Back in DC Safe and Not Too Sound

I must say that the dreaded snow storm of December 2009 put major cramps in my trip home. What craziness. It did not help, either, that I had this insane flight arranged by our travel office. Kabul -- Dubai -- Zurich -- Geneva -- Dulles. I heard about the snow storm early as it was all over the news, etc. From Kabul I watched as it beared down on Virginia, specifically Northern Virginia on the edge of my seat. After over 2.5 years in NOVA I knew that the weather men/women often are wrong and it goes north of the D.C. Metro area. However, for once, the weather forecasters were right. They said 12-24 inches and record snow falls and it happened. It seems, however, that everyone else, including road workers, etc. knew about it. I was really surprised at how quickly they worked compaired to previous experience in my tenure here. I arrived to see mostly cleared roads. It was not just all the major thoroughfairs. I guess a little planning goes a long way. I was impressed.

Well at least it was all but airport planners. Airports closing? What is up with that? We took off an hour late in Geneva, giving Dulles time to open and assess the Dulles situation as our scheduled take off in Geneva was just before Dulles' scheduled reopening time, 6 a.m. So we waited to get the thumbs up and then were off. The airplane was absolutely full, a product of the closing the day before, I was told. We even had about 6-10 folks on standby get left behind in Geneva for the next day's flight. A full plane does not equate well to good service or even a pleasent flight. On a 10 hour flight that is not too fun. They did not run out of food, as I have seen happen before, but they did run out of softdrinks and any other drinks but beer and water. I also was crammed into a normal seat as all the exit rows and bulkhead seats were taken before I got to check in at Dubai. Which for a 6'6" dude that aint to fun. I was seated next to a kiddo but that did not turn out too bad as he behaved mostly ok. Still, it was pretty much 10 hours of my own personal hell regardless. Every hour or so I tried to stand, though, and walk around. It worked out ok. I did not die, at least until landing.

The pilot did a great job of catching our time up in route. He actually made up 45 minutes of the time we were delayed so we were only 15 minutes late. Not bad for an intercontinental flight, eh? The delay, however, came after we landed. The pilot reported, after we got on the ground that a plan was at our gate and would have to be moved and that we would have a 30 minute delay on the tarmac. Ok, I could deal with 30 minutes. He and the rest of the crew were very apologetic and even allowed us up to go to the bathroom, walk around, etc. However, no soft drinks and the water faded very fast. At about 20 minutes in, the pilot came on and told us that Dulles was severely understaffed, as there folks could not get to work and that it was going to be maybe 30 more minutes. 15-20 minutes later again, then again, then again. All in all that 30 minutes turned into over 2.5 hours, almost 3 hours on the tarmac with a plane full of folks ready to get off after a 10 hour flight. Even though the did let us up and down, it still got to be pretty chaotic with kids running crazy, folks fussing, talking on cell phones, etc. We were told at one time, that there were only a few gates international flights could go to that directed to customs and passport control. Under normal circumstances they would pull us close enough to get a people mover out there, the pilot said. However, Dulles did not have enough folks that had made it to work therefore they could not send us a people mover. My question is, why did they not put employees up close by or even in the airport and keep them there. Not like they would not have plenty of food, etc. Poor planning = pure hell!

When finally we did get off the plan we also found that Homeland Security was not prepared either and it was over an hour wait in that line. So for a flight that landed at 3:30, I left the airport at almost 8 p.m. I calculated the hours from the previous days start in Kabul and it was over 36 hours from the time I left the guesthouse in Kabul and arrived at my destination in Northern Virginia. The trip from hell was over, though!

Monday, I went and saw my customized bike that I had done while I was gone. I must say I am very pleased. It makes me sad that I will only see it for a few weeks before going back. However, she and I will get pretty close with the planned road trip you have read about. Things are still on schedule and I am off tomorrow for Florida. Woo hooo!

Just Over A Week

So things are winding down here.  I will be home in just over a week.  It's about time.  Almost 6 months since I was on U.S. soil.  Wow.  So I guess you are wondering about my plans.  I have a heck of a ride planned.  It starts by me and the bike getting on Autotrain in Lorton, VA then down south for some warm or at least warmer riding weather.  I know it is too much to hope for but I am really hoping that the long ride will make me not want to ride for a while. 

Anyone want to join me?

Hope to see at least a few of you while I am there.  Boy will you get a surprise if you happen to catch me on my bike.  She is looking totally different for sure!  Talking about a dream mashine.  See you all soon!

A Long Semester - 3 Weeks and 2 Days Left

What a crazy semester it has been here. First we started only to have Ramadan which was an experience like no othere, then a full month of activity then in case you have not read they shut down all schools, public and private, for the Swine Flu. Speculation was that the shutdown was political as it came the day after they announced Karzai as the victor in the Presidential election and not wanting a repeat of the student protests in Iran the easiest way was to break up the crowds by closing the universities and throwing everyone in a panic. Regardless of the reason crowds were dispersed indeed and the new fashion statement in Kabul became the little green medical masks. We still had to work though as it was not a holiday and work we did.

On Monday classes resumed for two days only to be interrupted again for the Eid and Thanksgiving break. If you recall last year, I blogged about Thanksgiving. We had the usual three day weekend but then the next week we had Eid. Well the Muslim calendar is shorter than the English calendar so Eid this year immediately followed Thanksgiving so we have 5 days off.

Last year I blogged about the wonderful Thanksgiving meal we had. It was really great but we did not have turkey. Well the folks that put on Thanksgiving last year are not around so no one picking up that torch, I took on the role. I organized Thanksgiving at our guesthouse and guess what, we had Turkey, Turkey, and literally more Turkey. This year the markets had Turkey breast and whole Butterball turkeys so had three whole turkeys and a huge breast. I smoked the breast and two of the turkeys and a couple colleagues roasted the other. Along with it we had all of the traditional trimmings and a few extras. It was wonderful. All in all we crammed about 30 folks into our living room. We had room out in the foyer but folks wanted to all hang out together so cram we did. It was really great. However, today as I write this I am still tired. I guess I worked hard.

The day started yesterday at about 5:15 a.m. when I lit the smoker. Winter has come to Kabul and it was about 20 degrees, yes Fahrenheit, here. In fact, the water that I was soaking the wood was partially frozen and ice cold. So I got the turkeys ready, even though the were still solid blocks of ice. I guess they had hard frozen them for the trip to Kabul. I got them on about 6:00 and ensured they were cooking well. I then laid down for a few hours and got up around 11 and started going. I went for about 13 hours and got to bed at 12:00 a.m. warn out.

When I woke up this morning I was still worn out. We had cleaning to do though so I thought it time to get going. We cleaned last night but there were still dishes to do that we really did not feel like doing after the full days work. However, by the time I drug my self up, one of my housemates was already started on them. I noticed he had the door closed, had his radio on, and was going to town, so I did not disturb. I layed back down and got some more rest. By the time I, and the rest of my housemates got up he had finished the job and done so well. Thanks to him we did not have to do dishes. YES! All in all it was a great Thanksgiving and everyone was appreciative that I had organized it and that the house had shown them the hospitality of hosting it.

Yes, it has been a long semester but only a short while left. 3 weeks and 2 days and I will be off to Northern Virginia and a 4 week break. Counting the days.

 

One Year Today

Well one year ago today I arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan.  It is hard to believe. 

