So I just got back from another eventful trip with my team leader. We went to pick-up mail at the post office (and sadly there was none :-( but the weather is so bizarre here right now that afterwards we actually went driving around the base for a bit taking pictures. We are in the middle of crazy windstorms that sound like freight trains ripping through the BHUTs, but they are also causing the craziest cloud formations over the mountains.

Also, I found out today there are landmines in the middle of the base! We drove right by the section all marked off with warning signs and we're told that no matter what you should stay only on the pavement of that road. Then we also discovered that there are little Afghan villages no more than 200 meters away from the rickety chain link fences that protect our base. In one place, we could see a guy sitting against the wall of his house not more than 50 meters away from us. I heard stories about the Afghan children coming up to the fence to receive chocolate from the soldiers, but they no longer do this as it's too much of a security risk for everyone involved.

Now it's back to the office where, knock on wood, there haven't been too many emergency communication messages and there is a crowd of guys in the canteen watching The Fifth Element.