Where to begin. I guess I could start with my arrival to the Magic City. No, I think I'll take a step back and start with my re-indoctrination to America. So, I haven't really had much contact with large groups of Americans in the last five years. I'm talking you're average American. Military members don't count. So arriving back in the states was somewhat of a culture shock at first. As soon as I got off that plane things were different. I was greeted by a bunch of volunteers that just wanted to wish me a welcome back and a "thank you for your service." I'm sure they thought I was returning from the desert and had no idea of the numerous vacation TDY's I had to enjo... I mean endure while in Germany. Still, it felt nice and made me appreciate being in the military.
I'll skip the hotel details and the rest of Baltimore. I was only there a night, so nothing eventful to report. Well, OK so I did hit up the Chili's across the street. What can I say, it's become a tradition of sorts. The building is nicer than the Chili's on Ramstein, but that's about as good as it got. First off, don't get trolled by the U.S. Chili's menu. It's a sham! Ramstein did a good job of pruning away the stupid items from their menu. I saw something new, and impulsively I had to get it. Bad move. The portion was tiny and the price was way too much. Should have just stuck with the chicken club tacos... On top of that, the bartenders were nowhere near as friendly as the Ramstein crew. They carded me, and I think I stared at the lady for a solid minute before I understood why she wanted to see my ID. The drinks were also weaker, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. In the end I accepted that the Ramstein Chili's had spoiled my experience with their chain.
On to my arrival in Minot. When I looked up the airport I would be landing at, it was listed as Minot INT. I basically trolled myself here. Me thinking, "ooh an International airport... must be big." Yeah, definitely the smallest airport I have ever landed at. They have two gates. The international part is because they have a flight that goes to some podunk airport in Canada. Ya got me this time ya hoosers.
My sponsor picked me up and as soon as I stepped out of that terminal I began to realize what I had gotten myself into. For one, the parking lot was like 93% trucks and SUV's. The Audi is definitely going to stand out 'round these parts. We hit up KFC for my post flight meal and I must say I was hardly prepared for what awaited me. See, I had forgotten the difference between fast food in Germany and fast food in the states. Instead of finding the place packed with smoking hot jail bait, I was confronted with an assortment of plad, jorts, B.O. and fat. Holy freaking fat people. I forgot that was a problem here in the states. The only good thing about the experience was this.
I've definitely missed the drink choices in the states.
I got settled into my hotel which is brand new by the way. It just opened a month ago so everything is super clean and neat. The staff is really friendly and they'll help you out with just about anything. That's all great, except the hotel is in the middle of nowhere. See what I mean?
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| Pretty sure I could score some meth at those trailers. |
There is nothing within walking distance and there is no bus that goes into town. I'm basically confined to this hotel unless I'm at work. I need to get me some wheels ASAP. As for food, I've been living off of delivery. One good thing about the area is that there is a wide variety of restaurants and almost all of them deliver. Cheap too.
Well that's pretty much it for now. I've been living in a hotel and am being sustained by takeout. I'll go into talking about work and the base later on. Still trying to adjust to everything for right now. I feel like I disappeared and then re-appeared five years later to a whole new world. It should be an exciting adventure for sure...
