New Photos

Here are a few new photos from the past few days. However, a few explanations are in order. The past couple of days I have taken my camera to work. Today I was ever so glad as the sky was clear and very blue. The slideshow does not really do it justice but it still looks good. These are not enhance.

You will see I found a new favorite place to eat in Kabul. Red, Hot, and Sizzlin is the place. Not quite trademark infringement but not a lot of imagination there either. It was outside of the city in a VERY secure location. I hear that a lot of military folks eat there. Great food though! WOW.

Also you can see some pictures of out new girls residence hall which I toured the other day. It is set to open in January. For you familiar with college and university housing some res hall, huh? It will house about 30 girls on two levels. With a great view from a balcony. Yes, they are reffered to as girls here because to refer to a girl as a woman is negative culturally. So we say boys too to be fair.

You will see pics of Darul Aman Palace which is a mere shell of its 1920's majesty. It is being redone and will house the Afghan Government one day. It is just up the road from campus. For a complete history visit my favorite site WIKI.

Finally, no matter how pretty it is here, there are constant reminders that we are in a war zone.......

Enjoy the slideshow!

KFC Pizza? No Way

Here it is judge for yourself. Yes it is KFC Pizza! You see it "We Deliver Hot Pizza"

(The Pizza Box Picture Is Mine But I borrowed the store picture from Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rangerholton/2721613006/)

Looks like the same KFC we in the states know and love. Same logo, same Colonel. Capitalism is alive and well in Kabul. I really got kinda excited when I saw KFC on my way from the airport the first day but I was quickly told that not only is the entrepreneurial spirit in Kabul so is trademark infringement. KFC in Afghanistan is Kabul Fried Chicken a locally owned enterprise with locations scattered throughout the city. They do have chicken AND pizza but also burgers and other sundry fare. They tell me this aint your momma's KFC here. Read about Kabul Fried Chicken in a few of these articles.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1823900,00.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-afghan-kfc_barkernov05,0,118578.story

Oh and the camera was not quick enough but I also saw a Pizza Hut while we were out and about today and no it is not THE Pizza Hut. Although, I do hear there is an interest on their part and they have lots of international locations from Dubai, to Pakistan, to India, to even Iraq.

The Afghan Work Week

Despite being an impoverished country, Afghanistan in most part is full of hard working individuals. The work week here is a 6 day week from Saturday to Thursday of the following week. Friday is the only day that Afghans as a whole take off as it is important for religious reasons. Being an American school in Afghanistan, we still work on a 5 day week. However, that week has been adjusted accordingly. We work Sunday through Thursday of each week, Friday and Saturday being our weekend.

The adjustment in work week has been hard to get used to. Instead of TGIF it is TGIT, or thank goodness it is Thursday. I often have to look at my computer clock to determine what day it really is as our Sunday is Monday in the U.S. but really our Sunday is Saturday in the U.S. due to the time. I feel like I have adjusted to the time difference but still I am struggling with that fact. All week long to adjust, I guess I mentally advanced the day. I thought of Sunday as Monday, Tuesday as Wednesday and on and on. In fact I tried to go to a Tuesday meeting on Monday. Tuesday being of course the U.S. second day of the work week and Monday which is our second day of the work week. Then on Wednesday I told colleagues I could not go tour the new gym because I had a 1:30 class to address which was scheduled for 1:30 on Thursday not Wednesday. Try explaining that one.

This week, will really throw a wrench in it as we have a 3 day weekend, Thursday being the U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday and all. Then a full week back then out for a week for Eid ul-Adha a major Islamic holiday.

Eid ul-Adha (عيد الأضحى), also called the big holiday, falls approximately70 days after Eid ul-Fitr and is celebrated in honor of the prophet Abraham when he intended to sacrifice his son Ismail as a proof of his loyalty to God. Eid ul-Adha is translated into English as “The Feast of Sacrifice”, when Muslims all over the world present an animal (usually a cow or a sheep) sacrifice as a gratitude action for God saving the Prophet Issac's life. The slaughtered animal meat is divided into thirds, one for the person who is presenting the beast, one to be distributed to his poor relatives, and the last third for the needy,regardless of their religion, race, or nationality. As with Eid ul-Fitr, there is an early morning prayer for the Eid, and celebrations are extended for Four
days. - Wikipedia

It is a time of celebration, of visiting family and friends and of thanking Allah for all the blessings bestowed.

