Stranger In A Foreign Land

Ethiopian Adventures

2010-07-14T11:27:00.000+04:30

Before I met Eyerusalem, the thought had never entered my mind that one day I would visit Ethiopia. In fact other than Egypt, slightly maybe, I would not have ever thought to have visited the entire African continent. Well now I have, and I can tell you, at least Addis Ababa is nothing like I thought Africa would ever be. Addis Ababa is a sprawling city that lies at the foot of the Entono and is at about 7500 feet above sea level, comparative to Kabul which is at about 6000 feet. It is considered the political capital of the Africa due to its historical, political, and diplomatic importance to the continent. It is an old city, founded in 1886, this site of which was chosen by Empress Taytu Betul.

Addis Ababa is located in a temperate part of Africa just above the equator. I had thought that meant hot and dry but it being, June the beginning of their winter months, it was cold and rainy. June, July, and August, in order are the wettest and coldest months. However, the temperature in Addis hovers around two or three degrees of each other (21-24 degrees celsius) each and every month. I was ill prepared for such moderate and rainy conditions as I took mostly shorts and t-shirts, other than my wedding apparel. When I say wet, I really mean wet. Each and every day we had downpours of a torrential nature. Streets flooding, rivers and creeks swelling, the whole nine yards.

Ethiopia is a very poor country. Its average per capita income is much similar to Afghanistan’s. However, I can say Addis Ababa is much more developed than Kabul. It reminded me, though, of pictures of Kabul in the late 60’s to early 70’s which many say was the Kabul heyday, and prior to the Russian invasion of the country and before the ravages of war here set in.

I will say something for Afghanistan, the internet connections in Addis were much worse than anything I have ever experienced. Far worse than Kabul and worse even than the old dial up days in the U.S., thus the reason for no updates from Addis to you all.

Ethiopia is an old culture. Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world. It can trace its roots to the 10th century B.C. Anthropologic evidence suggests that it, perhaps is the oldest culture known to mankind. At least the oldest remains have been found in Ethiopia. That being said, it is a country steeped in tradition dating back thousands of years.

I had read that Ethiopian culture was based in religion, but I was not prepared for how based it was. History suggests that the religious ties to Christianity and the bible go way, way, back. Ethiopia is mentioned in the The Queen of Sheba came from Ethiopia and, if you remember your biblical history, bore Solomon a son, and returned home with that son. Thus the religious aspects of Ethiopian culture go way back to Solomon’s day and to the, previously a monarchy, rulers of the country being direct descendents, so they say, of King Solomon, himself.

Christianity, it is said made its way to Ethiopia very early on. The Kingdom of Aksum (northern Ethiopia) was one of the first nations to officially adopt Christianity. In Ethiopia, converted the King during the fourth century AD. Many believe that the Gospel had entered Ethiopia even earlier, with the royal official described as being baptized by Philip the Evangelist in chapter eight of the Acts of the Apostles. (Acts 8:26–39).

While the name "Ethiopia" (Hebrew Kush) is mentioned in the Bible numerous times (thirty-seven times in the King James version). Abyssinia, an ancient name for Ethiopia, is also mentioned in the Quran. Islam in Ethiopia dates back to the founding of the religion; in 615, when a group of Muslims were counseled by Muhammad to escape persecution in Mecca and travel to Ethiopia via modern day Eritrea, which was ruled by a pious Christian king. Moreover, Bilal, the first muezzin, the person chosen to call the faithful to prayer, and one of the foremost companions of Muhammad, was from Abyssinia Also, the largest single ethnic group of non-Arab Companions of Muhammad was that of the Ethiopian's. (Wikipedia) Today 62.8 percent of the population is Christian and 33.9 percent is Muslim. Christians and Muslims live, work, and interact side by side in society with little or no tension in the country. Mosques are beside churches in many areas.

The Christian religion can be compared closest to Catholicism, I would say. Although, my wife, among other Ethiopians, might object to that comparison, as well as some of my Catholic friends. That being said from an outward perspective that is what I would compare it closest to. Religion, though, is a strong part of all aspects of their culture.

Something that I was not aware of prior to traveling. Ethiopia is also the spiritual homeland of the Rastafari movement, whose adherents believe Ethiopia is Zion. The Rastafari view Emperor Haile Selassie I as Jesus, the human incarnation of God. The Emperor himself was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, which also has a concept of Zion, though it represents a separate and complex concept, referring figuratively to St. Mary, but also to Ethiopia as a bastion of Christianity surrounded by Muslims and other religions, much like Mount Zion in the Bible. It is also used to refer to Axum, the ancient capital and religious centre of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, or to its primary church, called Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. (Wikipedia)

In addition a little known fact A small ancient group of Jews, the Beta Israel, live in northwestern Ethiopia, though most emigrated to Israel in the last decades of the twentieth century as part of the rescue missions undertaken by the Israeli government, Operation Moses and Operation Solomon. Some Israeli and Jewish scholars consider these Ethiopian Jews as a historical Lost Tribe of Israel.(Wikipedia)

Coffee and Ethiopian Culture

Coffee is very much engraved in the Ethiopian culture. Coffee goes back centuries. Its origins remain unclear. Many, however, believe that coffee was actually discovered in Ethiopia. One story, that of a goatherd, named Kaldi, who noticed his goats energized after eating a particular berry. Kaldi tried the berry himself and found he also had a marvelous amount of energy. He took the berry back to a monastery but the holy men dissaproved, thinking they were some sort of drug. They threw the berries in the fire and out came a wonderful aroma. The roasted beans were quickly raked from the fire, ground up, and put in hot water. This is said to be the world’s first cup of coffee.

Regardless if this story is all or partially true coffee is a rich part of the Ethiopian culture. I discovered this the weekend I had decided to propose to Eyerusalem. Being the romantic that I am, following a trip to the U.S., I had reserved a nice hotel in Dubai. She picked me up, however, from the airport and announced we were going back to her place for coffee. Not being a coffee drinker I sort of rebuked the idea and she became highly upset. As soon as I arrived, however, I realized it was much more. An eleborate setting was laid before me. One in which a ceremony actually occurred related to the roasting, brewing, and drinking of coffee. It was complete with candles, incense, nana (mint) spread on the floor, etc. It was a site to behold. I began then to understand the tie between coffee and the Ethiopian culture.

In Addis, many restaurants, hotels, etc. have coffee ceremonies similar to the one that I was treated to that night. However, what really surprised me was that you could not throw a stone in the street without hitting one or even two small coffee shops of cafes that served various forms of coffee from espresso to macchiato and those in between. Some of the cafes small mom and pops, some of the big, like the Kaldi Coffee Chain, similar to our Starbucks in appearance, and of course named for the famous goatherd of the legendary tale above. Addis was devoid of Mountain Dew, as many of you know my drink of choice. However, with the fresh roasted Ethiopian coffee, I had a wonderful substitute and even developed the taste for a good double macchiato.

The Wedding; the Reason I Came

So what was it like getting married in Ethiopia? WOW is all I can say. It was hard, it was an adventure, and in the end it was GREAT. We had a rather large wedding, by our standards, smaller by Ethiopian standards. 222 guests plus the wedding party in total. That was just the wedding, though. There was the marriage ceremony and there was the planning up to the wedding.