I am sure you have all heard that there were no elections this past week. However, I had my escaper the lockdown plans already in place, therefore, I still jumped to Dubai, despite only haven been there a couple of weeks back. After all, I am sure you have heard the news; things have been pretty stressful in Kabul. First the big U.N. attack and then the country was informed by the Ministries of Health and Education that all public and private institutions would be closed for 3 weeks due to H1N1 virus. Many speculate that the closure was election related and meant more to control public gatherings than to prevent the spread of Swine Flu but who knows. It sure put a shock in the people. The green masks are now what I consider the latest Kabul fashion statement. Though the numbers of H1N1 reports are relatively low and mostly isolated to military bases all of were closed. Thus the speculation of politics came into play. After all they did not want an Iran repeat. You cannot imagine he scramble of dealing with a shutdown with no notice! With hotel being reserved and flights paid for, I went for the trip to Dubai.

Dubai was much cooler than even in September when I passed through. Although still humid, temperatures hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat index though made it feel 7 to 10 degrees hotter during the day, although the evenings were pretty nice. Still warm enough to be in the pool and at least one of the days I took full advantage and lay around poolside for a few hours taking a dip now and then to cool off.

I stayed at a different hotel than usual and in a different area. It was quite a nice break. The hotel was not too far off the Dubai Metro which is now about 1/2 open but running. It goes end to end of one of its routes but many stations are not open yet. I did utilize it at least one day for the heck of it. I must admit it was a great ride, although I went the wrong way on it, going quite some way out. It was super clean including all the stations and best of all is much better air conditioned than the D.C. Metro. It was actually a very pleasant experience.

Beside the great location, the hotel was overall pretty nice. It featured 3 restaurants included in which was the Sherlock Holmes English Pub, a quaint little dining/drinking pub. The pub had a live cover band which was made up of two Philippinos. The music was o.k. for the most part. But they really should stay away from the country and southern rock genres. You southern rockers out there can truly appreciate how my skin crawled when I heard Skynard being sung by a Philippino female. Their rendition of Dixie Chicks was also pretty darn terrible.

As usual, I ate American Food and shopped and walked. I hung out a bit with my friend Kevin, who taught in Kabul last semester, but deserted us this year for Sharjah. Each night a couple of his colleagues joined us for the food and fun.

It was not quite Deja Vu as I got on the plane to Kabul for my anniversary trip today. I am now the experienced Kabuli but I could not help but smile as a few newbies were headed my same way, all wide eyed and full of the same up and down feelings I had one year ago today. Oh and yes, contrary to the news about the U.N. decision this past week, folks are still arriving, new contractors are coming, etc. I do admit the shock that winter is settling in sure hit home after leaving warm Dubai and coming to Kabul where he high today was around 50 with a pretty stiff cool breeze coming off fresh snow powdered mountains. Brrrrrr

All Is Well

Thanks to those that have contacted me in regard to the attack on the UN guesthouse yesterday.  Yes, all is well.  Things were a bit tense for a while yesterday morning but I was unaffected other than our transportation and movement in the city is relatively limited. 

The AP photo below that many of you have seen provides an excellent terms of reference (clickable to make it a little larger) .  If you look to the right of the background that is T.V. mountain that I have mentioned several times in my here.  There is a pass between it and the mountain on the left.  Both mountains have the ruins of the old Kabul city walls, known as Sher-e Darwaza which translates to Lion's Gate, the -e being equal to the english 's .  In fact the mountain on the left is often refered to as Sher-e Darwaza Mountain.  To get to where I live and work one must pass between these mountains and I live and work about 3-5 miles on the other side of Sher-e Darwaza Mountain.  Therefore we are actually a seperate part, a suburb if you will, of Kabul.  We actually sit outside what was Kabul originally.   Needless to say we could not hear nor see any of what happened yesterday. 

So all is o.k.  This, however, makes my plans to vacate for the runoff lockdown even stronger. 

Deported!

For those that have not heard, I was deported this week.  Yes, deported from Afghanistan!  Really it was more of a formality and I got a free trip to Dubai as a result but it was a major pain to do so suddenly.  You see, a number of us had visas that were either Tourist or Visitor by type and to renew we had to leave the country. Thus those were deported, including myself.   It was not a pleasent adventure as I had to represent the University and sit and chat with the folks at the Afghan Consulate, including the Consular General.  There I had to listen to all sorts of things including that they were concerned that our tuition was too high and we were neglecting the poor by charging such.  However, state run education is still in effect here for those that qualify.  It is only those that desire an American education that come to us.  All in all it was a political game.  I was shocked to see almost as many photos of Karzai's opponent as the President of the country himself.  

Dubai was expensive Dubai as always.   I got my share of American food but blew too much cash in the process.  It was a relaxing adventure, though in the end and I came home with some goodies for the house and the kitchen.  No, I could not bring myself to break down to get a good T.V.  Oh well next time, perhaps. 

While I was away I see Afghanistan is in the news big time.  A 6.2 earthquake and a runoff election looms near.  If you will check back at my "Lockdown" blog you will see what happened last time we had an election.  If that happens again, needless to say, I am outa here.  Dubai again?  Maybe!

A couple of weeks ago a friend picked me up a very neat patch at one of the local bazaars.  Of course, it is a knock off as is obvious to the Harley folks out there,   but all of you biker friends, Harley and otherwise,  nevertheless will agree that it is pretty neat! I wish there were such a place though.  Although, I am sure, the would get all my money. 

What Have I Been Saying ........

Another interesting article that backs up many of the things I have blogged about! 

International / Asia Pacific

Civilian Goals Largely Unmet in Afghanistan

By ELISABETH BUMILLER and MARK LANDLER

Published: October 12, 2009

Obama administration officials say the U.S. is falling far short of the president’s goals to fight corruption, create a functioning government and train a police force.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/world/asia/12civil.html

A Very Interesting Story On Weddings

A while back I posted some photos of a wedding that I was fortunate enough to attend.  It was a gala event but as I sat there I wondered about the cost of weddings in Afghanistan.  We often here the phrase from men, "I canot afford to get married."  In the U.S. that means one thing but here it is a stark reality.  One of the students in my Spring Semester class has written an excellent article on the cost of weddings in Afghansitan published on the AUAF Free Press website.  (http://auaffreepress.com/?p=1177)

A memory of happiness – but at a high cost


Posted on 12 October 2009 by JDanish



By Jamil Dnish

October 2009 – Jawad Kohistani is sitting on a red sofa, looking pale and anxious, sipping a cup of green tea to steady his nerves.



The hotel manager is counting the number of guests Jawad plans on inviting to his wedding next week. He’s stamping every single invitation card Jawad has provided.





Photo by Freshta Dunya



But Jawad has a problem: he has no way to limit the number of guests. He wants to invite everyone and he’s very concerned about the expenses for 500 guests. “What discount will you give me for the 500 guests I have invited,” asked Jawad. The hotel manager tries to explain that he can only provide 10 free tickets per 100 guests. “I also would like you stamp some 20 blank invitation cards in case we have forgotten some guests,” said Jawad. In total, Jawad expects almost 600 guests to come to his wedding party, which will cost him $3,000 alone for the food and.



In Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, bridegrooms are expected to pay not only for their weddings, but also for all the related expenses, including big pre-wedding ceremonies. Shafi, who is a university student, is having his wedding bill picked up by his father. The total cost will exceed $20,000 which includes decorations, flowers, clothes and car hire.”



Competition among families raises the cost of weddings,” said Shafi. Shafi’s wedding will take place at the Oranoos wedding hall in Kabul, in two vast banquet rooms, one for the men and the other for the women. Afghan custom dictates that men and women are separated at weddings.



