Pictures

As I warned, there is not much blog-ness to this blog, but rather a pile of random pictures and stories. Which I guess kind of fits. Anyway- random pictures with explanations:

Big Brother: This eerie white blimp is above Kabul 24/7 with cameras looking down in search of "trouble-makers". I can't see how this is very effective, or why the Taliban have't fired on it, but it certainly is eerie.

There is, I kid you not, a mall in Kabul. We foolishly went on a Friday, when just about everything was closed. I bought some cheap brown shoes, proving everyone wrong- they do have (some) size 13 shoes in Kabul.

Massoud Circle, named after Ahmad Shah Massoud, the rasta-haired leader of the Northern Alliance. His assassination by suicide camera-men on September 9th, 2001 was the first step in al Qaeda's plan to attack the US. By killing the Northern Alliance's charismatic leader, AQ and the Taliban hoped to prevent the US from using the (now divided) Northern Alliance against the Taliban in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks. Reminds you that bin Laden and his sinister allies were thinking several moves down the chessboard when they planned their campaign.

I pass by this circle every day, but traffic is often stalled by long US, Turkish, or other NATO convoys because this is right next to ISAF headquarters. When the convoys go by, everyone pulls off to the side of road and looks as non-threatening as possible. Cars trying to pass the convoy have been known to be mis-identified as suicide car bombers - which never ends well. Also, your cell phone loses its signal as they pass by because of the IED jammers (to prevent would-be bombers from detonating the deadly devices via cell phone- you may have seen this if you watched The Hurt Locker).

I may live in what seems like a prison block- but it's a prison block with roses!

The rugged (and unconquerable?) mountains of southern Afghanistan.

Yes mother and Caro, you CAN get Splenda in Kabul.

Afghan Fried Chicken is actually quite popular among locals.

A helpful sign at Afghan Fried Chicken.

More soon!

Buttermilk

So a couple of weeks ago, the data mining guys (all local Afghans) asked Ameel (fellow intern) and me to join them for a cookie and buttermilk. Buttermilk, to my surprise, is not just what Wilbur got bathed in before going to the fair. Rather, in this part of the world it is fermented milk. While the gesture was lovely, the experience was less lovely. To each his/her own, but to my unaccustomed palate it tasted like one of the more rancid, unpleasant things I have tasted. Be warned if offered such delicacies.

Kabul Birthday

So I generally try to hide my birthday, but my kind fellow interns organized a surprise dinner with a lot of our friends in Kabul. A wonderful birthday, with the requisite indignities putting on my present- a Karzai-esque outfit. Thanks very much to everyone- pictures below.

First, in case you thought the prison analogy was a bit extreme for the looks of the compund:

Second, the surprise dinner and my present at Boccaccio's, a Kabul Italian restaurant run by Croatians:

Text message alerts...

So we get text messages with security updates when things happen. They might be as simple test messages, etc.

A few minutes ago we got:

"Small arms fire behind roshan village. No need to worry. Everything is OK. A wedding was taking place and there were some celebration gu"

Arriving and "RV"

The flight from the US was long but reasonable. Emirates is a good airline to fly, even in coach. DC to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Dubai, Dubai to Kabul on Safi Airlines. I saw a jet-black drone fly under the airplane as we flew over southern Afghanistan, but wasn't quick enough to get a photo.

Some of the other interns (for whom I have to thank for many of the pictures posted on this blog), instead had to fly the less pleasant "Scary-ana" to Kabul, and had an interesting stop-over on the way:

They did not get off the airplane, but did see some A-10s out the window:

Unconfirmed since they did not get off the plane, but it is claimed that the exit to Kandahar airport has a sign that says something to the effect of "You are encouraged not to enter Kandahar", and that the entrance on the other side of the doorway has scrawled into it, "We told you not to come."

Since landing in Kabul, Afghans have generally been very kind and polite, with a couple of students on the plane striking up conversation about their studies in the US and elsewhere and their life in Kabul. Now you might roll your eyes and say "everyone says people are nice when they go to a new city." If so, you've never been to Shanghai (no offense, anyone from Shanghai, but seriously I've never gotten so many nasty stares in my life).

I was met at the airport by Meraj, whose picture I will post if I get it, and quickly driven to Roshan Village ("RV"), the compound in which all the expat staff for Roshan live. The compound is surrounded by a perhaps 30-foot wall. The Roshan vans (which thankfully are pretty nondescript, in contrast to the very obvious UN vehicles), approach a metal gate, which opens to a small area where the cars are checked for car bombs (the same sort of mirror-on-a-stick business you get when you go to a secure government building in the US or UK). I won't give details on the rest of the security screening for obvious reasons, but at the end of it you come to courtyard that is our temporary home. I'd describe it as a prison yard with rose bushes. If you care to see a video, see:

My room, shared with another intern, is air-conditioned, clean, and has a TV (which has been a must this World Cup). Only my mother would care, but here's a picture of the place:

So very nice in a place where many expats have to boil their water every morning. The food, too, is good though at times repetitive (which I don't mind). Every meal has the option of naan, rice, and dal- which works well for me.

Speaking of food, remind me to tell you about buttermilk...

Beginning

Hi. I wasn't going to keep a blog on this trip, but it seems a good way to share pictures and quick stories with a small group of family and friends. I may not post frequently, but will try to through up an interesting picture now and then both to share and remember.

This summer I am working with Roshan, the leading mobile phone provider in Afghanistan and one of the largest projects of its majority owner, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development. From the start I should say that this blog is personal and does not reflect the views of either Roshan or AKFED. I won't talk much about either organization, except to say that I've been quite impressed with Roshan/AKFED's model of promoting economic development. In many ways Roshan shaped the market here, which has become intensely competitive, by proving that operations were possible and by helping to shape regulation through negotiations with the Afghan government. In short, the company was founded (along with other shareholders with expertise in telecoms) to generate economic activity (and provide communications services) in a "post-conflict" (let's call it that) state that desperately needed it, and with the goal of one day becoming 100% Afghan-operated. For now, though, there are a few expats about, including interns like me. You can learn more from the web links above.

Needless to say, I've also been learning a lot about the Aga Khan and the Ismaili tradition. I'll give more space to this later, but for now I was recently shown an article on the Aga Khan by that pillar of excellence in modern journalism, The Harvard Crimson. (In case you had doubts about the Crimson's professionalism, note that I've also made the Crimson...). Those of you who were undergrads will appreciate the references to the Aga Khan's freshman dorm in Wigglesworth.

And yes, the blog's name is my weak attempt at the lowest form of humor.