LOCK DOWN

I'm sitting here on my bed, in the guest house in which i live while working in Kabul at the AUAF. My next door neighbor, Sav, is playing a random assortment of music on his laptop while busying himself with laundry. Others in the house are doing sundry things to occupy their time, since we cannot travel outside the walled compound of the house. The 'Lock Down' was ordered a few hours ago by our security director, when we received news of a German woman being kidnapped from a local restaurant just down the street. Times like this allows you to talk a lot with your housemates, so that is what i will be doing shortly, and of course cooking food, and eating, which gets me through most situations. My friends know this to be true :) I need to update my presentation slides for the new students, since our Fall Semester classes start Monday also. I have tomorrow free, since it is the Afghanistan Independence Day, and can stay up late, so will update if necessary. Peace.

Coming to America!

For all of you listeners out there, i will be leaving Kabul for my vacation on July 28. After a very long, 14 hour flight from Dubai to Atlanta, i will be spending the week of July 4 at the beach in Florida. And not a minute too, soon. I have been very busy with library renovations, book donations, consolidation two separate textbook storerooms (using one wheelbarrow to transport the books!), figuring out how to order textbooks for the fall classes, and various other odds and ends. I am looking forward to the rest and visiting with family and friends back in Tennessee.

While there, if any of you wish to call me, you can reach me on my SkypeIN number, which you already have if i know you :) if not, email me. Just leave a message, and i'll get back to you ASAP. Also, if anyone would like to donate books to the AUAf Library, where i work, just email me (jmalone4@gmail.com) and i can give you an APO box to send them to, it cost the same as sending to another address in the US, but will actually be delivered to me here in Kabul. Amazing, right? So look through those books and let me know!

Hope to see as many of you as possible on my visit.

The Wall Walk

Fat Butt Sheep on Mountainside

Angry Dog

Well, i guess my lungs are finally adjusting to the high altitude here in Kabul. Last weekend, i went for a hike with some friends from AUAf. We did the "Wall Walk," a hiking trail that runs along the ancient wall that runs up the side of one of the small mountains right here in the city. Kabul is nestled in among several of these mountain/hills, with the Kabul River winding its way through the old part of the city. The mountains do not have any trees at all, but are covered with stone and dirt houses along the base. This is where we started our climb, where the wall began, among the houses of the poor people of the city. As we ascended the steps upward along the wall, we received curious stares from the locals, especially from the very small children and young kids.

As we we climbed higher, the houses became less croweded, and the people were obviously poorer, as the very poor had to live where ever they could afford. This usually meant farther up the mountain side, where they have no running water, but have to carry large containers of water up by hand. Even the young kids can be seen carrying heavy water jugs. Along the path we stopped at a small trail side store that sold cold drinks and snacks. The young boy there sold me 4 orange sodas for 50 Afghani (one dollar). I put the drinks in my backpack and we continued up the trail. I had to stop often to catch my breath, but was enjoying the hike. Just as we were passing the final house, walking in the dust and rock, a couple of small boys standing nearby, their dog starts barking and growling at us, lookig down at us from the rooftop of the house that slants back into the side of the mountain. We move a little faster to get past this potential problem....just not fast enough. As our guide Jalil sprints ahead like a mountain goat, puffing on a cigarette, myself, Lisa, Kyle, and John try to keep up. The angry dog feels we are not moving fast enough, so he sneaks up quickly to the back of our single file line, and growling and snarling like he is a ferocious beast. We yell at him thinking he will go away, but no go, and before we know it, he darts in and bites John leg, tearing a hole in the jeans. Everyone kinda freaks. Lisa screams for Jalil. I have everyone go ahead and i pick up rocks and chase the dog back down the path. I did grow up in the hills of Tennessee after all! The dog runs away, but keeps coming back. I have to keep throwing rocks at him as we make our way up the trail. He finally falls back as we move out of his territory. Dang! Even the Afghan dogs are ferocious. It is smooth sailing after that, just a few fat butt sheep grazing on the sparse vegetation along the mountain side. We stop periodically to take in the view. The city looks amazing from this height; you can see the Kabul River winding through the buildings, patches of green puctuating the otherwise dusty landscape. Over to the left, we can see the American University of Afghanistan (AUAf) campus, just up the road from the old Darulaman Palace. Nice to be able to get a birds-eye view of the city. Being down in the streets each day, it is difficult to get a sense of how different parts of the city are connected, especially since we are not allowed to drive, which usually helps me remember how to get around more easily. On our final leg up the mountain, we spot old artillery shells, spent and lying on the ground. Once we even came across what looks like an explosive device sticking out of the ground, so we gingerly step around it. This trail is supposedly clear of all explosives, but you cannot take it for granted, always a possibility of some remaining.

