Changing of the guard

The hospital is a crazy place this week.

 

Let me explain: I work on an Army base (an Army Air Field, technically) in an Air Force hospital (which means our leadership and most of the medical staff are Air Force).  The Air Force deployment regime is very different than the Army's: they generally do not deploy as whole units, but rather deploy in small teams and meet on the other side of the world for a 6-month tour.  Like the Army, though, the entire deployed unit (in this case the hospital) switches out at about the same time.  That time is now.

 

There are hundreds of new faces in every department of the hospital.  Those that are leaving (or "redeploying" in military-speak) are teaching their replacements the ins and outs of the hospital and the base.  The bottom line is that we have nearly twice the personnel in the hospital right now, as well as twice the number of occupants in our living quarters.  I feel like I am constantly bumping elbows - in the clinic, in the chow hall, in the bathrooms, and everywhere else.

 

As a result, I have been avoiding both the hospital and my dorm room like the plague for the past few days in an attempt to stay sane and avoid claustrophobia.  (Believe me, there are plenty of better places on base to hang out!)  My frustration level has been relatively high as nurses, techs, and docs learn and practice their new deployed duties.  My patience has also been quite low - six women to a room means lots and lots of waking up in the middle of the night and virtually no good rest!  Noise pollution combined with a few recent late nights "out on the town" have worn me out somewhat.

 

Meanwhile, I am overcome by an intense sadness as many of my friends leave Bagram for new and better things.  Nearly all of the friends I have made here in Afghanistan will be leaving within the next week (which means, actually, that I will be the most senior doc in the hospital .... scary thought!).  I have heard that the people with whom you deploy are your friends forever; given the gamut of emotions we have experienced together - joy, sadness, fear, benevolence, passion, confidence, love, angst and everything in between - I am a wholehearted believer in this mantra.  I have only known these battle buddies for a few months, yet many of them feel like family.  We have memories that will last a lifetime - like salsa dancing (or attempting to salsa dance, in my case) in the MWR clamshell, eating awesome BBQ in the Eagle's Nest at the dust off, watching the Afghanistan countryside from several thousand feet in altitude, good coffee early in the morning and late at night, clinic water fights, and "going shopping" at the medical logistics warehouse.  My life is about to become relatively boring again, and I'm not particularly looking forward to it.  I am, however, looking forward to a long night of decent sleep!