Chris' Blog: January 2005

I Rode a Camel

I've been having a relatively good time here in Kuwait.

A few days ago there was a 5k "fun run" that I participated in. Running in the desert is difficult and not at all that fun. It wasn't that hot, but the sand really works the ankles and the air will dehydrate a person very quickly. I was happy with ,and surprised at, my 23:13 finish time.

Yesterday there was a bazaar here at the camp. Besides the wares and whatnots for sale, there was a camel to ride! Of course I had to give it a go, since the opportunity to ride a real live camel in the deserts of Kuwait does not present itself often. Also, today when we went out to the range to fire our weapons, we saw a few herds of camels. The range was even shut-down for a while because they wandered too near.

Other than that, I am still getting used to the time change. The food is still good. I've had another lobster dinner since I've been here, and yesterday I had a Cornish hen for lunch. We're pretty much just waiting around for a flight now. They seem to be backed up due to the elections.

I hope things are going well for everyone on the other side of the big pond. Write or email when you get a chance.

I'm trying to look tough. It's OK, you can laugh.

Temporary housing.

I called for a taxi...

The camp we're in at the moment.

Running in a 5k "fun run."

Camels in the wild.

Mailing Address

*There has been a change in Chris' address! Just wanted to make sure you all had the new version. Thanks! ~Julia

Sgt. Ziebell 5815
793rd MP BN/A Co. 1-194 AR
APO AE 09391

Still in Kuwait...

We've already moved to a new camp. We were very near Kuwait City before, now we are in the middle of the desert.

The food has been excellent so far. Last night we had "surf and turf" for dinner, but I didn't feel like steak. Instead I just had two lobster tails. Tonight I thought I'd dine out, so I had a Spicy Italian sub from Subway. There were a few other options as well, such as Pizza Inn.

We are still adjusting to the time difference. For those that didn't know, we are 9 hours ahead of central standard time here. Right now we are tired all day and alert all night. Its fun though, because I can call at 4am here and it is the 27th of January for example, and reach someone in MN where it is 7pm on the 26th ...I like to pretend I am calling from the future.

Where we were at previously, the landscape was very nice. We were near the ocean (although we couldn't see it), so there was a good deal of moisture in the air. There were lots of palm trees and most of the ground was covered with grass in areas of low foot-traffic. However, now the area that we are in is very much like a gravel pit. Only, it is not so much like a pit as it is like a vast expanse of gravel and sand that appears to have no end. There are no trees and very little green vegetation. The temperatures have been in the high 60s during the day and the 40s at night.

So far I've had little chance to practice the little Arabic that I know. Most of the nationals that work on the bases speak English very well. I expect that this will change once I get to Iraq and perhaps begin dealing with the general public on a regular basis.

Well, myself and the other medics are doing very well so far. We are all anxious about the upcoming elections though. We hope that things are uneventful for our boys up north, as we will not be able to join them until after the 30th.

Thanks again to everyone back home for the thoughts and prayers.

Kuwait

I'm in Kuwait.

It was a long journey with quick stops in Germany and Italy, but we're finally here. Today we moved into some temporary billeting. But it doesn't sound like we'll be at this particular camp for long. We'll be heading to another in Kuwait for some briefings, weapons testfire, and other inprocessing.

I don't have much time, so I can't write more. I will post again when possible.

Leaving on a Jetplane

I've been enjoying the snow the last few days. Most of New Jersey has been shut down, so we've had to take a lot of naps and watch movies all weekend. It's been rough!

I'll be leaving winter-wonderland this evening and flying to the complete opposite environment. We should be in Kuwait in two days. I will try to keep everyone updated.

Thank you all for the support! See you in a year.

Playing in the snow.

New York City!

I just got back to Ft Dix from a wonderful trip to the "Big Apple." Julia and I had an awesome four days there.

Last friday morning I took the train from Trenton. It would have deposited me right at Penn Station, right across the street from our hotel, if it hadn't been terminated in Newark. I made my way on some light-rail to a subway station down the block from Penn, however.

Julia flew in and took a shuttle to the Ramada New Yorker, where we met up. After a quick trial and error orientation to the subway, we were off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art that afternoon. The 'Egyptian Art' exhibit was very cool, as well as 'Arms and Armor', and 'Greek and Roman Art', among others. Later that night we met up with Tory at went to a little Irish pub for some Guinness.

Saturday we had fun at the American Museum of Natural History. The first exhibit that we saw was their butterfly conservatory. We also saw an awesome frog exhibit featuring 200 different live species of colorful frogs from around the world. The 'Human Biology and Evolution' exhibit was another of my favorites, where the "Lucy" skeleton could be found.

Later that evening we tried to get into the Broadway musical "Avenue Q." We were unsuccessful, but we did tour the Times Square area.

The following day we visited the Empire State Building and enjoyed a very informative audio-tour. We also took a cab up to Rockefeller Plaza and had a look around. We thought about trying to ice-skate there, but when we arrived it was closed for a zamboni treatment. Again we tried to get into "Avenue Q" but were rejected. Instead, we had a good laugh at the Gotham Comedy club, where we saw four great up-and-coming comedians.

Today we just slept in late and took our time with lunch and coffee before saying our good-byes once again. Julia got on the subway and headed to JFK to catch a plane while I unwound with a five-hour ride back to Dix on the New Jersey Transit system.

Julia in the subway.

We visited Times Square.

The observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building.

Julia at the the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I'm pretending to be a sarcophagus.

Butterflies alive in winter! A Blue Morpho butterfly at the Museum of Natural History.

Me with "Lucy." Discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, it has been dated at 3.2 million years old. Thought to be the first upright-walking hominid in the fossil record.

These moose are playing. North American Mammals exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.

At Rockefeller Plaza.

Flight Scheduled

I now have a fly-date out of these United States. Right now I am scheduled to leave at the end of next week for Kuwait. I'm not sure how long I'll be there, but it shouldn't be long before the trek north.

For the moment, myself and the other medics are under the command of a mobilization hold-over company. We have three accountability formations each day, apparently so they can make sure that we haven't gone AWOL. We are also back into the routine of getting up daily at 4:45am to do physical training at 5:20. They've got us doing details ranging from inspecting buildings for serviceability and cleanliness to driving shuttle vans. Its easy work, but its also rather disconcerting and frustrating to finish three months of intense training just to be charged with checking someone else's bathroom. At this point I'd rather be on my way.

I can't complain too much, however, as I've have been granted a four-day pass this weekend. Friday through monday. Julia and I are going to meet in New York City. I'm very excited as I've never visited there. We are going to try to meet up with my cousin Tory. We also plan on going to the top of the Empire State Building, and may try ice-skating at Rockefeller Plaza, and we've thrown around the idea of getting stand-by tickets to see Saturday Night Live if possible. No matter what we do, it should be an awesome weekend.

I hope everyone is doing well. For those of you in Minnesota, good luck with this upcoming cold snap! Stay safe and stay warm.

Back at Scenic Fort Dix

We just got back to Dix today. I had a really good time in Pennsylvania and learned a lot. Classes were awesome.

It sounds like we will be here for a week or two. I will let everyone know when I get more information.

Christmas and New Years were awesome! I was very happy to be able to see so many loved ones. I had an excellent time at Loren's house as well as family Christmas the next day at the Hibbard's. I also had the opportunity to visit the Science Museum of Minnesota to see the Chinasaur exhibit. Chinasaurs are rad!