How the Army made me "Mongolia-Ready"

While walking home from work a couple weeks ago I was struck with a strange, but apt, realization--the military training I participated in when I was young (I joined when I was 17 years old and a junior in high school) prepared me for life in Mongolia! As I hoofed the three miles from school to the apartment, I started to make a mental list of all the skills or experiences that translated to this current life. I thought you might enjoy hearing about them. Here goes....

"Humping"

No...this is not a sexual reference! It means carrying everything you need with you (most often on one's back) and relying on your own two feet (aka black leather express) to get you anywhere and everywhere. This is 100% my life in Mongolia. Without a car to cart things around in, I rely on sturdy backpacks, super-strength plastic bags, and my own feet. I'm always humping something across town. This means I need GOOD footwear and good quality bags. Strangely the backpack I purchased at a high price a year and a half ago FOR the safari in South Africa has proved to be excellent! I remember scoffing at the price then--but was in a bind because the packing list said an OD green backpack was required and it was the ONLY one I could find in UB. It has proved to be a smart investment after all, getting daily use beyond that 10 day safari. 

Throwback Pic!

Cattle Trucks

As I used every core muscle in my body the other morning to hold myself erect on the crammed public bus, I had a mild flashback to being 17 years old, holding two heavy army duffel bags, and being yelled at by drill sergeants while we loaded ourselves onto "cattle trucks" to be transported to our home for eight weeks of Basic Training. While I love the convenience and low cost of riding the public bus here in UB (one ride is about 20 cents), in the morning it DOES feel like one is a sardine in an overstuffed can. While I expect buses have passenger limits for safety purposes, they are NOT observed here. If you can push your way onto the bus, then you can ride. We only ride about 4 km but it's a jerky ride as the driver responds to the crazy traffic and the stops in between. You work your core muscles as well as hold on for dear life trying desperately to NOT bang into the people around you. 

Mail is Awesome!

Mail call during Basic Training was a highlight and my family delivered in that department. My father wrote me a brief note EVERY DAY. I still have them. Occasionally he would slip in a leaf or pine needle to remind me of home. Getting mail from the "outside" world made it feel a little less foreign and alienating as life on a military installation does have a "bubble" feel to it. Life in UB is different than life in the U.S. though more and more Western conveniences and products are becoming available month by month. That said, it's yet LOVELY to go to the post office and find a card from a friend or my godmother, or best of all--a care package with treasures from my homeland. Recently this included a package with FITTED sheets as well as a package of Twizzlers and Reese's Peanut Butter cups. 

Hurry up and Wait!

I expect this aspect is true no matter where one is in the world. In the Army we were trained to rush to the Mess Hall for chow, only to have to wait in a long line to finally be served. We rushed to formation, only to wait for the slow-poke (Kirkpatrick!) that was ALWAYS sloppy late. And then we'd all be dropped to do push-ups as punishment for the lazy one. Yes, the Army taught me about forced patience. Here in Mongolia there is some of this--hurrying to the bus stop to have to wait longer than expected for the right line to show up (and that has room on it!). But Mongolians generally run on a different time clock. Recent example from a friend--she arrived for a physical therapy session at the appointed hour only to be told that the therapists weren't yet there. When they arrived, they said it was because of the rain. Now....this was a mild drizzle, not a torrential downpour. So yes, punctuality is NOT valued so much here. As expats we often refer to it as simply, "Mongolian time."

Camaraderie

Most of my fellow American Wife pals

After spending twelve years in the Army National Guard, I separated in 2003. It was the right decision at the time, but I'd be lying if I said it was a happy choice. The military creates a unique experience with what we call camaraderie. Before this time in my life, I had NEVER experienced camaraderie in the civilian world. In the Army it was about being thrown into unexpected situations, often unprepared, and with a hodge-podge of people from various walks of life, ages, backgrounds, and having to figure something out, make a plan, and survive to thrive. The women I served with were not high school classmates. They didn't know my family, my background, or really anything about who I was or wanted to be. But when you are exhausted from getting up to do fireguard at 1 am, then up again at 3:30 am for physical training, then later in the day have to hold hands of the woman next to you because she can't see because of the eyes-watering, nose-snotting, can't-breathe-because-of-gas-exposure-in-the-gas-chamber training exercise....well, you just learn to appreciate those beside you that have endured the same as you and helped when and if they could. 

I have a great camaraderie--what we choose to call solidarity--with my fellow American wives. While each of our relationships and families is uniquely ours, we have backgrounds that reflect one another and a shared, collective understanding about where we came from and the challenges and gifts that a life in Mongolia offers us. These amazing women are a huge part of my life and I am thankful for them--their honesty and compassion--each and every day. 

But...

I no longer sleep like a soldier! In the Army I could sleep anywhere, anytime. Shoot, while at Basic Training at Ft Leonard Wood, MO, we took turns sleeping on cold hard tiles in the tiny space behind our wall lockers. Yes, sleep was a precious commodity when training.  Between the early wake-ups, the endless days of training, and the shifts of fire guard in the middle of the night......one was perpetually exhausted. While I find myself tired for very different reasons in this modern life, I can no longer sleep anywhere. In fact, I have trouble sleeping in my own bed. In my 40s I find myself sensitive to light AND sound! And even when I stop drinking liquids before 8 PM, I still seem to need to get up twice in the night to use the restroom. I'm going to take the easy way out and blame it all on hormones and being female. I've done what I can....moving to a quieter apartment that is NOT in the central city zone AND hanging different coverings over the windows to create a blackout in the bedroom. But still, I don't sleep like I did as a soldier in the U.S. Army. 

One just never knows how previous roads traveled will impact current ones. I am forever grateful for my time in the military--the experiences it gave me at the time and how it built my ability to exercise resilience. Any thoughts to share on your previous-current path intersections? As always, thanks for reading.