Moonrise Over TV Hill

Cruising Afghan style.

Here are a few photos I took earlier this evening. Before the moon cleared the peak of TV Hill, the light was so intense I thought it was a helicopter hovering on the far side of the hill with a searchlight shining toward the house. It was an amazing sight.

A Great Day

One of the most wonderful things to do as a commander is to reward people for doing great work. Today I got to reward our language assistants (interpreters) and local workers with raises. What a gift to see the smiles on the faces of the people that work so hard to make our lives easier.

This afternoon, I needed some Afghani to pay for my haircut that I desperately needed. I asked my friend Temour (he supervises all of the LAs here) if he could exchange some US money for Afghani. He arranged for one of his guys to run to a local currency market for me. I said that as long as he was going into town that he should pick up a treat for the office. About 30 minutes later he returned with two large trays of black cherries. They were delicious! With a belly full of cherries, I walked over to the barber to get my hair cut. He was playing some local music, there was a gentle breeze blowing through the doorway of the little barber hut... I promptly dozed off. That speaks of how tired I am, but also how relaxed I was this afternoon. It is a wonderful feeling to enjoy good stories and laughs with friends and be able to feel completely comfortable in your surroundings. What a great day.

Half of a Year

It's hard to believe that it has been six months since I was packing bags full of clothing and gear for my move to Afghanistan via Virginia. It has been a period of time filled with the joy meeting and working with some wonderful people. I am sure that I have met some people that will be friends for the rest of my time.

It has also been a period of frustration watching the international community flounder in its support of the future nation of Afghanistan. A common question asked by Afghans when you meet them for the first time is "How long do you plan to be here?" It is a valid question. We, the occupying Westerners, blaze into a country and expect an entire culture to change overnight to a completely foreign way of thinking. How long will we be here? I wonder...

Good News/Bad News

As this day has unfolded, we are rejoicing the wonderful news that the last remaining mine-clearing hostages have been released and are in good health. This has also been a sad day; a number of my fellow Western NGO workers were killed in a bombing here in Kabul. Rest in peace, my friends.

Another New Job on the Horizon?

Found out yesterday that there may be yet another new job for me on the horizon. More later on that.

What I do know now is that being a deputy chief (my title is different, but the role is the same) of a 600+ man department is a challenging, but very rewarding, job. Add to that performing that role in an emergent, developing country occupied by foreign military troops and the impact of continuing combat and terrorist activities and you have a full-time job.

Thoughts of the Day

What do I miss? I miss a few quiet moments sitting in a coffee house, drinking a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee, and reading the entire New York Times.

What is my favorite newly discovered store? NetGrocer.com! I placed a small order with this company to test them out. In seven short days, three little boxes of delectable treasures arrived at my house, each filled with mana from heaven. Imagine food not pre-loaded with botulism?

Yet Another New Job

The has been some reorganization occurring throughout the contingent staff. One of the moves left the deputy contingent commander's slot open. Sunday morning I was appointed as the acting DCC until a permanent replacement could be found. When that person is found and briefed up, I will return to my regular job. Now if I could just remember which position that was...

I'm not sure what the current record is for the most positions held during one mission, but I must be closing in on it.

Cockamamie Logic

There was yet another incident of Afghan children being killed by coalition forces. Granted, in guerrilla warfare there are no rules and sometimes the bad guys use good people as shields. This is not a new concept, but we can't seem to adjust our tactics to avoid it. For some reason, if it an innocent person is killed by the coalition, it's just the cost of doing business. What? To make us feel better about children being killed, White House spokesman Tony Snow: "the terrorists are certainly willing to go in and take innocent human lives." Oh, well, if the bad guys do it, it's certainly okay if we do it too. Huh?

Attack on Afghan Police-Kabul

It was another sad day for the Afghan National Police in Kabul. A homicide bomber struck a bus loaded with ANP instructors. Reports vary, but there were many deaths. These brave men volunteer for a difficult and dangerous job that pays $70 a month. They believe in the idea of a better and freer future for the next generation. On this sad Father's Day, my heart goes out to their families.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of my fellow dads and dads-to-be around the world.

Short Afghan Timeline

This is a short timeline that gives a thumbnail sketch of the events leading up to today.

Attack on Convoy in Kabul

There was an attack on a mixed military/civilian convoy this morning just a short distance from my compound. News articles here and here. None of the contractors were hurt. None of the other details have been made public yet. Just a short note to say that we are all fine.

Closure

30+ years ago I watched part of "The Rockford Files" pilot, but never knew how it ended. All these years later, I now know without a doubt that you were right, Dad. They got 'em.

