Archive Page 2
10.18.07 – Bottom Bunk Thoughts
I was layin on the bottom bunk today thinkin about how very blessed I am. I told you all I would be on tour this year. I said it would happen and it DID. Even though it’s not the most luxurious tour I am sooo happy to be here. I feel like I’m doing something so BIG and I am just one small person.
Our show last night was pretty awesome considering the entire audience was sober. Since they are on alert all day the soldiers are not permitted to drink on ths base. We jammed hard too. This was only our second show but we are definitely gettin into it and vibing well. I am so lucky to have some talented musicians on board with me. I realized I have not shared their names with the readers so here goes:
1. Mark Sound – Guitar/Sound Man
2. Rick Partida aka Lion 808 – Drummer/Beatboxer
3. Jon Durbin – Trumpet/Mascot (I love how he is always in a good mood)
4. John Cruz – Keyboard/Samples/Comedian
5. Tanya aka Soulfree – Band Manager/ DJ
6. ME 
Karina Nistal – Band Front/ Vibe Control
We are all respresentin the Rebel Crew right now even though we all have seperate projects at home. It’s really nice to have their company on this tour. (I promise to post pics)
Anyway, the soldiers again were very complimentary and showed their gratitude. They were so appreciative we signed autographs and took pictures for about an hour. Even the locals came over to take pictures with us. There are Afghan civilians working on site and since we played in the dining hall, they all came out of the kitchen to take pics with us. You can tell they don’t get entertainment too often around here. Both the soldiers and the hired help were grateful.
Right now as I am typing the bugle is sounding…that means it’s 6am. Capt. McCleod who has been the most patient, informative, and protective guide we’ve had thus far has really come through for us. We’re supposed to see him at 8am in the dining hall this morning to move to our next location. Today we’re going into an Afghan town to perform for the higher ups (generals, capts, etc)
Yesterday during the day we went shopping on base…well, I went shopping. Just bought a few gifts and trinkets for my loved ones. I wanted to get some of that stuff out of the way and i feel like the Afghans need some tourist income to rebuild. they really did have some beautiful authentic gifts in their shops too. They also had EVERY SINGLE BOOTLEG MOVIE or SHOW SERIES in DVD FORMAT imaginable. Seriously…it was all so cheap too. No wonder soldiers buy this stuff and send it home.
I will be blogging more later…sometimes it’s easier for me to get online than others so please bear with me. I am really enjoying this adventure.
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The past few days have definitely been eye-openers for me and the crew. We took our first military flights yesterday. It was like being buckled into a loud rollercoaster where you could see all the air ducts, tubes, straps, wires, and wings of the plane.
It was SO loud, they gave us earplugs to wear as soon as we got in. The flights were pretty short and a lot of the soldiers were going where we were….Afghanistan.
Our first stop was supposed to be a brief stop…we ended up waiting for our next guide to get us on another Military flight so we could rest for the night. We ended up in the most low-end accomodations…let’s just say I know what prison life would be like. We met a Belgian Sargeant that really helped us out.
We went to a cafe and ate some really good Afghan burgers! They really love Brandy there cause that’s all they played. I must’ve heard “I wanna be down” 10 times and I haven’t heard that song since I was 15! We hung out for a bit but Tanya and I were so tired we went to sleep at about 8pm (I don’t think I’ll ever adjust) while the boys went to a Belgium bar. There are a lot of allies on our bases from the Belgians, Polish, English etc. I thought we would be late for our 6am wake-up call so I woke everyone up in a panic at 1:30am. I will never live that down….
Before I end this blog I wanted to tell you about our ride through Kabul to get to this base we’re on. I will disclose the name tomorrow because we’re not allowed to say exactly where we are…
When we left Kaia airport (the airport where we stayed overnight), we woke up in the morning, took showers, loaded up our equipment again, then pulled up our rides….ARMOURED HUMMERS. Our army escorts put bullet-proof vests and a headpiece on us and drove us through Kabul.
It was really sad to see how poor the people there lived. It was like civilization was in dust. There were a few times our escorts would yell at the civilians to get out of the way. At one point the driver (which was a lady) said she thought she saw a sniper on the roof of a building. Their buildings all looked desecrated and destroyed. It was only when I saw the children running on the streets in this dusty town that I got a little choked up. It made me sad to think they didn’t even get a chance….it also made me more grateful to be so fortunate.