The big day is one of great activity for the family and involves a gathering of all the relatives, distant cousins and friends. The menu features 15 dishes including kebabs grilled on skewers, fish, chicken, meatballs, lamb, stewed vegetables and normally three kinds of rice, kaboli palaw, orange palaw and plain palaw all cooked with meat and served with at least two kinds of fresh fruit. (Can you make this last sentence more succinct?)



The host tries to put as much as food on the table as possible as part of the wedding tradition, even though the majority of the food usually ends up in the trash (American English). Half of the cost of every wedding goes into the hiring wedding of halls and catering.



Wedding halls are making a small fortune every week. “Aros Shahr” or the City Bride Wedding Hall in Kabul, which is actually one of the less popular wedding halls, holds a wedding every day. The actual cost of each wedding is determined by the number of guests and the type of menu. “It depends on the host of the ceremony. It can cost you from 150,000 Afg ($ 3,000) to 500,000 Afg ($ 10,000) just for the food,” explained Fahim Hakimi, the manager of the City Bride Wedding Hall. “On average a wedding hall in Kabul is making up to $ 20,000 a week,” Fahim admitted.



But since the Taliban regime was ousted in 2001, the Afghan wedding industry has sprung up and is now bigger than ever. The average guest list for a wedding ceremony often reaches 700 people and you can expect some 200 gate-crashers on top of that. The biggest weddings can exceed 2,000 people in number. The wedding halls in Kabul, most of them built in the last six years, stand out in the city with their mirrored green and blue glass and blinking decorated lights towering over the city’s dusty streets. The indoor halls feature mirrored walls and on the outside the neon lighting is powered by generators because there’s no guarantee of electricity in Kabul most of the time.

“The number of registered wedding halls in Kabul alone has reached 68 and that’s growing,” said Haji Abdul Salam the head of hotels at Kabul Municipality. That is seven times the number of wedding halls that there were in 2001. The names of the halls usually offer an idea of romance and glamour which can be more hopeful than realistic: An Evening in Paris Wedding Hall, the Aria Seven Stars Wedding Hall, the City Bride Wedding Hall, the Unique Palace and others.

Bridegrooms and their families end up organizing huge wedding ceremonies and then place themselves in huge debt for years afterwards.



As a day laborer Jawad makes about US$ 250 a month, but he’s already spent US$ 5,000; that excludes the expense of feeding another 550 guests on the wedding day which will inflate the price to US$ 9,000. He claims to have borrowed more than half of the total amount.



“My relatives, friends and family members have lent me money so I have to pay every single penny back,” Jawad said.



Asked how it felt to hand over the equivalent of 36 times his monthly salary, he replied: “The payment allowed the marriage to happen. Only a memory is left, a memory of happiness,” he exclaimed.

The Funk

So, I have really been in a funk lately. Cannot seem to snap out of it. I had hoped Bangkok would help but, honestly, I just made it worse. What can I do to break out of this?

BANGKOK

Well Bangkok has been on my bucket list for a long time. So having checked it off the list, I cannot say I am disappointed. I went there for night life and for shopping and checking it out and that was accomplished. I must say I was totally impressed by the room. $50/night and it was tops let me tell you. From a very comfortable bed to the distinctly understated Asian décor it was wonderful. The whole bathroom was even encased in glass. Great place. I fully recommend the Park Plaza in Bangkok.

After over half the first day was spent recovering from jet lag, off I went. Not being able to walk about in Kabul, I still got out and walked my first day. Wish I had a pedometer to know how far but from charting it on Google Maps, I walked about 6 miles. My impressions? Bangkok is a fairly dirty city. Poor sidewalks and street smells does not make it too enjoyable to walk in. Not to mention the fact that even in September it is a sauna. The city streets are also heavily cabled over head. I do not thing, at least in the parts I saw, they have figured the aesthetic or other advantages of burying cable underground. For a photographer, it makes it very hard to get good pics without hundreds of cables running through the pictures.

I was staying in the legendary Sukumvitt area of Bangkok which is well known for being lined with shops, street vendors, etc. It was really wonderful. The downside, once again, the smell of the street, and the smell of the food. For those that know me, you will be aware of this, but after a big illness one time with oriental food, I find the odor not too pleasing. Of course in a city that is supposed to have one of the largest number street vendors, including food, it is near impossible to avoid. Especially so, in an Asian city. So for one with an aversion to the odor that was not too pleasant. The other street vendors were very interesting. From faux designer clothes, to Asian art, and even a shop of road side sexual aids, it was neat to just walk and check them out. In the end, I was my typical cheap self and did not buy any junk to bring home, other than a few picture post cards.

Did I mention it was steamy? By the time I had finished my jaunt I was soaked. So much so I went back to the hotel before heading out to take a shower and cool off. Also, the other down side to Bangkok was a big one for me. No Mountain Dew. None, notta, zilch. In my trek I stopped at several convenience stores and 7-11’s, yes they have them, all to no avail. Not a drop of Dew in Bangkok. 4 days and three nights Dewless. The lack of caffeine did not aid in my jet lag either. Who would have thought, Kabul Afghanistan has dew but not in a much more modern place like Bangkok. But I managed.

The nightlife in Bangkok has been written about, filmed in movies, etc. The one reason I really chose Bangkok was that it was on my bucket list. The second, was to get out of the repressed Muslim countries and just get out and have a good time. That I did. The first night I just went place to place that was on the lists. I walked around the hotel for a couple of hours diving in the pubs, bars, and even a roof top chill bar. Then when that got a bit dry, I hopped a cab and hit two other places. Unfortunately it was a Monday night so nothing was REALLY hopping or worth writing about but the places I visited are some of the hottest Asian clubs. Oft visited by famous folks, rock stars and bands, and even famous disc jockeys, I hit 5 or 6 on the list, traveling around Bangkok via taxi at night. Much like many things in Bangkok, taxis are cheap. The most I paid all the time I was there, excluding the trip to and fro the airport, was 100 Thai Bhatt. That may seem like a lot but the exchange rate is about 34 Bhatt to the U.S. Dollar. So less than $3 for a taxi ride clear across town. The down side, the Taxi drivers do not speak good English. Luckily, however, I had read up on it and had taken all the addresses with me. In fact, the hotel was nice enough to even give me a card with the directions printed in Thai for ease in return. Even though, on several occasions the drivers had to ask someone that spoke better English for the translation from English addresses to Thai.

The second day, I was off early. Well at least early for someone who had been out late the night before. Since I had stayed local for shopping on Monday, I decided to venture out. Two places always on my list when available are Hard Rock Café and the Harley-Davidson dealer. They were first on the list. The Harley dealer, I had found out through my research on the net, has a quaint little café attached to it so since I missed breakfast I decided it would be first. It was not a huge place, but believe it or not, it was bigger than the dealer in Dubai. More clothes, more bikes, a full service department. After picking up a some Harley-Davidson Bangkok swag, and eating a bite for lunch, it was off to Hard Rock. I have visited Hard Rock Cafés all over the U.S. Bangkok’s was something to behold. It has its own building and is a beautiful place.

In the same area of town as was the Hard Rock Café also sat the biggest retail shopping areas in Bangkok. It is actually several shopping centers and malls all connected by ramps over the traffic. Oh did I mention Bangkok traffic? That is notorious as well. Some of the worst in the world they tell me. Also situated amongst the centers was the Thai cultural arts center. Although I did not go in, it had some interesting sculpture outside. MBK is the biggest mall in Bangkok. I thought I had seen big malls in the U.S. this thing was huge. Compared to malls in the Northern Virginia Area, namely Tysons, and the outlandishly huge ones in Dubai, I would say it was a bit smaller as far as square footage. But what do you want in a city that is full of sky scrapers. This mall goes up instead of out, 8 stories up, in fact, and boasts more shops per square foot than any I have seen. Each floor is packed with not only stores but maze after maze of kiosks. Like Dubai, the mall is zoned by type of shop, and is easy to negotiate, but for the casual mall stroller, it would probably be too much. Not too many old folks walking the mall in this place The other centers, however, were more typical to U.S. type malls. In the end I settled for just a nice western, if Outback is western, style meal of pork ribs, which of course we cannot get in the Islamic world. Yum.

