10 October 2005
Oddities
While there are numerous things that I experience as a soldier that would seem odd to most civilians, there are some things that I am experiencing now here in the Middle East that are odd even to me as a service member. Here are some of them:
1. Pogs. AAFES, kind of like a nonprofit, monopoly, army-version of a shopko-walmart (or in some cases, stop-n-go), has decried that it no longer wants to deal with pennies and most other coins. So, it has developed and issued a second form of currency that everyone calls "pogs." It’s gotta be illegal. AAFES describes them as “gift certificates” and not a second form of currency though.
They're made out of thick card stock paper. Here’s a picture:
The problem with the “gift certificate” notion is that no one goes into an AAFES and hands the checkout person $2.00 to purchase toothpaste for $1.50 and then says, “by the way, let me have an AAFES gift certificate for $.50.” It's a red herring. I’m sure the gift certificate designation is only part of a scheme to avoid the second form of currency issue. Still, this whole pog thing is strange.
2. Rounding Up. Well, since I’m on an AAFES kicking spree, I’ll continue. AAFES over here always “round up” to the nearest nickel when they charge at the cash register. So, if the price tag says that it costs $1.96, AAFES will charge you $2.00. Anyone want to start a class action lawsuit?
3. Toilet paper. Read on, it’s not what you think. The Army does a wonderful thing here in that they have wash stations in front of the mess hall so that all soldiers wash their hands before eating (which they do—compare that to civilians where most civilians before most meals, don’t). They also have wash stations outside of all port-a-johns as well, which is all great. But, in most places where they have these wash stations, the only thing you have to dry your hands with is toilet paper dispensed from these large toilet paper rolls. This practice is prevalent in both Iraq and Kuwait.
4. Travel and Commerce. Soldiers are generally prohibited from visiting any restaurants, shops, or other merchant stores in Kuwait. Unless out on a mission or making a military supply or maintenance-related run, soldiers are generally restricted to the camp, base, FOB, etc., that they are stationed at. I guess I expected that in Iraq, but not Kuwait.
5. Haircuts. A military haircut is a military haircut, right? Apparently not. The barbers here are from India. The cuts are very cheap--$5.25. After you get the cut (which is middle of the road in terms of quality), the barber treats your head like a speed bag (a la boxing). He puts either a fist or open hand (depending on which barber you get) on each side of your head. He then proceeds to wack each side of your head, back and forth, for about 15 seconds. The barber then moves to the shoulder and neck area, making various mysterious popping sounds as he hits your body with his hands that are now clasped in a certain way. He uses a rotating motion across the shoulders and neck area, making repetitive contact with various points. Then, before you know it, he is done. Afterward, you don’t know if you should thank him or file charges.
6. Advertisements. I don’t have a TV but they do have TVs in the mess hall. There are no product advertisements on TV. Instead, the military, in the controlling way that it operates, broadcasts public service and “be a good soldier” messages. For example, there will be information on operational security (loose lips, sink ships type messages), the importance of education and safety (e.g., driving, clearing weapons, using the buddy system), and how to marry a foreigner (Europe and Eastern Asia-focused). So, there will be one of these spots for every commercial that one would normally see back in the States—i.e., there are a lot of them. I should have recalled this when I was on active duty overseas earlier, but I forgot.
I could go on . . . perhaps on another day.
1. Pogs. AAFES, kind of like a nonprofit, monopoly, army-version of a shopko-walmart (or in some cases, stop-n-go), has decried that it no longer wants to deal with pennies and most other coins. So, it has developed and issued a second form of currency that everyone calls "pogs." It’s gotta be illegal. AAFES describes them as “gift certificates” and not a second form of currency though.
They're made out of thick card stock paper. Here’s a picture:
The problem with the “gift certificate” notion is that no one goes into an AAFES and hands the checkout person $2.00 to purchase toothpaste for $1.50 and then says, “by the way, let me have an AAFES gift certificate for $.50.” It's a red herring. I’m sure the gift certificate designation is only part of a scheme to avoid the second form of currency issue. Still, this whole pog thing is strange.
2. Rounding Up. Well, since I’m on an AAFES kicking spree, I’ll continue. AAFES over here always “round up” to the nearest nickel when they charge at the cash register. So, if the price tag says that it costs $1.96, AAFES will charge you $2.00. Anyone want to start a class action lawsuit?
3. Toilet paper. Read on, it’s not what you think. The Army does a wonderful thing here in that they have wash stations in front of the mess hall so that all soldiers wash their hands before eating (which they do—compare that to civilians where most civilians before most meals, don’t). They also have wash stations outside of all port-a-johns as well, which is all great. But, in most places where they have these wash stations, the only thing you have to dry your hands with is toilet paper dispensed from these large toilet paper rolls. This practice is prevalent in both Iraq and Kuwait.
4. Travel and Commerce. Soldiers are generally prohibited from visiting any restaurants, shops, or other merchant stores in Kuwait. Unless out on a mission or making a military supply or maintenance-related run, soldiers are generally restricted to the camp, base, FOB, etc., that they are stationed at. I guess I expected that in Iraq, but not Kuwait.
5. Haircuts. A military haircut is a military haircut, right? Apparently not. The barbers here are from India. The cuts are very cheap--$5.25. After you get the cut (which is middle of the road in terms of quality), the barber treats your head like a speed bag (a la boxing). He puts either a fist or open hand (depending on which barber you get) on each side of your head. He then proceeds to wack each side of your head, back and forth, for about 15 seconds. The barber then moves to the shoulder and neck area, making various mysterious popping sounds as he hits your body with his hands that are now clasped in a certain way. He uses a rotating motion across the shoulders and neck area, making repetitive contact with various points. Then, before you know it, he is done. Afterward, you don’t know if you should thank him or file charges.
6. Advertisements. I don’t have a TV but they do have TVs in the mess hall. There are no product advertisements on TV. Instead, the military, in the controlling way that it operates, broadcasts public service and “be a good soldier” messages. For example, there will be information on operational security (loose lips, sink ships type messages), the importance of education and safety (e.g., driving, clearing weapons, using the buddy system), and how to marry a foreigner (Europe and Eastern Asia-focused). So, there will be one of these spots for every commercial that one would normally see back in the States—i.e., there are a lot of them. I should have recalled this when I was on active duty overseas earlier, but I forgot.
I could go on . . . perhaps on another day.
# posted by themobilized : 08:06
