20 Hours in Africa

Before I get this post started, Cheeky the Traveler has relinquished typing responsibilities to me (Leah) for a little while. I think all the traveling has tired out even the Traveler! Don't worry, he will still be featured in all posts!

Moving onto the latest travels! Once again I made a quick trip down to Africa. "Quick" is a relative term though. I spent less than 24 hours on the ground once I got there, but I was traveling for 3 days. Phew! Africa is huge and it takes a long time for anything and anyone to get there. We took the same C-130 flight as last time, and this trip was an adventure from the very start to the very end.

Welcome to Niamey!

                                         
Our flight left early in the morning, so we had to get up at zero-dark-thirty just to make it on time. I had to check a bag this time which is how this adventure kicked off. The folks in the passenger terminal are responsible for tagging our bags and getting them on the airplane. The interesting part about this flight is that they're only able to see the first stop, which wasn't mine. I kept trying to tell them that I understand they only see the first stop, but I'm not getting off there, and neither is my bag. They were so confused. I made a point to tell them to keep my bag separate from all the others since I don't want it put on a big pallet. I don't want my bag getting off the airplane with out me. They "assured" me they'd mark it and keep it separate....sure they would....Meanwhile, I'm also trying to tell someone else that this flight is making two stops and I'm getting off at stop 2. She thinks I'll have to check in at stop 1 to make sure there will still be a seat for me. *sigh* Of course there is. We're dropping everyone but two people off and no one is getting on at stop 1. I just have to tell the crew of the aircraft that I'm getting off at stop 2. Again, super confused. I eventually just did a smile and nod and went about my business waiting for our time to board the plane.

*Side story* - These same folks accidentally sent a deployer's bags to Baltimore the night before our flight instead of putting them on our plane to Africa. WHOOPS. Poor guy is waiting for all of his belongings. I hope he gets everything back soon.

Somewhere over Africa

The flight down to Africa was uneventful until we landed at stop 1 (which wasn't my final destination). I was nervous about my bag since I couldn't see it anywhere. I knew a pallet of bags was at the back of the plane, but couldn't see it since there was too much cargo loaded up. When we landed, I got off the plane and asked if I could find my bag. Where do you think it was??? Yep! You guessed it! Palatalized and wrapped in plastic with all the other bags. I had to get someone to rip it open, get my bag and one other bag out. While that was all transpiring, one of the folks that was getting off at this stop wasn't feeling well and vomiting into a plastic bag on the plane. Oof! She eventually was well enough to make her way to the vehicles waiting. I've heard she recovered fine and was doing well the next day. Once we unloaded all the passengers and cargo we were about ready to head down to stop 2. There were only 2 passengers (me and one other) along with all the crew members. One of the pilots came down and asked the other person if she wanted to sit in the cockpit. Then asked me too! Woot! I sat in the back, so I didn't get a front row view, but I wasn't complaining. They had extra headsets, so we listened in on everything. Our takeoff was a bit wild. I heard them chatting about "2Gs" a little before we took off, but it didn't register what that meant until about 30 seconds after we were in the air. Instead of a nice smooth even ascent, we got off the ground and then shot up nice and steep - pushing 2 Gs - squishing us into our seats. Then to top it off, they did a crazy angled banking turn. It was almost like the window on the side of the airplane was pointed down to the ground. You could only see the earth from one side of the plane and only sky out of the other one. A little scary, but we lived to tell the tale. I'm not sure the purpose of the whole maneuver and forgot to ask.

Sitting in the back of the cockpit!

Cheeky picked up some CFA to take home!

Once we landed, my Paying Agent and the Commander were waiting for us. This arrival and pick up process was a lot less complicated than last time. The drive was shorter too. We gathered all our belongings and headed onto base. This base is similar to the last one, compact and lots of tents. The biggest difference is that there were trees! Nice to have a little green amongst all the red dirt. My agent gave me a quick tour, then took me to my room. I got to stay in the DV (Distinguished Visitor) room. It was quite nice for being in a tent! They built walls and added doors to each person's area within the living tents. My space had a bed and little dresser in it. Better than the cot last time! Once I dropped my things in my room, we went to dinner. Food was ok. The quinoa and brussel sprouts needed some seasonings for sure. After dinner, it was time for me to count some money! That was my whole purpose for being there. Lucky for me, she had a lot less cash to count that the previous location. I was very thankful! It took less than 2 hours counting by hand. Easy Peasy! 8 hours of flying (one way) for 2-3 hours worth of work. Totally worth it.  Since we were done with work related things, it was time to socialize just for a little while. They're allowed to drink wine and beer there, so my agent opened up a bottle of wine and we each had a glass. We took it over to this makeshift patio area with Christmas lights where a bunch of people were gathered for a karaoke night. It was fun to watch! I met a handful of folks and got to talk to them about how their time was during their deployment. It seemed that all agreed things like karaoke and morale boosters were what made 6 months on a tiny base in the Sahara desert bearable. Everyone was enjoying the night, but you could still tell that they couldn't wait to get home. I sat around until about 10pm and decided that was enough for me. It had been a long day of travel and two more days of flying ahead of me. I slept relatively well, only waking up a handful of times.