So living in an Islamic society gives me a bonus holiday for me and then it will only be less than two weeks before I am home for our major holiday season. Wooo Hooo If you want to know my travel plans please email me off line as I would like to keep them out of the headlines if you will.

Afghan Cuisine

Well it has come time to get to work. As I figured about a week to settle in then work work work. The past two days have been an almost 11 hour day followed by an almost 12 hour day. Though, I admit the days fly by. Today I looked up and it was 5:00. Really the only reason I looked up was that the sun was starting to set then soon it was time to go home.

I have gotten a few emails and comments from readers wanting more, more, more blogs. As I promised you all before I left my goal was 7 in the first 7 days then one to two a week from there out. It is good you are sitting on the edge of your seat but I have not forgotten. I am still here. I am still alive in Kabul.

Of course I will be taking a break for the Holidays and my trip home. I booked my tickets home today and although a month off without pay is not gonna be all too fun it will be great to tidy up the loose ends left in my departure. Signed, sealed, and delivered I am booked though!

A bit about Afghan food then. Some encouraged me to find Afghan restaurants before I left D.C. and some discouraged it saying that it might scare me off. Well I payed on the side of caution and did not try it. How is Afghan food? Well remember Afghanistan is Central Asia. One of the mainstays of Afghan cuisine is therefore, rice. The other mainstay of Afghans are Kabobs. Lamb Kabobs, Mashed Meat Kabobs,lots of Kabobs. They try to change it up and call the Chicken Kabobs "Roast Chicken" but it is still put on a long metal piece and roasted over an open fire like all the other Kabobs so they cannot fool me. I love grilled food and so it is all good to me. Cut it, stab it, grill it. Yummmmmmy. The rice, however, is different. It is not the typical white rice one would think of as Asian. The rice is called Palaw. Palaw is Basmati rice topped with raisins and cooked carrots. Basmati rice is Indian in origin. I love Wiki which says that Basmati is a long grain rice famous for its aroma and flavor. Basmati is Sanskrit for the fragrant one. Palaw is actually very tasty. I turned my nose up at first because if you cook raisins they cease to look like raisins and I had no idea what they were. When in Rome do as the Romans and I did. I actually like it. It does get old time and time again day after day but I occasionally substitute fries which are also available but the Palaw is better for me, I know. I wondered the other day, when I get to D.C. will I crave Kabobs and Palaw. Maybe we will see.

Pictures Week 1

Gudiparan Bazi an Afghan Art Form

From the LA Times; "Life was terrible under the Taliban. When they ran out of legitimate things to object to, they started on innocent behaviors like kite flying," recalled Shukor, whose father founded Kabul's most famous kite-making workshop more than 40 years ago. "It was ridiculous. How could sending a colorful paper bird into the winds be an insult to God?"

It is true that the Taliban banned kite flying. It may seem that the ban by the Taliban on kite flying was a ban on fun. The ban was put in place by the Ministry to promote virtue and prevent vice. They banned some music, some t.v., and some movies, so why not kites. They did so under pretense of religion and safety. Religion because of, like many sports world over, betting would go on. Safety, because the Afghan children, trying to get the best vantage points would clime on roof tops and hillsides. If you are looking up to concentrate on the fight at hand, you are not looking down. Hundreds of children each year were injured from falls and many fell to their deaths. Kites it seems have been the bane of many societies including the U.S. Kite flying was banned in China because as people were looking and flew their kites they would tromp into rice patties and destroy them. In some areas of the U.S. kite flying was banned in the 19th century because kites spooked horses and cattle. It is currently banned on some public beaches as a public nuisance. If you are looking up flying your kite you are not looking down on whom you are about to step on or trip over. Kike flying is also currently banned in Pakistan for public safety. A ban that has even sparked riots in Pakistan.

In the U.S. you see kites being flown at public parks, beaches, everywhere you can get a good wind. However, it not as prevalent as in Kabul and other Eastern and Asian countries, Where kite flying developed not to just a hobby but to an art form.

According to Wikipedia, the kite was invented almost 3000 years ago in China where silk and other lightweight materials and wood are readily found. Wiki also says that kite historians claim that kites were invented even earlier. These historians believe that kites were invented around the 5th century B.C. and quote sources that say kites were used for all sorts of purposes at the time.

