...what i miss....

besides the obvious--family, friends, home...

there's a lot of things that i miss that i never really thought i would. you know everyday stuff that we all take for granted, but once we don't have it for awhile, then we miss it. so, anyway, what i've missed for the past 6 months--actual no doubt-about-it fresh air~grass~green grass~flowers~any kind of flowers~walking around my room/place of living in socks or barefoot and not having dirty feet~sleeping on a bigger than a twin bed~sleeping under actual sheets and not just some random blanket~actual food--homecooked meals or even fast food~being treated like a human~having a 1st name~not having to carry a rifle everywhere~not having to wear a uniform every solitary day~not having 11 (or more) roommates~not having to see the same people every solitary day~not having to hear someone cuss every 5 seconds~driving my own car around w/ the windows DOWN and not having to walk everywhere i go~not sweating 24/7~actual no crap white milk from an actual cow...not watery white stuff made to look like milk~alcohol (NO, i'm not alcoholic, i just miss it!)~guitar hero~my dogs and the kitty cat "attacking" me everytime i come home~showering in my own shower where a thousand or more haven't already showered~using my own bathroom where a thousand or more haven't already utilized it~being able to sit on the toilet knowing a thousand or more haven't already done so~running/walking outside and breathing normally b/c there's not all kinds of dust and big trucks/buses w/ bad exhausts around...

i'm sure there's many more, but my brain is just fried of thinking so much!
oh and if you haven't already heard...i will be on my way back to the states in T minus 17 days!!!!!!!! which should bring me back to the big mitten around the 1st of october!!!!

love you all.miss you all.see you all....REALLY SOON!!!!!
~stef

what is....

fresh air?? i ask this because i definitely have not smelled fresh air in a really long time. a few days ago, there was actual, no doubt about it fresh air here...for a couple days. it was really nice! it felt really weird, but it was still nice. it felt weird because out here in the middle of the desert we're used to constant dust/sand/windy/hotness...all day every day. it was definitely very nice to feel the random fresh air.
another thing that was really random...the other night when i was walking back to my room after work i heard birds singing/chirping. that was definitely very weird to hear out here in the middle of nowhere...but it was nice too!
so, anyway besides all the randomness...what else is going on in my wonderful life in afghanistan?? well, my best friend from boot camp is out here now, and i saw her for the 1st time since March the other day. it was so cool to see her again! it sucks that she's out here, but i'm glad i got to see her at least 1 time before i leave this wonderful place.
also, big news--just found out today! my cousin (kristi) and her husband (paul) recently returned from Ethiopia. they are currently in the process of adopting their daughter. they will return back to Ethiopia in about a week and return back to the states with her on August 23!! this means that when i come home, i will have a new cousin in the family! so exciting!!
i know that i may sound quite happy and upbeat in this post, but in reality i'm not really all that happy. other than my best friend being out here now, i have no one to talk to that i can actually trust. it's not good at all, because lately i've had quite a few not-so-good days and really needed someone to talk to. oh well. less than 2 months in this place and we're america bound! please keep the prayers a'comin though...they are definitely still needed. thanks for all that all of you have done already! it means so much!

love you.miss you.see you soon!
~stef