Back at last!

Hello to all,
It's been nearly a month since my last post, but rest assured, I haven't given up on the blog just yet. We recently returned back to camp after a long month of work. I managed to write a few posts (by hand, as we didn't really have access to the internet) which I will shortly be working on adding to my blog. I will post them in chronological order so as to have better documentation of the events which surround my adventures here, so make sure to look back in the forthcoming days to read about a few of my observations while away from Camp.

In a transient and very unsophisticated, and perhaps very jumbled update, I've been busy readjusting to life on south camp, where I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that I need not cook my own meals, and now can return to a normal human's sleep schedule. I have further elaborated on these points in my previous (but still unpublished) post, so gimme a few days to work it all out.

Also, upon return from our control point we were informed of Command's decision to allow us to venture off Camp during our free time, indeed a very pleasant surprise. I spent a majority of my free Saturday roaming around the local tourist hub of Naama Bay, which is another story (and another post) all in itself. Aside from all of the newfound fun, we've also gotten back to business. We have been busy, back on the training trail, doing more combat water survival training and weapons re-qualification. I managed to survive swimming in the Red Sea fully clothed, combat boots and all as part of our training on Sunday, and was equally successful in my re-qualification today with my M4 Carbine. I shot 35/40 targets ranging from 50 to 300 meters on both my familiarization and record fires. I felt very comfortable with my weapon and my sharpshooter score, which in turn is indeed very reassuring. As for the current moment, I'm scheduled to take the Army Physical Fitness Test at 0430 tomorrow, meaning I need to get my rest now.

Expect MUCH more frequent updates in the near future. Oh, and I've recently been informed that I will be taking a Duty Tour in the coming weeks to visit the little towns of Giza and Cairo... so expect pictures and posts about my trip there! Today's picture is of my roommate (PFC Rudolph... like the reindeer) and I in Naama Bay on Saturday, next to a domesticated camel (it's sitting down and measures in at about 9-10 feet when standing) and a local Egyptian, with SPC Detample, SPC Pashley, and PFC Johnson behind us. Note the KFC in the background... yes, this place is very Americanized, as I had previously acknowledged the first night we arrived in country over 2 months ago. Adding on to the list of things I was warned of prior to arriving here that I've discovered on my own is the fact that camels smell... very bad. And, no sorry, it didn't spit.