Friday - Djibouti

Friday was my first full day in Djibouti.  Unfortunately, Friday is the day off for my team, so I had to put off meeting most of them until Saturday.  (I arrived too late on Thursday.)  I woke up early and multiple times, still trying to fight my way through the jet lag.  But it was also good that I didn't have a full day with my team, because I had almost two full work-days to catch up on emails that needed some attention. 

Djibouti is hot and dry.  I have had my hair straight most of the time here, and it has stayed that way.  I met the HR team here on the ground, and am quite in love with them.  There is one American woman who is a true traveler of the heart.  That part of me really gets her and understand her, while the rooted part of me wonders how she does what she does.  She is fun and friendly, and hooked me up with Starbucks instant cinnamon dolce coffee, so clearly we get along great.  Then there is Amy and Patricia.  They are both my age, both from different areas of Africa, and so sweet, and very smart!  I love talking to them, and you can see how much they love their jobs.  There is my new Indian friend who is a yogi master (I think that's what he said, I keep thinking yogi berry, mhmmm... frozen yogurt!) and is going to teach me some yoga before I leave.  I tried to reassure him it has already been done unsucessfully, and that I have accepted the fact that I am a contact sports-explosive athlete, rather than a soft, gentle, flexible, fluid athlete.  He seems to think he can teach me cool stuff, so far my wrist just hurts.  He keeps saying "No!  Slow!  More slowly!  Go slow!"  I think that may have something to do with my wrist issue.  The head hancho is HR comes back this week, and I am excited to meet him, because I have worked with him and spoken to him multiple times.

The managers are great out here.  They love their employees.  I think that is one of the things I love so much about the fact that my employees all live and work together.  They are more of a family than a work team, which has both it's positives and negatives, but the positives are great!  The dining hall is about a mile from the office, and the rooms are right next to the office, but on the opposite side.  So basically, I have to walk a mile for any meal I want, unless the admins give me a ride.  It's sweet, they see me as DC, someone they want to treat well, but I would almost prefer walking to the dining hall with the employees and chatting about the work environment and who they are on the way.  I also am completely in love with the weather here.  If I walk to the far end of the base, I can see the sea, and it's about 90-95 degrees every day.  It seriously is like Vegas with a beach (and a whole lot less fanfare, money, ok so it's really almost nothing like Vegas).  But the weather is great.

There is a bar here that many of my employees go to, called 11 Degrees North.  They do Karaoke there on Friday nights but apparently the music is very outdated.  I was given my beer card in case I wanted to go.  You need a beer card even just to get in, and you are limited to three beers a night on the beer card and only one beer card a week.  Clearly I am just saving up for Tues and Wednesday night and I'm gonna go crazy drinking three whole beers each night.  You can say it, I know what you are thinking: PAR-TAY ANNIMAL!!  Obviously I'm kidding, but I was going to go until work caught up with me.  So I guess you can say that I'm not living the crazy life here in Djibouti yet, but give me a break, it was only my first day!  I still had almost a week.