On the way back to the hotel, I surmised that with the traffic it would take me hours. It was hot and steamy again, with storm clouds looming as well, so I took the better option, the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Sky Train. What is the Sky Train? Well rather than burrow a metro system underground, the Sky Train is above ground and better yet above all the traffic. Even with a missed train change, I was back at the hotel in 30 minutes and for only 25 Thai Bhatt (less than one USD). Although when I realized I missed the change and that it was the 5:00 rush hour, thus as in the U.S. a packed train, I second guessed myself, it still was an experience in and of itself. Luckily, with my acrophobia there were no windows to look out of or I might not be praising it too much.

My second full night in Bangkok, what to do. Well after a shower, again to wash the sweat away, I started dozing. Then I looked out the window to see a rain shower had descended upon us. With an early morning departure, I almost wrote it off. But about 9:00 p.m. I was getting hungry again. At first I could not figure out why, and almost said forget it and even went as far as turning off the lights to go to sleep. Then I thought, my stomach was still on Kabul time which was 4 hours behind. Lunch was actually at breakfast time and dinner at lunch time. My Kabul clock was telling me it was time for dinner. So I threw on some shorts, sandals, and a shirt and off I went. The closest was a McDonalds. I know, I am in Thailand, and I eat at McDonalds. Well the one I really miss in Kabul is American Fast food so McDonalds is a likely choice. I also find it an interesting cultural review looking at the McD’s menu in different countries because it is all different than we are used to. In Thailand it was very different. Fried Chicken, a quarter pound pork sandwich, and even fish and chips, all graced the Bangkok McDonald’s menu. So Macky Dee’s was an adventure in and of itself.

After a double cheese meal, and the fact that the weather had cooled off thanks to the rain, as I walked back to the hotel I could not help but think that I was in Bangkok and it would be a shame to let that go to waste. But where to go. Bangkok is much known for its Go-Go girl scene that actually started when U.S. Servicemen used Bangkok for R&R time during WWII and more so, Vietnam. Khao San Road was the famous place then but since that time it has expanded to include Pat Pong, Nana Entertainment Center, and Soi (the Thai name for Street) Cowboy. I also knew that the Thai government had also cleaned up the Go-Go clubs, and they were simply that. No nudity, no prostitution, at least in the clubs, and no drugs. In fact the club areas are frequently raided and everyone in the clubs are drug screened on the spot. In fact, I had read that the clubs were reminiscent of the 60’s clubs in the states. I had heard that Soi Cowboy was, in fact, just two blocks out of the way, on my route to the hotel. So what the heck, when in Rome. Soi Cowboy was easy to find. Just follow the trail of men headed that way. When I got there I was greeted by tons of neon displaying club names like the Dollhouse, Long Gun, Our Place, Rawhide, Shark, and Spice Girls. Literally 40 or 50 go-go clubs lined the small street. I debated but finally decided to go in one to check it out. It was everything I expected. Stages lined with girls dancing away, some of them more enthusiastic than others. Guys lining the stages and seats around the place it was so packed, in fact, that I almost left due to the lack of seating but finally I found a chair in the corner. As I sat there and took it all in, I saw that there was this subculture there. Girls would dance, then come out and flirt with the guys, with the guys buying them lady drinks, then many of the girls would go back up for another “shift.” Then I saw the underbelly of the scene. Indeed prostitution does not go on in the club, but as I soon found out, it goes on. After about the second or third round of girls getting up on stage one of the cuter girls that had just excited wandered over to me. She flirted, asking my name, where I was from, etc. Then all of a sudden she asked where I was staying while in Bangkok. That was a bit TMI for a simple exchange of words so I enquired. She said she wanted to go back to my hotel with me. Kind of forward in any environment so I dug a bit deeper. She told me if I paid the 600 Bhatt “bar fine” for taking a girl out of the club and paid her 2000 Bhatt that she would go back to the hotel for whatever. So there is a sex trade that still goes on behind the scenes. Well she seemed a bit put off when I turned her down. I decided that I had my Go-Go experience, even though short, and it was really not my scene, it was time to go back and hit the hay for a long day of travel on Wednesday.

All in all the trip was an adventure. I wish I had had more time to do some of the touristy type of things like the Bridge on the River Kwai trip or the temple tour trip, etc. But I had to settle for what I could get in during the few days I could be there. All in all it was O.K. I would go back but for a longer stay and including a trip to what I here are some beautiful beaches on the Thai coasts, maybe even the short jump to Cambodia and/or Vietnam. It sure beat another week in the ultra expensive UAE, though. The travel was probably the worse part, but thanks to Justin, my housemate, who had done a similar trip a couple years ago. Justin had advised me that he had a long layover in Doha and had paid the few bucks to do the Oryx lounge. Well with eight hour layovers both ways I did so on both occasions. It is nice, quiet, clean, has free wi-fi, all the sodas and finger foods one could desire, and even has a smoking room that is well ventilated and even has several air purifiers going, so there is not a fog of second hand smoke looming at eye level. Well worth the few bucks it costs and far more relaxing than the main terminal. Although I used it to catch a few zzz’s on the way to Bangkok, after an 8 hour flight coming back, it is I think even more enjoyable.

I did not take as many pics as I had hoped but below you can see a few.

Eid ul-Fitr

Counting weekends we have 9 days off for Eid ul-Fitr. What is Eid ul-Fitr or Eid as it is abbreviated? Well the month preceding Eid is the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month in which Muslim's fast. Each and every day from sun up to sun down Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and anything that is considered in excess or ill natured. Each evening they take Iftar. Iftar is often done as a large extended family or community. (Source:Wikipedia.com)

Ramadan has been an interesting thing for me. School schedules were adjusted to allow for Iftar breaks so students could break their fast. Also Ramadan is such a big deal that folks do not do much of anything including activities on campus. So it was a huge adjustment in what is normally a busy month for college Student Affairs folks. A true learning experience.

So I have a few days off. What am I going to do? Well, since it is our only chance to do so until Thanksgiving at the earliest, I decided to get out of Kabul. Where to go? My initial thought was just get to Dubai and hang there, eat Western food, and all that good stuff. Well Eid ul-Fitr translates from Arabic a Festivity of Breaking a Fast so festivities abound all around the Islamic world. That translates into also the time that the hotel rates go from the HOT summer rates back to the "normal" rates. So to stay in Dubai is a bit on the expensive side. So I thought what to do? I could pay about $400 in hotels and just roam Dubai again or I could take advantage and go somewhere else. I decided what I was really in the mood for was some get out of the Muslim world, let my hair down, and go somewhere with a nightlife. So once again, where to go? I happened to click on one of the offers from one of the major airlines out of Dubai and there it was. A city with a world renowned night life; BANGKOK. Wouldn't you know as well, Bangkok, Thailand is on my bucket list of places to visit. The cost including roundtrip airfare and hotel for 3 nights was not much over the cost of the hotel for the same period in Dubai. It took a bit of thinking but I did it.

