Desert rain and a taste of home

Well, a lot has happened since the last post. The revolution ended, we kind of got back to flying, I had a combat Gyro, and saw a rainstorm in the desert. Maybe this should be more than one post, but I'll try to summarize. A few days ago, we flew down range and decided to checkout a rumor that this base in afghanistan had gyros for sale. So we landed and another LT and I set off into the night in search of something different. we wandered about the dusty gravel roads for a bit until we saw this big lit up square. We were amazed to find not just gyro's, but pizza, Burger King, Ice cream, and a outdoor floor hockey rink. We were both immediately envious. We found the gyro shop, ordered 8 (we had two crews on the jet) and watched a bit of floor hockey. The rink had bleachers full of people and it looked like the place to be on a Tuesday night in southern afghanistan. The gyros were delicious, although we werent sure if we would get sick off them. We didnt really care, it was something a little different that didnt come from a chow hall.

Our final destination was Kuwait and we had to stay the night, to fly back the next day. Nobody likes going to Kuwait because the air is full of sand and the landscape looks like death valley-with tents. however, this time was a little bit different. The second day, we were out walking around in the very mild and pleasant 90 degree weather, when it seemed as if a brown hill appeared off to the east. This hill however, was the forming dust/thunderstorm headed our way. We all headed for the tent just as the giant desert rain drops began to fall. It rained hard. I was amazed to see rain in such a hot and desolate place. It sort of made it seem like a real place in the world for a little bit. Even this place gets rain. It was quite a sight. It seemed like mere hours after the rain stopped that plants had grown. Maybe they were there and had merely been washed from dusty tan back to brilliant green, but it really changed the look of the landscape. Similarly, Afghanistan is beautiful right now. Lush green trees and bushes fill the towns near water and give the impression of a mediterranean oasis. The middle east is a whole different world in spring time. Almost like home....Almost.