We arrived at our camp and met a Capt who has been escorting us around all day. Very nice guy and probably the first person to brief us so well. I finally got to call my daddy today. I’ll admit that was emotional. It was 4:30am central time and he answered on the 1st ring which made me realize he had been waiting on my call. I felt so bad to keep him waiting. It had been such a hectic couple of days and I explained about the luggage and outside communication difficulties ect. I love my family.
I am missing you all…
the more I talk to these soldiers I realize that no matter the hassles and sacrifices, it is SO WORTH BEING here. They all thank us and say how grateful they are for entertainers coming in. And on that note, I’m off to get ready for show #2.
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10.15.07 – Manas Base, Kyrgystan
We had our first show tonight and it was beyond any kind of amazing experience.
We started a little rocky...still recovering from lost sleep, time change,
getting our luggage back (FINALLY) etc. It felt good to *finally* get out of Friday's
clothes...ugh yuck!!! The soldiers expressed so much appreciation for what we did.
It was touching to get their participation during our set.
They clapped after every song no matter how much better I knew we could've started the set.
We're working with limited resources...we honestly needed about 2 more monitors to be
able to hear ourselves the way we need to but we're sharing the only 2 we've got.
Despite the sound issues, we did very well and it touched me to see their reactions
of joy, excitement, and most of all appreciation.
We receieved a lot of thank you's after the show and requests for autographs and pictures.
The guys are doing awesome. Thanks to Mark for the super sound setup.
Durbin finally got a haircut and Rick loves the food on base. Jon C. is catching
somethin but I suspect it's allergies. Tanya is doing well too.
She spun a great set tonight and had the soldiers dancing
We're supposed to be up in 4 hours but I wanted to share a few stories with you
about some of the soldiers we interviewed. They all have their own interesting story
about how they got there, the job they're doing, and who they've left back home.
Last night 2 soldiers sat down with us while we were at Pete's Place
(coincidentally the same place we played tonight.) One of the guys was hilarious -
James Massengal (he referred to his name as the "feminine products") lol we really
enjoyed his company and his sidekick Bridges. Then I played pool with Brandon Orlando
(who kicked my butt) and showed me where the internet/phone cafe is on base.
I finally got a chance to call home. I know my mama was worried.
After the show tonight I am reassured that this is where I am supposed to be and I
am so glad I took on this tour. I feel priviledged to be here and see our military i
n action. We are definitely the most powerful country in this world and I am proud to
be American. A few of the soldiers have warned me about our next stop. They say it
would be a bit tense in Afghanistan...which I had expected. This should be our
toughest spot so I'm glad we're getting it out of the way now. They have warned me
about what I might see so I am mentally preparing myself for all of it.
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WOOOO HOOOO!!! I just woke up from a coma and even though I could’ve used more sleep
I have decided to get up for steak & shrimp night in the dining hall We need to
hit up the community showers first. Tanya who is my “bunkee” went to go buy a few
essentials at the BX Store which is like a mini-walmart on base…no lie!
Our show got postponed tonight but we’re going to hang out at the place we were
supposed to play at called “Pete’s Place”. It’s a big tent when you’re looking at it
from the outside but when you get inside it’s your local bar, living room, and
gameroom rolled into one with a HUGE stage for guest performers. Soldiers are only
allowed 2 beers per 24 hour period so the same rules apply to us too since we’re on
base. They stressed ALL the rules to us once we got here…
1. No co-ed rooms
2. No PDA (public display of affection)
3. No bags or purses while shopping
4. Wash your hands before every meal
5. Carry an ID on at all times
And many more I can’t remember right now…yes, it’s like a mini-bootcamp even for
us. Before we even got here a few rules were stressed to us about conservative dress
(long-sleeved shirts, no open toe shoes, no shorts etc) which seemed kind of hard
for me to pull off in some of our 100 degree weather locations. And there are some
locations where we had limited shower time…3mins! Thank goodness that was not
today! After not being able to shower for almost 2 days of traveling…I spent a
good half hour in there. I can’t wait to get my luggage in the a.m.