What a lot of work. Yes, I have been married before but nothing like this. Lots of planning had to go into this wedding. In the past it was always small and quick. This was a big deal and I knew it going in. Luckily, we chose a location, The Crown Hotel, that did a lot of the work for us. It was at a great price by U.S. or even Ethiopian standards, as well. They did it all. They would have even arranged the cars for us but wanted a large price for that but we were able to arrange our own. That plus a photographer/videographer and we were set. Or were we? We also had to do announcements and get them quickly to friends and family and get the word out. Normally, a wedding is announced 2 to 3 months in advance in Ethiopia, however, even though we knew enough in advance, we were not in country and could not do so. Therefore, we had to hit the ground running. Then we picked out bridesmaid dresses, accoutrements for the groomsmen, etc. All this in a few short weeks. In addition, however, there was the civil marriage process.

The Bifurcated Marriage Process

In Ethiopia, and I hear in other countries there are two parts to a marriage/wedding. One is the civil process that makes the marriage legal and binding. The other is the religious/cultural ceremony. Complicating the former was the fact that I was a foreigner and even more so was that I had been married before. I had to get a certified copy of my divorce papers to the U.S. Embassy to provide me a “Free to Marry” certificate. That was followed by taking that certificate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since I was a foreigner, and getting it certified in Ethiopia as a legal document. If you have ever visited either in a foreign country you or gone through other major bureaucratic steps you will know that this is not a simple few hour process. I was aware of the process and went prepared with a certified copy of my divorce papers, otherwise what took us a few days, yes a few days, could have taken much longer. Thank goodness for email and contacting the Embassy in Addis, in advance. So two trips to the Embassy, and two trips to the Ministry and we were set. She had to get a similar document from her local government office, or kebele, but that was only a few hours to get.

On June 9th, however, after traveling from kebele to kebele, a few friends and family in tow, we arrived at the correct one that would marry a foreigner to a local. We did the marriage signing ceremony in which we signed the “big book” but really less than an hour later we were married legally in Ethiopia and were told to come back after lunch and get our certificate. We did so but a major power outage happened and after waiting for a couple hours they suggested we come back early the next morning and we did. So our “Marriage Anniversary,” as I call it, is June 9th.

Other Bureaucratic Stuff

In addition to the wedding stuff, we had to get Eyerusalem a new passport, hers had been damaged and we were worried that traveling might be an issue with 4 or 5 pages having been destroyed. She initially thought it would be 3 days but it actually was 3 weeks of going to Immigration and sitting in line after line. The place was packed as Muslim Ethiopians were trying to get passports in preparation for the time of the Hajj a few months down the road. I am not sure if that increased the time of processing but it sure did not help. Finally, less than a week before the wedding we got the passport.

With no Afghan Embassy in Ethiopia we had to decide where to go to get her visa for Afghanistan. We decided Cairo would be a nice place to visit. We could have been in and out in a couple of days but we decided to spend an extra couple of days for a brief Cairo honeymoon. We booked out trips but she had to get an Egyptian visa to go to Cairo to get the Afghan visa. Luckily, that was only two half days worth of work, as it is fairly easy for an Ethiopian to go to Egypt.

The Wedding Day Arrives

Weddings in Ethiopia are a whole different thing than in the U.S. They have very distinct traditions that I had to learn very fast. The first is the groom and his party going to the bride’s home in a large procession of fine cars, ours were Mercedes, and picking her up to go to the place of the wedding after a small ceremony there. Yes, a few friends, Justin and Theo, came in from Kabul to participate with me. I feared the rain, and Eyrus’ home being on a dirt road, the mud. Mud and white clothes do not make a good mix. I even asked her a couple of times if we could alter the tradition for nature’s sake but it is so embedded that it was a must.

As I said each day there were torrential downpours. Our wedding day was no different. Just about the time to head to Eyerus’ home it started. It was huge. Rain, sleet, thunder, lightning, the works, it all came. We got down the dirt road as far as we could but when the cars could not go any further waited out the rain for a bit. It let up a bit but it was evident that it would not stop for a while so we got out of the cars and headed to the house where her family and friends had gathered to greet us. As we emerged from the cars and walked about a block in the mud, just before turning to go down her specific street, we noticed a river of black muddy water. Not a river, really, but a fast moving flow of water about 2-3 inches deep for sure. Stepping on rocks and such we got across, a bit wet, and a bit muddy, but we all, one by one, there was only one umbrella did it.

As we each approached, the word got out we were there and we were greeted by the shrill la, la, la, la calls of the family and friends. One by one as we got there more and more calls erupted. We all assembled on the porch, waiting, finally on the photographer/videographer to get inside and set up his gear. A few minutes, seemed like long minutes, we were signaled to come inside, me first and then the calls all erupted in deafening unison. In an Ethiopian wedding, this is when the groom first sees his bride. I had seen the dress but, living with our wives tails and traditions, had not seen it on Eyerusalem. Much as a groom who sees his bride, in the U.S., for the first time in her dress coming down the aisle, I saw my beautiful wife. Stopping in my tracks, a grin came over my face, and my heart skipped a beat. Then I went to her, lifted the veil, and again my heart skipped a beat, WOW!

Of course there were the pictures at the house, then we left the house, all getting in our Mercedes, and then went close by to the photographers local studio, where we did some in studio shots. Of course, it was still raining a bit, and very dark cloud cover so we could not do outside stuff. Then it was off to the wedding in our procession of 4 white Mercedes, an adventure in and of itself. (Video soon to come).

The wedding, itself, was a sight to behold. I really cannot describe it. You should really check out the pictures at www.eyerusalemanddavid.com. Dancing, eating, drinking, more dancing, it was a big celebration. A few small Ethiopian particulars to the wedding I will point out, however. One is that fresh raw beef is a part of the Ethiopian diet and very much a part of the wedding ceremony thus what you see in the pictures. The second, you can see the ring ceremony, slicing of the cake, and champagne is similar but unique in nature. You will have to wait on the video, to really see the differences but can observe a few. I would say the biggest difference is the “thrown” on which the bride and groom sit and even the stage in which the whole wedding party sits is very unique. Now yes, we have a wedding table, but this was truly a thrown on which we all set and could see the whole of the goings on.

Departing Addis

Two days after the wedding my friends departed after a nice thank you dinner on Monday night for our wedding party. Our departure was the next evening. Of course departing that soon after the wedding was stressful. We really had no downtime to think of. We quickly got our belongings together and got on a airplane headed for Cairo. Many mixed emotions. Of course, many of my new friends and family were sad to see us go but equally they were happy that Eyerusalem and I would be beginning a new life together. The Addis airport is unique to any other place I have been, in that family and friends can sit with you almost until departure time. It has, of course, 2 coffee shops, etc. that make it very convenient for a nice send off. About 10 friends and family came along to see us off and it was very nice. At 8:00 p.m. we boarded the flight headed to Cairo and eventually Kabul.

Cairo Then Kabul

As I said previously, we chose Cairo as the place to get Eyerusalem’s Afghan visa. We did so for several reasons, including her ease in getting a visit visa to Egypt. Cairo also would be a nice change as neither of us had been there before and we had both heard it to be a nice place. We decided it should be a nice honeymoon, albeit a short one, in addition to a place for a visa run and it was.

How does one characterize Cairo? Cairo is a busy, very, very historic city. I don’t think I need to go into Cairo history for you all. Traffic is terrible, there appears to be no rules of the road, and it is chaotic. However, there seems to be a method to the madness as you zip here and her through the traffic. I will say, though, that the taxi drivers are crooks. The best bet is to get a metered taxi, if you can, as the others will rob you blind if you don’t watch out. They also have know idea about direction and nor how to find something. Our trip to the Afghan Embassy was not a fun experience as the taxi driver drove around and around looking. Luckily, this was not a metered taxi and we had agreed on a price in the first place or the meter would have killed us. 2 hours later we found it, finally, and just over an hour or so later we had Eyerus’ visa in hand to come to Afghanistan. However, having not got to the hotel until 4 a.m. and up at 8 a.m. it was nap time.