Resting against the wall, Kabul far below

As we reach the summit, the air is so calm, everything so quite. The sounds of the city have dropped away below us. Usually, the wind is energetic here in Kabul, being so close to the desert. We stop here to have drinks and a snack. I lean on my backpack, resting on an outcropping of stone, looking out over the city and the valley below. Jalil, our guide and one of the driver's escorts that work for the university, points to different parts of the city and talks with me about what happen during the time of the Taleban, and when the mujahadeen were fighting among themselves, along ethnic lines. Lot of history just in the last few decades here, not to mention the ancient history. It is almost overwhelming to be here, to experience a personal connection with such a place. We eventually continue along the Wall, which runs along the spine of the mountain. This is the easiest part of the walk. Jalil hangs back to continue our conversation. He is an amazing person, learning English, even those difficult to remember words from the newspapers! He always asks what this word or that word means. It is good to be part of helping someone learn and discover new things. In the process, i learn more about the local culture, a few words in Dari, and feel i am making new friends. When we get to the point where we are to descend down the other side of the mountain, we end up splitting up into two groups, Kyle and Lisa continue down what looks like one trail, and myself, John and Jalil down another trail. Our trail ends quickly, and we end up basically rock climbing down the side of the mountain, slipping and slidding frequently on the loose patches of rock, and grateful when we could jump from one large rock to another. I am not sure this section was actually de-mined, i didn't want to think about it too much. As we finally reached the bottom of the mountain, on the other side, we came upon two young boys heading up into the mountains. One of them was carrying a small cage, with a small bird inside, the other had a small stick and an aluminum bowl. They proudly showed us how they used the bowl and stick to set a trap to catch the bird, and were going for more. I took a photo of them with my digital camera, and let them see it on the view screen. They seemed to be pleased. They only spoke Dari, with our guide Jalil, and offered to take us back to their house down the trail for tea. We thanked them, but declined, and they went on their way. As we came down the bottom of the trail, we were suddenly among the tombs of the dead. This area, one the edge of the city, was a huge area covered with graves, many, Jalil pointed out, were considered "saints" or pure of heart, people who supposedly never committed any sin. As we left the trail and came back to a semi-paved road, we noticed a burial in progress over to the left, at the foot of the hills. It reminded me how we are all alike when it comes to death, the burial site was strangely familiar, brought back memories of saying goodbye to loved ones in my own past. I wondered whose burial was this? How was it affecting the family, the loved ones? Lots of people were grouped near the burial site. As we continued along the road, we met up with Kyle and Lisa, resting on a stone fence along the dusty road, surrounding by a group of curious local kids. We called for our car to pick us up, but we decided to continued walking until it arrived. Many kids, curious about us, trailed behind us, like we were the Pied Piper leading them out of the village. As we walked, the men kept looking our way, not used to seeing a woman, Lisa, without a head covering. We were grateful to be out of the spot light when the car arrived. I was exhausted and my legs very sore. Kyle and I played Ultimate frisbee the day before with a group of internationals and I still had not recovered from that, but the Wall Walk was an awesome experience. If you are ever in Kabul, i highly recommend it.

The Wall Walk

These are some photos from my hike up to the top of one of the mountains surrounding the city of Kabul today (Saturday):

Spring Break in Rome!

I am very excited that i will be leaving in a few hours to head to Rome for one week. AUAf is having a mid-term break and most of the international staff will be taking a vacation, flying off to various cities -some to New Delhi, Isanbul (which is on my list), Dublin among others. I will be staying at the Tempio Di Pallade in Rome, located in the center of the city and close to several attractions. I am looking forward to seeing the sights and enjoying great Italian food with friends flying in from Canada. Robbie and Lisa, lets have some fun!

I will also post pics soon of this trip. I have been negligent in blogging, but life here in Kabul kind of takes its own slow time, and it is a full-time job outside of work just making sure you shop, have some essentials, and spend an occasional night out at a cafe or restaurant. There are some surprisingly good restaurants here in the city, but that is a conversation for another time. I miss all my friends and family back home. Take care, more to come....

Traffic

Something that was 'in your face' from the beginning when arriving in Kabul, was the traffic. Not that Kabul has more than any other city i have been in, but there are definitely new road rules to learn! Except for the center of the city, there are no lines of any kind on the roads, the ones that are paved that is. Traffic generally goes in a US-style two way direction -until someone gets impatient, then he will simply pull into the oncoming lane and drive there for a while. This gets very confusing to a newcomer, and a bit nerve wracking too, until you get used to it. Morning rush hour times are the most intense. Lots of rushing ahead in the vehicles, quick stops to keep from running into someone's rear end, or avoiding the wheelbarrows and carts trying to make their way from one side of the street to the other. Young kids look back and laugh when they barely escaped from getting hit - a sort of game they seem to be accustomed to playing daily. Pedestrians and bicycle riders are thick along the sides of the roads, making their way to work. There is almost an art to the way the bicyclist stack and balance large loads on the back of their two wheeled transport - everything from large auto tires, stacks of naan (bread), recycled cardboard, etc. Since i have to be driven to and from work each day, i try to talk with our drivers, asking questions about the buildings, the people and such. Sometimes, the traffic is so busy in the mornings that the driver has to concentrate to weave in and out of the swarm of cars, buses, carts pulled by humans or donkeys, and military vehicles that seem to barrel through the throng of traffic. I usually remain calm through all this, but when the traffic gets so congested, i can't help but look from side to side, trying to mentally push our SUV or van through the stream of traffic. I have found that, like many things in Kabul, patience is required to when traveling in the city. Sit back, relax, enjoy the bumpy ride!

