Salaam! Sobh Bekhe,
None of the pictures or descriptions of Kabul or rural Afghanistan prepare one for what will be encountered here. Some of you who have had the fortune to travel to a highly populated city where there is rampant poverty will understand. There is so much infrastructure needed here, roads, sewers, buildings, etc. The thing that has impressed me is the Afghans' ability to make use out of every possible thing at their disposal. What they lack in resources, they make up for in innovation.
Another thing is that the people here are so intent on making a better life, they don't take the time to complain about the little things. We could learn a huge lesson from this attitude. For all the time spent whining about what we think should be and isn't, we could probably do a lot of good towards that very goal about which we are complaining. There is plenty to whine about here; mud roads, trash, broken buildings, crazy (and I mean reallllly crazy) drivers that might run you over, the lack of rule of law and orderliness. But people accept it as a way of life and find a way to work around it.
Also, the people I've met are extremely friendly. There are some inquisitive stares from strangers, but as soon as you engage them, the smiles come out. If you're making the effort to connect, they will reciprocate.
So, everyday since we've been here, we've met with an organization about what they need from us, what we can do for them, or about what we are planning to do. Yesterday, we went to the community center where we will be teaching and had a chance to introduce ourselves and begin the preparations for the computer and English lessons. There's gonna be lots of students, so we will be very busy. They rarely get an opportunity to interact with native English speakers, so it should be valuable to them. Many of them will be looking for jobs in the city, and English is a great tool to have when applying.
There is a group of engineers here that are working with the organization to improve the infrastructure of the existing centers and drawing up plans for new ones. They're a great group of like-minded people who travel to the remote parts of the Earth to make life better for those in developing countries. It's been a pleasure working with them. And, b/c we're all nerds, we had a discussion/debate about math problems last night. Good times. FYI, Brandon, we were wrong about the three doors problem in the movie 21. You should definitely switch doors. It took 10,000 iterations to prove it to me, but I finally gave in. And most of you know how stubborn I am in a debate.
We've also had a chance to become friends with the permanent Afghan staff here. Dave is working with them right now on some self-defense moves he learned while in the military. I've become good friends with one of our interpreters who is a college student here. He helps me with Dari, and I'm teaching him some English idioms and slang. It's been a lot of fun.
The team house is really busy. We've got the engineers, a doctor visiting, the two of us, the hosts, the president of the organization, and almost every night there have been visitors for dinner that work closely with us. Lots of people, lots of backgrounds, and lots of new ideas and experiences.
As for the scenery, it is absolutely gorgeous here. Kabul is about the same elevation as Denver, CO. And the city is between lots of white-capped mountains. I like hanging out on the roof and just taking it all in. We're in a very safe part of town, so don't worry about that. In fact, I haven't felt intimidated at all since I've been here. So, all the prayers are working. Keep 'em coming.
Well, I hope everyone is doing well. I should be able to share some more specifics when I get back to the States, but on here I'm still limited. Thank you all once again. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Khoda Hafez!