I collect a few things. Two of them happen to be t-shirts from Harley dealers and from Hard Rock Café’s both from throughout the world. Through our nap we missed the Harley dealer, but a good meal at the Hard Rock was meant to be had and that is where we chose to eat dinner, or at least I did. This particular Hard Rock is one of the oldest ones from a world perspective. It is built into a huge hotel, the Cairo Grand Hyatt. After a great time there, collecting my t-shirt, we strolled along the Nile river for a few hours after such a huge meal hand in hand. The Nile is, of course famous, but it is also a huge part of Ethiopian culture as a branch, the Blue Nile, originates in Ethiopia. The Blue Nile, originating at Lake Tana, Ethiopia, is said to contribute 80-90 percent of the overall Nile itself. Therefore one can say the Nile predominantly originates in Ethiopia. Therefore, for Eyerusalem to see it and walk beside her river was a great.

The second day in Cairo we decided to do a little shopping before heading to Kabul. Something, as I have said in previous blogs we certainly lack in Kabul. We grabbed a few items, had some good ol’ American fast food at the food court and headed back to the hotel for a rest.

That night, however, we planned a huge treat. We decided to take a dinner cruise on the Nile. It was everything we hoped. Great food, good entertainment, we were able to sit topside for a while, and we even got to “drive” the boat. It was a bit pricey at about $130 U.S. but that included cab fair to the boat, and all inclusive on the boat. Wonderful time.

That was it for Cairo. We will return for sure but the next day was travel day. We had breakfast at the hotel then it was time to pack and get to the airport. We left Cairo at 3:00, had a layover in Bahrain, then Dubai, and then to Kabul, arriving at 6:30 a.m. the following day. I could have done it a bit different but at the cost of about $500 so we did the layovers and the stopover in Bahrain and the redeye to Kabul.

Conclusion

I knew this trip would be one for the memory books even without the wedding. The wedding, added, it was definitely something very special. To marry Eyerusalem would have been wonderful. However, this was something over the top special. A storybook wedding, of sorts, in a different and, to me, exotic place with a brief honeymoon in of all places Cairo, Egypt. WOW is all that I can say. WOW!!! The only thing I regret is that more of my friends and family could not be there. You will see the video, though, and enjoy the pictures. http://www.eyerusalemanddavid.com/

Eyerusalem and I are in Kabul now. We are starting our new life here. We hope to see many of you when we come “home” to the U.S. for the Winter Break.

All Is Ok Here

2010-05-23T12:52:00.000+04:30

For those that have emailed me or otherwise contacted me, I am ok and no one is injured. In case you missed it we had a huge explosion very near. It was actually closer to the new campus and even damaged part of the wall there but no one from the here was hurt. The target was a U.S. convoy and the bad guys succeeded there in that they took out 6 military, 5 U.S. and 1 Canadian, colonels. They also killed a larger number of Afghans as is usually the case.

As this was the first attack within miles, this was the first time our security procedures had been tested. They worked flawlessly, I must say. Great job guys! Also thanks to the U.S. Army Engineers who constructed the wall on the new property. The wall took a big portion of the blast and folks who were running on the track inside the walls said they did not even get any debris. They did, however, have a case of ringing ears from the loud noise.

A few links to articles on the attack:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/18/94325/suicide-bomber-hits-nato-convoy.html

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/afghanistan/Suicide-attacker-hits-NATO-convoy/Article1-545128.aspx

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article432924.ece

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/taliban-suicide-bomb-hits_n_579872.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100518/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315404575251550415377756.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwLgK1nfhmo

Has it really been almost 2 months since I updated you all? I apologize for the delay but holding down two full time jobs at the University and planning a wedding has gotten the best of me. Did I say planning a wedding? Yes, I did and you read that correctly. I met Eyerusalem (translate to Jerusalem in English) in very late October in Dubai. I had not planned on doing so but there was not a pub in the hotel and I was alone and felt the need to get a drink. I saw her sitting all alone and, very uncharacteristic for me, I got up and went to sit with her and introduced myself. Why, I don’t know but something told me to do so. We hit it off right away and a romance started to bloom. So many trips to Dubai happened between October and my Boston trip in April. While in Boston and again in D.C. I realized I wanted Eyerus with me for the rest of my life and on the way back through Dubai I took the big step and ask her to marry me. She said yes and all the work and planning, and weekly, now, trips to Dubai began.

Eyerusalem is Ethiopian. She wanted very much to be married in her home country and I agreed. The big date is June 27th, 2010 in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Of course, all my friends and family are invited to attend. However, I expect that only a few of you, if any will be able to make the journey. But if you can you are welcome. RSVP’s are simple and you can do it online at http://www.eyerusalemanddavid.com/. Sorry no pictures on the website but our photographer promises to have me some advanced copies very soon. In fact, maybe even today. So keep checking back often.

Boston, D.C., and Home to Kabul

2010-04-10T00:34:00.000+04:30

Well it was a whirlwind tour but I am now back in Kabul as of Monday afternoon. I had a little time to myself while away but for the most part it was long days and hard work for me while in the U.S. The trip started in Boston and the ACPA (College Student Educators International) 2010 annual conference. Luckily, I arrived a day early for the conference as our travel folks could not get a flight for me so I got to check out a bit of Boston in some great weather. Boston seems like a wonderful city. I might have to go back for a visit one day. However, right on cue as the rest of the 3500 or so attendees started arriving the next day the weather turned terrible. Rain, wind, and cold were the key words. The conference was awesome. I presented on the next to last day so was able to concentrate and take in many session before having to present myself. This was the second international conference I had been chosen to present at and by far the largest so it was a bit unnerving to say the least at first. As I took in other sessions, all the while learning, I got my bearings and was able to kick the jet lag as well. I knew I would be o.k. I have not attended such a large scale conference in a number of years and actually forgot how busy one can be. Sessions started early in the morning and ended in the evening then there are events later in the evening and once folks found out where I was from I was invited to dinner following that. So really it was nonstop 13-14 hour days consistently for a whole 5 day period which is tough. It is so exhilarating it carries you through though. At the end you pay the price and by the time I got on the plane headed to D.C. I was utterly exhausted. The work was not done though.

Thursday night in D.C. was a reception for the legal education project sponsored by Stanford Law and hosted at our institution. Friday, I had to get up early and head to the Afghan Embassy to submit my paperwork for my visa and then start to help plan our board meeting. Saturday evening the board meeting kicked off with a dinner and then Sunday the meetings actually started and a dinner followed that day. Monday was another meeting day as well as a follow up trip to the Afghan Embassy to pick up my visa.

The board meeting being over on Monday did not stop things as I had to go to the passport office to add pages to my Visa. I had questioned once if I would ever even use a passport let alone and after 18 months of traveling around I would have to add extra pages. I did but that is basically another blown day as I arrived back at my hotel at 3:00 p.m. after leaving at 7:30 to head in.

D.C. is a pretty neat city. Though the one thing I hate about any city is the traffic and crowds. D.C. traffic was not as bad as I remembered it but I found out it was Spring Break which alleviates it somewhat so that explained it. I was thankful for that. It was, though, the opening week for the Cherry Blossom festival which always creates a bit of havoc as the tourists and the locals all flock to the National Mall to check the festivities out and oh and ah over the new blossoms on the cherry trees there.

