Exile!

The rumors of this being the end of the world are true. Everyone here joked that I was stuck for a good two weeks once I got off the helo. Today was my theoretical departure day but there is no flight scheduled. I've already settled into a sustainable rhythm, so it doesn't really matter how long I'm here. I have what I need: books, my laptop, a comfortable place to sleep, food, a small gym. I've seen a few patients which justifies my visit, but there really isn't much work for me to do.

 

I'm afraid to admit this, but it's nice to be compartmentalized from any potential work that there might be in the north. Work makes the time go by, and travel makes the time go by, but being stuck here at least keeps me away from places that are less pleasant. Not that this place is "pleasant", but so far it has been relatively benign.

 

Here there is more a sense of isolation and a sense of being somewhere foreign. There is just a small village, a small market, the small base, and miles of trackless desert. At night you look up directly into the wheel of the galaxy, undimmed by any light pollution, the nearest city being hundreds of kilometers away. In the quiet at night I listen to chanted prayers from the village.

 

The tempo here is slower an the war seems further away and that's okay.