This call arrived at 6 AM... the sun still waiting to rise for myself, and as darkness was approaching for Belinda on the other side of the world. She had a great deal to speak about this particular call. The blog being such a public venue, we are careful about what we post... but there is still much to share.
Belinda was most excited and touched by a meal prepared by her Afghan Police peers today. Food- or the lack of it has been an ongoing issue for the Afghan police, and they often must try to exist off of rice. Belinda and her fellow soldiers have been sharing their own rations so that everyone would have something to eat.
Finally the Afghan police at her post received their meagre food allowance... but rather then devote it to their own needs, they prepared a feast for their Canadian peers and Belinda said it was delicious! They dined on Afghan rice, which is a very long, noodle-like rice, 'crescent moon' potatoes done in afghan oils and spices that reminded her of our french fries, (except the afghan version tasted even better, Belinda says) and a bread native to their area that is reminiscent of bannock. She said she will never forget that meal and it is easily one of the best she has ever had.
Life for animals in Afghanistan is as harsh as it is for the humans there... Belinda being a devoted animal lover, has sometimes found it hard to see what animals also must endure....till a recent event which gave her a laugh...
A poor little donkey was being loaded down with immense amounts of hay, burdened so heavily and piled so high that the donkey was no longer even visible... until the load suddenly shifted and toppled off! The donkey took that moment to flee and galloped off zig-zagging into the horizon with several Afghan locals in tow, stumbling and chasing, arms flailing... she could barely get through this without laughing right out loud.... every once in a while animals get a little justice too!
Friendship bonds are already strong and very devoted between the Canadians and young Afghan police at Belinda's particular post. Their lives touch her immensely, particularly the young Afghan man whose story follows:
One of her Afghan peers is a young man of 22. He spoke of how the violence and impoverished living conditions had deteriorated so badly that his family fled to parts of Pakistan and Germany. Determined to help his family and homeland, this young man left the safety of their new home to return to the war with the dream of helping to bring Afghanistan back to stability with the ANP (Afghan National Police)-hoping upon hope that his contribution would allow his family to return to their beloved homeland one day. But as time has passed, and though he continues to do his duty with lack of pay, equipment, just one uniform to wear day in and day out,the harsh and dangerous living conditions, he sadly acknowledged that his family will probably never be able to return home - at least not in his lifetime ( at 22)
Yet he stays on, attempting to do his duty so that maybe children of a future generation will be able to live in a peaceful and prosperous homeland, one that he himself has never known - just heard about.
Belinda is particularly fond of their 40-ish year old interpreter. He is an active, devoted and integral part of their tight team and she speaks of him every call and the immense help he has provided in their communications. The Canadian soldiers recently gave him a pair of sunglasses, which have become a cherished possession to him. He, in his 40's, had never had a pair of sunglasses in his life...and as you can well imagine in the blazing Afghanistan sun and heat, this small gift was like gold to him. His delight in receiving this small token left Belinda in awe. She said it is hard to see things as you used to once you have witnessed something like this.... she said she will never see something as mundane as sunglasses the same again, she will always be reminded of some one's profound gratitude and delight over a simple pair of sunglasses.
Their culture is a very devoted one. Mosques dot the landscape and the loudspeakers that announce prayer time can be heard off in the distance. Her interpreter is equally devoted and she appreciates quietly watching him prepare for his prayer ritual. Rising at 5 AM, bathing his feet ( an important part of preparing for their prayer) and proceeding with his prayers. There is a hypnotic beauty to their prayers, the way they are sung. She is careful not to be caught staring as this would be disrespectful, but she appreciates the opportunity to witness their devotion.
One day the loudspeaker was not heard at 5 AM...the interpreter was quite flustered and upset about this, and announced defiantly that he would proceed with his prayers anyhow. He was upset that this comfort, the announcement of prayer time, was not to be heard at that moment.
Unfortunately, one of the most prolific crops to be found over there is that of marijuana. This is not news to us, we have seen that on TV here as well. One of the distressing side effects though to these crops is that the immense plant height provides 'cover' for that small segment of the population there that is intending harm and disruption.
