Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thursday Quiz - It's a Vacation Location for Some

For many years DH and I wanted to get stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The timing was never right, and we eventually promoted ourselves out of positions there, so we never made it.
And by the time we were within spitting distance of retirement, they were poised to close it down and had made it into a one-year duty station, no more three year tours for families.
But oh all the good stories I have been told about that place.
It used to be a wonderful, I heard, like small-town America.
You were isolated, sure, but there were benefits as well.
It was right on the water, and if snorkeling, or sunbathing is your thing, then you could do it in spades at Gitmo.
I've known adults who were there as kids with their parents, and they loved it.
There were no outside distractions, so the community was close. Parents could keep their kids safe, because they knew most of the people on base.
I've known Marines and sailors who went there and thought it was a great duty station.
The liberty locations couldn't be beat (Bermuda), and they always had planes flying back and forth to the Mainland.
They even had a McDonald's!
Being stationed at Gitmo was a scary thing for some people, because if you went unaccompanied and without your family, you would be away from the people you loved for a year. For others, the fear of working at the minefield that separated Gitmo from the Cubans (although there were Cubans working on base) was something they didn't look forward to doing.
All-in-all, Gitmo seemed like one of those well-kept secrets, so I find it disconcerting to see the place that I dreamed of going to being so maligned.
Honestly, who heard of Gitmo before it became a place where prisoners are kept?
Probably not many.
And now the name Gitmo doesn't come across to people as a hidden gem but instead connotes terrorism, detention, and brutality.
As for me, I'll always think of Gitmo as one of the duty stations I always wanted to get to and never did.
I won't think of it as it appears in its present context.
So, with the imminent closing of Gitmo, and speaking of prisons (Lovely segue, Julie), I give you today's quiz about Slanguage.



Your Slanguage Profile



Canadian Slang: 75%
Aussie Slang: 50%
British Slang: 25%
New England Slang: 25%
Prison Slang: 25%
Southern Slang: 25%


I could hang in a prison, and I'd do okay in the south, but apparently I belong in Canada.
Less than two hours and I'd be at the Canadian side of the falls, eh.
Let me grab my toque.

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

Yeah - I always wanted to go to Gitmo, too. Great post.

Unknown said...

Thank you for your post. I never knew that about Gitmo.

I've been lurking in your blog, but not commenting. I'm so glad you're posting all the time!