Well there is a catch to every deal. Right? I did not really notice it when I hit "Book It" on Expedia.com but the catch to this one was a layover in Doha, Qatar. A 7.5 hour overnight layover. So here I sit at 3:30 a.m. with four more hours to kill in the Doha airport. Oh well, I will arrive in Bangkok tomorrow evening their time groggy from the road but a good night's sleep and I will have two full days of Bangkok fun. Although this layover sucks to say the least, in the end I think it will be worth it.

Oh, and the trip started off well. Pamir Airlines out of Kabul was doing a "lottery" of boarding passes. Me never being the lucky one just through mine in and put my headphones back on. I saw them give away a few lower prizes but when it came time for the grand prize of $180 I did not even see them draw. Then the flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder to make sure the name on the boarding pass was mine. Surprise, I won the big prize. WOW, what a way to start a trip!

Photos, of course, to come....

Support The Effort In Afghanistan

I am reading the news that the tide is turning on public opinion about Afghanistan. I do not blame the public. Really I do not. I do blame the press who does not tell the whole story, only the negative parts. Though it has been a long drawn out ordeal. The death toll is climbing by the day. So really, even without the negativity in the media, I cannot blame the American public.

Here is what I can tell you from the ground in Afghanistan. Troops are not the answer. Do not get me wrong. Those that know me, know I support out troops 100 percent. I did my 14+ years in the service so I know what it is all about. Don't stop supporting out troops that fight here and die here or any where else in the world. Support those that are here with every inch of your being. However, once again troops on not the answer.

Let me explain. The average, per capita, monthly income of an Afghan that is lucky enough to have a job is less than the average teenager working at McDonald's makes in less than two weeks. Yes, less than a part timer earning minimum wage makes in just over a week. Even in a country such as this that does not put food on the table. The Taliban, therefore, are very attractive. They guarantee you will be well fed, that your family will be well fed, that you all have a roof over your head, and that in the likely event of your death your family will continue to be cared for. Crazy as it seems for some it is an attractive offer.

Almost 100 percent of things bought and sold in Afghanistan are imported. There is no sustainable infrastructure here. There is no industry to speak of. It is not that the resources to create industry is not here. It is. However, much of the industry was knocked out by the Russians and by the civil war that followed. There are no resources to help rebuild that industry. Schools, as well, are in shambles. Many without proper educational facilities and even books and supplies. That is what needs to be invested in rather than bringing more troops.

I am told it takes about three hundred and twenty thousand dollars per year to support one deployed soldier. That is per individual soldier. 2 squads of soldiers over 3 million. A platoon over 12 million, a company, over 24 million, and a brigade....well the numbers are out there. Billions and billions of dollars it takes to support the war efforts here. Hearts and minds were never won with guns and carnage let me tell you. But build them roads, schools, infrastructure, and industry and that will win them over.

I just watched Charlie Wilson's War AGAIN the other night. The scene near the very end really showed it well. Wilson was able to talk them into giving him millions and millions to help the Mujaheddin oust the Russians. Then after it was done he went back for a million or so to build schools and the scoffed at him. To quote the line that was at the very end of the movie, These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we f***ed up the endgame. We let the country go to hell.

As we have seen even in the U.S., when things go bad folks turn to religion and even extremism. Such is Afghanistan. They tell me of, and I have seen pictures of, the days when Kabul was glorious. An absolutely beautiful city and a center of culture and education. It was still an Islamic country then but one that was a progressive one. Then the Russians came, then the civil war and it all went to pot. Simply because we messed up the endgame. Support the troops here but also support the non military efforts. They are what will win this war. I am telling you first hand as the man on the ground.

L'Atmosphere

Just a short post. One of the favorite hangouts in Kabul is a place called L'Atmosphere (abbreviated L'Atmo). I found an article recently posted at The Times Online a U.K. publication that shares a bit of history of the place. I think you will find it interesting reading.

(One Of My Photos From A Night Out At L'Atmo)

Election Week Lockdown

So, if any of you recall around December last year, I wrote of our lockdown and how miserable that was. Well that was nothing. We are coming out today from a 5 day total lockdown. Not even movement between houses. Rats in a cage we have been. Though, let me tell you, I do not think I would have made it through without having such a cool house. We actually tried to turn it into a little bit of fun. Movies on the porch, a bbq one evening, it was ok. However, the caged feeling was still here and wow was it tough.

If you have read about all the turmoil, though, you would know it was for a good reason as do I. 73 attacks across Afghanistan during election and some big ones even here in Kabul leading up to the elections. Therefore, I cannot fault our security for being extra cautions. We even had two extra guards at the house and a driver with car in case we had to make a hasty exit. I do fault these violent extremists though. If it were not for them we would not have been locked down.

In the end all was ok. We were not even close enough to hear any of the stuff going on in the city. Realistically there is a mountain between us and the city so we are sort of sepperated. In many cities in the U.S., technically we would be a suburb of Kabul as we are about 10 miles from the city's center. However, Kabul is the name of the city proper and within that city are different areas. We happen to be in one of the furthest from the center of town. So we are all safe and sound and glad like you would not believe that this 5 day period is over.

If Only Life Would Slow Down A Bit

Ok, over the nine month hump and now rapidly approaching the 1/2 mark in my contract. You can read about and prepare yourself for working in conditions such as Afghanistan and like places. You can overcome homesickness, missing friends and family, and in my case in particular, missing your motorcycle and the life thereof. That is all mental. The one thing that is very physical is the click, click, click of life's clock. Not getting older or anything, have you but life and the things that come along in life continue to move on despite being thousands of miles away from home. It is not like you can hop on a quick plane trip. I am in fact isolated from that world and am forced to look upon it from afar. The news from the U.S. is one thing. A new President trying to find his way, the economic struggles, the every day ups and downs of the daily news. What is hard to deal with is one's personal life continues to move on and each time the opportunity arises to come home it is like a whole new world.

9 months in and thus far my eldest daughter and her husband are expecting a daughter to be delivered in October. Big news, yes I feel old, but the hardest part is I am not there. My son has been diagnosed with ADHD. Common among children today, yes, but I am not there. My youngest daughter is struggling with coming into adulthood, where life will lead her, not to mention struggling with the fact that she lives in small town, Hicksville, USA. Now, these things would happen regardless. In the U.S., though, at least I would be a phone call away and I could at least hear properly. Now I have to communicate via email, deal with the time delays, and have to try to figure out the words instead of "hearing." We all know how that can be and how tough it is to read everything that needs to be read into an email but not to read too much. Not to mention the impersonal nature of such communication.

It is not as if I ever thought the world revolved around me but it is hard to prepare yourself for your own world to continue to evolve. It is eye opening, in fact, because of the stark realization that it will happen regardless of whether you are there or not and that you are forced to deal with it via email.

Professor? Shaw

Well I am about 2.5 weeks into my return to Kabul and it has been work, work, and guess what, more work. That is good though as time flies relatively fast when you are busy. I have been working on my syllabi for fall, getting things ready in the residence halls, getting ready for orientation, and all of that. Did I say working on my syllabi for fall. Syllabi for those that do not know is the multiple of syllabus. I have said in the past that I would like to get more and more involved with teaching and I am. I have 2 sections of one course and two more courses on my plate for fall. I will be teaching Intro to Digital Photography and Intro to Leadership both of which I will schedule for Saturday. That means a 6 day work week for me in the fall. That will amp up the work but will also make time fly as the days off are the hardest, really. It also means extra pay as I have been promised overload pay for the extra hours put in. That means my vacation for the holidays is technically paid as a reward for working so hard. I can deal with that, I think. Plus, with working so hard the holidays will be just around the corner.

