6. One week in Kabul

Well, it’s been far from smooth sailing but for those of you who thought I wouldn’t last a week, I regret to inform you that I made it. I haven’t been shot at, no rockets or RPG’s have been launched my way and I’ve managed to not get myself kidnapped. So if you are pitching into my ransom fund…keep it going. With that said, I did face some interesting obstacles that comprise daily life in Kabul. 

I’ve moved at least twice so far in order to: 

1) find a room that I can breath in without passing out from the stench in the bathroom; 

2) has relative privacy – which means the guards, to their disappointment, don’t have a conveniently full view of my room to watch me shower and change; and 

3) is cozy enough to not make me feel like I’m living in a hotel room. 

The sunset from my balcony

In addition to my lodging issues, it took me 5 days to get a phone and a working laptop, I have no reliable transportation, no hair dryer (and for those of you who think that’s not an essential necessity, obviously you haven’t seen what happens to my frizzy hair if it’s not artificially dried), no contact with anyone I know and I’ve managed to destroy two pairs of boots already! I haven’t been to the convenience store to buy my essential supplies, can’t get anyone to give me what I ask for, don’t know if I will ever thaw from this icicle I’ve turned into, my internal clock is still off, I haven’t slept through a full night yet and I’ve managed to get sick (no, I don’t have the H1N1 virus or the swine flu…I think). 

But despite all the bumps, there have been some amazing moments as well. I love my job. The food has improved considerably (except at the guesthouse I’m staying it – my luck). I’m still doing really well in my new role as a vegetarian. I met some amazing people who are doing even more amazing work. I have 24 hour internet service. I have close to 24 hour electricity. I finally got a chance to go to Shahre Now which was where I used to live before but I didn’t recognize a thing – there is so much development that it’s unrecognizable. I have a full working bathroom with a respectable toilet and hot water. I found a supermarket right behind my guesthouse where I can buy Honey Bunches of Oats, Snicker’s Bars, Ritz crackers and good ol’ Cup of Noodles soup. 

Being sick has made me miss my mom immensely. There is nothing like a mother’s love and care when you are sick. I come home to an empty room but I’ve managed to fill my time watching blue ray movies (which I can buy for $2), skype-ing with friends back home, reading, watching Afghan TV – which surprisingly is quite entertaining. Between a satellite dish, cable and the local tv channels, I have over 2000 channels to choose from but unfortunately, only 7 of them are really worth watching. The best part of being sick has been my reunion with the Afghan Kino (tangerine) – which tastes like it’s been dropped from Heaven. I’m on my 23rd one in 3 days. But since I’m not eating anything else, I guess I don’t need to feel guilty. I think I’ve lost about 10 lbs since I’ve been here so for all of you who are trying unsuccessfully to lose weight, come try the Kabul diet -- no meat, organic fruit, coffee, no sleep -- for 1 month and I guarantee you’ll shed those pounds faster than you can even imagine. 

For those of you who were worried that I was heading toward my suicide in a war zone country where I’d have to live in a bomb shelter…I should let you know that you’ll be disappointed to hear that it’s not like that. People wake up, go to work or school, watch 24 and Friends (dubbed in Dari), go to the movies, attend sold out concerts, dine out at restaurants, go on picnics, wear the most fashionable clothes, date, have fights with their parents, run businesses, have lavish weddings, talk on blackberries and iPhones, drive Toyota corollas and Land Cruisers, gossip, dance, pray, celebrate holidays, get manicures and pedicures and all those normal every day things we all do everywhere else in the world. 

This isn’t to say that things are all peachy here. Afghanistan has its fair share of issues. Corruption is rampant, drug abuse is at an unprecedented level, children are still forced into marriages, women are still fighting for their rights, crime is on the rise, salaries are unimaginably low, things never get done on time, you can’t walk around as a foreigner the way you used to a few years ago, the education system still has a long way to go and toilet paper still feels like sandpaper. But overall, the wheels of daily life churn. As a new day starts, hope still lives on, buildings rise from rubble, students graduate from schools, technology advances, and the Afghan people rise to another day of relative (yet fragile) peace.