Farmers are desperate for any crop that will sell, help them provide for their families... The Canadians are active in aiding through providing money or wheat seed so that the farmers can switch over their crops, and they also reimburse the farmers to keep them cut down, especially close to the roadways where people intending harm like to move covertly. The farmers response has been very good as they are grateful to be able to return home and try to resume their livelihood of farming, the wheat providing them a new way to sustain themselves and their families.
With the intense heat, ongoing lack of sleep, the harsh noise and vibrations of war, the ache of missing your family and friends, the grind to the spirit of witnessing so much suffering and poverty of others, emotions are touchy, and tempers flare up quickly....thankfully moments later, profuse apologies are offered for any weary exchange- "Sorry man,, just really tired" ...etc etc
I hope we all do what we can just to make their days a little brighter. I have mentioned it before and will mention it again- a letter or card ... parcels with small goodies ( books, magazines,toiletries, candy,socks etc)... any of these things will go far to brighten someone's day over there.
It need not even be to someone you personally know, but a friendly letter- a smile across the miles to any soldier will be warmly received. Teamwork is integral there, they share everything good and bad... letters are welcomed and appreciated.
If you have a moment, drop someone a line...be it Belinda or any soldier. A quick email to alwaysartstudio(at)hotmail(dot)com and I will send you either the address of Belinda's post or the general mailing address if you are wanting to send an letter or card to any soldier.
Till next time,
Julie
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
A new call from Belinda
Good morning,
Internet access for Belinda is looking unlikely for a while to come, but they have been generous in allowing phonecalls home. Their post(camp) is very spartan at best, so I suspect the phonecalls are a morale booster- and I am grateful for more contact with Belinda at least while it lasts as there are also frequent blackout periods regarding phonecalls home. It has worked out well with the time change...I had been worried we would miss calls due to being at work, but her noon is our midnight, her evening is our early AM etc etc...
Belinda spoke of watching some of the children playing with a soccer ball in a nearby feild, watching them race about, laughing and playing...moments later, there was explosions- not in their immediate vincinity, but close enough that the vibrations went through you and it could be seen on the horizon - the children didn't miss a beat, and kept playing like nothing had happened. She realized with utter sadness that this mortar that had startled the adults was not 'new' to the kids... it was common to their life now and what they had come to know -and they kept on playing without even a slight pause.
The impact of war on children is probably the most difficult thing for her to witness. Barely out of childhood herself...it awes and saddens her to realize what children have to adapt to.
The Afghan people have so little, yet are also the most generous she has ever met. They will litterally offer the shirt off their back for a soldier. She spoke of a story of a Canadian soldier hovering over a bowl of water, washing his shirt...and the afghan man seeing the soldier with no shirt, immediately stripped his own off and rushed over, trying to give his own shirt to this soldier so that he would not be without.
Sometimes in life, the less you have, the more you have to give.
Belinda sends a hello to all and sends her love.
Till next time,
Julie
Internet access for Belinda is looking unlikely for a while to come, but they have been generous in allowing phonecalls home. Their post(camp) is very spartan at best, so I suspect the phonecalls are a morale booster- and I am grateful for more contact with Belinda at least while it lasts as there are also frequent blackout periods regarding phonecalls home. It has worked out well with the time change...I had been worried we would miss calls due to being at work, but her noon is our midnight, her evening is our early AM etc etc...
Belinda spoke of watching some of the children playing with a soccer ball in a nearby feild, watching them race about, laughing and playing...moments later, there was explosions- not in their immediate vincinity, but close enough that the vibrations went through you and it could be seen on the horizon - the children didn't miss a beat, and kept playing like nothing had happened. She realized with utter sadness that this mortar that had startled the adults was not 'new' to the kids... it was common to their life now and what they had come to know -and they kept on playing without even a slight pause.
The impact of war on children is probably the most difficult thing for her to witness. Barely out of childhood herself...it awes and saddens her to realize what children have to adapt to.
