The Island of Misfit Boys

Before deploying, there is a mad dash of things to get together. When you deploy on short notice, it’s even worse. I spent most of the last few weeks before this deployment getting things ready to go. There are a million tasks that need to get done. All the paperwork for your life needs to be in order, bills need to be autopaid, you need to get everything ready so you can go (The next deployment, which I found out about today, will be a bit different from a shipboard one, though I will be talking about soon).

There are, of course, the multitude of uniform items you don’t need when off the ship (like the Navy Working Uniform, if I’m in the mood to complain). However, there are also the random things you don’t think about when you’ll be living on a ship for the next four months:

Things I bought (either at the NEX, or during a massive walmart run):

1. A sleeping bag. I had heard it was cold in the berthing spaces, though I’ve ended up using it as extra padding on the tiny thing that passes as a matress.
2. A pillow. Most of the pillows onboard the ship seem to be older than I am, so I got a new one.
3. Bug repellant/sunscreen. I bought more than I needed, as I don’t get off the ship as much as I had hoped to.
4. A lot of books of all types and genres. I’ve made my way through a good amount of them (though, as noted below, I didn’t necessarily make the best choices).
5. My daily supply of anti-malarial meds, which make me prone to sunburns.

Things I had to order, or have sent to me, because I didn’t get them, or didn’t get enough, and needed them: 

1. More soap/deodorant. Working in tropical climates leads you to really underestimate the amount of times you will need to shower.
2. A portable hard drive. It makes it a lot easier to swap movies/music with friends, and also allows you to send pictures home (thumb drives having been banned).
3. Snacks. The food, as mentioned, hasn’t been great.

Things I should have brought with me:

1. Another thin towel. I brought one normal bath towel and one towel that I guess you would call a beach towel. The normal one just doesn’t dry, probably because of the moisture in the air. So I end up washing the other one twice a week because I use it exclusively.
2. DVD’s. I can’t believe I overlooked this when I was packing. Since you can’t go anywhere at night, one of the best things to do is watch a movie with your friends (if you have free time).
3. A bit more light reading. I brought a few novels, but went heavy on the military history. Normally I love to read that, but when you spend 15 hours pouring through somewhat dense work, you need something a bit easier
4. Better civilian clothes. I threw a few in a bag as a last minute thing, and as it turns out on the few times we get liberty what I have is not what I want.
5. A second pair of sunglasses. Because I’m clumsy and now I have zero pairs here.

I guess after a while this will become a bit of a science, but as of yet I’m still trying to learn. I have a lot to talk about over the next few days, with news of my next adventure coming as I wind down this one.