Pour House Trivia returns to Africa!

Pour House Trivia recently helped hold the second game at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa, where trivia player Cris is stationed. 

We asked Cris a few questions about the game to go with the pictures of how things went. The first game was a major success, and it looks like this one was too! Here’s Cris hard at work running the game.

PH: About how many people played in total?

Cris: This game was part of the “Captain’s Cup” which is an inter-unit competition that ran for the entire month of May. Ten of the 13 teams competed in the “Battle of the Brains” so we had 70 people playing.

PH: What’s the reaction around the Camp to the game?

Cris: Many people said they liked the game. There were quite a few spectators who watched the last game. The venue is much like any bar. The base has over 3,000 people on it, but mission requirements do not allow a lot of them to have much free time. The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) club called 11 Degrees North is one of the few places on base that allow for social activities. They host big screen movies and other special events there.

PH: What other kinds of entertainment are there for people at the base?

Cris: Beyond 11D there is a small movie theater (currently under renovation), a gym, and sports activities (a turf field where people play pickup games of soccer, ultimate Frisbee, football, etc.). There is also a sand volleyball court and a basketball court.

PH: Can you talk a little about the escape of activities like this? Obviously, everyone in Camp has an extremely stressful job – do things like this help blow off steam a little bit?

Cris: The “Groundhog Day” effect is a serious concern for many. There is not a lot to do outside of the activities mentioned above. The chapel runs a lot of Community Relations Projects to provide volunteer projects for people to do. They are very helpful in giving people a way to feel like they’re doing something important. MWR runs activities off-base as well, but they can get pretty pricey. There are some interesting things to see – especially in the water. Djibouti is on the migration path of whale sharks so you can go on trips to swim with them. When you’re not able to go on those trips the days really start to blend together. The mission is important so people end up working a lot.

Here’s the winning squad from the event! The winners were “HOA Misfits,” a group from the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.