Just think, one month and 5 days and I am over 1/2 way done with my 18 month contract. It is hard to believe really. Seems like just yesterday I was announcing to my friends and family that I was headed to Afghanistan for an 18 month hump. Soon it will be time to think about contract negotiations. Some have asked me if I will renew. As I have said who knows at this point. It is too early to really say. Several factors among the many will come to play. The first of which is security in Afghanistan. The second is financial/job security. The third being mental state of mind. Any of those could go down the tubes, who know. Regardless, come January it will be time to throw my hat in the ring and start looking around. By then I hope that the economy has bounced back at least enough for hiring freezes at colleges and universities to be lifted. Come tough financial times often folks look to better themselves by getting of completing a degree and therefore enrollment usually goes up. January will be the perfect time to ride that wave.

Enough for now....time to get back to work.

5.5 Weeks Over In A Flash

Well my vacation is over and I am back in Kabul now. It seems like just yesterday but yet so long ago when I left Kabul for my vacation in the states. WOW. A few highlights:

New Ink

What to do in Miami, right? Well one thing I have always wanted to do, being a fan of the reality show by the same name, is to get some ink done at Miami Ink. What did I get? For some time I have been thinking of getting some ink to commemorate my time in Afghanistan. I decided long ago that I did not want anything cheesy. Well after many weeks of thought, I decided that I would do so by putting something celebrating an Afghan art form that has survived centuries. This art form is Nooristani woodworking. It is very intricate wood carving that has survived all of the conflict that has fallen on Afghanistan and still survives today.

You can see collage of pictures. To truly appreciate the intricacy and the fine work of both the woodwork and of the tattoo artist I have included the original picture that I gave them. Click for a much larger view of the piece of art that is now on my arm.

Bike Ride To Key West

While in Miami, I decided it was time to scratch something off my bucket list that has been there for a long, long time. A trip to Key West and one a bike to boot. So taking advantage of the Harley Owners Group Fly and Ride Program I rented a bike at Peterson's Harley-Davidson. It was actually pretty reasonable and not MUCH more than a car rental for a 4 day period. Before reserving it, which I had to do 6 weeks in advance, I was forced to make a choice on what model I wanted to rent as all the cruisers are about the same price. It did not take much thought though as I had been wanting to try out a large cruiser for some time. I decided on the Ultra Classic, or as we biker types call it the "Ultra Couch" which comes complete with cruise control, fairing, and stereo sound system. We hooked up the Ipod and were set for a great trip.

From Peterson's we connected down the interstate on the Southernmost portion of historic US Route 1 riding through all the Florida Keys to the Southernmost point in the U.S. The ride was very comfortable other than two factors. One, I discovered rather quickly upon arrival in the U.S. and Miami, in particular that I had acclimated to Kabul over the past 6 months. What that means is that I was used to a more dry environment that humid Florida. Was I ever hot and sweating there. The second, over the past 6 months of not riding a bike my body was not used to it at first. From my legs, my back, and more particularly my back side I was hurting after a full day's ride. I was really glad we stayed a couple days in Key West as I needed the time to recover.

Key West was everything I hoped it to be. I was afraid that the big hotel conglomerates would have come in and turned it into an Ocean City, Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, or the like. However, they have been shut out by the locals and thus they have succeeded in keeping Key West a small and intimate place. It still survives largely on the tourist trade but it is pleasantly small and cozy still. It was well worth the trip.

From Key West we cruised back up to Miami and this time to historic South Beach. Once again it was HOT. Not too bad in the morning but by the time we reached Miami the added heat coming from the concrete and steel was almost unbearable, especially in stop and go traffic. But we arrived in South Beach just in time for a literal monsoon. I was told at Miami Ink earlier in the week that this really was not a high tourist time as it was the beginning of Hurricane Season and thus was a wet period. They said it rained almost every afternoon and rained hard. However, they did not tell me about monsoons. They are not the norm though as this one was even featured on the news that evening. Luckily we arrived at the hotel just as it was starting to rain. It rained and it rained and it rained some more. Almost 3 hours of solid POURING rain. At one point I looked out at the bike and the water curbside was over the sidewalk and halfway up the back tire, over the tail pipe, and just at the bottom of the engine block. The streets in South Beach were not designed to withstand that much rain and as they filled the sidewalks became rivers with merchants fighting the flood waters. After 3 hours it slowed then after 4 it stopped and the skies started clearing almost as quickly as it all had started. In its wake it left very flooded streets complete with debris. This made getting around in South Beach on a bike treacherous to say the least. When I finally was able to find a road I could traverse I did so carefully and in calf high water. A real biker does not ride with his feet down for more than a foot or two but in those conditions one must just in case the water suddenly deepens and the back wheel starts to wash which felt like it happened a couple of times as the water reached mid calf or so.

After the rain though, South Beach was everything it was cracked up to be. Beautiful beaches, beauties in little clothing, unique restaurants and boutique hotels. The hotel provided a great roof with an excellent vantage for taking pictures. Even got to see a few cruise ships one of which appeared to be coming down the middle of the street. It was a wonderful stay and fun place to hang out for a few days. It was hard to get on the plane and leave even.

Back Home to D.C.

From Miami it was back home to D.C. and back home to my baby, my bike. The goal for my time in D.C. was to chill and to get some ride time in. While I did not get as many miles under my belt. for whatever reasons, I did get some chill time. Caught up with a few old friends and just enjoyed the vacation. After all I did not want to return to Kabul in need of a vacation from my vacation. I succeed in that respect 100 percent. Slap in the middle, I did have a 40 hour, 4 day work week with our board of trustees meetings but other than that all I did was chillax.

Thanks to a bunch of my online photography friends that had scheduled a meet and greet near Baltimore I was even able to get some shoot time in. I rode my bike up to it and believe or not I had never shot using my bike. I have shot on other bikes but never my own.

I was able to catch Aerosmith and ZZ Top in concert which was an unexpected treat as well. Not my typical quality concert shots but they will do. Not bad for shots from the cheap seats I must say.

Trip Back

Getting to back was a treat as I had asked our travel office for a different route and a layover. Well somehow they thought layover was only a short stay, so I had 4 hours in Zurich, Switzerland which was nice but wish I would have had a day or two to enjoy it. Then came hell on earth. I thought I had experience heat and humidity but when I got to Dubai this go around my gosh. It was miserable. It was 102 degrees with 90 percent humidity upon landing at 8:30 p.m. Even getting out to walk to go to the convenience store at eleven at night was terrible.

From Dubai the trip went even further uphill as they moved the flight up an hour so it was rush rush through the airport. Then when I got to Kabul I was pleasantly surprised that they had opened the new terminal but must say service has gone to pot. It took an hour to get the luggage to the carousels and the parking is still at the same old place so it was a mile or so to the vehicle with some heavy luggage. But I made it and I am in Kabul now. Time to go back to work uggh.

A Strange Post

So this will be a strange post. As this week is winding down and I get closer and closer to coming home I have been thinking about the last 6 months and my time in Afghanistan. When the day is hectic and I get frustrated and angry with some of the stuff that I have to put up with, I can't wait to get out of here. A break, a vacation, whatever. It is beyond time and the fact that TIA, as I often here, (this is Afghanistan) just makes it worse.

However, sitting out on my porch or others rooftops as in tonight, I think to myself never have I felt more appreciated in what I do or more at home in a job. It is weird, let me tell you. For the 6 weeks I am home I will really miss this place. What they tell me is that it gets in your blood. What I can tell you all that what gets in your blood is not the dust, not the food, but the fact that these people really need us here. For once in my life I think I am really making a difference somewhere. While, I can tell you stories about making a difference in the life of people throughout my current career, now that I am here, somehow that seems very insignificant.

