because I do have some faithful readers out there (at least my mom and my wife), let me give you a quick update on life here in Herat.

1) Afghan service project: Thanks again to all who have contributed. I have received many boxes already. Some I have already given to our humanitarian aid mentors for immediate distribution. Some of the supplies I am distributing myself. For example last week I met a lady whose house burned down. I am sending some of your donations to help provide needed clothing for herself, her 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son. A bulk of the donations are still being packed up by Sue and will hopefully be here shortly. I hope to go out and help distribute some of the school supplies and other donations as opportunities arise. As I do, I will let you know of my experiences and will post pictures.


2) My job: Other than a few short day trips, I have mostly been staying on Camp Stone the past few weeks. Consequently, I have no interesting pictures of camels or crowded streets or overloaded motorcycles. The work of developing the Afghan police medical system is progressing...albeit painfully slow at times. It is amazing how difficult even minor projects are to complete. I will keep pressing forward knowing that I may not see all the fruits of my labors. One area where we are seeing good progress is with our training classes. We will soon be graduating our first class of 25 medics--something people never thought would happen in Herat.

3) Working out: Other than Sundays, I work out for 1-2 hours every day. I usually mix up my cardio workouts between the treadmill, elliptical and stationary bike. When on the treadmill I try to go at least 5 miles. My farthest run to date has been 10 miles. I still have a way to go until I am in marathon shape, but again I am making some progress. One note on the no treat tracker...I think it is broken. It has been stuck on 2 for weeks now. Not sure why...I’ll leave it up to your imagination on how I am doing.

4) Security in the area: Some people have asked me if I am safe and how the security is where I am. I want to reassure any who may be worried, that I am safe and that I plan on continuing to stay safe. It is Afghanistan and bad things do happen at times--even occasionally in Herat. However, I can honestly say I have never been shot at or had a convoy I have been riding in attacked. We take safety pretty seriously here and take the necessary precautions to assure that when we go out, we all come home! By the way, we just received these new ambulances to help us pick up and transport casualties if the need ever arises. I jumped in one for the first time today and was impressed by the size and armor on these things. It almost feels like you are driving around in a monster truck. Again, just another way the Army is trying to help us stay safe.


Other than that, not much else is going on. The highlight of each day is of course getting up in the morning and calling home and talking to Sue and the little munchkins. Luckily, I usually get to end my day in a similar fashion. It is also nice to talk to some of you out there when occasion permits. Thanks again to all of you for your support, friendship, and prayers. I appreciate it!