Getting settled

Greetings from the sandy spaces of Helmand, I have arrived - Well actually I arrived more than a month ago but I have been fairly busy, which is why my second pitch has been taking so long.

Some of my first impressions are of a mundane character, the amount of dust in February and March is astounding, living and working in pods (UK army tents) and old decrepit buildings usually leaves my kit covered in a thin film of dust and waking up in the morning most of the time includes a blocked nose - Oh the joys of being in the military, however, I'm still chuffed to bits about being in Afghanistan and compared to some of my colleagues, I have nothing to complain about with regards to accommodation. There is always someone worse off than you.

It's kind a strange feeling being in a warzone/zone of conflict, don't really know what term to use, where I am is fairly safe (by Afghan standards anyways), but sure when you go out the gate you got to be ready for anything, it's strange how one's sense of awareness can go up and down depending on what environment you are in. Before I travelled to Afghanistan, friends and family would ask big and small questions about my stay - How will you be accommodated, what's the food like, is it dangerous where you are going to stay?

One of the greatest surprises must be the cookhouse in our camp, I reckon people tend to think of British army cooking as being something out of Lad's army, it's very far from that - Having a prize winning British army chef putting together the menu is fantastic, several dishes to choose from morning, midday and evening. Of course the cooking in less established places around Helmand might not be so inspiring, the guys staying in Upper Gereshk Valley, Kajaki, Garmsir and elsewhere live off MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) or similar type rations, which has a tendency to lose its' charm after a while.

Maybe I'll invite fellow Frontline members on a well cocked meal if your work takes you to Gereshk, it's worth the travel. Apart from getting settled in the ISAF camp and cracking on with the job at hand, there's also the social aspects to take care of, mixing it with the British, American and Czech colleagues enjoying ourselves and supporting each other with whatever your oppo might lack - or simply getting the inspiration to solve a task at hand, in a way you are not used to. In more quiet times it could carry the traits of a boy-scout jamboree.... just with guns.