At Fort McCoy

Things we have learned since arriving at Fort McCoy:

Food distribution to the "Guests" (Afgahns) is a gargantuan task.  There are 12,600 refugees living at Fort McCoy.  All their meals are prepared on a "to-go" basis.  It is very normal for a single member of the family carrying many, many meals back to the barracks.  That person may be in line for hours to get their meals.     

The barracks were built about a hundred years ago and most look to be two story white clapboard or sided buildings.  Each barracks was built to house 50 soldiers and each now houses 60 Afgahns.  The families living in them subdivide the open barracks by hanging sheets and blankets.

Our duties here are very simply - day care.  We help provide child recreation for a very large number of children while their parents are otherwise occupied.  The children speak almost no english, I speak almost no Dari which is fine because many of the children speak only Pashto.  The Center in which we work is about the size of a a three stall garage.   It is very common to have 100 children in the center at the same time.  I’ve been asking questions of our leaders to try to better understand why these children are so starved for affection, even from strangers.   

One of the heartwarming stories we heard was how Lands End, a Wisconsin Company, stepped up to provide 3500 winter coats and jackets. However it is not unusual to see a man walking down the street wearing blanket for warmth.  It's hard to tell if this because he doesn't have coat or if it's a cultural thing.   

We learned the Afghans that were evacuated before the suicide bomber at the airport blew himself up, were able to leave with luggage and bags of belongings.  Those who reached the airport after the bomb exploded couldn't take anything.   

Deep down we hope we are doing our part to help these poor souls who have endured more than we can ever imagine. However it's sometimes difficult to see the big picture when our days are filled with Playdough, water paints, jump ropes, hula hoops, countless games of Connect Four, soccer balls, blocks and matchbook cars.

Today a little boy returned a ball to me.  Trying my best at speaking Dari, I said, "Tashacour" (thank you), he replied, "no problem".   

The other good news is I’ve discovered 13,000 people who never heard my ice bowl story!