From China kites spread throughout Asia including the western part, Afghanistan. Eventually kites even made it to the American continent. Remember Benjamin Franklin? Kite fighting exists in the U.S. but not as prevalent as in Asia and especially Afghanistan. Kites and kite fighting are a big deal. As you can see from the LA Times article there are shops that actually specialize in it. The object of kite fighting is to disable your opponents kite either by damaging the kite but more prevalently by cutting the string or wire.

In Afghanistan kite flying or Gudiparan (which literally means flying doll) bazi (flying) is a well crafted team sport which evolved to an art form. Kite fighting is accomplished in teams made up of at least two persons. One person is the kite flyer, the leader, the other manages the spool of string or wire (tar), the charka gir.

The charka gir takes his name from the charka whish is the spool that holds the string. It is his job to take up and to let out the wire. The wire is named such as it is much more than the average kite string you or I in the U.S. grew up with. The wire is string coated is actually sharp. It is a cotton or hemp string coated in finely ground glass that is held with a form of rice based glue. Obviously this makes the wire sharp in order to cut the opponents wire. So sharp in fact it could cut the leader, especially, or charka gir to the bone. Therefore each wear protective leather covers on their index fingers called kilkak.

In order to have a fight, of course, two kites must be around the same height in the air and at a close proximity. When one kite’s wire touches the other the fight or jang is on. The winner is the one who cuts the others kite loose or set the kite loose with the wind azadi rawast. This is where the kite runners come in. Runners chase down the kite and the one who catches it keeps it.

Most kochagi (neighborhoods) have a sharti or kite flying champion. It is a big deal to be the kochagi sharti. Shartis are not only the champions but they have have a style that entertains and captures the fans.

With the ousting of the Taliban in 2001 the kites soon took to the skies again. Today when the winds come from the mountains surrounding Kabul kites literally dot the sky and the jang is once again on for the Afghans.



Sources:

http://www.afghana.com/Entertainment/Gudiparanbazi.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_fighting

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-121701festive,0,3892175.story
http://www.afghanrelief.org/about-afghanistan/afghan-kite-flying-101

Fresh Cashews, The Afghan Mall, and ATM Fees-

Shopping for the day is over. I got very little from my list but now I know where to go to and that was the objective more than completion of the list. One of the things I picked up was cashews. Nuts are prevalent in this region. You can get just about any type of nut you want. They are very fresh. My favorite is cashews. Let me tell you fresh cashews are much different than those roasted ones you buy in a can. I can tell you I think I prefer canned cashews but these are pretty good. As I sit here eating some and drinking a can of you know what….Mt. Dew.

Someone asked me what kind of food they have here. They have a lot of what you can think of back home, that is if it comes out of a can. Canned spaghetti, ravioli, and all sorts of spaghetti sauces are readily available. Some of the strange things I saw but did not buy canned hot dogs they called them. One can said “All Day Breakfast” and it was canned beans and franks. Very interesting. I will try them one day. Good, edible, fresh meat is hard to find here. For the most part at home I have been a non carnivore. Other than the nasty pulled beef bbq (see above) that I had at La Cantina the other night that is.

Fresh fruit and vegetables here though are prevalent. They are sold along the side of the road and in fresh vegetable markets. Those of you that know me well would say that I am not a vegetable guy except for a few select ones. I am more the meet and potato guy but it has not always been so and for a period in my life I limited my red meat intake to only one day per week and only ate chicken and fish rarely. I ate a lot of stir fry during that period of my life though. I did feel healthier all around then so this is a good thing. A very good thing it is indeed.

I was able to visit one of the main malls in Kabul and actually found a working ATM. It would not dispense U.S. currency but would dispense as in equivalent amounts. 50 afs is equal to one dollar. I withdrew $200 so I got 10,000 afs. I was warned that working ATMs were hard to find. I was not warned of ATM fees. Almost $15 was the fee that I was charged. The charge did not appear on the slip so I came home and immediately checked to find that the additional fee was pulled out and that it had already been debited from my account. All of Afghanistan is a cash only market by the way. No credit or debit cards.

The mall, although small by comparison to most U.S. malls, was rather neat none the less. It went up several stories high. However, the stores are very small. Three of us in our party could barely move around in one store. Electronics stores are very prevalent. Many on each level selling all sorts of electronics the most popular of which are cell phones.

