A Little Catch Up - Written August 14

Tag! I guess I'm it. No sense in starting a blog and sharing your life if no one knows where you've been and who you are prior to that. Since I'm sure a lot of what I write will have to do with where I am now and where I'm heading to shortly, then I guess my background proves to be a little important.

In essence my little adventure as I call it started two years ago with a thought of applying for what I proposed to be the job opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity to do something good, serve my country, travel, see a different side of the world, and maybe be a better person because of it.

The process was long, taking me nearly a year to decide if it was something right for me and my family. After finally applying it took nearly as long for the long chain of events that was to follow. An interview over the phone, screenings, and a two week training course away from home. The few days that followed the training were some of the longest I've spent in my life. I can't describe the aniticipation waiting for that yes or no answer. The answer was yes, as so here I am now.

Finally after a year of decisions, five months of waiting for an interview and another four months till I left home, today I serve our troops in Afghanistan, today I am a retail attendant rotating between six Canadian retail stores. I have been here for five months already, with less then two weeks left till my six month contract is up.

As the end approaches, it is bittersweet. The hours have sometimes been long, the days never ending, and no days off, but I have accomplished all that I came here to do, plus. I have met some of the best people I could ever meet, and learned a lot from them in the process. I come away from here with a better understanding of cultures, of what Canadians and other colalition forces are doing here in Afghanistan, and most importantly I come with a greater pride in my country and those who serve it on a daily basis.

I thought I was proud before, but nothing can make you more proud, then standing on a tarmac that is so hot it melts the rubber off your shoes, as you watch a casket carrying one of your own drapped in your nations flag. Nothing can make you more proud.