A great story is the difference between my day class and evening class. The day class is all made up of typical college age freshman with typical freshman attitudes. In fact about 1/3 of them are Afghan Americans who have returned for various reasons. So they are really the typical first year college students. Although, I can say that several of them grasp everything with gusto and do well, many of them like their American counterparts are there because someone tells them they should be. On the contrast though, is my night class. Any night class at any University are largely adult students. Adult students, throughout the world, have a different attitude and true appreciation for the gift that has been bestowed on them to continue their education, no matter where that gift comes from. I know, I was one of them, who returned at a later age to complete my college education therefore can relate first hand that experience. However, Afghan adult students are different. Albeit a young age for some of them, they can still remember times in Afghanistan under the Taliban, where education was not the norm. It was limited to the elite. They really truly appreciate the opportunities they now have. That is different for me. They really devour learning. That is take it in and digest it and appreciate it for the strength that it gives them in their future success.

Each semester is sad, I must say. Although I will see some of these students for quite some time to come, for many of them it will be the last one on one type relationship that I will have with them. Like a mother hen turning out their chicks to the great big wide world of education, a relationship that was developed over a period of time is now over. Wednesday night was the last night for my evening class. One student stood up and gave a speech that if I had written it, I could have not done much better. He talked about how he had learned from the class and how he had appreciated everything we had gone through. Most specifically he talked of my role in the class, not as the "sage on the stage" as we call it in education, or preacher as I refer to it often but as the coach, the leader that had brought them through this great journey that they had gone through as a class. For those of you that know me well, you know I am a pretty stoic guy. At 6'6", 275 lbs, a pretty intimidating figure that often has been characterized as showing little or no emotion. His speech though, WOW. It almost brought this big guy to tears. As I have said, I have been doing this 8 semesters now. Never in those 8 semesters have the students go it, like the students in Afghanistan. True, I have taught mostly college Freshman of traditional age, and as such it sometimes takes a bit to sink in and for them to truly appreciate an experience, never do I think they get it quite so much. Needless to say it was a very AHA moment and one that almost brought this big ol' guy to his knees. I emphasize ALMOST.

I am talking with a guy from D.C. that did a year in Afghanistan. He can't quite put a pin on what got in his blood but he is dying to return. I think I have it. It is these AHA moments and the moments in which you know that you and the work you do are truly appreciated. I mean really truly appreciated. I have had so many "thank you for what you do" statements in the last 6 months. My goodness. From students, which I truly appreciate, to fellow faculty/staff members, to really a first, Board of Trustee members, I can tell you they are no less than once a week. I cannot emphasize to you enough how rewarding this job is.

Monday night, I told you about our Memorial Day BBQ. Tonight we had kind of a send off for many of us leaving, and/or, such as me, going on a bit of a holiday, as the Brits say. Both nights I sat back, looked up at the beautiful sky, breathed some great clean air, and thought to myself, David, this is what you have always worked for. This could really be home. Now the next morning, as we faced the crazy traffic, the blowing dust in the middle of the afternoon, the crappy food, the inconveniences of life here, and all the frustrations that accompany being here, I say to myself, boy you must have had a little too much fun last night, but no matter who I am with or what I am doing, it still comes back to me. This is the single most rewarding decision that I have ever made in my entire life. Maybe this really could be home. That statement may get me labeled crazy, or even anger my closest friends and family, while personally I miss you all and never stop thinking of my return to you, I can tell you that at the end of the day it feels really good to be here.

Now who knows where I will be at mentally a year from now. Who knows even what will happen in Afghanistan. Or who knows even at the University where it is rotation time and we will have a new Pres., Vice President, and many new faces. . They talk of troop surges, increased incidents of attacks, etc. etc. Who knows, what even what life will be like in Kabul, May 31, 2010 when I am at the end of my contract. Finally, me personally, I have always been a builder. One who likes to create things from the ground up, to build them inch by inch. I have been doing so, and from the comments I get, doing a great job. However, someone often calls me a rolling stone. When I start gathering moss, I roll on. This is somewhat true. I get bored and start looking. So next year I question if I have the same remarks or will be sitting in the I can't wait to get the heck out of here seat. But for now, although I miss most of you dearly, I am happy, happy, happy with where life has led me.

See you all in a while...........

Memorial Day Festivities

I must admit that I really missed Memorial Day weekend at home. Specifically it was the first among many years that I did not get to make the Rolling Thunder festivities. I hear, however, the economy has taken its toll on even this the grandest of Memorial Day events and the numbers were down greatly.

I did though have some festivities here at the guest house. I had a very traditional Memorial Day BBQ event. Yes, even after the fun of two weeks ago I am loving my smoker grill. We had about 20 folks over in the afternoon/evening for some good food and good camaraderie.

Sorry no pics folks. I was too busy cooking and no one else had a camera. However, I really wish I had at least a picture of my get up. Shorts, sandals, Harley 105th t-shirt, my cowboy hat, sunglasses, and the thing that made my outfit special my Afghanistan bbq apron. Literally, it is a khaki apron embroidered with the word "Afghanistan" and has camels embroidered as well. My guests, of course, commented but the best thing was the looks I got from the guards. Yee haw is all I can say.

As in before I do not feel comfortable giving my date of departure out for security reasons. Leave it to say though, that we are beyond months or even weeks. We are down to days and almost hours now. The first week I will be getting some much needed R&R in Miami and have even scheduled a bike trip to Key West, FL. Bucket List Time!!! However, I will see you all very soon. Lets Ride!!!

Afghan Students Helping Afghans

For those that do not know, I have been teaching a course for many years now. It is what is called an FYE (Freshman Year Experience) course or as some Universities such as ours calls it University Success. It is an intro to life in a 4-year American institution of higher education institutions. Some universities require it some don't. I have seen it as a 1, 2, or even 3 hour course. At the University here it is a 3 hour required course. Everything from time management, career choices, personality development, taking notes, taking tests, and even money management are covered in this course.

Part of my course has always been a service-learning component. What is service-learning? It is a philosophy adopted at many colleges and Universities in which students apply what they have learned by doing a community service project. Each of my 7 semesters of teaching we have done some sort of service-learning project as part of the requirements of the course. It is built into the course as part of the learning outcomes. These outcomes are getting to know oneself, getting to know those immediately around you, getting to know the University, and getting to know the community around the University. Of course the class project fits into the latter of these outcomes.

Each semester, my students research, design, and implement one project as voted on by the class. In past semesters they have done things to benefit the homeless, women shelters, and even the red cross. As I approached this project in Afghanistan I had my doubts. Community service is something that is a bit foreign to this culture. Rather than doing so themselves they tithe money to the mosque who is supposed to do the community service as it is the center of the community. I had no idea how Islamic students would react to doing hands on work within the community. Boy, was I surprised.

As always I divide my class up into groups and each group proposes a service-learning project. At the end the class votes on the project and the groups are brought back together for implementation of the winning project. The groups here in Afghanistan blew me away with their project proposals. From building a road to improve road conditions, to helping schools, and to the winning proposal, helping Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), otherwise known as refugees, in one of the camps around Kabul.

If you have not read of the plight of IDPs in Afghanistan you really should. Sanitation and hygiene is a major issue in the camps. It is an issue country wide, I would say, but a very big issue in the camps. In fact as the students were proposing this project the issue of such hit the news. http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2009/04/23/afghanistan-sanitation-woes-in-makeshift-idp-camps.html. This is just one of many articles you can find on the net. So the students proposed that they raise money to provide the families in these camps hygiene kits and a modicum of education to assist in these woes.

