Djibouti - Day 3 - Heaven and Hell, From an Earthly Perspective
Before boarding my flight from Paris I thought to freshen up with a shave and a shower. I figured if even there was an outside chance for me to fly in business class the least I could do was look the part. I approached the front desk and asked to use a shower. The agent asked me for my boarding pass and put my name on a list. With less than two hours to go before my flight I was nervous about getting into the shower too late for my 11:20pm flight. The good part was that the lounge was directly below the boarding gate, so I wouldn't have far to go.
Finally at about 10:15pm my name was called and I was given the key to a shower stall. I hopped in, shaved, showered and dressed quickly and left the lounge. Much to my dismay my flight had already begun boarding. That meant there was no opportunity to grovel for a business class seat. Worse, they had already begun boarding the passengers in coach which meant that my usual head start for the overhead bin space was erased.
Still, I made my way up to the podium and showed my boarding pass. As I was waiting for them to clear me I asked, "There aren't any more seats in business class, are there?" I will never forget the agent's verbatim response: "I'm sorry sir, there are no more seats in business class because you have been given the last one." I couldn't believe it! At long last! I made it to International Business Class! I was so ecstatic I hugged him and told him how grateful I was to be able to sleep a little more comfortably this second night on an airplane.
Business class came with all the amenities you would expect: Large seats that extend out to nearly flat beds, gourmet meal menu and service with linen and silverware, toiletry kit, attentive flight attendants and an overhead bin all to myself. There is no way I can justify the $7,000 upgrade I was quoted at reservation time or the $11,000 I was quoted in Paris. But the free bump because they were oversold in coach was nothing less than an answer to prayer.
An hour after takeoff we were served a hot meal which, sadly, wasn't the best I've had although it was nice to have a cheese course. The pear torte was flaky and tasty, and went well with a decaf espresso. One funny thing here: The more I tried to speak French with the flight attendant, the more she tried to assure me that she spoke English. I finally explained to her that while at one point in my life I was conversational, I don't use my French as often as I'd like. So I relished the opportunity to stumble even if I had to slip into English from time to time.
About 45 minutes before landing I woke up refreshed and ate some breakfast. The plane landed in Djibouti about 11:15am Saturday (local time; 4:15am Saturday back in Detroit). After they rolled the stairs up to the door I walked down the stairs and into a waiting bus. The bus drove us over to what has to be the smallest terminal building I have ever been in. (Yes, even smaller than Ft. Smith, Arkansas!). Upon entering I stood in a line marked "Travelers without visas". When I reached the front, the officer stamped my entry card that I filled out and held my passport until another officer retrieved a stack of passports. The passports went to a visa issuing office, where we were called one at a time. About 10 minutes and US$60 (cost of the visa) later, I was officially in Djibouti with a full-page sticker in my passport as proof.
As I walked out to the lobby I scanned the crowds for someone holding a slip of paper with my name on it. Not until I walked out the door did two men approach me and say, "Are you the instructor?" I looked and, sure enough, in his hand was a piece of paper with "K. Haddad" written on it. Relieved I found my contacts, I climbed into the Nissan with my escorts for the next few hours.
We drove around the airport along a potholed asphalt strip which was only two years old to the southwest corner of the property. This is where Camp Lemonnier is located - my home for the next week. A couple of checkpoints later and we were heading over to Billeting for my assignment and linens.
"Welcome to Hell" was a phrase I heard several times, presumably in reference to the triple-digit heat (113 degrees Fahrenheit today) with high humidity. After two days of travel my body didn't respond well to the heat. I made a point of staying indoors as often as I could and drinking water regularly.
After dropping my stuff off in my tent (Tent S5 - the 'S' stands for "Surge" in reference to the quick buildup of forces here) I was given the tour of the base - Galley/Chow Hall, MWR, Laundry (Drop-off and Self-Serve), NEX (Navy EXchange), classroom, Base Access (got an ID card). I prepaid my meals at the Galley office.
Once I was squared away I thanked my Welcome Wagon Warriors and headed back to my rack. There, I proceeded to unpack my assigned linens and make my bed. I was given a pillow, a pillowcase, two flat sheets and a blanket. I then took a two-hour nap before hopping down and changing from my travel clothes (dress shirt and dress pants) to a t-shirt and shorts. I then made my way to an MWR building to get wireless Internet access. I then sent messages home to let them know I'd arrived safely and that Skype is blocked from here.
Dinner was Steak Night, and the pork loin was better. Still, after a meal capped with a scoop of coffee ice cream topped with crushed Oreos, I went back to The 11th Parallel (MWR builiding) to catch up on my communication. With all the housework we did before I left, my office is in a mess and I couldn't find my international phone. With Skype blocked it'll be another 8 days before I hear my family's voices. So email and Skype becomes that much more important.
Tomorrow is Sunday, and I'm looking forward to a day of rest, worship and quiet. I hope I don't melt in the process.
