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