From a human interest standpoint, the trip was more of the same. Quite a few folks, of course, were begging as we exited the stores to enter the car. The escort had his hands full at time. I did see for the first time older beggars and beggars without limbs sitting or standing in the road begging. The latter, of course, a side effect of poverty and war. We also encountered some gypsies who actually travel throughout the region begging. It is what they do. They are dressed differently from the Afghans as they are wearing very colorful clothing. Except for party apparel Afghans dress is a lot of earth tones. Black, browns, women are much they same except many add blues and white to their wardrobe.

Children, here like everywhere, seem to not know any difference and they are bouncy and smiling. Even when they are begging for money, or a Pepsi as in today, or food, the children are all very cheerful. It almost seems a game to them. For some I am sure it is, especially those after candy, sodas, and gum. Much like Halloween they probably get together in an alley or back street and compare and even share perhaps. They also love to have their pictures taken. I am told the funny thing is that they will smile and egg you on to even take their picture but when it comes time to click the shutter they get solemn looks on their faces because that is how a picture should look. In the pictures, however, you will notice that I happened to catch a group of fun loving boys that actually hammed it up a bit today.

A good day overall. It was great to get out of the confines. As I say check back later for pictures as I must edit them down…..

The Latest and Greatest

Sorry folks for skipping a day, I got home from dinner out last night (See Below) and crashed. Things are normalizing a bit I am starting to get hungry when I am supposed to get hungry and to get sleepy when I am supposed to get sleepy. I have slept consecutively 7.5 hours each night for the past two nights with barely waking up both. WOW......

Weather, Storms, and the Speak Easy Experience

Many of you have sent me messages wanting to know what the weather is like in Kabul. Well I took it upon myself to add the rather neat current weather in Kabul gadget on the bottom of the page. If you have not noticed it check it out down there. Keep in mind, however, the 10.5 hour time difference. What that means is our night is day in the states. What is most useful for you all is to see the highs and the lows. You will see they are very comparable with D.C. The elevation makes us just a bit cooler but not a whole lot. Looking at Weather Underground Kabul you can check out the averages http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/40948.html. Not too bad really if you see.

Kabul is a very arid or dry. As I said it lies between mountain ranges and it is not the rainy side of those ranges. Therefore the precipitation ends before it comes to us. We do get the winds often coming down from the mountain. Wind plus very dry ground means “storms” of blowing dust or dust storms. I had my first taste of a dust storm yesterday. They tell me it was a rather small one and I could not see the hundred yards across campus.

Occasionally, however, it does rain here. Two evenings in a row I have actually experienced rain and last night even a pretty big thunderstorm. We were sitting at dinner and the housemates and I debated if it was bombs going off or thunder and lightning then the rain hit and that settled that.

Speaking of dinner, I had the most interesting experience last night. I really felt I needed my mafia hat, double breasted pin strip suit, and my white tie. It was something right out of the roaring twenties. The housemates invited me to dinner. First of all let me tell you, small Toyotas here are very popular. Even as cabs they are popular. If you know me, try and imagine me climbing in the front seat and four others climbing in the back seat. No this is not illegal in Kabul. We tried this Thai place in town that is supposed to be really good. By the time we got there it was closed so we went to a place called La Cantina. When we got out of the cab we were at a metal door. Much like the speak easies of the 20’s a small door about Afghan eyelevel slid open. We told the guy La Cantina and he ushered us in a small room where he, complete with AK-47, asked me if it was ok to wand me (pass a metal detector over me). Like I am going to say no! This was a pretty complete metal detector search. Arms out, turn around, etc. Of course no metal detectors in the 20’s and the AK would be replaced with a Tommy Gun but you get the picture. Just in case here is a Wiki article about speak easies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speak_easy) Then another little eye level door slid open, the man who did the search said something in Dari (the language of Afghanistan) and we were ushered in through a second door by a second man with an AK. WOW!

The establishment was really rather quaint. Very clean but rather quaint. Nice candle lit tables on what would be a large screened in porch which of course had been closed off due to the weather turning colder. Cozy wood burning stoves throughout, etc., it was really a rather nice place. The food on the other hand was not to my liking. I was told the BBQ was good. I do have to disagree with that analysis; however, as it was some of the worse BBQ I have had in my life. It was a pulled beef roast smothered in BBQ sauce. Those of you that know me well would agree that there are two things I am an aficionado of that is after 14 years in pizza restaurants, a good pizza, and second I love me some BBQ. Yuck.