I actually had Wednesday to myself and was able to wrap up some personal things. Then Thursday it was time to get on the plane and head back home to Kabul. I have found that when away from the U.S. I do miss it. Also, though, when I am away from Kabul I miss it as well. Two homes, if you will. I caught a bit of the HBO documentary Afghan Star and it actually made me a bit "home sick for Kabul." If you want to know what Kabul looks like and/or see a great documentary, I encourage you to check it out. It was shot during the winter of 2008/2009, which as you know is when I was arriving. I can remember the snow and the beautiful fully capped mountains of the time.

It was a pretty whirlwind tour. Despite the running around and rush to get things taken care of, in the week that I was there I was able to catch up with a few friends here and there. Thanks to those that took time out to meet up and good to see everyone. For those that I did not catch, see you on the flipside!

Jet Lagged & Getting Lost in Boston

2010-03-21T06:17:00.000+04:30

Let me tell you this go around the jet lag has been terrible. I am up when I am supposed to be asleep and sleepy when I am supposed to be wide awake. Trying all the tricks like getting on a regular schedule but it just is not working this go around. WOW.

For the most part I have been chilling around local to the hotel but today I got out a bit. Found the Hard Rock for my usual t-shirt stop and happened across the Harley store across the street. Definately a good twofer. I even stopped in Cheers and had myself one just because. The girl at the Harley store told me I really should go by the big store in Everett. This was something I had considered already and had looked up and took down directions from Google Maps. So off I went and holy cow if I did not get lost in Boston. However, all was not a loss as I walked for about 2 hours from the metro stop in Charlestown past the historic Bunker Hill and back into Boston's North End to get on the subway and head back. A heck of a walk that included a big bridge with those yucky slip resistent, see through grates. The acrophobia kicked in then for sure. However, it was a good walk as the weather was ideal in Boston. So all was not lost even if I was.

Back in the U.S.

2010-03-18T20:14:00.001+04:30

So I am back in the U.S. after a loooong flight. First it was 2.5 hours to Dubai then 14.5 hours to Dulles. I admit I was dragging by the time I hit D.C. because it is hard for a big man to catch an z's on a plane. Also 14.5 hours is rough on a smoker. So after wading through immigration and customs, then a pretty intense security check, (thanks underwear bomber) I hit the smoking lounge, of course. After that I had to get a move on down to another concourse. I am moving at a pretty good step when I look to my left and I would be darned if several of the cast of my favorite t.v. show, of course a bike show, Sons of Anarchy weren't sitting there in the Dulles airport. So I stopped in my tracks to say hi and tell them what a great show I thought it was and that I did not miss a single show even from Afghanistan. Of course, they were very interested in what the heck I was doing in Kabul and in fact, were just returning from a USO tour in Iraq and Kuwait. They said Afghanistan was too hot for them right now but they would get there soon. We talked for some time and even walked a bit toward our respective gates. They were very, very cool guys. I must admit, I feel like I could go back to Kabul now and the trip would be a hit. However, I still have 2.5 weeks to go so time will tell.

Thanks to the SOA guys for being so nice and supporting our troops -

Mark Boone Junior - Robert "Bobby Elvis" Munson
Dayton Callie - Chief Unser
Kim Coates - "Alex 'Tig' Trager
Theo Rossi - Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz

and last but not least

Mark Boone - who plays Robert "Bobby" Munson on the show

Whew......

2010-03-09T14:44:00.000+04:30

I am sorry I have neglected you all. In fact it has been well over a month since I have posted, wow. It has been crazy in Kabul. Holding both an administrative position and now a full time plus teaching position is rough. Barely time to think let alone sit down and even pen a sentence. Well I have a very short break so I will do so.

Spring Break is coming up which will be a much needed break. This year, due to the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) conference in Boston, at which I am presenting, I will be “home” for a bit during spring break. In fact, combining that with some business in D.C., I was able to maneuver a two week break out of it beginning in Boston and ending in D.C. Boy do I need the break.

I think I left off just after arriving back in Kabul. The first major thing was celebrating my birthday for the second time in Afghanistan. We also, again welcomed new staff and had a wonderful time doing both. See the photos for proof. That night Latmosphere, where we went after dinner was crazy as someone was also having a party there. Folks literally dancing on the bar. No not me or any of our other folks.

The first weekend in February was an enjoyable one as I treated myself for the weekend in honor of my birthday. If you will recall last year during Spring Break, I had stumbled across the Dubai Bike Week. From there I put it on my calendar for this year which was slated for this particular weekend. This year, however, I did the entire event and was able to get a photo pass out of them. The big draw to the event was the evening concert which featured Nickleback. Although my photo pass did not cover the big concert, I was still able to get the camera in and sneak a few shots from the crowd. Bike Week felt much bigger and better than last year but I will let my photos speak for themselves.

If you recall our swine flu closure from November caused a big stir and a big shakeup in the school calendar. Finals week forced a month long shift in the academic schedule. Finals week moved from December then to February. Immediately following Bike Week, therefore, I was forced to kick it into high gear for finals and grading for my three sections of my class. This also forced us to immediately recoil and get ready for the Spring ’10 term which was very tough. More so than any of us imagined as enrollment increased 30 percent and our sections swelled at the seams and forced many of us to teach more. It actually forced me into becoming a full time faculty member and full time administrator.

We were literally so worn out that by the end of the month, which also happened to be a three day weekend we needed a much deserved break and headed for Dubai. Seven of us in all decided to hang together in Dubai for the weekend. It was extra special as we were also welcoming Justin back to our midst as he had decided to return for a bit and we were able to catch up with him in Dubai and have a heck of a weekend.

Time is flying by so fast it is literally a blur. It is hard to recall what happened in the past day or so let alone what happened even the previous weekend. However, the big event was a Rock and Roll concert on our campus sponsored by or Music Club to raise money to buy blankets for the area refugees. The concert, probably the first rock and roll concert on a college campus in Afghanistan, and definitely the first of such featuring the all Afghan, Kabul Dreams rock band was a huge hit. It was sponsored in part by a local radio station, Kabul Rock Radio, Afghanistan’s only rock and roll based station and was even broadcast live for all of their listeners.

So I think you all are caught up. Once again Spring Break is coming and I will be back in the U.S. in less than 10 days and in the NOVA/D.C. area in just a bit longer. Although I now question where to call home as my bike is in Arkansas/Missouri and my stuff is in a storage locker in NOVA, I still have a few friends and such left. Those that have my U.S. number give me a call when you get a chance.

Lots of photos to follow very very soon.

Adventures At Home Now Back To Kabul

2010-01-21T20:20:00.003+04:30

Well the trip home is over and I am back “home” in Kabul now. All I can say was that it was an adventure. It all started on the trip home. As I was packing to leave and checking and hearing about the forecast for the Metro D.C. area I began to wonder if it was not meant to be. Record snowfalls does not equate to good air travel. I hoped that the forecasters were just trying to be careful. However, wouldn’t you know that they were right on target with a foot and a half of snow. I did not choose my dates but they were chosen for me by our travel office based on what I told them, cost, and the semester calendar. I actually could have left a day earlier but I was lucky this time in that the day’s delay kept me out of the direct snowfall and gave the crews at Dulles time to clear the runways. Where they failed was clearing the planes that could not get out of Dulles due to weather from the gates. We were a bit delayed leaving Geneva, where I laid over, but the pilot made up the hour in the air actually plus some and we were on the ground about 10 minutes early. That is where the delay really kicked in and we had to wait 10 minutes short of 3 hours on the tarmac for them to get a crew out to clear the plane from our gate. Luckily the pilot was conscious of us having been in the air for almost 10 hours and allowed us to roam a bit. Though they did run out of refreshments, food, and all but tap water. I don’t know if they eject the bathroom waste at 40,000 feet or what but luckily we also had facilities. When I got off the plan I was tired and hungry and just ready to get home. Passport control was terrible as ever and 5 hours after landing I was in a cab. Luckily the Fairfax and Loudon County road crews did an excellent job and the cab ride home was uneventful.

