Ahhh, my first day on the job… well not really.

Coming in today was honestly a huge waste, but I’m here so I’m going to make the most of it. I don’t get to in-process until tomorrow, so I can’t get anything done. Oh well, I’m getting paid on my first literal Labor Day.

I got to “sleep in” until 4:45 this morning. I literally threw a tantrum when the alarm went off. I wish you could have been there. I was kicking my legs all over the bed and fighting with the covers. “I don’t want a stupid job!!”

I was really glad that Will is able to be here on my first day! Things are still up in the air with where I will be going, but we know for sure Will is going to be transfered next week. It’s really terrible because it is the most remote (but also busiest) desert camp and is an hour and a half away from the city. :( Anyway, I’m glad that he will be here this week with me while I get adjusted to everything.

We got to the camp and I had to get my badge. The system was messed up, so we had to wait almost an hour. I looked like I was in the wrong place. I was the only woman and was all dressed up for my first day. The office was full of men, plus the TCNs kept filing in (TCNs are third country nationals. They do a lot of the menial jobs everywhere in Kuwait. I know that sounds bad, but that is the way things are in Kuwait) They have to hand their passport over to the office in exchange for a badge, that way they can’t run off, or if something happens they will know who it was. It literally is sort of like an indentured servant sort of thing. Crazy.

Anyway, I got finger printed and badged. Then Will dropped me off at my mom’s office because he needed to get to work. My mom is the only westerner in her office, so it gets sort of boring, so it was good for me to liven things up. ha ha.

I got there and about 30 seconds later I met my first company employee other than my mom and Will. That was fun, and I got a lot of “real world” insight. Maybe I’ll tell you about that later. It was a pretty funny conversation.

I got my badge, but I don’t have a lainyard (or however you spell it) so I can’t wear it, so I have to carry it around everywhere… and you all know by know that is a major liability for me. I often forget to wear deoderant because I am always running so late and want it to be one of the last things I do… how am I supposed to carry a badge around!!! AGH! Okay, now you all TOTALLY know I’m crazy. I will skip the times I’ve forgotten to brush my teeth (that has to always be the ABSOLUTE thing I do every morning… and I guess I am running so late and rushing around so fast that I totally forget. How in the WORLD do you forget something so foundationally elementary!? Only me), or the few times I forgot to wear a bra in college because of how late I tend to run in the mornings. Yes, yet another confirmation of how totally out there and goofy I am.

My mom, knowing this would be a problem for me, took me to HR to get a cord. However, the badge police said “No lainyards until tomorrow! We can’t give them a day early!” I guess getting a “necklace“ to wear is a BIG DEAL here. Oh goody! I get a necklace tomorrow!! heh.

After that my mom took me to Green Beans Coffee to get a chocolate frappe’. <3. Since this camp is closing in a few months everything is BARE! They have a Subway in a tiny trailor and you have to order outside in the miserable heat. They have a PX ( like a small walmart type place) that got moved into a small double wide. Their mess hall is even in a long trailor! It’s kindof sad to see this place closing. It has been here since Desert Storm and was “the“ place to be if you had to come to this hellhole. An end of an era I guess. Arafjan and Buehring (I forget how to spell it) are kind of taking Doha’s place now. Okay- I’m sure you all wanted to know that! Sorry for my rambling!

My boss (I can’t WAIT to tell you all about him, but I won’t be able to do that justice because I think we’ve all learned a valuable lesson from Dooce, as well as many others, that you are a crazed maniac if you are going to post about work stuff) is gone this morning, so I won’t meet him until this afternoon. You’ll never guess what he wanted me to do today! He asked my mom yesterday if she could DROP ME OFF AT HIS HOUSE on the way to work today (around 4:15 in the morning) so I could hang out and then he would drive us to this port where the people in the office I’ll going to be working at are having a photoshoot type thing. WOW! Talk about creepy. “Hey, Brittny, I don’t know you, but come over to my house and I’ll make you french toast while we wait for the photo shoot.“ Is that even allowed!? Hmm…

I’m nervous about meeting him today.

Anyway, I’m not really sure what this afternoon will entail. Maybe I’ll get to see my office or something once I meet my boss. I also have to sign for a computer which is very exciting because despite the terrible time difference and the fact that I will never get to read any of your blogs until the day after you write them, I will have access to the nest! The company blocks a lot of stuff, so I was glad to find out I’m good to go.

I may have to do the gas mask drill today too, but I pray not. I am so not looking foward to that! They give you the same mask thousands of others before you have worn: sweaty faces, greasy faces, excessively dry faces… on and on… and you have to have it strapped to your face for 6 minutes. AGH! I don’t know if I’m going to have to do it, because they are moving the gas masks to another camp. Thanks guys! I feel real safe now! What about me!!?

That is about all the excitement I’ve had as a grown-up today. I have to go to the bathroom extremely bad, but I don’t know if I can do it. I have a thing with bathrooms )I’m a huge germaphob), and since the base is closing they took out the bathroom trailors and put in port-a-pottys. AGH! Imagine the last port-a-potty you’ve been in plus a thousand degrees and 80% humidity. You can’t blame me for holding it now.

Will is taking me on a date to lunch, so I am totally excited about that. I wish so much that we could work at the same place. Oh well, at least we have the next couple of days.

I’m hoping to have more time to post this week, but I’m not really sure how things are going to go. I know we aren’t going to be moving until next week, so until then I’ll have my parent’s computer to use at the apartment. Hopefully once we move I’ll have more of a work rhythm and I’ll be able to sneak a post during work everyday.

Wow, What a busy and stressful first day! I’ll glad they have me to hold the fort down! ha ha

Have a good Labor Day… one much better than laboring like me!

<3

PS: Here’s a pretty interesting link. It feels good to know the Kuwaitis have offered a large amount of hurricane relief