Grand Bara Desert 15 km Run...

Imagine running in one of the flattest, most barren places you've ever seen. Nothing but brown in every direction. That's what I got to do on the 16th. Every year the French Foreign Legion (who, I've come to learn, are pretty awesome) sponsor a 15 km (9.56 mile) run through the Grand Bara Desert, reportedly an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle due to how big and flat it is.

Our trusty Land Cruiser

Adding even more fun to the mix (more than running nearly 10 miles, you say? Yes!) is that I got to spend the night out in the desert. Surrounded by nothing but stars and wind and laughing, slightly drunk French Legionnaires. The moon was out and so bright! One of our guys brought his NODs (Night Observation Device...night vision!) and we could see EVERYTHING. Crags in the distant mountains became dark shadows, the faintest stars sparkled like diamonds...no wonder the military loves it so.

I had a thin sleeping bag my buddy Mac lent me, and we all slept on cots. The wind was blowing and soon lulled me to sleep. I was out.

My wakeup call to pee arrived at 4 a.m., and I was cold! It was the very first time I've been cold in Africa. The desert wind was cool and perfect and I thought, "December in Djibouti is just right." I didn't have to run until 6:15, but I couldn't go back to sleep. Everyone was up and the French were eating breakfast(?), so I just admired the stars, found the big dipper (it was below the horizon for most of the night) and thought of how beautiful the earth is, even in a desolate place like the desert.

The time to run was here. In the darkness, I had no idea just how many people were running, but there were hundreds! It was an impressive sight. We received a "Bon chance!" from the guy I presume was a Legionnaire commander, and soon after I heard, "Here they come!" I turned to see three French Mirage jets screaming low across the desert on full afterburner. They were our starting pistol. As they roared over us, probably less than 100 feet above the ground, we all started en masse. The course was lined with rocks, otherwise we would have had no concept of where to go.

The Mirage Jets - Our starting pistol

I was off...eventually we all spaced out and I got to running, about an 8-minute-per-mile pace...not too bad for a guy who only started training for this thing three weeks earlier.  The sun was still on its way into the sky, so the temperature was perfect, and the wind was at our backs, so again...perfect.  The ground was hard, compact dirt, but it didn't make any dust until later in the day.

I found myself running with some fellow Americans, some French, Djiboutians, Ethiopians, Portuguese (they were probably Brazilian), Vietnamese, Germans, and Japanese.  I'm sure some of the Africans were from other former colonies, but I couldn't be sure.  It was a smorgasbord.

See what I mean?  Desert!  There's me in the blue plugging along.

The sun came up and urged me to finish quickly.  I tried my best to oblige and crossed the finish line in 1 hour 16 minutes.  I got my finishers' T-shirt (full of guilt because I didn't pay an entry fee...I guess we were rewarded just for completing the race?  Just for being in Djibouti?  Okay, I feel better about it now.) and congratulated my fellow runners.  We all made it and were glad we signed up.

Me and Mac.  Those spots on my shirt are from vaseline.  Just say no to chafing!

It was a great run.  Lots of fun, lots of support from the French.  Lots of interesting people to see and beautiful scenery.  I'm glad this is something I got to do while here in Africa.

First Anniversary...

Today is my and the Sweetie™'s first anniversary! This is actually my second first anniversary, but my first first anniversary was spent waiting for my divorce to get finalized, so that doesn't really count.

Oh, what a great year it has been, people! I don't mean to gush, but I am a very, very lucky guy. I'm married to the most thoughtful, hardest working, kindest, cleverest woman. We've had some great moments. Here's a summary:

December: getting married (kinda sorta eloping), going to Wisconsin for Christmas, getting to know the Farm-n-Fleet, meeting Grandpa Wiskow, driving 1,200 miles without shutting off the car.

January: Ringing in 2010 in Utah, making my former bachelor pad something resembling an actual home.

February: Finding out we were expecting! Visiting Arizona and announcing the big news. Getting a final blessing from Grandpa Bill.

March: Leaving on deployment (boo!), dealing with the separation, learning how to strengthen our relationship over long distances, getting used to emails and phone calls. New Orleans!

April: The beginning of the Great Remodel, getting used to a nine-hour time difference, getting used to the blasted African heat. (Well, that one was just me.) Pat's Run!

May: The Great Remodel continues. Painting the kitchen and living room. Curtain rods and new drapes. Selling Lafawnduh. Mayberry Family Reunion. Pregnant Lady Soda Pop Race! Hearing Dr. Rex feel the baby!

June: Look at my cute pregnant wife! Look at my cute kid! Ultrasound time! World Cup.

July: The kid's a kicker! Mama's starting to show. Camouflage capris. World Cup final, Viva España!

August: The Great Remodel continues. Painted cabinets and new wall switches! Big baby likes kicking the bladder. G'pa and G'ma's 60th anniversary.

September: Funeral for Grandpa Bill, emergency travel, biting my nails traveling on military flights, overnighting in Greece. Ready for the baby...remember, he's a kicker!

October: My Sweetie™'s birthday. Welcoming the Weeberry to the world! Oblivious to Halloween. Getting used to not shaving (or bathing). Discovering how not to underestimate a newborn's bodily functions.

November: Visit from the grandparents, blessing the Boy, Thanksgiving apart. Bus trip in London.

December: Birthday, anniversary, the Grand Bara race, Baltimore!

It's been an adventurous year, and I've done a horrible job documenting it on this blog. But my Sweetie™ and I have grown closer together through good times and challenges (the Weeberry's arrival was the ordeal of the century, it seemed!) Maybe sharing all these adventures with the rest of you will be one of my resolutions for 2011.

Maybe.

Thanksgiving on the Horn...

So, not being with my Sweetie™ and the boy (he's graduated from Weeberry) for Thanksgiving naturally is quite the downer, but the military does a great job of trying to bring home and family to you, even if your home is a metal shipping container and your family consists of 2,000 people you don't know all that well.

Anyway, whoever's in charge of the food here did a really nice job of trying to make Thanksgiving dinner as normal as possible. We had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole (can someone explain how green bean casserole became a Thanksgiving staple? This is a mystery to me.), gravy, and more. I missed out on the cranberry sauce, somehow, but no matter. Dinner was great.

Like most things in the military, it seems, the food service is not run by military cooks, instead, a contractor hires third-country nationals, mostly from South Asia, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, and Africa to prepare and serve our food. On Thanksgiving, they were dressed up as Pilgrims and Native Americans. (I was gonna say Indians, but a lot of the South Asians ARE Indians, so...) I don't know how they viewed it, but it was fun and added to the atmosphere. The tables and walls were all decorated with fall-like pictures and posters, you know, the kinds you see in an elementary school classroom. Kinda cheesy, but sweet.

As I sat down to eat, I thanked God for so many blessings. I am very, very blessed. Believe me, having a Thanksgiving dinner in Africa, in Djibouti, amid poverty and suffering will humble anyone, and that evening, I felt very, very small, but confident in knowing that I'm here for a reason and that God loves me.

I haven't uploaded any pictures, yet, but you can check a few out here.