Eid Mubarak

Our daytrip to the Salang Pass (through the Hindu Kush) coincided with the first day of Eid. The feast of the goat. All across Afghanistan and other Muslim countries, goats were being slaughtered (no pictures .. yet). Not only do they get slaughtered, but a small incision is then made into their leg so people can blow in to it. Blowing air in to the incision apparently makes it easier to remove the pelt from the animal when you skin it. Tasty.

Mining 101

We took a great day trip out of Kabul (in retrospect, the trip itself might not have been great, but getting out of Kabul felt fantastic). The weather was nice, the sun was shining, and you forget how mice it is to feel like you can walk around without someone snatching you. We headed out towards the Salang Pass which cuts trough the Hindu Kush (mountain range). The only problem is figuring out what is (and is not) considered a “mine clearance” (or MC). So we looked for the rock markers (white on rock for clean, red on rock for danger), but since everything was 2 foot deep in snow, finding a red or white marker proved a little difficult. So as not to tempt fate, we stuck to walking along the road and wandered off into a little village only when we saw well-used tracks. Another graffiti symbol to become familiar with is HT or Halo Trust, the group responsible for putting many of the markers on the rocks and de-mining (or is it mining) the area. Meanwhile, I think Halo Trust sounds like a good name for a Christian Bank, but I digress.
These pictures show some of the area we were in, as well as some village children who came out to play. It doesn’t matter where you are, a snowball is a snowball and throwing it at adults (especially strange ones like us) proved to be an enormous amount of fun.

An unexpected surprise

The past few mornings an unbelievable luxury has befallen us here in Kabul. We have electricity when we wake up. Apparently Kabul powers much of the city with hydro power, ans all of the snowmelt is giving us that little extra we need to see (without candles) when we wake up. Now I am sure you are thinking, “that must be beautiful, Kabul must look like Venice with all that water runoff.” Well, Venice it is not .. unless Venice’s waters have turned to a gooey mud swamp thing .. but not to look a gift horse in the mouth, it’s been a little slice of heaven in the mornings. (mind you: the extra power isn’t enough to flush the toilets or warm the water .. for that we need the generator).

A little excitement on "Main Street", Kabul

Jalalabad Road (for those of you unfamiliar with it) is the main road in Kabul. It is the road most frequented my military and UN conveys and thus a favorite spot for suicide bombers .. things on Jalalabad Rd have been quiet since I got here ... until last night.
Last night, around 10pm, a bomb went off, but as most of you know, I prefer to be in bed at 10pm than on the streets and/or roads (that goes for NYC as well). I mention the bombing in case it makes the news (although hasn't the US press stopped mentioning anything in Afghanistan) .. and I wanted to assure you that all is well in my world (minus the fact that my luggage still hasn't arrived .. now making it 11 days with basically the same outfit). Ahhh .. the wonders of kabul where everything takes longer ....
Tomorrow off to go snow-shoeing in an area believed to be mine-free.

more Afghan funnies

There's an AFC here (Afghan Fried Chicken).
I got a lovely silk (what I thought was a dress) thing .. put it on, only to discover that I was trapped with no way out. Ended up being a sleeping bag sheet.
For as much as I tend not to like "utility" presents, the underwear and socks that my mother packed as a Christmas gift, has saved my sanity. Just think: a night of not having to hand wash my delicates in the hopes that they dry by morning.
Oh, and it's not funny as much of an update: but one of my bags finally decided to join me from Dubai. It was the smaller of the two, but it was also the one with presents (whoo hoo!).

Things that make me laugh ...

Yes, life is hard here in Afghanistan, but there are also a number of things that make me laugh on a daily basis. They are:
For every 5 minutes of Dari, the translation amounts to 5 seconds of English (i.e. I ask a question, the response goes on and on and on with a lot of seemingly important inflections, and the translation is: “she thinks so.”
My driver’s name is Kaka.
Every morning and every evening, we spend a good 10 minutes shaking one another’s hands “hello” and then “good bye”. If it is a group of women, it normally takes twice as long as they are allowed to hug each other.
The cook, who sounds like he speaks English, can only say “good morning, how are you” (to his credit, he says it flawlessly). I found this out at dinner when I said “salaam” and he responded with “good morning, how are you?!”
That it so cold in the kitchen that drawers are used as storage bins. (i.e. I was looking for flatware and I found the drawer that the eggs are kept in).
The store that I see on my way home from work that says “very special big juice”.
That the irritating compound cats (2 cats who live among us.. and they might only be irritating to me), are incredibly smart. They kept getting in to my house even though I kept the doors closed. One day I saw how they opened the screen door by flicking it with their paw, and then they jumped up and hit the handle of the front door so it swung open). Part of my daily routine has been a game to foil them in these efforts .. for example, I have a built a contraption to keep them from being able to get to my room door handle, which takes me a few minutes to build each morning .. the only problem with it is when I realize I forgot something and then have it go through the process of rebuilding.
How even in squat toilets (like what they have here at the Ministry), women still chat amongst each other through the stalls.
How there are no signs anywhere (or if there are, they are in Dari), and my first time at the squat bathroom, I had no idea which side to go to ….
There is a TV program here called “Afghan Star” which is this country’s version of “American Idol.” There were 2 female contestants and the rest were men … given that this is still a culture where women are viewed as best staying in the house, the females were voted out immediately. Now all that is left is bad singing men.

There are more laughable daily moments, but these are the winners.

Christmas time in Kabul

It's an ordinary day here in Kabul .. and although there is over a foot of snow on the ground, no one is walking around saying it's a white christmas.
The snow started coming down yesterday afternoon, and from the first flake, I knew that there would be no plane carying my long lost luggage to me for Christmas. Apparently this is the place that Santa forgot.
My housemates did Christmas Eve up big yesterday night, and in typical French style, the table was filled with baguettes, cheese, foie gras, and (wait for it .. wait for it...) red wine in a box! Times are tough here in Kabul when the only red wine that can be found comes in a box. This said, it feels like it's been forever since I've had any red wine .. so a couple of glasses gave me that warm all over feeling (another huge plus in cold Kabul).
Today also officially marks the one week anniversary of me in the same clothes. Sure there are a few extra socks (compliments of Alisa), 2 cotton turtlenecks (compliments of Mireille), a pair of long johns and a pair of sweatpants (also from those sharing girls). Now I know you are thinking, with all that, why do I need my stuff? Well, for one thing, I'm a little bigger (in height and frame) than the giving girls, so the sweatpants and long johns are more like bermuda shorts/capris on me, and the turtlenecks barely cover my Buddha belly, but the donations sure have eased the pain somewhat. I still spend my nights washing my bra, underwear and pants (the pants get dirty from the Kabul mud which is unlike anything I've encountered .. it sticks to you and doesn't come off .. I fear it is more than just mud, but I try to avoid those thoughts.) I will say that the one positive is that I chose well in NOT travelling with jeans .. jeans would never dry overnight in the conditions I live in.
ell I suppose I should get back to work (which is why I'm here after all) .. there is much to do since this office has only been in place for one week and the staff needs to be told what to do every step of the way .. they also need to stop and have tea and stop a pray 3 times during the workday ...
that's it for now .. Merry Christmas to all .. I hope you are spending it among loved ones and have opened a present or two!
as they say in Dari,
khoda hafez,
Fiona