The food sucked, ok, but the most important thing was getting out and seeing Kabul by night. Although not lit up like a major U.S. city there are pockets of areas there are lit up like Christmas trees and others that are lit up with Christmas tree like lights. During the day you can barely make out the houses that are partially up the mountains surrounding Kabul but let me tell you at night the areas are flickering with lights making it absolutely beautiful. Add to that the brief thunderstorm I spoke of above and I can say it was a wonderful night despite the yucky bbq.

TGIT?

The work weak in Afghanistan and many Islamic countries is Sunday through Thursday. So it is Thank Goodness Its Thursday here. Tommorrow is the first day of the weekend. I am going to experience full shopping trips Kabul style on both days, I hope. I also hope to get some pictures for you all to finally see...... I am not sure how much I will be posting over the weekend but we will have to find out.

Day 2 Students The Key Word In Student Affairs

Well the jet lag, time difference, and a new is starting to prey on me rather heavily now. I am very tired a lot. For those that have not noticed on the blog I have posted a “time in Kabul” clock. The time here is +4.5 hours from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Eastern Time is -6.0 hours when not observing Daylight Savings Time. Back to math class when you add +4.5 to -6.0 you get a 10.5 hour time difference. This translates to the fact that when I am going into work at 8 a.m. you are most likely headed to bed or at least thinking strongly about it. It takes a bit to get the body out of that despite what the sun is doing in the current location. I am just not there yet as I sleep in spurts at night. I will get 2 to 3 hours then be wide awake for an hour or so and then sleep for an hour or two again if I can. The first night I went to bed about 9:30 and was up at 3:30 until 5:00 a.m. and then I slept until just after 6 when one of the housemates stirred me from my slumber by making coffee in the kitchen. Last night I was in bed at 10:30 and up from 4:30 beyond as I had to be in to work for a morning staff meeting. So yes, despite a nice long shower and a shave I was dragging, dragging pretty hard too.

I was pretty excited about the 9:30 all university staff meeting. It was my opportunity to be introduced, to introduce myself, and to meet all of the folks who work here. However, about 15 minutes before 9:00 I was asked to attend a meeting with a group students and the Board of Trustees. That was even more exciting. While in my experience board of trustees have select student members how often do they have the opportunity to sit down with a rather large group of students. The students present in the meeting would be characterized as student leaders. They presented very thoughtfully, very mindfully, and very respectfully some of what they see as needs on the campus. I would not view the students her as apathetic at all. They are fairly vocal and express themselves well. They have the same desires and goals for the University as do its board members and the vast majority of its faculty and staff. However, they are young and like young folks all over the world they want it now. Immediate gratification is what they desire. The hard work will be to keep the passion burning in them despite the realities that we cannot have some things today or even tomorrow. I think that is where the seed of apathy can be planted.

To me in the meeting, I think though the most inspiring thing that was said by the students is that they have no doubt that from this young and vibrant institution will be born a President of Afghanistan. It was not that the student said he wanted to be President, in fact he stated he wanted to work in the foreign affairs sector, but it was the fact that he, very strongly, stated that he and his fellow students know that from this institution will rise a President. Amazing words!

The energy and excitement carried through to the staff meeting immediately following. Our President and even the Board of Trustees who came to our meeting expressed that there was a great energy on this campus that they were indeed proud to be a part of. Now, I am proud to be a part of it as well. Students are the key word in Student Affairs. This is why I got into this field and why I remain here. The great thing is that these young minds inspire and energize me every day. On a day that I went in dragging I did not drag throughout the day because of that energy.

As a side note, I am official now. I have a University ID card that we wear around our necks for security, a new email address, and a University laptop. Now the last thing and we will be 100 percent are business cards and that normally takes a while everywhere.