The Afghan people have so little, yet are also the most generous she has ever met. They will litterally offer the shirt off their back for a soldier. She spoke of a story of a Canadian soldier hovering over a bowl of water, washing his shirt...and the afghan man seeing the soldier with no shirt, immediately stripped his own off and rushed over, trying to give his own shirt to this soldier so that he would not be without.
Sometimes in life, the less you have, the more you have to give.
Belinda sends a hello to all and sends her love.
Till next time,
Julie
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Elton's Departure Parade song to the troops
I am reposting the song from the Departure parade on January 17th for any of those that missed it earlier. The song was written and performed by Elton Adams, a fellow soldier and MP who also went overseas with Belinda and this recent group of troops.
Enjoy and pass it on to anyone else you might think would appreciate hearing it...I have also included the link for a music video version that was created by a fellow soldier , Cpl Howse. ( he included Belinda's picture on the video.)
The music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCA0med-zXI&feature=related
Enjoy and pass it on to anyone else you might think would appreciate hearing it...I have also included the link for a music video version that was created by a fellow soldier , Cpl Howse. ( he included Belinda's picture on the video.)
The music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCA0med-zXI&feature=related
Friday, February 22, 2008
Another call from Belinda
We received another call from Belinda!
Extremes in temperature remain an issue... days so hot that you tan from the inside out, but nights so cool that the temperature drops to -6 or -8. Not a bad temperature in Canada but when you have been overheated all day, it makes the nights that much more uncomfortable and chilly, -6 feels more like -16. The Canadian soldiers were equipped for this but there has been an attempt to aid their afghan counterparts at their post, who are dealing with poverty, and often a lack of basic equipment and food resources.
Days are very long, sometimes that 3 hour 'break' results in making the choice to eat or sleep... a difficult decision if you are needing both. One recent shift began at 2 pm and did not finish till 4 AM...
Cultural differences are apparent often, a female in uniform is not a common sight in this country. Belinda speaks of sensing she is being watched and upon turning, will see her afghan peers shyly avert their eyes or try to casually look away. In one circumstance, she laughed as she told me of scanning the horizon with her binoculars and as she scanned to the side she viewed one of her Afghan peers with his binoculars viewing her!
The days are not without humor ... in attempt to communicate with one of her Afghan peers she found herself resorting to sign language , her Afghan peer doing the same as they struggled to convey what each was trying to say to the other. Moments later they realized in unison that they were flapping and flailing their arms wildly in an attempt to communicate and both dissolved into laughter at the spectacle they must have presented.
The children continue to amaze her, their strength and resiliance and cheerfulness, their ability to still be 'kids' in the face of such obstacles and adversity. She sees them toiling in the feilds, often 16+ hour days... a feat unimaginable for most adults.
Some things that are now common to their day would leave most of us shuddering.... the bucket that is the 'latrine' for the troops...and the daily chore of 'disposing' of it's contents...
Rations become tiresome quickly... but a couple large parcels already enroute of dried fruit and nuts, granola bars and candy should alleviate a little of that. I wanted to send chocolate as well but was not sure that it would fare well in the heat of the days so erred on the side of things that might make the journey without melting or congealing.
There is a minor change to her address but it should not affect any parcels and letters already enroute. Just email me if you would like her address. :)
So this is the most recent update of her days ... there is much more to tell but with the blog being a public venue, we err on the side of caution and security.
We miss her so much, she occupies our mind each and every day- but we try to remind ourselves that no amount of miles can ever come between the heart and spirit and love....
Till next time,
Julie
Extremes in temperature remain an issue... days so hot that you tan from the inside out, but nights so cool that the temperature drops to -6 or -8. Not a bad temperature in Canada but when you have been overheated all day, it makes the nights that much more uncomfortable and chilly, -6 feels more like -16. The Canadian soldiers were equipped for this but there has been an attempt to aid their afghan counterparts at their post, who are dealing with poverty, and often a lack of basic equipment and food resources.
