Breaking news! Two-piece bathing suits are now allowed at the swimming pool. On a good day you can see at least four women with bare bellies. It’s not so much the skin that is enticing, but the feeling of normalcy in a strange place. “You need to feel human,” a sergeant from another unit told me. He is allowed to wear civilian clothes when off duty. “You’re so lucky, I wish I could wear jeans,” a female soldier said to me in passing at the chow hall. I understand her words the camo uniforms are bulky and hot.
I suppose I take my civilian clothes for granted, but my beige and grey t-shirts are just about as exciting as the tons of gravel under my feet. This morning I found a long sleeved baby blue shirt that I had stuffed away in one of my bags. The soldiers are happy to see colorful material. My shirt is like a lemon for lost sailors suffering from scurvy. “The earth-tones were getting old,” says a soldier in reference to my wardrobe. So I guess I have found my calling and I should e-mail my mother and ask her to send over some lavender and crimson blouses. But with all the dirt here I think anything pretty will be whittled away.
No comments:
Post a Comment