All in all I was really impressed with the road crews. 2 days later I was even able to go get my bike on time and ride it to Lorton, VA, the beginning point of the Amtrak Autotrain. Snowy, Icy roads and motorcycles do not mix. Thanks to their hard work I arrived having only touched the tires on a very little bit of snow.

The Autotrain was a truly delightful experience. If you have not done it you should. They are so well organized and things went off without a hitch, almost. We had an incident overnight during the trip in which a guys wife thought he was having a heart attack and they stopped the train for emergency medical crews to board. I actually slept through the whole ordeal but was told all about it by fellow passengers the next morning. The conductor, however, made up the time lost and we arrived outside of Orlando at the destination of the train early, in fact. An hour later I was on the bike and on the road.

It was a delight to be back in the saddle and the weather the first day was awesome despite hitting about 5 miles of rain just before the hotel stop. The next day the weather adventure began, though. Record lows across the whole south including the Florida Panhandle and pretty much everywhere in the south. For those that know me, I am not a 50/50 rider (one who only rides above 50 degrees and with less than 50 percent chance of rain). 40 degrees for 8 hours, though, is a bit tough and very uncomfortable but I forged on and that was pretty much apropos for the entire trip. Stops included Destin, FL, Pensacola, FL, and a 4 day visit with my daughter and a cousin I had not seen in many years in Biloxi, MS. The cold lifted to 50 degrees, still not a normal mid 60’s for the trip to New Orleans for New Years eve.

New Orleans was great as always. I had not been back for almost 10 years and I enjoyed most of it. The part I did not enjoy was the bike breaking down just outside Harrah’s Casino off the French Quarter. But after a call to the Harley Owners Group for a two back to the hotel, I was still back in the Quarter a few hours before the magic New Year’s Eve bells to toll. The Quarter was packed with revelers, most of them awaiting the January 1 Sugar Bowl. Thousands of drunk Cincinnati and Florida fans rejoicing in pre game merriment. If you have not been to New Orleans for New Years, and up to this point I had not, I fully recommend it.

The following day, New Years Day, I spent the day dealing with the bike. Nothing I could do really on a holiday and it was not readily fixable to my novice mechanic’s hands. That combined with the cold convinced me to reserve a U-Haul for the following day, load it up, and head north in the comfort of a heated truck cab. Really that is where the motocycle adventure ended. I spent the evening, again, in the Quarter, returning by half time to watch the rest of the Sugar Bowl, one of the worst I had seen in years and really one of the worst bowl games.

From their I drove north to Arkansas seeing my eldest daughter, further north to Jonesboro, Arkansas to see my son. I dropped off the bike at a shop in Jonesboro which is near my family as the intention was to have them watch it and ride it while I am in Kabul. My brother loaned me his truck for rest of the time there and promised to pick up the bike when it is done and ride it home to his house where it will be garaged kept waiting my next big motorcycle adventure which will probably occur in the summer. I also will have a bit more custom work done to the old Hawg while she is in the shop. Oh, I failed to mention the previous work didn’t I? Well check out the pics of what my old black bike has now become. Soon, though, it will be a complete softtail bagger!

A few days with my parents and brother then back to D.C. to spend a few days there and back on the plane to Dubai in route to Kabul, I was. I arrived in Kabul to all sorts of news. That news included quite a few personnel changes and the biggest fact of all, that they are closing our guesthouse. Therefore, I have to move! I went and took a look at it today. The digs are much nice but still, I have to move. I like my stuff and with the trips home, our shipping allowance, etc. I have collected quite a bit of stuff. What a pain it will be to move. However, my new room is almost twice the size. I have a bathroom with a real tub. I am on the third floor and a huge balcony adjoins my room. Best of all we have a completely finished out basement which will be ideal for group gatherings. So all in all a good trade. I still have to pack though. YUCK

It was great seeing those that I got a chance to see and for those that I did not, I am sorry my short time in D.C. did not allow. Will be back sooner than every before, I promise. Those that I did not get a chance to tell the story, I will be in Afghanistan longer than originally intended. I am doing such a good job, or so they tell me, they wanted me to stay and we are all slave to the almighty dollar so I elected to stay. July 2011 is now my new final return date. Yeee haw!

Back in DC Safe and Not Too Sound

2009-12-22T15:28:00.000+04:30

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

2009-12-12T22:27:00.000+04:30

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

2009-11-27T13:28:00.000+04:30

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

2009-11-09T21:38:00.002+04:30

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

2009-10-29T07:19:00.001+04:30

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!

2009-10-25T00:09:00.001+04:30

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 ........

2009-10-12T15:37:00.004+04:30

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 few quotes from the article: Since 2001, the United States has allocated nearly $13 billion for civilian aid to Afghanistan. Only $13 billion in 9 years? How much have we speant in Afghanistan militarily.

“Right now, the overwhelming majority of civilians are in Kabul, and the overwhelming majority never leave their compounds,” a quote from Henry Crumpton a former senior level CIA member and high ranking State Department person who currently advises General McChrystal, the top U.S. commander. Let me tell you personally that never leaving their compound includes folks at USAID, who has primary oversight for funds being distributed in Afghanistan, and the State Department's folks at the Embassy, who help set many of the policies in and on Afghanistan. When these folks do get out it is in full support of their major entourage of security after a security sweep has been done before they even arive. I have often asked how they can be in charge of shaping policy when they do not know the realities on the ground?

My final quote, and I will get off my soapbox, Anthony H. Cordesman, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who has advised General McChrystal, said that while progress had been made since 2001, when American-led forces toppled the Taliban, the overall effort “has been a nightmare; vast amounts have been wasted.” I can tell you that the rich get richer and the poor are only a little better off in Afghanistan. The contractors who bid and win on many of the projects here line their pockets with U.S. funded dollars while paying their workers the standard going rate for Afhgan labor. A student told me a story about one his relatives, an Afghan American, who bid on and won a major project at Bagram Air Base. The winning bid was just short of $1 million. The cost of the project was just less than a $150 thousand a net profit of over $850,000. Not because of shoddy construction, nor poor products, but simply because the cost of labor and other things is much lower in Afghanistan. That is $850,000 in one person's pocket. This was not his only project for the U.S. or other military in Afghanistan. Now one might not count that as waste because the project actually came in under budget for the military as based on simular projects elsewhere, but it is waste. Don't even get me started on the military being dependent not on their own forces but contractors.

As I continue to say, the way to help Afghanistan is to invest in Afghanistan. Develop a CCC to build roads, lay powerline, etc., invest in industry, invest in things that when the U.S. and other country's well runs dry that Afghanstan will continue to develop. The contractor above, will be one of the first persons on a plane back to the U.S. when that happens and although he employees Afghans now, where will they be when he closes up shop?

Oh well, I am off my soapbox now!

A Very Interesting Story On Weddings

2009-10-12T15:11:00.001+04:30

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

2009-10-03T20:04:00.000+04:30

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

2009-09-23T17:31:00.000+04:30

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

2009-09-20T03:23:00.004+04:30

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

2009-08-31T20:10:00.004+04:30

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

2009-08-24T08:35:00.004+04:30

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

2009-08-22T19:13:00.002+04:30

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

2009-08-10T22:28:00.002+04:30

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

2009-07-26T15:53:00.003+04:30

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

2009-07-11T19:40:00.007+04:30

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

2009-05-28T23:17:00.003+04:30

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

2009-05-27T07:42:00.002+04:30

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

2009-05-24T08:30:00.002+04:30

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

2009-05-23T08:09:00.005+04:30

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

2009-05-05T07:46:00.002+04:30

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

2009-04-27T22:44:00.004+04:30

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

2009-04-10T22:52:00.002+04:30

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

2009-03-27T14:24:00.006+04:30

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.

