Those of us in the Advance Party of the multinational brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron found ourselves in a flurry of activity in the weeks leading up to our departure for Afghanistan in January. As hard as we were working, we counted the days when our entire group would be complete again. The first member of the main body to join us was Private Holland All of us from Advance Party gathered on the tarmac to greet him and help make him feel at home. Fortunately for Pte Holland, a bedspace had already been reserved in our tent lines; he was happy not to have to spend any nights in the temporary accommodation tents that routinely sleep two to three hundred people! Little did any of us know that this was a prelude to our moving to the other end of the Canadian Residence Area. We all hoped this would be the last move, but time will tell.

Now that the Pte Holland was on the ground we got down to the business at hand; namely, everything but work! The American Canex equivalent known as the “PX” was first…what a sight! The last thing any of us expected to be able to purchase while on tour in Afghanistan was a 1000 Watt JVC 5 DVD changer Surround Sound System, but there they were! Most of us marvelled at the variety of items available, from chocolate bars and underwear to jewellery and car stereos! The idea of “pimping out” a G-Wagon has been frequently suggested – only the fuzzy dice are hard to find!

Canada House and Canex were next. While not anywhere near as large as the PX, they gave us a familiar feel of home. The fact that Tim Horton's coffee was served free certainly didn't hurt. Seeing Canadian television in the middle of the desert while sipping a Timmy's certainly wasn't something we really expected..

We had stopover at a few places. It was quite interesting to see other people from other parts of the world. Being a Westerner, the east coast was already another side of the globe for me. It felt different being there, kind of like a tourist, except you are not allowed out of the airport. We had to wait for time to pass for our next flight to some unpronounceable country. I recall something about MENSA games and how particularly irritating things get when you can not figure it out. I also recall how lonely I felt. Although everyone was around me mingling about, I still felt lonesome. My first day was the only thought in my head. How was it going to go? Was I going to be the only one lost? How will I find my way? I reassured myself that it was going to be better once I have an idea of how things go. No man is an island after all.

The question of what to do when we weren't working was answered when someone stumbled across the “MWR” facility. It took about two weeks to find out that MWR stands for Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. Who'd have thought you could play ping-pong, shoot pool, or throw darts this far from home? We didn't!

By the time the Squadron began arriving, most of us had settled into a routine. When work was done for the day we'd split into our groups and wander the base, shopping at the PX or playing video games at the MWR. We were happy to share all that we had learned with our friends and coworkers – sometimes even pushing them along while they were still feeling jetlagged from their long flights to get here.

Even though he had spent the better part of 24 hours travelling here to Kandahar, our Commanding Officer, Major Blythe, took the time to promote one of our own Charlie Troop members! We were all surprised and glad to congratulate Master Corporal Steve Smith on his new rank.

Once the Squadron had fully arrived we celebrated by having a Pizza Night! The prelude to supper was a Commanding Officer's Parade. Here the DLCSPM personnel were presented with the Commanding Officer's Commendation for the fantastic work they did helping us get our servers and phone systems up and running. Perhaps not quite as monumental was another Commendation awarded to Master Corporal Banting for the courage and dedication he showed during the pre-tour inoculations! The highlight of the parade would have to have been the promotions. We are all proud to acknowledge both Sergeant Gary Garner and Sergeant Sean Zebinski.

Pte Doug Thompson