26. Its Cold!

Kabul is covered in snow. Growing up in California, I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with the cold conditions that those who live through cold winters do. We used to drive 4 hours to Lake Tahoe to experience an occassional snow fight but even that was under a warm sun and I have to be honest, a night at the casino's played a big part in the decision to make those trip. My first few years in Kabul, I was once again fortunate in that the country was experiencing a drought and so winters were not so extreme but this year...its freezing! I can't seem to get warm no matter what I do. I dress in at least 4 layers, wear two pairs of gloves, 4 socks, 2 scarves and that's just when I'm at home wrapped inside my fluffy blanket sitting in front of my electric heater with the fuel powered bukhari blazing away. During those nights when there is no electricity and I have run out of the fuel for the Bukhari, I drink hot tea to warm myself. When I get into bed, I put on almost every piece of clothing I have and slide under 2 blankets and 2 comforters and watch the steam coming out of my mouth as I breath in and out. I try to pull the blankets and comforters over my head to keep my face from freezing but I find it hard to breath. Some nights are so bad, that my eyes fill with tears as I think of my warm room back in California. 

Driving in Kabul is a nightmare to begin with but under these conditions its hell. The snow turns all the dust into slush and mud. I slip on the ice at least twice a day. It's become so common now that I am no longer embarrassed by the falls. I come home every night and wash the caked mud thank has dried up to my knees off my pants. My walls are frozen, I can keep milk out for at least 3 days without it spoiling, frigid air seeps in through the cracks in the poorly constructed door frames and the single pane windows. My fingers turn purples as I wash my hands in the ice cold water that, if I'm luckly, hasn't frozen inside the pipes. I have resorted to taking bucket baths instead of showers because I can use the water I boil in my tea kettle to mix with the frigid water coming from the tap. 

I look forward to arriving in my office where it seems to be the only place in Kabul that is relatively warm. I feel like I have turned into an icicle. I count the days until Spring but the days pass by so slow. However, during my worst moments, as bad as it gets, and as cold as I am, I think about all the poor people in this country that don't have the money to fuel their bukhari's, or electricity to power their portable heaters. I imagine the parents who watch their children freeze in front of their eyes. I think of the Afghans who can't afford 1 blanket let alone the 4 that I have. I remember the freezing faces of the pedestrians who walk for miles from their jobs to their homes because they can't afford to own a car or pay for a taxi fare. Its enough to make this Californian find the strength to tolerate this cold winter in Kabul.