In what I can only call a pure miracle, I’ve managed to get the opportunity to go to Rome during my 
deployment for a NATO conference. I’ll be presenting a workshop in content design and creation.
Of course, Jason will fly over any meet me in the land of love for a mini-holiday and a brief opportunity to see each other after six months. So romantic.
As I fly out of Afghanistan, so many things caught my attention. I want to try to capture as much as I can here.
On the first plane out of Afghanistan (we flew commercially – which was an experience in of itself), I noticed that it had one of my all-time favorite airplane features – the screen with the map and the little plane showing you where you are in the journey. I wasn’t entirely sure how long the flight would take, but noticed it was a straight shot to Dubai.
We took off and the little plane started flying the opposite direction. For a brief second, I was confused and then realized of course we couldn’t fly the most direct path. That was over Iran and in Iranian air space. So, the journey became twice as long as we flew around Iran.
The trip from Dubai to Rome was similar as we flew around Syria. It was a surreal thing to think about floating in the clouds.
I spent quite the layover in Dubai and had lots of time to think about things. I noticed right away the number of children. So many children traveling through the airport. I realized that I hadn’t been around children in six or seven months, and it felt a little shocking.
In Afghanistan I live and work on a military base with hundreds of physically fit service members from a number of various countries. I’d forgotten that wasn’t an accurate depiction of the world we live in, and as I spent hours and hour sitting in a chair people watching in Dubai I saw people of all ages, ethnicities, and body types. It was a bit overwhelming to see the diversity.
I’ve found off and on in the trip that I can get a bit overwhelmed pretty quickly and that really surprised me. I’ve also found that shockingly I’ll hear a sound and wonder if it was an explosion. I guess I’ve been on heightened alert at every little sound.
Jason and I were walking down the sidewalk in Rome, and I thought how quiet this city is. Then I asked myself why on earth would I think it quiet and realized it was the lack of constant helicopter noise.
I’ve also found that I’m way more cautious and not ready to run across streets or take any types of risk. I tried to figure out why that would be and could only think I’m trying to get myself back home in one piece to see my kids.
The food is glorious. The wine has been delicious. And most of all just being with Jason has been relaxing and something akin to “back to normal.”
