One of the hard parts about a deployment is leaving friends behind. And friends leaving you behind. It takes me a long time to make friends, so this usually starts happening for me towards the end. We've got less than 30 days to go - WHOHOO - but that means important people are leaving me too.
In the last month, 3 of my favorite Crossfit coaches have left. Courtney was a civilian contractor whose main job was to coach Crossfit here at Camp Arifjan. How cool is that? I will keep in contact with her through Facebook. I routinely check her blog, and you should too! www.petiteathlete.com
Josh and John are Soldiers, but also Crossfit coaches. Amazing dudes that I will keep up with through Facebook, and that I hope to catch up with while we are at Fort Hood. They are stationed there and will hopefully have some free time while we do.
I'm not going to miss this place even a tiny bit. It has been an "easy" deployment in that I'm not being shot at or in any real danger whatsoever. The mental stress has been pretty significant, so I'm waiting for the days when I can just relax. And sleep in. And eat what I want. And have a beer, or 6 or so ;-) I will, however, miss the gym and the friends I've made through it. Say what you want about the cult of Crossfit, it's a powerful way to connect.
I remember being completely despondent when people left in Afghanistan. It was incredible mix of joy that the people I loved were going home, completely safe, yet sadness that I would not see them every day anymore, maybe not ever. I was truly lost without my team once I got home. It won't be the same for this deployment. I haven't built the same bonds with anyone in this unit. I will miss my immediate coworkers. We've developed new friendships and have a great deal of camaraderie. My roommate and I joke all the time about how we're not sure how we're going to function without knowing where the other one is at all times! At least I will see her when I go back to work!
