The great debate...orange mint or watermelon hookah tonight? (Photo by SPC Brittany Gardner)

When I joined the Army Reserve on August 17, 2007, I knew there was a good chance that I would be deployed. Originally, my intention for joining was to become a “weekend warrior.” My plan was to use the G.I. Bill to earn my Master’s degree and pursue a civilian career as a high school teacher. I never thought that the Army would become such a big part of my life. That was until I got the news that I was being deployed to Iraq.

Life for me has been a roller coaster since I joined the Army two years ago. I have bounced from state to state, taking part in numerous Army trainings and development schools. I have learned more over these past two years than I learned during four years of college. Most of what I have learned has been in the area of personal growth as a result of being away from the comforts of civilian life. Being in Baghdad has given me a lot of time to think about what is important to me and what I want out of life.

I had no idea what to expect the night I arrived in Baghdad. We convoyed into the city during the wee hours of the morning. After several long days of traveling, my sleep deprived mind was running wild wondering what was on the other side of the Rhino’s bulletproof windows as we traveled down the rough, war-torn roads of Baghdad. In full battle rattle and weapon in hand, I stepped off the Rhino and my eyes were immediately dawn to a severely bombed-out building. It was at that moment that I realized what I had gotten myself into.

I had heard tales of deployments from other soldiers, each one being unique and sacred to the voice from which it was told. I had no idea what my day-to-day life would be and what kind of story I would have to tell when I got home. I spent the first few months trying to make sense of the cultural differences between the coalition forces and the local nationals. After realizing that this was an unobtainable goal, I decided to just go with the flow and take each experience for what is was. Most of the time, these encounters would become stories that we would laugh about for months to come.

We had been taught several cultural awareness classes before the mobilization. Upon arrival in Baghdad, I decided to enroll in a biweekly Arabic class to follow up on what I had already learned. Ironically, I have learned more Spanish than Arabic as a result of my daily interaction with the Peruvian guards who operate the many checkpoints throughout our FOB. However, my limited Arabic vocabulary has not been a complete waste. I have grown to love the Arabic version of MTV I’m able to watch at the local chai and hookah café. The vast cultural differences between American and Arabic MTV have provided many smiles to the face of this tired, homesick Soldier. There is no better way to end a long day than to sip warm chai, pass around the hookah and watch old Britney Spears videos with an Arabic twist.

Spending time at the café will remain one of my favorite memories of this deployment. I spent many nights there hanging out with fellow Soldiers, interpreters and local nationals. We would tell stories about home, recount the day, play cards, dominos, and laugh at corny jokes while the Arabic hip hop music fought for our attention in the background. Often the café would play an Arabic movie and we would make up dialogs and story lines to go along with what we were watching since we only understood about five words of the movie. I’m pretty sure we were nowhere close to the plot, but it was always good for a laugh.

Having the opportunity to laugh was the key to surviving this deployment. It is so easy to get caught up in the mundane tasks and become homesick. But over the past year, the 314th Soldiers became my extended family and a network of support. Like any family, we often got on each other’s nerves, encroached on each other’s space and often wanted to kill one another. But at the end of the day I knew that each and every one of them had my back and would be there for me in a heartbeat.

I also had to get used to being away from all of the comforts of home. Before this deployment I never realized all the simple things in life I had taken for granted: a private shower without shower shoes, a full-sized bed, cable television, etc. The thing I miss the most about being home is the freedom to go and do whatever I want.

Of course, this deployment did have its perks. I met a lot of interesting people, cruised the streets of Baghdad in my combat mini-van, bought a lot of bootleg DVDs and made a lot of friends that I will have for a lifetime. This deployment also gave me the gift of time. While too much time away from home can lead to loneliness, it can also give you the opportunity to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. Through the haziness of the sandy skies and the orange scented hookah smoke, I was able to find clarity and set goals for myself.

I am looking forward to taking what I have learned over this past year and applying it to my daily life back home. I still have a lot to learn but I know that if I can survive a year in Iraq, I can handle almost anything. But for tonight, I will fall asleep to the sounds of Blackhawks flying overhead and the nearby mosque playing the evening prayer. It’s just another Arabian night.