Chaila Cafe

Lots of my fellow AUAf staff and other internationals, love to hang out at Chaila Cafe. They make a mean cheesecake. For those Starbucks fans, it is the best thing going in Kabul, and the closest you can get to that gourmet blend this side of Dubai. The Pumpkin Spice latte is delicious!

Night of the SuperBowl replay at Chaila - (L toR) David, the cafe proprietor, Andy Malone (my new found "cousin" in Kabul), me, Elizabeth, Kyle, Lisa, and Rebecca. Everyone to the right of me in the photo are instructors/staff at AUAf.

At Chaila Cafe

- an internet cafe in the neighborhood

Other photos to follow whenever i can get my slow internet connection to work better.

The Hash

Ok, so this post is for the lighter side of things. There is a group of internationals here in Kabul who go on weekly hikes either in the city or the surrounding areas. This group is loosely associated with the World Hash House Harriers (HHH). So, i went last week with a couple of my colleagues from work, Joyce and Rebecca. The main difficulty was finding the house in town from where we were to start the Hash. A handful of hearty souls actually chose to run this predetermined course - rain, mud, snow, and open sewers be damned! I did not run. I enjoyed the leisure stroll through the city, looking for the 'hash' marks on the ground - those chalk markings that would indicate whether you were on the right path or on a alternate route. I found many alternate routes, let me tell you. But the stroll was interesting as we walked, the local people asked us what was happening, all the while thinking to themselves, i'm sure, that we were a bunch of crazy Westerners out running/walking in the mud and rain. And of course they were right. The 'Hash view', the one scenic point during each walk that is designated a viewing spot, was very nice, on top of a hill, near a burial ground, overlooking a section of the city. From here you could see the many brown, dusty buildings sprawled out into the distance, eventually fading into a veil of misty rain and low lying smog. As we make our way along the path, the small children would shout 'hey mister! one dollar!'. They have learned to spot foreigners and ask for a dollar. After a two hour walk, we made it back to the Hash House, where we became part of a ritual i had not witnessed before. All new runners/hikers had to stand in the middle of a circle of the remaining hashers, and drink down a beer (water for the teetotalers) while the group sang bawdy songs. When you have completed your fifth hash, you receive a hash nickname....and with this group (predominantly Aussies) it wasn't going to be your regular pet nicknames. Three guys received their hash names this day, had a raw egg broken over their heads and drank down a beer while we all sang off key. All in all, a charming day.

The Kabul Condition

Yes, i know, i have not written each week as i had intended. I have been experiencing some of the common ailments many, if not most, non-Afghans will come to know as part of their experience here in Kabul: colds, stomach upset, and especially for me sinus irritation. There is a lot of dust in the air around Kabul, even in the winter time. I hear the dust is dramatically worse as the ground dries and summer approaches with temps peaking at 100F plus. Another curious fact i have been told is that the dust here has a particular quality not found in any other capital city in the world. Because of the post-conflict nature of the country, many basic facilities are not widely available to the majority of the population. Even though i am relatively pampered in a guest house with a gas powered generator for electricity, running water, etc, many, many citizens of Kabul have it much worse. And historically, the sewage from houses is dumped into open ditches along the streets. When the summer comes around, all of this sewage dries up and mixes with the blowing sands from the surrounding deserts. That is why it is said that Kabul is the only capital city in the world with such a high content of fecal matter in the air. Yes. Ok, now i must run off to work. More to follow very soon.

Shopping on Chicken & Flower Streets

I have a few moments before i go to work this Monday, so i wanted to write an entry. I awoke with the 5 AM call to prayer sounding in the background, decided it was too cold, went back to sleep for another hour. I work a Sunday through Thursday work schedule, with Friday and Saturdays being my weekend, a common work schedule in Muslim countries. Generally, on work days i am up early, call for a driver to pick me up around 8 AM and open the library at 8:30. I think i will have to change that soon because many students take evening classes and cannot make it in early...we'll see.

I went shopping on Friday to get some basic food stuffs. We round up staff from the various guest houses and head downtown to the A-One, a small store carrying some of the basics: canned food, milk(refrigeration not necessary), nuts, teas, etc, nothing fancy. There are always these two tiny little boys outside begging for money or trying to sell you an old worn out pack of gum for a dollar - they are very persistent! After shopping for groceries, we head over to the shopping district at the corners of Chicken Street and Flower Street, a famous shopping district. There i am specifically looking for a book store at the intersection of the two streets. I have heard of a book called An Historical Guide to Afghanistan by Nancy Hatch Dupree, written in 1977, and i want to get a copy for the library. One of my colleagues, Joyce, helps me spot it. Along with a wall map of Afghanistan, i get away with spending ten bucks. Not bad. I will come back here to look for other books in the future.

On the way home we have the driver stop at one of the ubiquitous roadside naan bread stands. If we're lucky it will be piping hot. No it's not, but warm and tasty, a nice treat.