Thanksgiving in Iraq

26Nov

Thanksgiving in Iraq. Not my last.

I know it is Monday, following Thanksgiving, but I haven’t been to motivated to write. It seems that I’ve fallen into the lull of deployment. Daily, I wake up around 0630, dress, eat from 0700-0730, spend some time with myself in a quiet environment to reflect on things past and to come, then I start seeing patients around 0800 until lunch 1200-1300, then patients until I finish. I usually finish with patient care around 1700, walk over to the TMC and enter my notes because whoever the Army hired to build the new TMC, wrapped the Ethernet cord with the electrical wiring, shorting our lines and thus disabling the ability to connect to the medical documentation computers. So I have to use the closed network at the TMC, essentially writing my notes twice (on my personal PC, transferring to thumb drive, then copying to the system). Then I go to dinner with some friends 1800 to 1900. Then, if I don’t have my study session with Howard, then I take a shower and lie in bed until I fall asleep around 10-1030. Wake up… Repeat.

So, when Thanksgiving came, it didn’t feel like that holiday that you look forward to. When you see friends and family and eat a lot over the course of the day. I woke up as usual. Saw patients as usual, and rushed through the same Turkey Day portions at lunch in about 10 min, because the lines took FOREVER, and I had a patient waiting (who it turns out, didn’t show up). But, you have to give it to the Army to try to make it as nice as they can. They had paper turkey’s hanging from the ceiling. They even hired a live band to play music. From what I heard from the gymnasium sized DFAC, was a brass band, like a small military ensemble. They were alright. I was trying to listen to the small conversations we were having prior to rushing out of the meal to get back to the clinic. They had 4 serving lines, all serving about the same food. The traditional: turkey, ham, prime rib, stuffing (which I must have picked the wrong line), mashed potatoes, green beans (unfortunately, not “Christmas Beans”), the salad bar, and of course, the dessert bar. The dessert bar had pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple cobbler (which I had) and other assorted goodies. It was nice. The good thing was, that they served the same meal for Dinner, so I had a much smaller helping of Prime Rib and green beans and a slice of pumpkin pie. I was still so full from lunch, that I didn’t want much else to eat.

That was the Holiday here. Nothing particularly exciting. I did enjoy calling home and talking to Dee (twice, because the phone system went down after about 5 min of the first conversation …bugging me so bad that when I woke up at 3AM, I called to finish the conversation), my Grandma, and my parents. I definitely missed Ma’ Czworka’s pies and morning cinnamon rolls. And I missed the “Jeanie Rolls” from Gram’s. There is not a holiday family function up North, without Jeanie Rolls. Unfortunately, next Thanksgiving and the next 2 Christmas’ will be the same. Although, I will remember to block the first 1-2 patients in the afternoon in order to enjoy my meal. (lesson learned).

Well, I think that summed up the holiday. I ate about as much as all you at the states, but had to rush back to work, rather than rush to the get dibs on the couch. But you know what, other than that patient no showing up, I didn’t mind it that much. I know that I’m over here for a good cause. My job is important (though there are some here that still don’t recognize it… they’ll learn soon enough), and I have good friends that are Great people. In the absence of the one’s I love, and that are close to me, I wouldn’t want to spend the holidays with anyone else.