Spring Has Sprung --- Almost

2009-03-13T17:37:00.003+04:30

So spring, I think, has sprung in Kabul. While we still have a bit of snow on the mountains surrounding us, the highs here are now steadily in the mid 60's. It still gets a bit chilly at night so the blankets are still on the bed and the heater still runs during the night. However, today I was out in shirt sleeves and returned home to slide on a tank and some shorts to lounge the day away.

Spring Break has officially started. I hate early flights but I am on one tomorrow. Dubai and beyond....... While searching for things to do in Dubai, I first located the Harley dealer and that is on my list of things to do for sure. Next I went to their H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) site and discovered that the last two days of my visit to Dubai are the beginning of Dubai Bike Week. http://www.dubaibikeweek.com/. Needless to say you know where I will be winding up my Spring Break trip. I am looking forward to it. Too bad I do not have my bike here though. It will still be fun.

Since is really my first adventure out in Dubai I will be sure and snap a lot of pics of the city and also of Bike Week, The Harley Dealer, etc. etc. Until then...........

One More Week

2009-03-09T20:32:00.004+04:30

In academia the pay sure does not match up but the benefits are great. Less than one week and we are on Spring Break. For me that means a week long all expense paid trip to Dubai. I am looking forward to it even though I am doing it alone which will get a bit boring but a week out of here is a good thing none the less. I will be sure and take tons of photos to share!

As I have said before we observe both U.S. and Muslim holidays. Today was the prophets birthday so a day off after just starting the week yesterday. It afforded, Tony, my housemate and myself a little photo safari about town. Some times we go around T.V. mountain, the mountain with all of the T.V. towers that you have seen in some of my trips. However, today we had a special treat and went over the west end tip of the mountain. Quite the little adventure. When we got to the top we found a group of kids playing. Tony is great with kids. It is amazing that despite the language barrier he gets along so well with them.

Enjoy the slide show of our little adventure today. By the way several of the photos are of the blown out Russian Cultural Center. The place is a bit dangerous as it is home now by heroin addicts. Therefore, we did not go in as it is considered a very dangerous place.

A Special Treat

2009-02-28T17:40:00.003+04:30

This past Sunday I had a special treat. I was invited to my first Afghan wedding party. A faculty member's brother was getting married. So off I went to the Intercontinental Hotel here in Kabul. Of course I had my full kit of camera gear in hand. What a special treat. Great food, dancing, music, and to witness a wedding Persian style was amazing.

What was it like? I can say it was very ceremonial. The funny thing was that many of the same things done in a Western wedding are included in a Persian wedding. You ethnocentric folks might say they copied it from us. Considering which culture is the oldest one can only conclude where the origination of those traditions came from. Certainly not from Western culture. From exchanging of the rings, to feeding each other cake and even smashing it a bit in the face, to the first dance as a married couple. These things have been tradition for thousands of years. It was certainly eye opening for a Westerner.

The kids at the wedding were great. They would play shy but they really love their photos taken. Especially when I would show them the LCD and they could see themselves right there on the spot.

Enjoy the pics. I think this was one of my best wedding efforts. though I have to share that I was scared. I showed up and my batteries were dead so I had to go mostly flash less. Thank goodness they had two videographers going with full lights. Thus some wonderful shots if I do say so myself.

A Hectic Two Weeks -

2009-02-13T19:13:00.003+04:30

Wow it has been a hectic two weeks. Where do I begin? I guess I will begin in reverse chronological order; today to my previous entry.

It is a three day weekend here as it is in the U.S. However, we are celebrating President's Day on Sunday which is our first work day of the week as opposed to Monday. It is proving to be a white weekend. Yesterday evening it started snowing about 4:30 and did not stop until this evening about the same time. It was only heavy on and off. All total about 12-14 inches of accumulation. It has been a long time since I have seen this much snow. It is absolutely beautiful! As you can see from the pictures below my housemates Justin and Mohib decided to get out and have a bit of fun in the snow and make a snowman Afghanistan style.

This week was not a lot of fun in Kabul. In case you have not seen it all hell broke loose on Wendesday. The Taliban, upset about Taliban prisoner treatment, attacked in retaliation in a Mumbai style coordinated effort. As the results came in, people were in a state of shock. The result absolutely shut down the city including classes for the rest of the day. Not a good way to begin the ending of the second week of school and go into a three day weekend.

Classes began on February 1 so needless to say work has been hectic. Between Orientation, teaching two classes, and coordinating 3 more the two weeks leeding up to the big Taliban attach are quite the blur. However, I did take a bit of time off. The results are in the photos below.

We did get a special treat. What started as a simple trip to the Kabul Museum turned out to be a special treat. Durul-Aman Palace is right across the road and we decided to take a walk across. It so happened that they allowed us to cross the wire and go inside. The results you can see below.

The weekend prior we ventured to Chicken Street to grab some goodies. Lots of good pictures there as well as you can see. That was also my birthday weekend and we had a great time. We started on Thursday, my birthday, with a group dinner out and continued throughout. Fun times!

So I guess now we are all caught up. Thanks for standing by.

Photos Only .....

2009-02-13T19:01:00.004+04:30

Back In Kabul

2009-01-28T17:50:00.008+04:30

Well I talked with many of you during my visit home. Thanks for the inspiration to continue on with the blog. You never know how many folks are actually reading, getting information, and/or enjoying until you can touch base in one way or another.

I arrived unscathed safely a couple of days ago. What a change in Kabul. I left a dry Kabul to return to a messy one. It has rained and snowed often this month and you can definately see it. In fact we landed in the rain. My first night, still being on a much different time zone internally, I woke up a few times and actually witnessed the rain turn to a wintery mix and soon thereafter large flakes of accumulating snow. We awoke the next day to a good inch or so of snow on the ground in Kabul and much more in the mountains. Of course, with poor drainage, as it melted it turned into more and more of a muddy mess. However, as a colleague was stating though they depend on their winter to survive many months of limited precipitation. Without a good wet winter it really hurts the Spring. So it is good even though it is quite the mess.

Vacations are great but often when you return from even a few days off work piles on top of work. You can imagine what the first week has been like after a month. It has been busy. That is good though when trying to readjust. I can't believe my first week back is almost done already.
A few pictures are included of a changed look on campus and in Kabul all from my new camera. I love this little point and shoot although it is a big change from my great pro camera. Hope you enjoy as well.

Only A Short While

2008-12-17T19:04:00.002+04:30

Well by this time next week I will be home for the holidays. I am glad. Counting down the days even. I have been checking the weather too and as of a few minutes ago they are calling for snow on Christmas day. I'm Dreaming of a white Christmas........ It seems like the weather all over the U.S. has gone wintery. Even down south they are getting some nasty stuff I see at the weatherchannel.com. I just hope it stays there at least until the wheels touch down on the plane. No icey landings for this guy.

Our weather hear has turned markedly cold as well. The snow is getting closer by the day. The mountains just behind campus that were clear on Tuesday had quite a bit of snow on them this morning when we were going to work. They are also calling for snow this weekend. I just hope to get off the ground here as well. They do not have near the technology to clear the runway as D.C.