Days are very long, sometimes that 3 hour 'break' results in making the choice to eat or sleep... a difficult decision if you are needing both. One recent shift began at 2 pm and did not finish till 4 AM...
Cultural differences are apparent often, a female in uniform is not a common sight in this country. Belinda speaks of sensing she is being watched and upon turning, will see her afghan peers shyly avert their eyes or try to casually look away. In one circumstance, she laughed as she told me of scanning the horizon with her binoculars and as she scanned to the side she viewed one of her Afghan peers with his binoculars viewing her!
The days are not without humor ... in attempt to communicate with one of her Afghan peers she found herself resorting to sign language , her Afghan peer doing the same as they struggled to convey what each was trying to say to the other. Moments later they realized in unison that they were flapping and flailing their arms wildly in an attempt to communicate and both dissolved into laughter at the spectacle they must have presented.
The children continue to amaze her, their strength and resiliance and cheerfulness, their ability to still be 'kids' in the face of such obstacles and adversity. She sees them toiling in the feilds, often 16+ hour days... a feat unimaginable for most adults.
Some things that are now common to their day would leave most of us shuddering.... the bucket that is the 'latrine' for the troops...and the daily chore of 'disposing' of it's contents...
Rations become tiresome quickly... but a couple large parcels already enroute of dried fruit and nuts, granola bars and candy should alleviate a little of that. I wanted to send chocolate as well but was not sure that it would fare well in the heat of the days so erred on the side of things that might make the journey without melting or congealing.
There is a minor change to her address but it should not affect any parcels and letters already enroute. Just email me if you would like her address. :)
So this is the most recent update of her days ... there is much more to tell but with the blog being a public venue, we err on the side of caution and security.
We miss her so much, she occupies our mind each and every day- but we try to remind ourselves that no amount of miles can ever come between the heart and spirit and love....
Till next time,
Julie
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A call from Belinda
A quick note before I depart for work...
There is a 12 hour time difference so we get the call in the middle of the night... Belinda was amazed and in awe of how clear and big the skies are... She can see forever there.
The mountains are beautiful, very jagged and distant. She said their country is beautiful- the land, the trees, the people- if only it were not for the signs of war...
Her area has endured a great deal of strife but it pleased her to know it had been reduced enough recently that there were children appearing in her region again, they herd the sheep and like to wave at the soldiers and are always hopeful for a treat. These kids have lost everything in most cases, lives interupted, so we have a treat box and box of children's clothing readying for mail by months end. Not much considering the amount of need there, but a start at least. We will also be sending on a box of treats, clean socks, toiletries and other goodies for the soldiers in her particular post.
As I type this on my laptop, readying for work in my comfortable home, I am reminded of just how fortunate we are to be here in Canada... I am humbled to know that children can endure so much violence and hardship that would destroy the strongest spirit amongst adults, but still find joy in the simple task of being able to herd their sheep again and wave at the soldiers, hopeful for a small treat...
There is a 12 hour time difference so we get the call in the middle of the night... Belinda was amazed and in awe of how clear and big the skies are... She can see forever there.
The mountains are beautiful, very jagged and distant. She said their country is beautiful- the land, the trees, the people- if only it were not for the signs of war...
Her area has endured a great deal of strife but it pleased her to know it had been reduced enough recently that there were children appearing in her region again, they herd the sheep and like to wave at the soldiers and are always hopeful for a treat. These kids have lost everything in most cases, lives interupted, so we have a treat box and box of children's clothing readying for mail by months end. Not much considering the amount of need there, but a start at least. We will also be sending on a box of treats, clean socks, toiletries and other goodies for the soldiers in her particular post.
As I type this on my laptop, readying for work in my comfortable home, I am reminded of just how fortunate we are to be here in Canada... I am humbled to know that children can endure so much violence and hardship that would destroy the strongest spirit amongst adults, but still find joy in the simple task of being able to herd their sheep again and wave at the soldiers, hopeful for a small treat...
