Afghanistan

Friday night reading.

April 22, 2011 Reflections, Uncategorized

Some more insight on aid, donors and the relationships that affect both the appropriateness and efficiency/overall impact of this industry on the people it’s supposed to help — from a great article by Waylaid Dialectic: Aid’s boosters and its bureaucrats do, of course, have their shortcomings (they’re human, in other words). And this does contribute to worse aid. But that ain’t the real story. The real story is that they’re working with the money of, and are accountable to, aRead More

in which we are living in different universes, side by side

April 21, 2011 Reflections, Uncategorized

Today before my colleague left for the day, I wished him luck on his 5th exam for the week. He’s had one each evening after he gets off work, and I know that because he’s so busy at the office and preparing for a very-near upcoming wedding, he hasn’t had much time to study. I asked him how prepared he felt for this one, a business exam, and he said ‘Nothing! I haven’t prepared at all!’ Then he turned hisRead More

Small Joys

April 14, 2011 Uncategorized

Back from Baghlan. In anticipation of coming posts that will be longer and actually talk about what I did, let me just say for now that: 1. I never thought one of the best hot showers I would have in my life would be in Afghanistan. 2. If you are not religious, a good way to cure that is to suffer from diarrhea all week long and then have a very long drive ahead of you with the potential toRead More