"Life as a local"One month has already passed. Upon reflection the time went by very quickly. I have adjusted and I'm in a routine.
MSRON 10 is the only military presence here. Our footprint is extremely small and designed not to attract attention.
Only when I am operating on the water do I wear the uniform. We have been instructed not to even have uniforms in our rooms. We wash them on station. The uniform never leaves the OP area.
While among the populous it's civilian clothes. I try not to speak in public so my American accent doesn't give me away.
On the rare occasion that locals ask about me I use this as a cover story; "I am a Canadian Lumberjack Executive here to recruit deck hands from the port to my company. The hardened deck hands are perfect fit for my companies very demanding lumberjack work." So far that story has been very effective. I receive blank stares as a response. The locals don't know to much about lumberjacks!
The locals have been respectful, as have I. The most awkward is in the hotel elevator. The doors open and it's filled with 'white robes'. I just nod and wait for the next one.
I have tried the local food. The only word I could understand was 'chicken'. Whatever was in it, sure was tasty! Plus I had some kind of fruit drink.
If I don't feel like local food I can run right next door to KFC. We all know how I feel about KFC. This place is a long way from home, but it will do for now.
