Day 1...

I call this day 1, cause I was basically suppose to report to Camp Arifjan Kuwait today... due to flight availablity and such, I have been pushed back to leaving on the 13th. Im making this blog to keep everyone updated as a group. Just easier for me.

Im also making it because when I found out I was being sent to Kuwait I couldnt find very much info about where I was going. Yeah there were pictures and government sites and such, but I want to know what its like, the living conditions, the area, what to do, when to do it, internet access etc... so I will continue to update so for those that follow, something will be out there on the interwebs for them.

For those who know me you will not be surprised to hear I am totally not ready to leave. Im gonna miss my family so much its breaking my heart. I havent started packing yet, but 80% of what I need to take has already been located, purchased and/or replaced. I say 80% because Im the type that thinks I need entirely more stuff than I actually do.

I was given the option of having the military send household goods over there for me, I declined. I hope I wont need anything more than I can carry in 2 suitcases and a carry on. My laptop can double for my TV, and my zune (with the purchase of speakers) can double for my stereo. I wont need a very large wardrobe so just uniforms, casual clothes, a few pairs of shoes and such. I am taking one complete set of bedding as I do not want to use sheets and blankets they make available. I bought some of those space bag things to make everything fit.

Since it is already gonna be warm when I get there Im not bringing any winter type clothes except maybe a sweatshirt or two. By the time winter rolls back around I will either have purchased or been sent what I will need.

For everyone reading this, please please please stop worrying so much. Camp Arifjan is considered a "chill" move... here is some info about where Im going

This is the first stop to thousands of troops heading into the Middle East. Back home, this would be a medium-size city, complete with restaurants, hospital, movie theaters, ball fields and basketball courts, but with a population dressed mostly in military fatigues.

Long rows of squat command buildings, air-conditioned barracks sit end-to-end behind heavy concrete barriers. At night it is an eerie place. Generators light up the complex, giving the desert a ghostly glow. Near the barracks, a softball game is under way with screams, shouts and laughter echoing in the darkness.

But for me this isnt a first stop, this is where I will be staying for a year...