Afghanistan Cliffs Notes

A friend/employee of mine sent an email to a person asking him about a job over here - so he used the text of a conversation he and I had with another job seeker last week, only he captured it in text - so I thought I'd share with you how he says "I" described working in Afghanistan.

From Bob Zook;

"Hi Dave

Yesterday I had a friend of mine send me an e-mail asking if there might be a way that she could contribute to our effort here in Afghanistan. In my response below I reflected upon what I heard you describe to the phone interviewee last week. In a message this morning my friend thought that maybe this was not such a good fit for her:

This is not a place for the squeamish, delicate or fragile.

Live in an 8 by 10 room made out of a conex box with very thin walls and a toilet and shower outside down the row and around the corner.

Extremely dusty environment (khaki is the favorite color because everything is coated with dust and anything dark will have multiple smudges on it).

People with allergies or respiratory problems have problems.

DFAC cafeteria food that is prepared for the military that we wait in line to eat next to them.

Working 12 hour days, 7 days a week. No days off and a too short vacation everything three or four months.

Using a Porta-Pottie because the closest flush toilet is a 10 minute drive away, if you can find a vehicle

Walking to or from work once a week or so, over dark roads and rough gravel because your work schedule does not necessarily align with a ride to catch.

Working with, living with, eating with, everything with, the same people all of the time every day after day.

Staking out a desk to work from and then claiming squatters rights when somebody else sits down and tries to claim it.

Working less than a quarter mile from an open sewage lagoon that has a bad smell (and multiple signs around it that say no swimming).

Working in a changing environment where responsibilities, roles and procedures can vary from day to day.

Working with hard working, hard living, hard driving people who would just as soon step on you as step around you.

Working with people where probably 90% have either been in the military and/or worked in Iraq.

Working on a military base and having to go by military rules every day.

and finally the kicker....

Spending a half an hour in a bunker a couple times a week because there are bad guys shooting missiles at us.

My boss emphasized that if you are a seasoned professional that feels that after x number of years you have earned the right to a certain level of comfort, respect and privilege...then this is not the place for you.

It is not unlike camping out every day and slogging through the multiples obstacles to get the job done. We are all in it together and we are all making the best of it together.

The interviewee was anxious to describe how he had worked for 11 months in Alaska last year. When later he acknowledged that he had to fly back home 9 times during that period to manage problems at home...both my boss and I shook our heads."

So there you have it. It's a pretty decent summary. Last night we did have an incoming rocket attack at 3am. I actually did not hear it or the "big voice", and wasn't woken up until I started receiving phone calls on my cell phone from staff checking in with me and reporting "all ok". As the Operations Manager, that is my responsibility to know where and how everybody is. Guess I must have been tired to sleep through that.