The Sight The Sound The Smell Of Diesel Generators

Forgive me if I continue to mention it but it is an area affected by war. The movie that I watched showed a young man returning to Afghanistan after he and his single father fled the country as it was being invaded by Soviets. What once had been streets lined with vendors selling their wares and the smell of lamb kabobs cooking had been transformed to a desolate place. The smell of lamb cooking was no longer. It had been replaced by the smell and extreme pollution of the diesel powered generators. The young man was returning to bring his nephew home to the U.S. after his father had been killed by the Taliban. However, it was not the Taliban that had transformed the aroma of Kabul it had been the Soviets. Of course, I am not praising the Taliban in any way but the movie itself did not go into the reason behind the lack of electricity to the city nor the use of diesel powered generators. It left the point open and made it seem as if the power problems were related to the Taliban’s control which is not the case.

Information is power, knowledge is power and that power is generated by electricity. When sacking a city one of the first things the attacker will do is hit the power plants to slow down if not cease all communication and to degrade life to the point that the city will eventually give up. The Soviets did a good job in doing so and continued their occupation of Kabul by knocking down the power poles and destroying the wiring. In effect the Soviets destroyed the power grid of the city of Kabul. They destroyed it to the point that it has to be built from the ground up. The Taliban, obviously, did not set a priority at rebuilding that grid.

Although the smell of burning diesel is almost overpowering and a brown haze is ever present the Afghans and the residents of Kabul do their best. Still yet many do remain without power. Most of the 4 million residents of Kabul, yes 4 million do not have access to the power grid still even 7 years post the American invasion of Kabul since freeing Kabul of its terrorist reign 7years ago. Billions and billions have been spent to bring power but there is still a long way to go. There is just not an electrical infrastructure to do so. Those that do including the schools and embassies only get electricity a few hours a day as what is there remains unreliable. The rest of the time those that have the means must rely on the generators to power their homes. Of course there are those that have gone into business and supply homes with electricity from their huge noise and air polluting generators but the amount charged is huge in a country whose average yearly income is as low as it is.

Some have emailed me with questions. The most frequent being so what is it like. Well those are some of the sights, sounds, and even smells of Kabul. But I most hold back some or you all will stop reading.

Sources: http://www.e-ariana.com Kabul mostly in the dark despite billions in foreign aid

My first day at AUAF

Well my first day at work was mostly laid back for me at least. It was a very relaxing "set up" day as compared to the whirlwind trip here. It is not that they do not have anything for me to jump head first into but the campus is abuzz with the opening their new library. The upper echelon of administration, including the President, my direct supervisor, are in route back from Dubai with a number of the Board of Trustees. Therefore there is no one here to meet with or discuss the state of affairs at UAUF. I suppose much of that will come with day two when the BOT members, many of whom have never visited the campus, will no longer be here.

In looking at the job description and prioritizing a make shift to do list, I would say, as a former conduct educational administrator, that a code of conduct/student handbook will be very early on in my tasks. I am already getting ideas from faculty and staff of the need of such on campus.

Another area I want to look at closely and soon, being an engagement theory buff, the degree of student engagement on campus and possible programming both in and out of the dorms. Yes, as a former Resident Assistant and a Residence Hall Director, being trained otherwise, it is hard to say the d word d-o-r-m-s. Many of you former res hall folks will understand. We even cringe with that word. Dorm are the four letter D-Word for those trained in residence halls. For the lay folk, I will put it simply that a dorm is not the terminology that is used. Dorms were the mostly old tall high rise living facilities built in the Vietnam War area boom of the 60’s. A dorm is designed as a place to sleep and that is it. In a dorm there is little or no community among the residents. They sleep, sometimes study there, but it is not the place to hang out with friends. It is a “Dull Old Room of Mine.” A residence hall is much much more. It is a place to live, to learn, and to grow. Where staff builds community among the residents of their own individual hallway and as a residence hall altogether. The notion of dorms quickly is dying if it is not already dead in the U.S. I hope I can instill that here as well.

The library dedication was a fairly big event. Not only did we have a large portion of the Board of Trustees here, but the major donor of the library, Ann Marlow, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, William Wood, the highest ranking U.S. figure in Afghanistan as well. Many faculty, staff, and students came out for the event. The comments of those giving speeches went right to the heart of why I am here today. I came to work excited this morning and am leaving work even more inspired. How often does that happen on a Monday? I think the most rousing and inspiring of speeches came from a student. Ali Babur Ghulam, the President of the Student Council, I should say the second President of the Student Council, spoke about what the library meant to him as a fellow student. Most importantly, however, what higher education meant to him. I am sure I will be getting to know Ali very well and I will share more about him later. He was very well spoken and his English was perfect. In his speech he said that he had been educated in primary and secondary school in the U.S. and returned to Afghanistan 3 years ago. I will find out more and share it later on I am sure. Well the day draws to an end literally.

