Okay..... Bob Loves Me Too

Earlier this month, I posted a note filled with great joy and jubilation. My friend, Jenn, had sent me a package of Starbucks--mana from heaven, the sweet nectar of the gods. I was overjoyed. My old friend, Bob, perhaps feeling like he was in second place, asked if there was anything that he could send. I replied that books would be wonderful. Imagine my delight when I returned from Gardez yesterday to find a package from ol' Bob. Like a six-year old boy on Christmas morning, I tore into Bob's box. Inside the neatly packaged box my glistening eyes spied books, glorious books, and... (remember, Bob is one of my dearest friends) Clairol Men's Choice No-Drip Gel "Blends Away Gray/Leaves Hair Thicker and Fuller!"

Yes, it is indeed good to be loved.

Bagram Attack, Follow-up

Yesterday's Taliban-sponsored attack at Bagram AB has claimed the lives of a number of innocent people. To the families of the soldiers that were killed: thank you for sharing your sons/fathers/husbands with us. They were men of courage that answered the call to duty and stood watch when others would not. God bless you all.

To the families of my Muslim brothers that were killed: you, too, shared with us men of strength and great courage. May Allah grant you solace and bring peace to your families.

Bagram AB Attack

There was an attack at Bagram AB this morning. While I was scheduled to be there this morning, fate kept me at Gardez overnight and I was safely at home in Kabul when the attack occurred.

Travels to the Hinterland

ANP graduation; Gardez RTC, Paktia Province, Afghanistan.

Russian Mi-8 helicopter.

With one of my teammates, Donny, on the flight to Gardez aboard the Mi-8 helicopter.

All photos courtesy of S.O./mslamotor16@gmail.com.

There is a regional training center (RTC) near the city of Gardez in the province of Paktia, south of Kabul. My office made a trip there yesterday for some work. We flew in the helicopter shown above. It is a Russian Mi-8, part of our company's private air team. They are ugly birds, but very tough. Unfortunately, shortly after it let us out, it had to make an emergency landing in the mountains (blizzard conditions) and it became disabled. Everyone was fine and taken care of by some U.S. forces living out in the hills.

While we were at Gardez, we were fortunate enough to be invited to the graduation ceremonies of an ANP (Afghanistan National Police) class. It is a proud moment for the students/new policemen and also for my program.

We departed Gardez and made the trip back to Kabul, by road this time. The drive took us through some beautiful countryside and across some very high roads--one of the passes was over 9,600 feet. It's good to be home.

Love is in the Air

Tim in the courtyard of our compound.

Tim is our lead language assistant (interpreter). He came to the office and proudly announced that he had gotten engaged to be married yesterday. He was beaming with joy and, in accordance to the Afghan custom, shared gifts with his friends when he shared his joyous news. He and his fiancee will be married in 8-9 months. I wish them a long and happy marriage.

Kabul News

For those of you following the news in Kabul, you may have read about today's events. A large group of demonstrators gathered in the center of the city. Read about it here. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning for all Americans and advised everyone to stay home today. We locked down our compound and waited. The event turned out to be largely peaceful and all is well. The Afghan police did a magnificent job of allowing the demonstrators to be heard while simultaneously keeping the event in line.

My Neighborhood

Yesterday I posted a photo of two sisters that live in my neighborhood. This is a photo of their house.

Pictures

This is a mosque near my house. It is just west of the park that is just west of my house.

The local kids like to sled down this snow field. And, yes, it is every bit as steep as it appears.

I took advantage of the extraordinarily clear skies today and took some more photos from the roof of my house.

Farewell

Mark--center, in jeans.

"Itallian Cuifine" Local pizza-like substance.

Mark's cake--he is an avid RC helicopter pilot.

We said goodbye to our fearless leader last night. After 18 months in Afghanistan, Mark is returning to the States. He is the guy that taught me to drive in Kabul, so when I come home and drive like a maniac, it's his fault. It has been a sincere pleasure working with him and I wish him well. Via con Dios, amigo.

