Naval Ship visits Kwaj, end of quarter

We had quite the neat opportunity about a week or so ago. A US Naval ship came into the harbor after finishing up a really amazing project. Not far from Kwajalein sits the wreck of a German heavy cruiser, the Prinz Eugen, from World War II. Once the ship capsized, it was basically just left there to rot, but the oil inside the ship remained.

Unfortunately however, that oil had started to leak, and so the Navy decided it was time for a cleanup. A ship came out with a team of Navy divers and pumped out all the oil, but when the ship was done, she came to Kwajalein for fuel and supplies. During that brief stop, the crew was kind enough to let the Jr/Sr high school students on board to tour the boat.

I got to tag along for one of these tours, and while no pictures were permitted inside the ship, I was able to get a few shots from outside.

It's hard to believe, but the first quarter is over and I've been on Kwajalein for about 2.5 months now. It's been quite the whirlwind, from an epic journey, to exploring a new life, and starting a new school year. But things have settled into a pretty normal routine now, with school five days a week and a few days of relaxation on Sunday and Monday (our weekend).  But now that it's coming up on winter back home, it certainly feels nice to walk outside to this...

We're also expecting to finally get out shipment of household goods, so that will be a nice little surprise when they finally arrive. Things will feel a bit more like home here.

Speaking of which, there are only about seven weeks or so before I'll be heading to my actual home for the winter break. It's going to feel strange coming from a tropical island to frigid Chicago (when many people are doing the reverse), but it will be nice to be back amongst friends and family again. And I will be very happy to see my canine buddy again...

Casey - or CaseyRaptor, or the CaseMonster... I have too many names for him. It's a problem. 

I knew it would be tough for leave him while I went on this little adventure, but I honestly wasn't prepared for my own emotional response. I miss the little guy! He's a handful sometimes, but I didn't realize how attached I was to this pooch until I had to leave him behind. Getting him back in December will be a heartwarming moment, but it will kill me again to leave him in January. If I'm not able to find a way to bring him out here, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay, because giving him up for good is just not an option.

Thank you to Chase (if you read this) for looking after him, and to the rest of my friends and family who may be helping care for this critter in the coming months. Ya'll rock!