Gone, and Back Again.
Well, the trip home was a wonderous success. I enjoyed 15 days of outstanding time away from the warzone and being a normal, American again. I have only a few months left here and I am on the downhill side of my year in The Suck. The trip started off a little hair-raising, we left after 11 SEP, and the trip to the Airbase was mostly uneventful. I must say that I was a bit of a mess on the drive out there due to the fact that it has heated up over here of late, and the anxiety of going home. Being away from home for 10 months was bad enough, but not knowing how I was going to react to everyday mundane things was a bit unnerving.
The trip home took 3 days, and I arrived in Long Beach at 2 PM on a Thursday. The SO had surprised me by taking the day off of work, and was there when I arrived. I have to admit, that seeing was a bit of a shock, and I loved the fact that she was there to greet me. Going into an empty house would have been a bit depressing. There was a bit of a settling in period for both of us, but a few days later, things were back to semi-normal. Thankfully it only took a couple of days for me to adjust, and the transition was much smoother than I thought it would be.
About a week into the trip, we took off for Hawaii, Kauai to be exact for 4 days of sun, beaches, and great food, and just all around lying around. It was exactly what I needed. The last few days there flew by and before I knew it, I was on a plane coming back to this wonderful little spot of paradise known as Kabul. The trip back took 3 days, and I was here, pissed off and just a little irritable. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at home, regardless of the problems that myself and the SO have. Of course nothing really got solved, but it wasn't supposed to, I went home to enjoy my time with her and away from here. Those problems still exist and won't be worked out until I get home for good.
A few thoughts:
It felt like I was a stranger in my own life. My world quit in DEC '05, everyone else's continued on.
Its easier to be over here and not dealing with problems, than it is being home and having to be a fully functioning human being with responsibilities, realtionships, and the like. Not that that doesn't exist here, but they are much more cut and dry than they are back home.
Enjoyed a day with my mother and step-dad, they flew out to see me and I am glad that I got to see them. I wish that I had had the time to go back to AZ and see the rest of my family, as I miss them terribly, but this trip was for me.
Saw my Uncle, who is a Naval Officer now stationed close to where I live, it will be good to have family close by when I return home.
The trip home took 3 days, and I arrived in Long Beach at 2 PM on a Thursday. The SO had surprised me by taking the day off of work, and was there when I arrived. I have to admit, that seeing was a bit of a shock, and I loved the fact that she was there to greet me. Going into an empty house would have been a bit depressing. There was a bit of a settling in period for both of us, but a few days later, things were back to semi-normal. Thankfully it only took a couple of days for me to adjust, and the transition was much smoother than I thought it would be.
About a week into the trip, we took off for Hawaii, Kauai to be exact for 4 days of sun, beaches, and great food, and just all around lying around. It was exactly what I needed. The last few days there flew by and before I knew it, I was on a plane coming back to this wonderful little spot of paradise known as Kabul. The trip back took 3 days, and I was here, pissed off and just a little irritable. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at home, regardless of the problems that myself and the SO have. Of course nothing really got solved, but it wasn't supposed to, I went home to enjoy my time with her and away from here. Those problems still exist and won't be worked out until I get home for good.
A few thoughts:
It felt like I was a stranger in my own life. My world quit in DEC '05, everyone else's continued on.
Its easier to be over here and not dealing with problems, than it is being home and having to be a fully functioning human being with responsibilities, realtionships, and the like. Not that that doesn't exist here, but they are much more cut and dry than they are back home.
Enjoyed a day with my mother and step-dad, they flew out to see me and I am glad that I got to see them. I wish that I had had the time to go back to AZ and see the rest of my family, as I miss them terribly, but this trip was for me.
Saw my Uncle, who is a Naval Officer now stationed close to where I live, it will be good to have family close by when I return home.
posted by L.A. Soldier at 7:30 PM
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