The Other Side of the Coin

Photo courtesy of S.O./mslamotor16@gmail.com.

Lest any of you think that my Snickers-thief stories are anything other than tongue in cheek prose, above is a photo of the most well-behaved sisters in the neighborhood. The older sister is always there and politely stands back a bit so that the little children can get a treat. She greets us with a quiet 'Salaam' ('peace') greeting, thanks me for the chocolates, and leaves when I say that the candy is gone. She and her sister posed for me today.

Returning to the Scene of the Crime

Me with some of the neighborhood kids. We are looking up at one of the fathers of these children as he laughed watching his kids.

Handing out some chocolates.

Wanted: Grand Theft Snickers

The little purple-clad Snickers thief pleading her case for more chocolates.
All photos courtesy of S.O./mslamotor16@gmail.com.

This afternoon was another beautiful, sunny day in Kabul. I 'went over the wire' again to hand out some goodies to the neighborhood kids. After being mugged last time, I learned my lesson and brought back-up. One of the men that I work with came along and took pictures. One of the last girls to show up today was the little Snickers thief from last week. She smiled at me and tried the same tactic that worked so well before. Too bad, young miss.

Those Eyes

A generation of National Geographic readers have been captivated by 'those eyes' of an Afghan girl frightened by war. As I travel around Kabul, I still see this photo hanging in many area shops. You also see the same emotion in the thousands of people living on the streets. The same desire for safety and security that refuses to envelop this nation.

This links you to the National Geographic story of Sharbat Gula, the Afghan girl with those mystical eyes.

Magenta

After snowing all night, it is a beautiful, bright, sunny morning in Kabul. The newly fallen snow has made an otherwise beige city look crisp and clean today. Moments like this, it is possible to forget that there is a war going on.

Annie has added a new color to her palette: magenta. I'm not sure if her favorite part is the color itself or saying it, but she took great joy in telling me about magenta today during our video conference. She is also sporting a new haircut that looks great. She is growing up so quickly.

Flashbacks of my Youth

Growing up, we burned our trash in a burning barrel. I have distinct memories of taking the trash out and standing there trying to get wet garbage to burn. I revisited that place yesterday. Here in Kabul there is a shortage of many things that professional office staff take for granted, such as a reliable power supply and functioning office equipment like copiers and shredders. Late last night I had a big box of sensitive documents that needed to be destroyed. The little shredder that we have in our office would have taken days, so I burned the paper instead. 30+ years later, there was the same little boy playing with a stick poking at a fire burning in an old oil barrel.

"Chocolate? Dollar?"

Our little contingent of neighborhood kids is pretty cute. When the weather is nice, they add cheer to the compound with their little voices calling out while playing their games. I love to hear them over the walls. After my excursion the other day handing out the granola bars and pop-tarts, I broke down and bought them some chocolate. When the children wait near our outer gates, their oft-repeated mantra is "Chocolate? Dollar?" I walked out of the gate again Friday afternoon to add some 'sweetness' to their weekend (Friday is the day of rest here; Afghans typically stop working Thursday at noon and don't return to work until Saturday morning) by giving them some chocolates. I met the normal crowd near the gate to their courtyard and was immediately greeted by one particular little girl that is a regular at the gate. She saw me, ran up, and started talking with great animation. I was without my normal Ghurka companion and was not able to speak directly to her, but smiled and said hello anyway. She repeated what she had said. Nope, still didn't understand, little one. She stopped, put her arms down to her side very deliberately, smiled her biggest smile, and... with lightning speed, grabbed the entire bag of Snickers out of my hand and was off like a shot. I laughed so hard; she was so darn cute... for a little thief! Her mother had witnessed this and looked more than a bit scared at what my reaction might be (As friendly as I try to appear, when I go out like that I am still well armed when I leave the compound). My smile was infectious and soon we were all laughing at the spirit of a young girl. I shared some more treats with the rest of the family and went on my way.