The sun is setting and it is time to leave work. Thanks for reading. More later.

The Architecture of Walls

Something that I read or something I saw but it was said that everything in Afghanistan begins with the building of a wall. I hate to plagiarize and I really wish I could find that source to site as well as to perhaps tell me some of the background behind this particular part of the landscape of Kabul. I read so much in my preparation of coming to Afghanistan and even watched a movie that shared a bit of history of Kabul. The book and accompanying movie is banned here so I do not feel like I should post its name.

I am a history buff for those that do not know. Looking at the history of Afghanistan one can only think that, much like walls around castles in England and Europe it is part of the Afghan history. Unlike the castles who are crumbling one by one the walls remain in Kabul. Kabul and Afghanistan have long been a vital link between east and west. A link that was fought for rather heavily, at times dating back to the earliest days of written history. War was and is part of the culture and culture shapes climate as we learned in organizational history. Famous names such as Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great have all set foot in Afghanistan. The walls of Kabul could have protected from such a warring history. The walls in Kabul are not necessarily, however, to protect from the dangers of war. They are not blast walls as have I have read are becoming hated by many in so many countries which are needed but not necessarily liked security feature of new architecture. These are much less solid and would only slow down a modern day attacker. They might stop a round or two or better yet a stray round but as a former military guy I know they would only slow down a modern day weapons equipped soldier or insurgent for just a few moments.

The walls today are, however, there mostly to keep others out. Crime is here, or so they tell me. When you have economic conditions such as these you can only expect that some are forced to stealing to eat. This weekend I will try and take pictures as I am out and about. Before I left though, I saw the pictures online, in various blogs of which there are many, in the written and tv news but it is not the same. To see it first hand is the only way to feel it. You certainly feel the fact that the average salary is around 47 dollars a month and even doctors only make 80 dollars a month.*

As bad as it is outside though, the walls are very effective the city’s crime from entering. . Therefore walls continue to be a part of the Kabul landscape. They are most often high and you cannot even really tell what is beyond them except for some of the taller buildings. My guesthouse is a two story building that from the road you can barely make out the roof. We have a couple of taller buildings around us that I can make out a bit more especially from the courtyard area of Park Place but from the street you barely see one level or so of those buildings. To enter you must pass through a very heavy gate that I mentioned earlier and I am told that like ours many are guarded so one would have to get past a guard as well to enter the building. Only those that live there, authorized University personnel, and house staff are allowed through our gate. Likewise due to recent incidents in Kabul we are not allowed out either. That is without an approved travel plan, a driver, and an escort. That is a recent thing in the last few weeks. Prior to that folks could leave in pairs and walk around but now we cannot. I am not feeling like a caged animal yet though.

Well that is all for the day. Two posts in one day. WOW. I am sure the posts will trail off as I get busier and busier and one day when I start running out of things to say.

(*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Afghanistan)
(*http://www.vitalstatistics.info/search.asp?keyword=Afghanistan)

Travels and Day 1

D.C. to Dubai ----

I very much dreaded the long 12.5 hour flight. Very much dreaded it. I had wished even that I would have a layover in London or something. It would have added extra travel time but at least it would have been some stretch time. It was very much as pad as I thought it was. Luckily I got a Bulkhead seat on the Boeing 777 that provided some added leg room and 2 of the five seats were empty that provided extra room and there was a personal video screen that even provided my own choice of movies. I watched 3 of them. Wanted (Angelina Jolie movie), Diminished Capacity (Alan Alda, Mathew Broderick), and a movie that I just saw the DVD previews for Journey to the Center of the Earth (Brenden Fraiser). United also had a neat feature that lets you track your flight geographically and gives information about the flight. E.g. Airspeed (up to 680 mph) outside air temperature (UP TO -61 DEGREES) and altitude. That all eased the pain and I still was able to squeeze in a few minutes of catnapping but still……

Dubai ---

Having never traveled out of the country before I do not have anything to gauge the entry into Dubai but I can say an hour long line at passport control was painful after the above flight. I cannot say much about Dubai this go around because I only had a few hours there. It turned out that I was able to squeak 5.5 hours of sleep in. What I saw of Dubai from the air and the trip to the hotel it was everything I have heard, a desert resort. Fairly expensive desert resort but really not by D.C. standards. And it was beautiful. Oh and my driver both ways drove a new BMW seven series. WOW nice ride!!!!