My room for the night

                             
The next morning, after deciding it was too early to run, I got up to shower and meet my agent for breakfast. Even showering became an adventure. No one gave me the heads up that you need to open the little windows in the shower trailer before turning the water on. The water got hot quick, which equals steam. Steam + smoke detector = smoke detector going off....So there I am, sans clothing, afraid the fire department is going to show up. Lucky for me they didn't. I got dressed, poked my head outside, then skipped over to the other trailer. My agent was in there getting ready and she told me that it was ok. I just stayed in the new trailer and made sure it was vented! Finally shower complete. We met up for breakfast, then headed to the Finance tent to do a few more work related things.

The Finance Office

At 8:30am there was a Commander's call. It was an interesting event. There is a small Army group on the base and he talked briefly about what their group does. You may have heard about them all over the news back in October. It was his group that was attacked and 4 Soldiers lost their lives. The commander also thanked a large group of Air Force members that assisted with the memorial service and care of those 4 soldiers. It was a proud moment for many in the room. Once the Army commander was done, some Air Force awards were given and a few other folks spoke. The base commander gave some great, encouraging words to everyone.

Lodging tents

           

Part of the base

I only had a couple more hours before I had to catch my flight out of Africa. We did a few more things in the office and walked around base so I could take some photos. I was able to meet some folks I had only seen the names of on email traffic. I was happy to meet a Chief who I helped get scheduled for an upcoming training class. He was nice enough to give me a coin for my efforts. I delivered some treats to someone else and put a few more faces to names. I said my good byes and a handful of us loaded into a vehicle and headed for the airplane.

Another relatively uneventful flight. We landed in Sigonella, Italy late, so we all just headed to our rooms. I was able to talk to Charlotte on her birthday. She was heading out to the movies. Her favorite part of the present I sent her was the rock from my previous trip to Africa two weeks ago. She liked it better than the German doll and chocolate I sent. I can't complain! Glad she liked it. My girl is getting old! 8 already. She's perfecting the sass and eye roll already. After talking to Charlotte, I got in a chat with Ross and my parents as well. It's always good to see everyone. By the time I was done chatting with everyone it was about midnight, so I was ready for bed.

The morning came and I had to be out of my room by 11. Housekeeping came by at 10 and practically barged in on me. She knocked, but didn't wait for me to answer. I told her I'd be out soon. 10:30 rolls around and she's back. I'm in the middle of brushing my teeth. She gets across in Italian that I need to be out by 11. I acknowledge and go about my business. Yeesh! I get my butt out of there before she comes back in. I have a few hours before my flight, so I wander around a bit and grab a bite to eat. I see one of the girls from my flight sitting at an outdoor table, so I join her and we chat for a while. She's headed home after 6 months in Africa. I'm happy for her. We eventually make it over to the passenger terminal and wait there for a few more hours before our flight. By 4:45 we're in the air and headed back to Germany.

You'd think this story ends with me landing in Germany. Oh no..not quite yet. Remember that girl I was talking with? Well, she is alone and her lodging reservation is not on Ramstein. It's on a base relatively close. One of my FM guys comes to pick me up and we decide just to drive her over there. 2 hours later....it was such a mess. Drive to the base where she is supposed to be staying. Figure out we need to go to ANOTHER base to check in and get her room key. Go back to the first base, finally find her room. I'm happy we were there to help her. I'm not sure what she would have done.

I finally get back to my room by about 10:30pm. Phew! 3 days of traveling! Another adventure in the books! There are more trips on the horizon, so stay tuned! Plus, Ross will be here in just under 12 days! I'm beyond excited!

Until next time!

Stats of the Trip:
Books Read: 1
Crochet Projects Completed: 1.5
Hours Flying: 18+
People I met that were jealous of my "Deployment" to Germany: ALL