On Saturday afternoon, I saw the same little girl at the gate when I drove in returning from town. She got excited when she saw one of the 'company' vehicles returning home and started asking for "Chocolate? Dollar" until she saw that it was me driving. She looked a little (just a little) bit scared until I smiled and waved at her. Her bravery quickly returned and she asked for a treat. When I said "Nay" ("No" in Dari), she frowned, smiled at me again, and skipped away home. She knows that I will be back.

More Snow

The mountain behind my house. If you expand this photo, you can see men working on the tops of their homes removing snow. Most of the houses are built with a flat roof and the weight of the snow will quickly collapse their homes.

Another view of my mountain.

A different view--overlooking a park a couple of blocks from my house. A B-road is in the left/distance.

We awoke to more snow this morning. After an unusually warm day yesterday, this came as a bit of a surprise. I climbed out of bed a little earlier than normal this morning and saw the ground covered; I sat out on the upper deck of my house and watched the snow falling for a while. Kabul was very peaceful at that early hour and I enjoyed the serenity of the moment.

High Valleys and Shepherds

We made the trip to Bagram Air Base again yesterday. After completing our work there, we returned to Kabul via the 'old' road. This was a route that took us through areas that had witnessed fierce fighting during both the Soviet-era and the Taliban eradication. The land, like the Afghan people, is resilient and is returning to life. We drove through beautiful high valleys with flocks of sheep tended by their shepherds and farmers preparing the land for the planting of crops. The air was crisp and clear which allowed the towering, snow-covered mountains to appear all the more majestic.

Afghan Car Pool Program

Photo courtesy of D.S./civpol02@yahoo.com.

In an effort to combat the overly congested surface streets of Kabul, the government has implemented a new car pool program. Citizens are rewarded for using this program. It would appear that this family of five has caught the spirit.

Pied Piper of Kabul

I 'stretched' some rules today. While taking a break from putting together my bedroom 'suite,' I stepped outside and heard some of the neighbodhood kids playing. It was a sunny afternoon and kids were doing what kids do best. Their laughter made me think of Annie and how much I missed her. I knew that at times the kids will come to the gates of the compound to wave and ask for chocolate and dollars. I grabbed a box of granola bars (I know; I'm sure they would have enjoyed something else more than old granola bars.) and a box of Pop-Tarts (now you're talking!) and slipped out of the compound through a side gate. I asked one of our Ghurka guards to call out to the children (the Ghurkas speak Urdu, among other languages, which is close enough to Dari for them to communicate). Within moments, I met ALL of the neighborhood kids. It was mostly girls that were out playing today and they all had a 'brother' at home and asked for more. I would guess that their ages ranged from five to eight. They were really very sweet and their new 'uncle' was only too glad to spoil them a bit. When the Ghurka saw that I was running out of treats, he told me to get back inside before the entire neighborhood mobbed me. I walked back inside and told my story to the fellas. They laughed and decided before I did this again I had better get a bigger (and better?!) bag of treats. It really made my day to see the joy in the eyes of the kids.

I've Moved!

Just across the hall. There was a large room that was being converted from a sleeping quarters to a sleeping quarters/office combo for my teammate Scott and I. Scott has been in there the whole time, but there was not any furniture for me, so I had been staying in the room and office of a guy out of country with a broken leg (slipped on the ice). Today was furniture delivery and put together day. It was like Ikea, but a lot lesser in the quality department. The three of us that put this stuff together had lots of good laughs trying to find homes for all of the 'extra' pieces. At the end of the day though, I have a closet/dresser thingy, a desk, and little tiny bed to call my own. Best thing is the commute: my desk is about four feet from my bed. In the morning I can just fall out of bed and I am at work. Scott and I have giant picture windows that we can look out and see the mountain with the houses that I have shown in previous photos. Home, sweet home.

BBQ--Afgan Style

It is a tradition at my camp to BBQ every Thursday night throughout the warmer months. The kitchen staff decided that today was warm enough to qualify, so we had BBQ steak, ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, baked beans, everything that you would imagine at a BBQ at home. It was fantastic! It might have been warm enough for the staff to cook outside (on a giant T-shaped BBQ), but it was only about 40 degrees out and we ate inside. It was a nice treat and change of pace from the normal curry ______ (fill in the daily staple). It will be even nicer when we can sit outside and enjoy some sunshine.

