Greetings to everyone!!
I'm alive!!! well fed and fairly caught up on sleep. Still transitioning here or "in processing" as its called.
Flight from DC to Doha was uneventful until after landing and Lee could not find his passport. Fortunately he has a gov't passport as well as a personal passport and managed to be allowed into the country. For me, I went thru customs with out Lee and gathered up our luggage. I could not find who was to pick me up or Lee for over an hour. I was tired, frustrated, and on the verge of tears!!
Finally Lee came thru and I found my ride. Amber is a clerk at the medical clinic and barely had room in her car for all of my stuff. She drove me to my new apartment where I met my new roommate Debbie (great gal) She drinks, smokes, and is single, and she's my age! The next day was Sunday. I was alone all day with no food no phone, no internet, and no car!! I was like a caged animal!! Debbie came home from work and took me shopping. Then Lee came by and we went to dinner. I still had not heard anything from my employers and had no idea what was going on!! I was soooo pisssed!! They were supposed to be the ones to take me shopping and give me an itinerary. Finally at 11pm my room mate gets a call she gives the phone to me and I get a message that I am to be picked up at 6AM!! I was so torked!! I said "NO" I would not be ready. So at 6am some poor nurse arrives on my doorstep and I'm in my PJ's and I told her that I would not be ready until around 9am. I never hear anything because no one can call me. Then at 9am my boss picks me up. No apologies for the no food, no contact, not much of anything. I'm evidently the first person to pitch a fit about not getting food!
Then there is the trying to get onto base without having base ID. I finally have a pass but its still not the one I really need. I have a car now but I can not drive it on base so Lee picks me up every day for work. We work 6 days a week here. It sounds bad but I'm used to working a 12 hour shift. An 8 hour day makes me feel like I have a day on and a day off. Its very nice so far.
Life on base is so very different than anything I have ever experienced. There are some very sad stories of families ripped apart. One of our Sgt's hasn't seen her two year old daughter in 15 months!! I cannot imagine being away from my kids when they are that young.
Weather here is great for now but it gets up to 120 degrees in the summer. On my first night here I was treated to a rare thunder storm...felt like I was back in KS as I watched the storm roll in from my balcony.
I will write more later
Amy
who is safe and sound