Well…the crew is now waiting for me at Pete’s Place. I just wanted to quickly blog
again…I will post up more soon along with pics. I’m sure you’re all wondering if
Jon Durbin got his haircut yet! lol
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(The Crew leaving Houston: John Cruz, Rick, Karina, Jon Durbin, Mark)
Yep you read right…It’s been a hectic hectic day and a half…after leaving the H,
we went to Chicago, took a flight to London, connected to Moscow and now we’re in
Bishkek. Kyrgystan is definitely a beautiful country. The mountain scenery is
amazing and the locals have beautiful defined features – Russian & Asian. I can’t
say they’re all very nice though. I think they’re leary of Americans but that is
just the beginning. I’m sure more countries will be that way to us or worse.
Let me start by saying that lugging our equipment around has been a serious hassle.
I am a little disappointed with our tour planners for not being more organized. It’s kind of like organized confusion. Once they realize what we’re there to do they are very helpful to our mission.
Checking in 21 pieces of equipment on top of our personal baggage has been a serious
pain since we left Intercontinental Airport Houston. We have vouchers that should be
covering the excess baggage and overweight equipment…those covered us in H-town.
The issues began in London…the 6 of us were designated the most wobbliest carts at
Heathrow. Some of us even had 2 carts a piece and they needed serious alignments.
Since Heathrow is a very narrow airport we made the best out of not hurting or
killing people while pushing our equipment. I was trying to make it fun on the
downhill slopes by running, pushing, and jumping on the cart…ok I’m a little sore
from it now! lol
And let me tell you the Russian airline people are SO MEAN! We had a 6 hour layover
in London thinkin we could go siteseeing…no way! It took us 6-hours just to
check-in our equipment after waiting in line after line. They even overcharged us
for our equipment: $9,000 to be exact. It’s the military’s money but STILL…that’s
a lot of money. The only thing I’ll say about them is that their in-flight food is A
WHOLE LOT better than American Airlines…pfft. I have never been on a foreign
flight like that…the first one looked like it was hangin on for dear life. It
smelled like a gymnasium and I won’t even mention the bathrooms! The second one was
much better! Finally, jet-lagged and extremely delirious from exhaustion, we arrive
in Kyrgystan and now all of our luggage and equipment is LOST! I am hoping it
arrives on the next flight from Moscow.
GEEZ! And we haven’t even had our first show yet!
In the meantime…all the guys are being good sports about everything. Here is a pic of Durbin on the flight…
Jon Durbin needs a haircut like yesterday! I’m sure the Armed forces will
provide him with a buzzcut for that nice lil trumpet of his…lol
STAY TUNES FOR MORE ADVENTURES…despite all the transit, sleep deprivation, loss of
baggage, equip etc…I am having a good time knowing I’m away! Love you all!
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*It’s jus another manic monday* and on top of feelin that monday rush I am definitely feelin overwhelmed with a sudden urgency to take on the world with all my errands….well, not quite. Here I am workin at my corporate job staring at my checklist thinkin, “you’re such a retard for prokrastinating…” lol
So here goes:
1 Go to Radio Shack for Int’l plugs (I tried doing this on my lunch break apparently they didn’t have Middle East plugs in stock) These are the three circular insert plugs.
2 Go to T-Mobile to get Int’l service (I tried doing this at lunch too but ran outta time)
3 Go to Target to get travel essentials (Ladies….enough said)
4 Pick up video camera from Trisha (thank God for friends)
5 Pick up my *Karina* banner from the studio
6 Hair appointment for *rock star hair* 
This is wednesday but I had to include it’s on my to-do list.
7 Pick up my prescription (don’t ask)
8 Nail appointment (I’m afraid I won’t get a proper refill while I’m away – what can I say, I’m a girly girl ;p)
9 Pick up my laptop! (the last time I tried to do this I was overwhelmed with my options)
10 Pick up extra monitors for the band
11 Pay off my speeding ticket so I don’t get arrested when I get back!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…
12 PACK!!!
I despise my prokrastination but I do work well under pressure. It’s easier to pack at the end anyway…4 more days!
Am I leaving anything out!?? Any suggestions??
Help ya girl out…send me a line…
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