PCS - Phase 1

Well, about 6 weeks after I turned in my notice I recieved an "exit interview questionaire" and a "PCS questionaire". I was on vacation when I recieved them so I returned them about 4 days ago. I'm still waiting for phase 2.

The PCS questionaire is focused on personnel details like point of origin, whether you need a pack out, whether you are traveling with pets, where you are PCSing to, etc. The exit interview is a ratings sheet for the company and island life in general.

This weekend will be the first of at least two patio sales I plan to have.

If you are reading this on island, come by 456B on monday from 9-12.

Only 38 more days left on "The Rock"!

It's Time!

Well, I've been here a little over 4 years now and it's time to go.

I turned in my 90 day notice on Tuesday. My last day of work at KRS will be June 15th. I'm calling it my birthday present to myself since my birthday is on the 14th. :)

It's been fun. I'm going to miss sailing and the sunny beaches and the 12 hours of daylight everyday but there are a lot of things I'm not going to miss, like the general inconvenience of living in the middle of nowhere. Mail takes forever, supplies are limited, and going anywhere costs an arm and a leg.

So, as promised, I will outline the process of leaving the island, just like I did on my way to get here.

First step complete; turn in notice to supervisor. I'll let you know when step two happens.

Time To Reflect

I had some time to just sit and think for awhile today and I found myself thinking about things that I miss; things I can't see or do out here.

• Wildflowers

90% of the flowers on island are growing in flower pots around people's houses. There are plumeria and orchids and hibiscus as well as a few others and while they are beautiful, one of the things I miss is fields and fields of wildflowers.

• Hiking

I used to go hiking almost every weekend in Montana. For awhile I was taking my dogs hiking almost every night after work. I love hiking. I especially like hiking to the top of a hill or mountain and looking out over the land.

• Camping

I really miss camping and having a campfire. Campfire smoke is my favorite smell in the world.

• Riding motorcycles

A few months before I moved to the island I had gotten my motorcycle endorsement. I had a Dual Sport Yamaha XT-225. I loved it. I'll have to learn how to ride all over again when I get back.

• Driving a car

Driving is fun. Road tripping is even funner.

• Mountains

Mountains are beautiful and where I lived before I got here was surrounded by them.

• Seasons

Fall is my favorite season. There is no Fall on Kwaj. It's always summer, the only weather we get is either rain, or no rain. That's it. I miss the variety of dressing differently for the different seasons.

• Shopping

This isn't what you think it is......I mean food shopping. I love to cook and try new recipes and I can't tell you how often I've gone to the store here with my hopes up and get let down again because they don't carry what I need. I also really love trying new foods and having access to a deli. Grocery store items are usually what I bring home with me when I go to the States. The other thing I love is trying new beers I lived down the street from a place that carried over 100 different kinds of beer. I would just go in there and pick something based on the label and try it. Some were good, some were not but it was fun!

Astute Observation

I was contacted by a potential island resident in the recent past who observed:

"I found and read another kwaj blog last night (the whole thing) and it seems to be (on all the blogs I've found) that people start out liking it and slowly that fades and they start grumbling more and more and the time between posts on their blogs become longer and longer or just stop in mid air all together."

Let me explain what I've observed while here. Kwaj is the epitome of Groundhog Day, the movie starring Bill Murray where a weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.

When you first get here, everything is new and exciting and you try new activities and meet new friends and experience a climate that most people only dream of seeing on the vacation of their dreams. It's adventurous. You are living overseas. It's exotic.

But then you kind of get to a point where you've seen it all, done it all and the lack of seasons gets kind of boring. It gets hard to come up with things to write about and share that you haven't already said before. How many pictures of fish and palm trees can you really take?

There are a number of people who thrive in this type of "safe" environment. They are resistant to change and don't mind living in a tiny community doing the same activities, day in and day out. Then there are others to whom this is limiting to their freedom, they stagnate and eventually,(hopefully, for their sake) escape.Then there is a thrid group of people called "re-treads" who leave and come back, sometimes multiple times.

I know my time here is growing shorter. Nothing firm as of yet but when I'm ready, I'll walk you through the process of leaving, just like I brought you along for the ride to get out here.