Weather in Kabul

I am often asked about the weather. Some of the questions make me laugh; they are usually from people that mistakenly believe that I am living in a desert, a la "Lawrence of Arabia." While there are portions of western Afg that share the appearance of Larry's neighborhood, I live in a high mountain valley completely surrounded by towering peaks. (For you Ellensburg readers, it looks extraordinarily similar to the Kittitas Valley, except over three times higher.) The weather is undoubtedly warm, but the simple temperature is misleading. At an elevation of 6,000 feet (~1,800 meters for my more science-empowered readers), the solar intensity is noticeably higher. There is a reason that Afghans looks so much older than their chronological years. Also, using yesterday as an example, there is virtually no humidity in the air. By mid-day yesterday, the humidity was only 8 percent and the temperature was around 90 degrees F. The result is similar to working and living in a giant dehumidifier. Add to that a constant breeze and Viola! My northern European roots guarantee that I stay in a constant state of a pinkish hue.

The Love of Money

Some people think that I came to work in Afghanistan for the money. I received my first pay stub yesterday and I was reviewing exactly how much we are actually paid. I am averaging just over 100 hours of work per week. With that in mind, my hourly rate is lower than if I was at home working as the head fry cook at McDonald's.

It's not about the money folks. It's about the people.

World Map Trivia

The individual city with the most hits---in the entire world? The suspense........ my faithful friends in Ellensburg.

World Map

I'm not sure why I am so facinated by the distribution of the readers of this blog. The graphic is a map showing the location of the readers. See any patterns?

A Critical Point in Time

The Western military presence in Afghanistan is wearing out its welcome. I strongly believe that the majority of the Afghan population wanted freedom and security for their future. I also strongly believe that Western governments are going about rebuilding that freedom in a less-than-stellar manner. Increasing incidents of "friendly fire" (a pathetically misleading oxymoron) are undermining the positive steps toward a secure future that are made everyday. Western military forces are second to none at breaking apart an adversary and crushing dissent. However, these same forces of destruction are not equipped to rebuild the remaining portions of the broken society. This role rightly falls upon the shoulders of diplomats and non-combatants.

Readers: Who You Are, Update

Readership has broken through the 4,000 threshold hailing from 30 countries.

Off to Dubai Again

My friend, Scott, and I are off to Dubai in the morning. It will be a quick four-day business trip, but I'm sure that we will find a little time to enjoy a beautiful June day.

I had my first big "test" in my new position and came through even better than I had hoped. Nice for my first step to be a strong and positive one. I look forward to the next challenges when I return from Dubai on Tuesday.

Hello, Neighbor

You never know who you are going to sit near on a plane.

On my flight leaving Kabul, a well-dressed Afghan sat down next to me. I noticed that everyone on the plane was being extra deferential to him. He spent the time on the short flight reading a book and sleeping. When we arrived at the Dubai airport, two women from the US embassy in Kabul that were flying with us told me that the man was President Karzai's brother. Hmmm.

On the flight to Switzerland the next day, two nice looking Arab men sat in the row with me. For several hours I tried to sleep (the flight departed Dubai at 1:30 am), but gave up started to read. At some point we stated to talk. There are hardly any native residents of the UAE, so a common opening question is to ask where a person is from. (Note: I have an alter-ego that I assume when I travel. There are plenty of people in the Middle East--and plenty of other places too--that think that Americans should stay out, so I alternate between being a college professor modelled after my friend Bob--causes trouble when we travel together--and an engineer that is in the region designing roads. And, to explain the fair hair and skin, I am always Canadian. No one hates Canada!) The conversation progressed and the man eventually told me that he was on his way to his family home in Geneva. Turns out my neighbor was a member of the ruling family from Sharjah, the emirate immediately north of Dubai. A real life sheik.

Memories of Spain

The pink princess on her throne.

The southern coast of Spain was truly beautiful. In the areas where you didn't have to look at all of the massive billboards advertising the latest real estate trend it looked even better. It was too bad that the coast highway has been burdened with all of the visual blight.

The roads themselves were interesting. Margaret has a keen talent of finding the curviest road in the world and our time in Spain confirmed that she has not lost this talent. About three-quarters of the way from the coast to the mountain town of Ronda, driving on this little goat trail of a road, we both looked at each other and just laughed. Years ago when we were dating, she sent me on a wild goose chase on a very similar mountain road outside of Taos, New Mexico. We both laughed at the recollection and the current similarities. While we were in Ronda, we answered the question of why people settled there: because they couldn't find their way out once they arrived.

The scooters... ah, now there is a calming memory. Little teen agers on mopeds/scooters things running all over creation and cutting in and out of traffic. Where was my 12,000 pound armored truck when I needed it?

New Day, New Job

When I returned to Kabul yesterday, the guys that picked me up told me that I was going to be working in a new position. Interesting, especially because I hadn't been looking for a new position. I asked a lot of questions about this change, but no one had any answers.

When I finally arrived back at my house, I was able to learn that a new position had been created and the command staff had asked that I be allowed to fill the director's position. I was flattered and also filled with a bit of trepidation. As the position evolves, I will write and share more about it. I will be remaining in the same house and working with many of the same men, just in a very different capacity. Sounds cryptic, doesn't it?

What a Vacation!

Annie and Dad playing at an overlook south of Ronda, Spain.

I have returned to Dubai after a fantastic vacation with the family. It was wonderful to sit and talk in complete comfort, eat too much good food, and play, play, play. More stories later when I return to Kabul.