Friday, February 15, 2008
An Email from Belinda
[snipped from original email]
I made it here finally. I'm sorry I havent called yet, all the phones are down. We are all pretty choked about that, but what can ya do? Tomorrow, I go out to my PSS. I don't know if I will have phone or internet there, but I will send you letters anyways ok. They might take a while to get there, I will be in touch with you however I can though.
So our 16 hour trip turned into 24. Longest trip of my life. We went from Edmonton to Goose bay, (worse airport ever!) to Germany, which was awesome although I only saw the airport, to CAmp ****** (IT WAS SO HOT THERE!) to Afghanistan. The first time I got any sleep since I seen you last was last night. We are a day ahead of you guys. The time change is hard to get used to for sure. I'm dead tired, but got good sleep last night. It's so cool here!! IT's really pretty beleive it or not, even though it's a desert.
*** , where I am right now, has lots of trees, it does get really dusty, feels a bit like Wainright. The day times are soooo hot, I already have a tan!!! IT makes you lethargic, I drink a couple litres of water a day for sure, you just can't quench your thirst here. But the nights are sooo cold. Only like -6, but after how it is in the day, it feels way worse.
It is good because it gives us a chance to climatize. So like I said, I leave tomorrow, there will be a letter in the mail for you. There isn't much else to report on, and sorry I couldnt send a letter seperatly, we have limited time on the computers so I am typing really fast, so excuse the poor grammar and spelling mistakes haha. Anyway, I will talk to you guys when I can, I am off tomorrow so wish me luck!!! I'm really excited!!!!! I love you all so much, miss you and see you! Kiss the 'poo' dogs for me please! Lots of love, Belinda
Oh and the mess food here is really good, weird eh? Love you!!!! :)
I made it here finally. I'm sorry I havent called yet, all the phones are down. We are all pretty choked about that, but what can ya do? Tomorrow, I go out to my PSS. I don't know if I will have phone or internet there, but I will send you letters anyways ok. They might take a while to get there, I will be in touch with you however I can though.
So our 16 hour trip turned into 24. Longest trip of my life. We went from Edmonton to Goose bay, (worse airport ever!) to Germany, which was awesome although I only saw the airport, to CAmp ****** (IT WAS SO HOT THERE!) to Afghanistan. The first time I got any sleep since I seen you last was last night. We are a day ahead of you guys. The time change is hard to get used to for sure. I'm dead tired, but got good sleep last night. It's so cool here!! IT's really pretty beleive it or not, even though it's a desert.
*** , where I am right now, has lots of trees, it does get really dusty, feels a bit like Wainright. The day times are soooo hot, I already have a tan!!! IT makes you lethargic, I drink a couple litres of water a day for sure, you just can't quench your thirst here. But the nights are sooo cold. Only like -6, but after how it is in the day, it feels way worse.
It is good because it gives us a chance to climatize. So like I said, I leave tomorrow, there will be a letter in the mail for you. There isn't much else to report on, and sorry I couldnt send a letter seperatly, we have limited time on the computers so I am typing really fast, so excuse the poor grammar and spelling mistakes haha. Anyway, I will talk to you guys when I can, I am off tomorrow so wish me luck!!! I'm really excited!!!!! I love you all so much, miss you and see you! Kiss the 'poo' dogs for me please! Lots of love, Belinda
Oh and the mess food here is really good, weird eh? Love you!!!! :)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Deployment Day
Deployment day ... February 13, 2008.
It had snowed 10+ centimetres the night before, the roads were a hellish mess and getting to the base was difficult. Once at the drill hall though, we were amongst throngs of family and friends and the soldiers themselves, getting in that last bit of visiting before the troops departed for their flight.
Belinda was in great spirits, excited and anxious to finally be off on her journey...pleased to know she would be stationed at a post with at least one of her closest friends, Durnford. We stood around visiting and were approached by 2 members of the Legion wishing to do a story on Belinda, so she spoke with them and some photos were taken. I will post the results of that interview shortly. :)
There is not alot to say about departure day because it is such an anxious affair ... all of us standing around smiling big smiles, trying to joke and converse, but the ever-present lump in our throat knowing we are minutes away from the departure of someone we love and will miss deeply.