The students went to work. To raise money they proposed a "fun fair day" in which the campus would be turned into a carnival. Live music, a mini circus, vendor stalls, games, etc. On top of that they started hitting up major donors for support. They raised quite a bit of money on the outset. However, one of the students works at the Ministry of Public Health who happened to have a stockpile of premade hygiene kits. GOLD! The Ministry donated these kits, valued at about 55,000 USD to the students in one fail swoop. They had proposed one kit per family but this donation gave them 6 times that amount. Although the end goal was accomplished with this, they still had to to through with their fundraising as they proposed. In addition to the kits they raised almost $2000 in cash, which was their original goal. Instead of using this money for the kits they will be able to use it to assist with getting the camp some clean water trucks in and to help with waste water evacuation.

So needless to say my doubts about community service in an Islamic country have been decimated. By far, even without the donated kits, this has been the most successful project in 7 semesters of my classes. I can tell you the students here are amazing. They not only grasp concepts you give them they actually run with them. This is just one example of many I could give you.

So as to the Spring Fling Fun Fair, it was not only a success monetarily it was a success in general. Lots of folks on campus on a Saturday which is great. Although today my feet hurt, I am sunburned, and my body is sore from 9 hours of hard work, I am proud that it was such an overwhelming success. Unfortunately, I was too busy to take photos. However, my students have all promised me some CDs of the festivities to share later. So I promise that will happen soon!

Semester Winding Down

So the semester is winding down here. In fact, less than a week in the term. It is time to have some events commemorating a great school year. The first on tap was the Staff Appreciation BBQ. It can best be described by saying loads of food and lots of fun.

One thing I missed in Northern Virginia was being able to have good grill or even a smoker. Well such is not true here. I was able to go to the local market and have one built from scratch for a great price using some plans I downloaded off the Internet. Since most barrels here have petroleum products, and you do not want that in your food, the double barrel smoker is made from the ground up, including the barrels. I can say one thing though, I will never smoke food for 150 people again. 90 Kilos of meat (almost 200 lbs). WOW. However the smoker outperformed my general expectations and is still in great shape. The BBQ it produced...yummy. This thing is going to make for some awesome summer BBQs at the guest house! The first of these will be a traditional Memorial Day BBQ on Monday. But that is another Blog!!!

Dubai

Photos from the Dubai trip. Yes that is a real ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates also a life size stuffed Giraffe. Needless to say, as you can see from the pictures, in my free time I shopped until I dropped several times over.

Dubai The City That Comes Alive at Night

So I am in Dubai for a conference. I left Kabul this morning at 40 degrees and landed in Dubai at 10:30 to 104 degrees. High temp today 108. What a big difference to the system. It is no wonder that this city comes alive after dark. Even though it is still in the 90's it is much more bearable than 108.

Pictures to come later.....

Rain...Rain....Rain.... And Snow Too

Well April has been a rainy month thus far. Rain almost everyday. Occassional we are treated to a thunderstorm. Of course being where I am, I always have to confirm that it was thunder and not an explosion somewhere. One evening I swear it sounded like mortar fire as it echoed through the valley that is Kabul.

The weather otherwise has been a bit cool for the region. Just as the snow was leaving the mountains they are again capped in white. We even awoke to some snow falling on Wednesday morning early even at Kabul elevation. Of course there was no accumulation. However, I had planned a trip to Mazar for the weekend that got cancelled due to the pass over the mountains being closed and poor road conditions.

Despite the rain we have a few really nice days here and there. Last Saturday, April 3, was one such day. Shear luck for us as we had planned a kite day on campus for that day. Students, faculty, and staff were treated with a seminar on kite making and flying from one of Kabul's famous kite makers. This guy was great. He made the kites and trained the folks for The Kite Runner one of the most recent famous moves about Afghanistan. Check it out, it is a good movie. I don't need to go into the kite stories again, I do not think. Refer to older posts if you want info. However, enjoy the slide show from Kite Day last weekend.

Spring Break Trip

In all my years in school and in working in higher ed I have never taken a Spring Break trip. This year would be different. Although, not the typical Spring Break hoorah drunk fest it was a great break from Kabul thanks to one of my benifits, a 6 day all expenses paid R&R trip. One of my colleagues, Lee, and myself met up in Dubai and we were off to points unknown to me. The first stop was Ras Al-Khaimah and the George Mason campus. I had worked for a few years with the folks there but had never met them. Dubai is about an hour and a half from RAK so off we went. There we toured the campus and had lunch at a seaside resort.

From RAK we decided to head north into Oman. Our destination Khasab, Oman on the Mussandam penninsula which is just off the famous Strait of Hormuz stopping for a rest stop in Bukha, Oman. The following morning we took a half day dhow trip through the nearby Fjords visiting Telegraph Island, playing with fish and with dolphins.

Although there was an easier route we figured out from Khasab we traced back our original route crossing back into the UAE and Ras Al-Khamiah and then heading east to the Indian Ocean and Fujairah in the UAE where we stayed at a wonderful beachfront resort. Fro Fujairah we were off the next morning back out of the UAE to the lower section of Oman. Oman is actually divided in three sections, Mussandam, Madha, both detached from the main body of Oman and the lower sections made up of several other governates the largest of which is Muscat where the capital is. We stayed the night in yet another beach front resort at Al Sawadi Beach just outside Barka, Oman. Yes again the next morning we were up and outa there for a long 7.5 hour treck back to Dubai, through Rustaq, Oman where we visited an ancient fort. From Rustaq it was through the Ad Dhahirah desert region near the foot the Al Hajr AI Gharbi Mountains of the toward the Empty Quarter or Rub' al Khali back into UAE to Al Ain and back to Dubai. The first couple of days of driving were great. No driver no escort but 4 days and several border crossing, thus passport stamps, later upon our return we were glad to be done with driving/riding in the car.

Our visit to the remainder of the break consisted of shopping, shopping, more shopping which we do not get a chance to do a lot in Kabul. Including in which was a visit to the worlds largest Dubai mall which among every store you can think of features also a full size aquarium complete with sharks and large sting rays. Yes those small things standing outside the pictures of the aquarium are people. It also featured a lot of good American fast food, one of the things I miss most in Kabul. KFC (real KFC not Kabul Fried Chicken as in my earlier posts), Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Hardees, Burger King, and even TGIFridays. Stepping on the scale before leaving, I discovered I gained 5 pounds while in Dubai. Oh well I have lost 30 while here so that is o.k.

Being the biker, one of the best things of the stay in Dubai is that just by chance it feel on the weekend of Dubai Bike Week. Although I did not stick around for the Deep Purple concert because of the eighty seven u.s. dollar ticket price, it was enjoyable. It featured all of the worlds most well known manufacturers including even Dyersburg, TN based Boss Hoss. Yes Boss Hoss was there. However, the Boss Hoss bikes in Dubai feature european specs which make them even faster. Others included, of course, Harley but also Triumph, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, and even American Made Victory. Also present were several custom builders mostly from the UAE. Included in which, to my surprise, was a bike based on the General Lee including tank covering rebel flag. All in all it was a pretty big deal and a good show. Even MTV Arabia was present covering some of the bands.

Saturday it was time to pack it up and head back home where we arrived in Kabul just in time for the first day of Spring which is also the Persian new year. The streets were packed with folks out in their finest for the celebration. Sunday, however, it was back to work and it was a very busy week for me, thus, the delay in getting this info up.

A year ago had you told me I would be in Kabul I would have said maybe but had you told me I would spend Spring Break 2009 crossing a lot of the Arabian Penninsula I would have laughed at you. I did it though and it was a great time. Hope you have enjoyed the blog and ALL the pictures from the week.