Things I Miss

1) Taking walks

2) Weekends

3) Weekends away

4) The "old pickup truck blue" color of my bedroom walls

5) The feel of sun and wind on my skin

6) Grocery shopping

7) Outdoor Concerts

8) Trees and natural shades of green

9) Sleeping with the windows open

10) Riding the train

So close, yet too far

I have met a number of people here - people who have spent their lives traveling to the farthest corners of the earth - who tell me that The Maldives is unlike any place they could ever imagine. Words like "pristine" and "breathtaking" don't do this lazy spread of islands and atolls justice.


Another surreal fact is that this paradise is a day's journey from Kabul, floating peacefully in the Indian Ocean. This proximity, the ability to almost taste the freedom and quiet and sunlight, a true escape from harsh realities, makes my head spin and my heart ache.


Nevertheless, the practical has taken over - I don't have any more time off, the average price of a hotel there is $500 per night, it's probably a place one should visit one a more special occasion than just a reprieve from Afghanistan. The list of practicalities goes on.


Still... it's nice to know they're there.

One Laptop per Child

The highlight of my short, sad weekend was the discovery of this amazing little machine yesterday. I had heard of it before, but having the opportunity to hold the little thing in my hands and chat with others about it's potential to revolutionize the developing world left me inspired and ready to go pounding on the door of MIT for the chance to participate.

http://www.laptop.org/

"The mission of the One Laptop per Child association is to develop a low-cost laptop—the "XO Laptop"—to revolutionize how we educate the world's children. Our goal is to provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves.Why do children in developing nations need laptops? Laptops are a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to learn learning through independent interaction and exploration." OLPC espouses five core principles:

1. Child ownership

2. Low ages. The hardware and software are designed for elementary school children aged 6-12.

3. Saturation

4. Connection

5. Free and open source

Land of Great Disease

There was a time when, upon a night out, conversations would draw invariably toward security issues. Kidnappings, Taliban in Kabul, barbed wire, war lords, weapons training, armored cars, etc.

These days, during this lull in frightening incidents, I have noticed that most conversations have veered towards disease. Yesterday, for example, I met two gun-toting men who recently suffered typhoid, despite their immunizations. I've heard tales of a flu which begins as an ache in the lower back and spreads through the body. There are currently at least 4 people in my life who are carrying 3-5 parasites, including varying typhoid strains of salmonella. Dengue. Malaria. Japanese encephalitus. Dysentery. They are all here and everyone knows someone who has had one.

Last night, after a beer from a recycled, crusty bottle and the typhoid talk, I walked outside and felt a rusty nail slide through my shoe and straight into my foot. Tetanus shot? Check! Last week, I ate a chicken curry which had me staggering in pain for days - the cure? Vodka. The Kabul cough - that itch in my lungs which has had me hacking and struggling for breath for 6 months? Ignorable.

All in all, I'm unconcerned by the blanket of dirt over this city and strange bug bites on the back of my legs... soon enough we'll have another scare and then can all go back to talking about security. Health issues - away!

Obamaism

A few nights ago, I had a dream that I was cheating on my significant other with Barack Obama. He had a special thing for me, and even though I knew he was a married man and major celebrity, I could not resist. He invited me on an exotic trip to China, and my answer was a resounding “Yes, Barack! Yes!”

This infatuation is uncontrollable – I am beginning to lose my faith in free-will. I am daily inundated with positive press about this man. Like a dog trained to salivate at the flash of a bright light, I reason by association. Flash! I love him. Flash flash followed by a sweet treat! I love him so much. Hearing his voice makes me swoon. I am compelled to rush to the streets, crying out and waving an Obama sign. I want to donate my entire salary to his campaign. When I close my eyes, I see his face spinning in a spiral and hear the words “I’m asking you to believe.”

Under normal circumstances, these tendencies might be a little concerning. As rats, dog and monkeys all over the world have learned, behavioral control experiments rarely result in more than a paltry meal of sugar water or wheat curd. But these days the press’s adoration for him is unfettered, and I am disinclined to resist. Away with cynicism! Yes to equality! Sitting from within a metal container in a guarded compound in Afghanistan, this rhetoric of hope and empowerment is like a drug which carries me away to an imaginary place where things get better, instead of worse.

So yes, Barack! Yes! I will trade in my soul, dignity, annual salary and critical thinking facilities for your vision.

Before and After

I was looking through some pictures today and realized just how dramatically life has changed in the last year.
About this time in 2007, I was on a Caribbean island exploring an old Catholic cemetery.



These days activities range from watching carpets dry in the dust to untangling my headscarf from barbed wire.

Tip/Wag Afghanistan