Granparents, spouses, friends, parents, babies, toddlers, siblings ...even leashed pets... people milling about everywhere, or clustered into tight groups...camera flashes, interviews, tv cameras, or in our case...hamming it up with each other doing our family trademark "Gypsy, give me your tears" act...which we tried to teach Troy and Durnford, without a lot of luck... but they tried, lol
Finally the time came for the soldiers to go into a seperate room where they would pick up their remaining kit and board the bus. It was time to say good-bye ... You could have washed that immense drill hall's floor with the tears that flowed. I had promised myself I would remain smiling, but I smiled through wet eyes, sniffles and a cracked voice when we said goodbye. One last hug and kiss, one last picture to hold us over for the months to come till she returns home again.
She was boarding a 16 hour flight... a big airbus that would provide meals every 2 hours... I was glad for that, hoping she would fill up before she faced a lengthy diet of packaged rations. I hoped she would sleep, as I know she had not slept much in the weeks prior so consumed with thoughts of being ready for this journey.
You want to be happy for them ... they have worked so hard this past year to train for this moment. Training had intensified in the recent years, to encompass every possible scenario, to ready the troops for a culture and climate so different from our own. You want to be happy, you want to be supportive - but it is a hard thing to see your child go on a journey that you can never possibly share. In my best possible moments, reading and acquiring every ounce of knowledge I can, I will never know what it is like to be there and have those experiences. I wish I could.
We left the base and drove home in silence. Everyone lost in their thoughts, missing her already.
Now the countdown to homecoming begins... we have a loose target of 215 days which takes us to mid September, though we have been warned that October might be more likely.
She is fit and ready, very well trained... intelligent, strong, intuitive and resourceful...she is willing to take a path less travelled. She is courage and love and humanity personified. I am so very proud of her, we all are.
See you soon Boogies, good luck and god speed... we are all waiting for your return...we love you!
It had snowed 10+ centimetres the night before, the roads were a hellish mess and getting to the base was difficult. Once at the drill hall though, we were amongst throngs of family and friends and the soldiers themselves, getting in that last bit of visiting before the troops departed for their flight.
Belinda was in great spirits, excited and anxious to finally be off on her journey...pleased to know she would be stationed at a post with at least one of her closest friends, Durnford. We stood around visiting and were approached by 2 members of the Legion wishing to do a story on Belinda, so she spoke with them and some photos were taken. I will post the results of that interview shortly. :)
There is not alot to say about departure day because it is such an anxious affair ... all of us standing around smiling big smiles, trying to joke and converse, but the ever-present lump in our throat knowing we are minutes away from the departure of someone we love and will miss deeply.
Granparents, spouses, friends, parents, babies, toddlers, siblings ...even leashed pets... people milling about everywhere, or clustered into tight groups...camera flashes, interviews, tv cameras, or in our case...hamming it up with each other doing our family trademark "Gypsy, give me your tears" act...which we tried to teach Troy and Durnford, without a lot of luck... but they tried, lol
Finally the time came for the soldiers to go into a seperate room where they would pick up their remaining kit and board the bus. It was time to say good-bye ... You could have washed that immense drill hall's floor with the tears that flowed. I had promised myself I would remain smiling, but I smiled through wet eyes, sniffles and a cracked voice when we said goodbye. One last hug and kiss, one last picture to hold us over for the months to come till she returns home again.
She was boarding a 16 hour flight... a big airbus that would provide meals every 2 hours... I was glad for that, hoping she would fill up before she faced a lengthy diet of packaged rations. I hoped she would sleep, as I know she had not slept much in the weeks prior so consumed with thoughts of being ready for this journey.
You want to be happy for them ... they have worked so hard this past year to train for this moment. Training had intensified in the recent years, to encompass every possible scenario, to ready the troops for a culture and climate so different from our own. You want to be happy, you want to be supportive - but it is a hard thing to see your child go on a journey that you can never possibly share. In my best possible moments, reading and acquiring every ounce of knowledge I can, I will never know what it is like to be there and have those experiences. I wish I could.
