A little of THIS and a little of THAT

Initially I started this blog as a way of sharing my experiences overseas with those that were interested...however so much has happened over the last two years, including more travelling to foreign destinations, revelations of some kind or other, and experiences I thought others could learn from that I decided to mix it all up.

I hope that somewhere you'll find something that interests you and that you'll be able to learn from.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Civillian's Perspective - Part 6, Faces Change



FACES CHANGE...AND NOT FROM OLD TO NEW
Yes faces change. Those you thought you got along with, those you thought you were friends with suddenly have become someone you never knew existed. With only weeks and days left in their time in theatre, they have forgotten the reason they came in the first place, “Serving Those Who Serve”. Instead of providing morale and support to the soldiers and those of their own, they bring them down, complaining and becoming frustrated, impatient and over sensitive to those around them.
In training we were told of the amnesia that would set in. We all laughed, but seeing some of the things that go on now, only a month and two months into my tour, I realize it’s not so funny anymore, and there’s a sense of truth about it. Little things we were told in training, mainly regarding working the hours, people are forgetting about and complaining that we work too hard.
In reality, we really don’t work obscene hours. Some days are busier than others. The most we tend to work in a day here for the retail section is 13 hours. If we work an early morning shift, such as Tim Horton’s, which is the same as it would be back home, then we are off by early afternoon with a full day to yourself. I remember working the same shift when I worked Tim Horton’s in Petawawa, in by 5:30, 6:00 and off at 2:00. The afternoons are the same. The hardest shifts are when you are in around 9:00 and off at 6:30, or same with the 11:00 to close shifts, you don’t get to see the sun which can sometimes bring you down a bit. I have worked mostly closing shifts in my time here so far, and I have had plenty of time for socializing. There is no lack of time for getting to know people or hang out with friends for awhile, even if you’re not a night owl.
Those with the busiest and hardest hours are the bakers who are constantly changing shifts and up at all hours of the morning, sometimes as early as 4:00am.
I have lost a couple friends in their last weeks in KAF. I choose not to lay blame it on anyone, but rather now have come to a conclusion that at the time we each did not know how the other was feeling truly inside, whether one was truly torn about leaving friends and their work behind, or didn’t understand where the other was coming from.
Months after leaving KAF and returning I have been able to mend one of those broken fences, and am glad for it. Others I have left behind. It shows maturity in people when one can’t put the past behind them, and with all I have going on in my life, I have no time for it. I am ok to say that as Brian A “Drew” Chalker’s poem goes:
“People always come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend too you, and they are. They are there for a reason, you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die, Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilleed; their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.
The friends we make while overseas in KAF and abroad show that we have friends for different times in our lives, and that even if they are not long lasting, everlasting and life lasting, that they serve a purpose for the time we have them. It doesn’t make them any less special or memorable, any less needed or important'".
I thank all those I met overseas, whether I knew them my whole tour, or if only for a minute, I came out of KAF with something from everyone I met.