Things I miss about home

I am getting to the point in the deployment where I don't want to be here anymore. I am hesitant to write about my utter distaste for this place, because I don't want any of you to worry about me. I am fine. That doesn't change the fact that this place is starting to wear on me.

Maybe it's the cold. Either way I have been compiling a list of things that I miss about home. Of course my friends and family are on the top of the list, but I miss the little things too.

I am sick of having to walk to the shower. It is cold here, so walking to the shower in your flip flops and shorts is miserable. There is mud and small ponds everywhere, so we have to scale the T-walls just to get out of our living area and remain clean. Today there was no water in the first shower trailer we went to. You can imagine how annoying it is to get ready for your shower and when you go to turn on the water nothing happens. Then the second trailer had two other people in there that wanted to listen to their music. I find this extremely annoying. I always have. People that like to listen to their music in public places. I always wonder about the thought process of these type of people. Do they think that I want to listen to their music? Cause I don't. Do they think they have good taste in music? Because according to my opinion they don't. Would they find it annoying if I brought in my radio and listened to my music over theirs? I would hope they wouldn't find this annoying. Because that would be hypocritical. I know that you might be thinking 'Anna, that isn't very nice.' Eh. When you spend your whole life (this isn't me being over-dramatic) having to listen to music you don't like because other people assume that you want to listen to their music, you get annoyed.

I miss food. Walking to the dinning hall to eat is no longer fun. It was never fun to begin with. The meals are on a 21 day rotation (it feels like a 7 day rotation), so it feels like I am offered the same food every other day. I have started to eat less than I do at home, and this has probably contributed to my weight loss. So I guess it isn't all bad.

I am over the Port-a-Potties, and with those comes the smell. Iraq smells like a toilet. They clean the Port-A-Potties twice a day, so at least they are kept up. However, there are people that like to go in there and smoke while going to the bathroom, which leaves a pleasant odor of shit and smoke. And if that wasn't bad enough, apparently some of the males around here can't hit the huge urinal, so there tends to be piss on the floor. Awesome.

I miss the gym back home. Mizzou Rec. Never thought I would say that. Mizzou Rec is a five star gym compared to this place. Also, Mizzou Rec was clean and organized and people generally used proper gym etiquette. This is not always true here. There is not enough cardio equipment, free weights, and the weight machines they have are pretty bad. I have been way too spoiled for the past four years.

And finally, reliable electricity. The power went out for three hours the other morning. The first time the power ever went out over here it scared the crap out of me. I was dead asleep and woke up confused and scared. When the power goes out it becomes eerily quite, it feels like the calm before a storm. Usually it comes back on within 20 or 30 minutes, but the other day I sat waiting for the TV to turn back only for it to turn back on for 5 minutes before going back out for another two hours. Even more awesome.