St. Valentine's Day

Annie sleeping with her St. Valentine's Day bear from her daddy.

Annie eating chocolate and holding her bear.

Happy St. Valentine's Day everyone.

Afghan vs. Afghani

What's the difference between an Afghan and an Afghani? Before I came here, I didn't know either. In fact, I often incorrectly used them interchangeably.

An Afghan is a citizen of Afghanistan. If you look further back into the history of the term, it is what Persian-speakers called the ethnic Pashtuns. The highest concentration of Pashtuns live on both sides of the modern-day border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. President Karzai is an ethnic Pashtu, as are/were the vast majority of the Taliban.

An Afghani is the currency of Afghanistan. At today's exchange rate, 49+ Afghanis (AFN) = USD $1.

Afghans and Pictures

Afghans love to have their pictures taken--as long as you give them a copy. When I took the picture of the men in the dining room the other night, they asked for a copy. I made them a copy and gave them one each. They were so happy and proud. Yesterday, I asked the three women that clean and stock my house if I could take their picture. A little background: these three women work long, hard hours cleaning our entire camp (inside only; outside is men's work). They rarely smile and just go about their work. I try to make a point of smiling to all of the staff, wishing them a good day, and giving them a wave. When I asked if it was alright if I took their picture (through the woman in the blue in the middle; she speaks English, but doesn't ever let on that she does), they all three stood up straight and tall, adjusted their head scarves, and SMILED. They sat patiently outside of my room/office while their pictures were printed out. They were so proud. I was impressed that through all of the strife that they have seen and lived through, they still had the pride to look good for the photo.

Snow Picture

Photo of the snow.

Old Tanks and Roads

What does a nation do with the tracks off of hundreds of old Soviets track vehicles? The answer is an excellent example of Afghan ingenuity. As you drive throughout Kabul and the surrounding areas, you will encounter the largest speed bumps I have ever seen. Some of them are created by paving approach ramps over small mountain ranges. Some of them are actually inverted; they are speed ditches--usually a combination speed ditch and drainage/sewage canal. My favorite style though is the 'tank track across the road' method. You take a massive steel tank track removed from a Soviet tank, lay it across the road, pour a little concrete in the spaces to anchor it, and viola! A formidable speed bump that WILL make you slow down.

This link will take you to an interesting article from the LA Times of a group traveling the Afghan Ring Road.

Snow and Milk

We awoke to snow today. The weather calls for more snow to fall throughout the next 4-5 days, so it looks like I won't be doing any traveling this week. The snow makes it really difficult to see the massive potholes that like to tear the wheels off of our vehicles.

I have a new favorite breakfast cereal. It is a cross between a mueslix-like cereal combined with all kinds of local (Middle East/SW Asia) dried fruit. It is really quite good, even if I do have to eat with the local version of milk (REAL milk does not come in little cardboard boxes that sit on the shelf unrefrigerated for weeks). It is called UHT (Ultra High Temperature) milk and is eaten throughout much of Europe and Asia. I have adapted to many things, but milk is supposed to by cold.

Afghanistan Map-New and Improved

Graphic courtesy of Kroll/Crucible-Kabul.

Somebody Loves Me!

I know, I know, lots of people love me, but I received my first care package today. My friend Jenn (of the infamous Bob and Jenn show), the world famous business professor and Starbucks barista extraordinaire, sent me a blessed fix of S'bucks beans!! The smell escaped before I could even get the box completely open. WOW! I felt a bit like Pavlov's dog, with the saliva and all. THANK YOU!

