Belgium Blue Moon

I left work early yesterday.  I took a sneak peak at the awards tracker and noticed that I was not receiving the award I felt I deserved.  I received the privilege of this preview because I put together the presentation for the COL.  My job has a few perks.  Although the new LT and I pre-arranged my early departure, I usually stay later because I am a workaholic.  Today, I was out of the office by 1pm, making my way straight for the pizza shop.  As I stood in line waiting to order a Hawaiian pizza, I realized that all pizzas, no matter the amount of toppings, were the same price.  When I was asked for my order, I requested the Supreme pizza instead because it came with the most toppings and I knew I would eat it all. 

An hour later, I was in my room with half the pizza devoured, snuggled up, and watching a movie.  I was a happy camper.  The rest of the night was spent finishing the pizza, washing clothes, and watching more movies. 

I arrived at work today to a wonderfully hilarious story involving our new LT.  He purchased a bicycle shortly after his arrival.  His reasoning was that the bicycle was faster than walking.  This mode of transportation was to afford him the opportunity to sleep a little longer and freeze less on the commute to work.  He was instantly bragging that it took him three minutes to get to work and that it took us fifteen minutes.  This morning, however, he was five minutes late because he was pulled over and given a ticket on his bicycle for running a stop sign. 

Once the laughter subsided, we got the rest of the story.  He was riding to work on his bicycle, as usual, with his reflective belt, helmet, and flashlight mounted on the front of his bike.  When he approached the stop sign, he looked left, he looked right, saw nothing threatening his chosen path, and pedaled on towards his destination.  The next thing he knew, he saw blue and red flashing lights and heard the “whoop whoop” of the siren.  He didn’t know what to do; he was so confused, so he just stopped.  The MP approached him and attempted to lecture him on the fact that bicycles adhere to the same rules of the road as vehicles.  The new LT smiled nodded, and continued on to work.  He must report to the MP station with the boss within the week and will receive points on his license…because that makes sense, points on a driver’s license for riding a bicycle.  No worries though, my friends, because none of this stuff transfers over to the States.

I went to lunch on my own today with plans to sit with a stranger.  The dining facility was crowded and I am guessing it was because baked Pollock was on the menu.  From a distance I eyed the dessert cart.  I usually avoid this area, but I was in the mood for something sugary.  They were serving ice cream today, target acquired.  But wait, “Is that Blue Moon ice cream,” I thought to myself as I noted the flavors, still from a distance.  One appeared blue and the other dark brown.  My hopes skyrocketed as Blue Moon is a flavor I thought only existed in Wisconsin.  As I approached, I saw the name card above the bucket, it said Mint Chocolate Chip.  My hopes were on the floor again, but I had to try this blue, mint chip ice cream.

As I was in line for some blue mint chip ice cream, my new roommate touched my shoulder to say hello.  “Oh, hi,” I said with my hopes for lunch with a stranger slowly hitting the floor as well.  I followed her to the condiments area and allowed for space between us as I took my time grabbing a carton of chocolate soy milk.  I noted where they sat, tucked my head, and walked right past the table hosting four of my co-workers. 

I ended up finding a small back table with an older gentleman sitting by himself.  I smiled and asked if I could join him, to which he smiled and motioned to a seat.  I was not sure if he spoke English or not, so I said hello.  He did not respond, so I kept quiet and tried not to look at him so as not to make things too awkward.  I started to smother my baked Pollock in tartar sauce and thought to myself, “I wonder what he is thinking.  I’ll bet he is saying ‘These Americans don’t know how to appreciate good fish, they smother everything in condiments.’”  I started feeling judged and as I reached for my carton of Soy milk, I noticed he was looking at me.  I smiled and stared down at my Soy milk.  He broke the awkward silence, “What is with Americans always drinking chocolate milk?”  I had to laugh at this, but responded with, “Because it is so delicious!” 

We continued our conversation and I learned that he was from Belgium.  This was his second trip to Afghanistan.  His first trip was six months, he went home for eight months, and returned to Afghanistan for seven months.  He did not want to return to Afghanistan.  He said this was his tenth deployment outside of Belgium and his wife was ready for him to stay home.  He asked if I was married.  When I told him no, he said, “Well, that makes this all easier for you.”  I wanted to argue, but he was struggling with his English, so I just let it go.  I asked him about his job.  He was working with the Afghan National Army (ANA) as an intelligence officer and he was going home soon.  He said it was different to work with the ANA, but it was nice to get out of the office and interact with the Coalition Forces. 

As he was complete with his meal, he politely excused himself and left.  I like my lunches with strangers.  I wonder what I will do when I return to the States.

I posted pictures on my FB page because this site has been giving me issues with uploading photos.  Enjoy!