You know it is amazing what you get addicted to. I was bored the other day and happened to find Curveball on the internet. It is addictive, let me tell you. I played for hours. Now so you can get addicted too. Click below.

Click to Play!

Maybe one more blog before I leave. Maybe not will see.

9 Days Off – Eid al-Adha

2008-12-09T17:36:00.006+04:30

As I have blogged about, this week is Eid week. There are several Eid’s (3) throughout the year. The Arabic word ‘Eid’ in general refers to something that is habitual. It also implies a place that is often visited by people and/or a period of time in which an act, such as a prayer or other activity is performed. Therefore, gatherings that assemble regularly come under the catergory of ‘Eid.’ Each of the Eid’s have their own significance.

This week is Eid al-Hada., the Festival of Sacrifice. In case you do not know some things in the Qu’ran and the Bible intersect. Eid al-hada is the celebration of Ibrahim’s (Abraham) faith and willingness to do as Allah (God) asked and sacrifice his son Ismael despite temptation from the Devil not to do so. Just as Abraham was about to do God’s will Ismael was replaced with a lamb.

The tradition of sacrifice today continues. Throughout the Islamic countries families sacrifice an animal to Allah. The animal must be of exceptional quality and age. After the sacrifice one third is taken for the families feast, one third given to a neighbor, and one third is given to the poor. Children play in the streets and shoot fireworks in celebration. Fireworks being pretty frightful for a stranger here in a war zone, I had to look it up to make sure there was not gunfire all around. Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothes, many of them purchased or made for the occasion, and go to the mosque to say the Eid prayer. They also go house to house visiting with family and friends.

The Eid’s are also national holidays in Islamic countries. Therefore I have had the pleasure of 9 days off in a row. In the U.S. I would love 9 days off but here in a world in which it is very easy to feel caged in it can be difficult. Therefore, I purchases a lot of movies and even have been planning days out. Monday was a special outing. Babur’s Gardens, or Bagh-e Babur, was on my to do list. Although, I would much rather visit a garden in spring, which I will do, there was said to be a great photography exhibit there now so I decided a winter’s visit would not be too bad. I turned in the necessary travel documents last weekend to request that we have transport to do so on Monday of this week at noon. I was very excited about the trip and woke up in disappointment as it was actually raining in Kabul which is rare. Rather than cancel the trip, though, I decided to wait it out and see what the weather did. Around 11 a.m. I was rewarded to clearing skies. Not only were they clear they were a bright blue clear. I jumped in the shower and away we were at noon. The gardens are not that far, or so I found out, the chief enrollment guy and I were there in just a few minutes in fact. Oh what a sight.

To understand what the sight was I researched it ahead of time. Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia (Afghanistan). He laid the basis for the Mughal dynasty of India and was its first Emperor. He was the direct decendent of Timur, another legendary conqueror and of the even more legendary Genghis Khan. To say being an emperor was in his blood is probably an underestimate. Babur was the commonly used nickname of Zāhir ud-Dīn Muḥammad bin ʿOmar Sheykh. Babur is probably derived from the Persian Babr or tiger. Babar was born in Afghanistan’s neighboring state of Uzbekistan. He was born into the mongol or Moghul tribe. Babar ruled the Moghul empire from Azra in India. However, his love for Kabul and for a certain gardens that he had built there remained with him. It was his wish upon death to be buried in his favorite of these ten garden. As many find, his kin did not grant this wish immediately. However in 1544 he was transported from Agra to this garden.

Bagh-e Babur fell into disrepair during the decline of the Mughal Empire, and its structures were badly damaged ina earthquake that hit Kabul in 1842 Amir Abdur Rahman Khan invested in the garden in the late nineteenth century and refashioned it in a European manner. At the same time, a large palace was built in the southeast corner of the garden. Bagh-e Babur became a public park during the reign of Muhammad Nadir Shah (1929-1933). A large modern swimming pool and greenhouse were built in the 1970s. The site was badly damaged during fighting in 1992 and 93. The garden was re-opened to the public in the spring of 2002, at the beginning of restoration work by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Babur’s original wish was that his grave be completely open to the sky. Originally this wish was fulfilled when he was moved to Kabul. However later the grave was closed. Also buried at the site are several of his relatives including his daughter, son and grandson.

The site also contains a mosque, the Shahjahani Mosque. This white marble mosque was commissioned by Shah Jahan I during his visit to Babur's grave in 1645 to mark his military victory in Balkh.. Shah Jahan 1, or Shihab-ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan I, was emporer of the Moghul empire from 1628-1657. Interesting to note is the fact that Shah Jahan also commissioned the famed Taj Mahal in the Moghul Capital of Azra. The mosque stands on the thirteenth terrace of the garden below Babur's grave, and comprises three bays. It is open on three sides with archways. Significantly there are three to the east and one to the north and south that feature cusped horseshoe arches. The fired brick structure of the mosque is faced with white marble and decorated with carvings on the parapet and plinth and small roundels above each arch. Large marble slabs, span the three structural bays. There are eight carved marble finials on the parapet. The marble elements of the mosque remained disassembled for about three decades before being restored in 1964-66 by the Italian Archaeological Mission led by B. C. Bono. It suffered damage during much of the fighting in Kabul and was restored again by the trust.

Bagh-e Babur is a true park that happens to be highlighted by a grave and mosque and a palace. There are family picnic areas. Folks go to think and meditate. Children go to fly kites. It all is a magnificent sight which I photographed but really could not capture it correctly, I do not think, to make you feel its grandeur.

From Bagh-e Babur we headed up. Literally we headed to the former fort at the top of the hill above the gardens. For those that know my dreadful case of acrophobia you would know that was not an easy task for me as we drove up the road from below. In the U.S. it would be considered one lane but the Afghans at most times can get two vehicles through very carefully. I have tried to research the origins of that fort but only found very little. It is called the Noon Gun hilltop platform. For more than 100 years the twin 19th century canons that remain at the top were fired each day to mark the hour of noon. However, when you rise to the level of the platform one cannot help but recognize its strategic importance as it looks over the valley leading into Kabul. From high atop the hill the view was amazing and you could overlook Karte Se, where we work and live, and the entire south of Kabul and see between the mountains into the main part of the city. The lookout even overlooked the Kabul River, if you can call it that and the Kabul Zoo which I have shown you pictures of the Ferris Wheel that is located there. The site too had quite a few folks there also taking in the wonderful view. I encountered a couple of kids playing with their toy guns, yes they were toys.

You will notice too that we were level and above a structure known as the Lions Gate. The Lions Gate is a wall that once protected the town of Kabul from invaders. My research has turned up zilch on this structure. Perhaps I will find more in the future. The mountain itself is known as the mountain of the lions gate or Kuh-e-Sher Darwaza

After we snapped a few shots we headed back down. If I thought the trip up was scary, oh my goodness. The protocol here, much like the U.S. is that you drive on the right hand side of the road. So we did. The right hand side of the road on the way down featured the sheer cliff. It was ok until we met several vehicles and had to share the one lane road. Until we reached the retaining wall area which is just about the time you reach the houses I was even more scared than going up. At one point as a vehicle was passing and we had to get all the way to the right, the cliff side, I felt the right rear tire slip off into a fissure in the road. Luckily we had the other three tires to grab. However too much of a slip it would have been all over. Now I have acrophobia so it is ok. But when I felt the slip I looked over at Lee and he was even leaning in my way just in case. The Afghan driver and escort seemed unfazed the whole way up and down, however.

