I guess my fun in the sun is over and time to get down to business. After what would have made a great episode of The Amazing Race today, I was granted my Afghanistan Visa, a "tourist visa" for now with the working Visa soon to come. Apparently Afghanistan has a flourishing tourist industry that they are giving out Visas for it. Although hectic, it was actually a great way to see the non tourist areas of the city today, lots of taxis down back roads, etc. The Afghanistan Embassy itself was a time warp. Just a gate opened in a stone wall declaring them to be open, and the waiting room was a covered area with concrete walls and no AC. Imagine about 20 people in a area the size of a 1 car garage, in 110 degree heat. A heat that by the way may have actually melted the bottoms of my sneakers today. The air is just plain heavy, looking into the distance is never clear, it always looks like a haze is in the air. Thank goodness for the personel manager with my company that has been with me the past few days. He knows everyone and everything around here, the Embassy was not very friendly to us this morning and sent us on many goose chases to get additonal pictures even though the Visa does not need them, make photo copies of our passports even though they have a copy machine 5 feet away from the clerk. And after all that they declared when we got back that they had given out all the available Visas for the day, which would have meant at least another 2 days here since flights are infrequent going to the base. Luckily my collegue has connections and they got the actual Embassador himself on the phone, needless to say my Visa was ready 2 hours later.
My time here in Dubai has really driven home the opportunity that this new job is, and it has been a great chance for me to get my body at least close to the right time zone before being thrown into the hectic work schedule. I'm still not sleeping perfectly, but better to be doing that here at a hotel than on base.
Tomorrow should be overwhelming, I can't imagine the emotions that I will get when the plane enters into Afghanistan and only the desert lies beneath me. It sounds as if the day will mostly be checking into base and getting all my security clearances, badges, etc. It sounds as if I might even be leaving to go to Khandahar by the end of the week for a few days so look at a new project, so the whirlwind will be officially underway.
Last and certainly not least, if you happen to see my wife today, please wish her a happy anniversary, I have spent mine in Dubai, she will be spending hers playing with the new puppy. How quickly I have been replaced.
Please pray for safe travels-
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