week 1 - spin cycle

This week marks the end of Ramazan (Ramadan), and the beginning of my vacation to the Hindu Kush mountains

 

Yeah that's a google image.  We can't really do much hiking around here... but every once in a while, through a crack in between the shipping containers we live and work in, I catch a good glimpse of those peaks through the sandy haze beyond.

The support folks here stopped working today for the holiday, so I ventured to the self help laundry and threw in my bag... and things started spinning

The chai tea here is the best I've ever had


The "do not feed the dogs and cats" signs are for people like me


For a place where there is a standing order not to sleep with the opposite sex, there sure are a lot of free condoms at the clinic and EPTs at the general store


The work here is pretty meaningful.  This isn't a war in the sense that most would imagine.  Not even the way the media portrays it, if that needs to be said.  This is full nation building.  Maybe it's koolaid.  Maybe not.  Education... hygeine... jobs.  Just a suicide bomb going off every once in a while.  Heck things are worse in Mexico...


Second day here I was walking down the street without my body armor and a kid came running up to me.  I smiled, and then he drew a silver shotgun and pointed it at my chest


The war on terror is almost completely an information war.


When you try to rebuild a government and rope in all these civil, economic, and public health efforts... that's where crime fosters and guns get pointed at you.  History says centralizing has almost never worked in this country.


I want to fly a kite


Blue skies every day


A big tradition during the last few days of Ramazan is for parents to buy their children toy guns... plastic weapons out here aren't orange... more like silver


Kids


Time to throw the bag in the dryer