Today's Adventure

Today I visited Bagram Air Base. It has been a key base since it was built in the 1970s. The Soviets used it extensively and the Northern Alliance and Taliban forces fought over it for years. The years of fighting were evident from the many destroyed buildings and vehicles surrounding the air base. It is currently occupied by multi-national forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is on everything from coffee cups to underwear). I saw troops from U.S., Canada, UK, Turkey, France, Italy, Korea, Poland, and the ANA (Afghan National Army). I'm sure there were others, but that is what/who I saw today.

Bagram is roughly 30 miles (~one hour's drive) north of Kabul; the roads took us through some higher draws and across some high rolling valleys, many filled with vineyards. There were many stands along the side of the road selling big, beautiful grapes. They looks so good; I wish we could have stopped and eaten some. Sorry, no pictures today. I was driving the lead/point vehicle and was too busy to take pictures. Also, it was raining most of the way and I didn't want to get wet and rust.

On the driving front: for those of you that thought I was a fast/aggressive driver before, you should see me now. All of us that learned about defensive driving, drive friendly, etc...; that all goes out the door when you drive convoys in Afghanistan. It's all about who is biggest, fastest, most aggressive, and the last one to blink wins. It's a cross between Dakar and Formula 1, except with big, heavy armored vehicles. It's quite a rush!

Card Night

Previously presented photo and caption removed by request.

Two of the local men that cook for us. They were eating their dinner while we were playing. Watching us laugh and carry on, I'm pretty sure that think that we are nuts.

Thursday night is card night here in Kabul. There is a group that gets together in the dining room of our compound after the last diner leaves and plays cards. Last night we played Hearts. It was fun to get together and visit with new friends and laugh and laugh and laugh. We all work long hours here and it was fun, and probably healthy, to let our hair down for a while.

Coming Back to Life

Graphic courtesy of:
http://www.aroundgreece.com/images/new-olym-runner.jpg.

Running, that is. After a fantastic summer and fall of running, I had to slow down a bit with a minor injury. It healed and I started on the slow path to recovery some time ago. Just as I was feeling like I was returning to my game, I moved Kabul with its oh, so, thin air. I don't know if it was something magical, or two weeks was how long it took my body to acclimate to the elevation and air quality. Whatever it was, tonight's run was fantastic! You runners know what I'm talking about--it was one of those runs when your body says "No problem; whatever you want to do today is alright with me." In a gym far below the city streets of Kabul my legs came back to life.

Blue Sky

Kolola Pushta in the distance.

The famous Intercontinental Hotel-Kabul from my house.

The only trees I have seen outside of private compounds.

This little guy makes my day. His is the voice of innocence that lifts my spirits and reminds me that the next generation will have a better life. I can hear him playing through my open window. I'll probably never know his name.

Looking north across the valley. Kabul is a city of 2+ million people.

We were blessed with beautiful blue skies today. I took a minute out of my lunch break to snap a few pictures from the roof of my house.

Driving

My job allows/requires (depends on the day) me to travel around the city a fair bit. So far, all of my travels have been as a passenger. Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive for the first time. Holy Mary and Joseph!! I have mentioned that there are very few paved roads. Combining missing the the pot holes (or picking which path through the dirt is the road on that particular day) with missing the other drivers (there is no such thing as lanes or proper directions of travel), pedestrians and various domestic animals (cows, goats, sheep, donkeys with or without their carts and owners), and you have a bit of a stressful drive. The final straw is that little IED thing that we have to be constantly on the lookout. I drove for about an hour and I felt completely spent. Whew! It will get easier as it becomes a normal part of my routine.

I continue to enjoy what I am doing and the people that I get to work with every day.

Super Bowl in Kabul

04:00 in Kabul... what was I doing? Why, watching the Super Bowl, of course. It was broadcast live via AFN (Armed Forces Network) television. The only drawback was having the 'good' commercials replaced by the AFN commercials. No flying Doritos girls or talking Bud frogs.

My work continues to enthrall me. It is very rewarding and I am happy and proud to be here performing meaningful work for a nation of kind and deserving people.

New Photos

View from my room.

Another view from my room.

Sunrise over Kabul, Feb 1, 2007.

Downtown Kabul; note the mosque. It provides my wake-up call.