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When we got here we were not expecting much. We were told that it was nothing like Iraq and that we were going to a place in the desert. I didn’t have many high hopes so when we did arrive at FOB Leatherneck I was surprised at how good we actually had it!
One of the things that I found to be a bit different was the shower situation. Here is an example for you to put it into perspective.
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Everything we do here is in tents. There are a few wooden buildings but mainly tents. The shower tent is located about a half a block from the tent I sleep in. One morning it was pretty warm already and I was sweating before I reached the showers. I was pretty happy to get a layer of dirt and sweat off of me.
When I opened the door to the tent it was actually bigger than it seemed. There is a big area to get ready for the shower and there are a dozen sinks on the outside of another tent within the tent that has a dozen showers in it. The air conditioning was working pretty well in the shower tent that day. I was pretty surprised about it considering it was already warm outside. I cleaned that layer of dirt off me and got ready to start my day. I was feeling pretty good, I was clean and cool. I opened the door to the great outdoors and instantly heat and dust hit me. I now had a fresh layer of dust and sweat for the day.
I say dust because the sand here is so fine it is called moon sand. When you walk in it little clouds form at your feet and when vehicles drive in it a layer of dust forms looking like a good Minnesota fog. It is everywhere and very hard to hide from.
Another thing I learned about the showers is that I am at the mercy of the temperature outside as to how warm of a shower I will get. I have found that if I take a shower in the evenings the water is actually pretty warm from the heat of the day and if I take a shower in the morning, it is naturally colder. The dilemma comes when it is already 95 in the morning but the sun has not heated up the water, thus the previous experience happens.
A few days last week the water pump must have been out in the showers that I usually go to. I had the choice to walk a few “blocks” to another shower or to take bottles of water and dump them over me. Being the guy I am I chose option two, still clean, just a bit colder!
I can say one thing, I am very happy that we get to take showers. I know that it could always be worse. We are pretty fortunate. I am pretty excited to go home and turn on my shower to whatever temperature that I want it to be. It is amazing the little things we take for granted.
Until next time!
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