The rest of the day we ran all over town trying to find a place open to eat. We stopped at the grocer just in case but eventually wound up at the Serena Hotel which is literally an oasis in the middle of the city. A really nice place to escape that is very secure that has also has a nice restaurant at its center. It was a good choice and we enjoyed ourselves. We finally made it home at just after 5. It was a good day.

Enjoy the pictures of our day out of our cages.

Sources: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=8721, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagh-e_Babur

Everthing Tastes A Bit Different

2008-12-06T15:55:00.004+04:30

You know it is really strange and almost a shame how we get used to preservatives, growth hormones, etc. in our food. Everything tasted diffent here and I have come to narrow it down to such food additives.

So I am sitting here eating a burger that I cooked myself. Yes, red meat. I found a delightful little butcher in town. Actually I was shown the butcher. You see you do not really buy meat at the supermarket. You go to a butcher. A real live butcher not someone behind the counter at your local supermarket but a store that specializes in nothing but meat. He has different cuts of meat right there for you to pick out. All very fresh. If you tell him hamburger he takes a roast and actually grinds it up for you on the spot. There are freshly killed carcuses hanging in a refrigerator, etc. A real butcher.

You do pay for the quality however but it is rather comparitive to prices I paid in the U.S. before I left. I bought 2.1 Kilos and it was 18 usd. 1 Kilogram = 2.20462 Pounds that is about 3.89 usd per pound. The quality is uncomparable though. It is almost fat free. I cooked a bit up for Thanksgiving, as my dish was dirty rice, and literally there was no fat to drain off after it was brown. The same with the patties that I bought. It is almost hard to cook them because there is no fat. No splatter screen needed here for cooking burgers!

I cannot give an accurate picture of the taste though. It is not like U.S. beef at all. The taste is different. I cannot say it is good nor bad but is different. The cows here are not raised on huge beef farms like you see in the U.S. There are not cattle trucks going down the road smelling up the place. I am sure they do not use growth hormones. They graze mostly on what grass they can find and hay when it is available. Then they are taken directly to the butcher. Yes there are cows in the streets. Perhaps though even a couple are put in a truck. I have seen sheep hauled this way but not cows.

Then there is the bread hear. Bread is everywhere. Naan is the most common form of bread. It is a staple to the afghan diet. Naan resembles pita but is in long strips. As opposed to round. The use of naan dates back thousands of years. Wiki Reference It is sold on every street by vendors baking it fresh on the spot and by roaming street vendors including kids.

The grocer does sell bread that is not naan, however. It does not have Wonderbread or anything of the like. To have a hamburger you eat it on a roll. If you buy bread at the supermarket it is in a glass case that the moment you open a delicious aroma comes out. This is really fresh baked bread. It is different but good to have a hamburger on a roll that is so fresh.

So all in all the diet here is healthy. It is different but healthy. Even food I would eat in the states is healthier. I have acually dropped a few pounds. I am sure I will put it back on probably plus some during the holidays in the states but over my time here I am sure I will drop quite a few pounds.

Slide Show

2008-12-02T18:51:00.001+04:30

Pictures from the past week

Sooooo....

2008-12-02T16:54:00.007+04:30

It has been a bit since I have written and a lot has happened. Where do I begin?

Lets start with the dangers of Kabul. In the past week or so we have had 3 suicide attacks in Kabul and I heard an unconfirmed report of a 4th just today. The closest was just about 2 miles from campus on the same major road that it is on which is a major thoroughfare. Which also happens to be about a mile from the guest house. A guy loaded with explosives and various items of shrapnel in a vest e.g. ball bearings, nuts and bolts, etc. tried to blow up an armoured German vehicle carrying armed people. You know I often ask what were they thinking when it comes to suicide bombers. I know it is a Taliban declared holy war and they are supposedly going to Islam heaven by doing so but for goodness sake people think. A big bang and a bit of shrapnel is not going to hurt an armoured vehicle. It would take much more than that. Instead the guy blows himself up and a number of innocent, minding their own business, Afghans.

Thanksgiving day we were on lock down due to another attack. This one not much smarter attempted to drive a Toyoto Corrolla loaded with explosives through the walls of the American Embassy to get at a group assembled inside to do a "fun run." Once again even a big bang, huge walls, machine gun armed guards behind those walls. Not a well thought out plan. 4 killed 20 injured, all Afghans.

We had been alerted, however, that attacks could be up. The U.N. Security Council was in town touring the area so it was a possibility. The University was treated to a special visit though out of the visit. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and former Ambassador to Afghanistan and then to Iraq, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, visited campus amid high security, of course. Ambassador Khalizad has been a great supporter of the University since its inception. U.S. Embassy funds were used in some of the construction. Khalizad is Afghan born and was educated at The American University of Beirut before permanently immigrating to the U.S. many years ago. He said that his position will be over soon but his heart is in Afghanistan and Iraq and he will continue to work for causes in both countries.

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad Addresses Faculty, Staff, and Students

Well that was my Thanksgiving Day. Of course no NFL or NCAA on here. But we did have a nice Thanksgiving Potluck at two of our International Faculty/Staff Members House. Bill and Judith have spent 14 years in Afghanistan in various capacities. Of course not all 14 in a row but they were right behind American Forces in coming back. They will both retire in January therefore this would be their last Thanksgiving in Afghanistan. So they hosted a huge potluck. No turkey but roast chicken was provided and we all brought the fixins to go with. I, having lived so many years in the South brought Dirty Rice. We had just about everything else you all had at the table and more. Although I did miss my sweet potatoes. We did not have any of those. All the way down to the Pecan Pie though. It was delicious. Having not had food that good in weeks, needless to say I chowed down! Lots of pics though and I will do a slide show later but just to give you a visual here is one that I took.

What A Spread

Well this week started off with a bang. Literally that is. The nearby attack was on Sunday but before that happened I got my care package from DHL. I was so excited as I opened it. But I knew from first opening that something was amiss. Sure enough two items were missing. Both my brand new electronic goodies that I had rewarded myself with were missing. 1 item the Canon G10 is a 14.7 mega pixel, obviously top of the line, point and shoot. I purchased it because the DSLR is just to inconspicuous and I am mobbed every time I take it out by people wanting me to take their picture. Some even trying to charge me for the privilege. The second, also top of the line, was the just released 2nd Generation IPod Touch, 32 GB. All in all about 1000/usd was stolen from my care package. I was so looking forward to next week for the week off playing with my new toys. Now I will have to find other things to do while I wait for the claim to go through DHL. So Sunday (our Monday) was not a good day as I was very angry and very frustrated at the process to even get a phone number to call. The claim is started though. No shipping stuff valuable to Afghanistan again.

Finally, this week has been busy. As I stated last post we have acquired a new building for a residence hall so we have been working on personnel, on security, on equipping the hall. Quite a lot of work there. I almost need next week's EID holiday for a break.

It is work this week, holiday the following week, work another week and I am on the big jet plane home for a month. Will post a time or two before leaving though.

New Photos

2008-11-24T18:52:00.003+04:30

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

2008-11-22T21:08:00.005+04:30

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

2008-11-22T16:40:00.004+04:30

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

2008-11-18T19:32:00.006+04:30

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

2008-11-14T19:20:00.002+04:30

Gudiparan Bazi an Afghan Art Form

2008-11-14T18:31:00.001+04:30

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-

2008-11-14T17:15:00.000+04:30

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

2008-11-13T21:56:00.002+04:30

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

2008-11-11T21:37:00.000+04:30

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

2008-11-11T20:30:00.002+04:30

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

2008-11-11T05:46:00.004+04:30

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

2008-11-10T18:46:00.004+04:30

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

2008-11-10T11:58:00.005+04:30

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.