Afghanistan

June 7, 2011 Uncategorized

I have a house now, and aside from a few minor issues like the plumbing being bad, bugs biting us, the walls showing signs of leaks during past rains, the water pressure being terrible, and a host of other fixes, it’s pretty nice. My room has its own bathroom, a windowsill wide enough that I can put a cushion on it and lay down in the sunlight, there is a collection of fruit trees in the backyard garden, and outsideRead More

Happiness is finding a full jar of nutella in the fridge.

May 8, 2011 Uncategorized

Outside the window, the sound of an old-fashioned, metal sewing machine is chugging away erratically, mixing with the music of the birds, the dogs, the chickens, the donkeys, the children playing soccer across the street, the cars beeping up on the main road, the lorries laying on their horns, and the hammering of construction somewhere nearby. The breeze is cool and life-giving in the heat of this second-floor room. Yesterday, I arrived in Faizabad via a UN flight from Kabul.Read More

Oh, the usual.

April 27, 2011 Reflections

Today on the carpool ride to work I glanced out the window as we turned onto a busy street in Kulola Pushta, and did a double take. Sticking out from the trunk of the little red toyota corrolla next to us were the raw legs of an animal carcass. With the trunk tied down over the protruding body, four hooves and glistening, flesh-pink legs bounced around as the car manuevered the potholed dusty street. The remainder of the bare bodyRead More