Korea #3

I get to Camp Garry Owen, and unload my bags. I start filling out more paper work (the Army is all about paper work, there does not seem to be any such thing as a central database of personal information, and if there is, no one uses it). A couple of the Seargents were making fun of the amount of baggage i brought. Im moving here for at least 12 months, how many bags would you pack? Plus, when I was at Camp Mobile, they issued me 3 new bags full of stuff. Stuff like everything you can imagine an Army guy wearing… utility belt (pistol belt), kevlar (helmet), pocketed vest (LBE = load bearing equipment), green coveralls for working on the Bradley, lots of different types of gloves, lots of cold weather gear… you get the picture.

I my self was carrying about 150 pounds of my stuff, and then there was still 3 other bags, giving me a total of 7 bags of stuff. Ouch. Oh well, I needed to bring all my CDs (350+) DVDs and my Playstation2. Oh ya, and a few clothes.

I finish my paper work, and take all my bags (with help) and I am put into the first floor of the barracks in the Pool room, right next to a pool table. I am told I can sleep on the couch, but its a weird wooden/cushion sectional couch. It looks more like a row of 3 chairs.

The Seargents leave me on my own, in the pool room, and tell me to wait there until someone comes by to get me. An hour and a half later, another Sgt. comes by and hands me off to a lower ranking guy (private) and he then proceedes to show me around. He shows me the DEFAC (dining facility) the PX (post exchange = shoppette = small store that sells everything) and a place called Ms. Kims Shop right outside our front gates. At Ms. Kims Shop you can buy some mink blankets, silk sheets, phone cards, and cell phones. I bought myself a $65 cell phone, and a $10 phone card that gives me 300 minutes of talk time to the US.

Its kind of sad that I had a phone and phone number, 4 days before I even got a mailing address… but thats how things work here in South Korea I guess…

More to come in Korea #4