Dubai to Kabul ---

I will associate long lines with Dubai for sure. I have waited longer to get on a plan before but that was just a couple years post 911 and during the big carry on bottle scare. But I saw why they told me to be at the airport 2 hours ahead of time. Yes 5 a.m. I was there. Up at 3:30 a.m. The flight to Kabul was packed. But it was a good flight.

The geography from Dubai to Kabul was very diverse and interesting to look at flying 40000 feet above. The landing into Kabul was everything that I expected for sure. Kabul sits in the valley between mountains. Very striking, steep, and sharply jagged mountains. Kabul sits narrow valley along the Kabul River, overlooked by the Asmai and Sherdawaza mountain ranges, in the east-central part of the country. It sits at approximately 1800 feet and is definitely has a dry arid climate that is effected by the mountains. The flight for sure is very affected by the mountains as the plan makes a series of pretty hard turns on its downward path to Kabul. Good thing that it had not been long since I had flown prior to this one. Although the sharp corkscrew like turns were very smooth they could have been fairly nerve wracking otherwise.

My arrival in Kabul was very surreal. Almost déjà vu like. I had done so much research, had watched a recommended movie (The Kite Runner), etc. It was just as I read about. It is a city effected by many years of on again and off again war. Even further back than the Russian occupation, followed most recently by the Taliban and subsequent NATO war with said Kabul and Afghanistan history is marked by war. From burned out and blown up buildings to an ever present force of security both from Afghan security forces, U.N. Security forces, and Blackwater, contracted security all armed. I even saw an armed posse of DEA yes U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration folks at the airport watching those of us coming into the country. There was probably an even greater show of force as it seemed we had a few dignitaries, from the reception, on our flight. Attorney General of Aghanistan, Abdul Jabar Sabet, among them.

How can I tell you what I saw beginning as early as I was exiting customs at the airport? Extreme poverty are two words that I can use to describe the vision that unfolded before me. As soon as I left customs folks young, old, etc. were attempting to carry my bags for me. Hordes of folks. Literally every where I went. Finally after going two hundred or so yards with about 175 lbs of bags, I gave in to an older gentleman who quoted me 2 dollars American to take them the rest of the way (probably about ½ mile) to the vehicle sent to pick me up.

Off to the road, if you can call it that. No lane markings, if you are lucky there is a median separating the folks from hitting head on but in many cases the median is not there. They just drive, trying to respect the rights of each other, but the main roads are very wide and there were up to three to four vehicles forging their way to destinations all around. The roads are fairly smooth UNTIL you leave the main thoroughfares and then they become kidney busters. It is there you are in the neighborhoods and see the real Kabul. Poverty, street beggars, people living in amazingly poor conditions. You know the big storage things they rent out and can put on a train and trains transport many across the U.S.? Googling them they are called train/sea storage containers. Those make "nice" homes for a few Afghans. Many others, however, are relegated to tents, lean-tos, junk yards, etc.

I was taken today to the grocer and as soon as I was exiting the store and getting into the vehicle to come to the house at least ½ dozen children descended on me. Maybe it was the color of my skin, my dress, the fact that I had a driver and escort, but they descended on the Range Rover like flies on sugar. Finally, and this struck me very sharply, I do feel safe here. I am safe here. 5 of us live in a house with armed guards. Yes, armed. I knew they were armed but I expected maybe 9 mm handguns strapped to their hip, however, I was shocked as both times we pulled into Park Place (yes the name of my new home) that a guard dressed in a very official security uniform met us holding an AK-47 complete with fixed bayonet covering the road with finger on the trigger for us. I really did not expect that degree of armed welcome. You can imagine how I felt at first sight of the heavily armed man. I really did not know what was up until he waived us inside the walls of my new home and then followed behind us and locked the heavy gates. I will write about walls in my next web log. I do feel safe but it is somewhat alarming even after 14 plus years in the military, to live in a place where a fully armed guard is needed.

Well enough for Day 1, Kabul……More Later.