28. A friday in Kabul....

Friday is the official day off in Afghanistan. Unlike the West, in Afghanistan the weekend officially starts on Thursday evening and lasts through Friday night. Having one day off, might seem daunting when you look at all that you need to do but for some miraculous reason, so much can get done on this one day. 

For Afghans, Friday is the day to do household chores, visit family members and friends, attend Friday prayer, have a large family dinner, unwind from the hecticness of the past week while at the same time, preparing for the upcoming week. For those who don't have families here, this day is used to sleep in, watch movies, grab a bite to eat and wait for Saturday to come. 

But for me...I tend to use this day to enjoy as much of this city as I can. I don't get much time to socialize or get out during the week so I try to make the most of my Friday. To give you an idea of a typical Friday for me, here is a run down of what I did yesterday: 

• Slept in til 9:30 AM 
• Had a gourmet brunch with friends and co-workers at a French Restaurant called Le Bistro in Shahre-Now 
• Walked all over Shahre-Now, stopping at Chicken Street, the Persian market and the newest multi-story supermarket - Finest. 
• Cleaned my room 
• Went to dinner with an old friend 
• Watched a movie (My Name is Khan) 

I'd say that's a pretty full day!