We left the base and drove home in silence. Everyone lost in their thoughts, missing her already.
Now the countdown to homecoming begins... we have a loose target of 215 days which takes us to mid September, though we have been warned that October might be more likely.
She is fit and ready, very well trained... intelligent, strong, intuitive and resourceful...she is willing to take a path less travelled. She is courage and love and humanity personified. I am so very proud of her, we all are.
See you soon Boogies, good luck and god speed... we are all waiting for your return...we love you!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Night Before ...
Belinda leaves tomorrow morning in the late A.M.... we did a 'favorite foods' theme for supper as it'll be a few months before she gets to eat something other than army rations! Supper consisted of 2 styles of pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken w/fries and gravy, popcorn shrimp, home-made cream of mushroom soup, chocolate milk, 'triple threat' chocolate ice cream and strawberry daquiri's... A strange menu, but like I said, "favorites"!
We are over-full from eating so much but Belinda says she is "Rocking out!" :-D
She is excited about her travels tomorrow, ready to just 'get on with it already!'... A full year of intense training, she is ready to put her skills to work. She is especially excited to see and experience a new culture ...Her 8000 lbs of kit and toiletries are packed... (8ooo lbs would not be much of an exageration either...lol) She is comfy on the couch right now writing a few last-minute emails and loading music onto her ipod. A peaceful night...
We are over-full from eating so much but Belinda says she is "Rocking out!" :-D
She is excited about her travels tomorrow, ready to just 'get on with it already!'... A full year of intense training, she is ready to put her skills to work. She is especially excited to see and experience a new culture ...Her 8000 lbs of kit and toiletries are packed... (8ooo lbs would not be much of an exageration either...lol) She is comfy on the couch right now writing a few last-minute emails and loading music onto her ipod. A peaceful night...
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Countdown
Here we sit... Belinda and her fellow troops preparing to depart for Afghanistan in 2 days. She is at the base right now tending to any remaining administration chores and packing (and re-packing) her immense amount of kit and personal effects.
Did you know...
Canada Post will send your letters to the troops for free at any time and any Military Family Resource Center will send your packages and presents to overseas troops for free at any time. The link included will provide you with a list of Military Family Resource Centers near you. Just click on the link "Search Canada" and locate your province.
http://www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/dmfs/mfrccontact/index.asp#
If you would like to send Belinda a letter (or any soldier currently serving overseas) that you don't have an address for) contact me and I will pass on Belinda's information and the general Canadian Forces mailing address for sending a letter to fellow troops. Security being the issue that it is now and days, it is not appropriate for me to post the information here but I am prompt to reply to any emails. To send a letter or card to any soldier, you will need their rank and service number and tour rotation -but if you do not know these, not to worry, it is not difficult to tracks these down and if I can be of any help, please just send me a note.
Receiving a letter is the best kind of smile across the miles for any soldier so far from home. Many soldiers do not have family...and it is always a joy to hear from someone who wishes you well.
Tll next time,
Julie
Did you know...
Canada Post will send your letters to the troops for free at any time and any Military Family Resource Center will send your packages and presents to overseas troops for free at any time. The link included will provide you with a list of Military Family Resource Centers near you. Just click on the link "Search Canada" and locate your province.
http://www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/dmfs/mfrccontact/index.asp#
If you would like to send Belinda a letter (or any soldier currently serving overseas) that you don't have an address for) contact me and I will pass on Belinda's information and the general Canadian Forces mailing address for sending a letter to fellow troops. Security being the issue that it is now and days, it is not appropriate for me to post the information here but I am prompt to reply to any emails. To send a letter or card to any soldier, you will need their rank and service number and tour rotation -but if you do not know these, not to worry, it is not difficult to tracks these down and if I can be of any help, please just send me a note.
Receiving a letter is the best kind of smile across the miles for any soldier so far from home. Many soldiers do not have family...and it is always a joy to hear from someone who wishes you well.
Tll next time,
Julie
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