3-10-07
Who has my house keys? I'm sitting here wrapping up the work day and just had this fear come over me that I have absolutely no idea whatsoever who has my house keys? Is it my parents? Is it one of my friends? Did I leave them on the counter? Not a clue. My folks took me to the airport and I think I left my keys with them. I hope so!

I miss my dogs. My mom told me that they haven't chewed or destroyed anything -- WHEW! I'll tell ya this, the first day I'm home, those dogs aren't leaving my side!

And I'm going for a drive -- just to go for a drive and see my city again. I'll drive my truck with my dogs in the back eatin' it up!

I'll eat lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Yessir. That is where I'll eat lunch. And breakfast or dinner will be at Cracker Barrel. You betcha! And my dogs are comin' with me; the managers are just going to have to understand. And I'm oh so sure they will. {rolling eyes}

So I just moved upstairs to the 3rd floor where I now have a private room. No more snoring roomie. No more of having someone else ALWAYS 3 feet from me. I'll be able to make phone calls without having him in my ear talking to his family. Not that it's bad, it's just that neither of us have had any privacy since we got on the plane in Atlanta. Everyone else here has private rooms. Now we do too. Maybe he's used to it because he's married with 3 kids and since I'm not married and don't have a roommate, I'm not used to it. I'll get you all some pictures of the new digs later on, but it's 3 walls of windows and it's above the power lines so I have clear view to the mountains beyond.

I'm missing my workouts. In order to get a workout, I can't just walk to the base. I can't just drive to the base. I have to coordinate it with everyone else in the house and figure out where my little workouts fit in with everyone's dinner plans because we have 7 people and 2 SUV's. It'll be nice to just take the dogs for a walk around my block. It'll be nice to get on my bicycle and take off down the street when I get home.

I guess you could say I'm in a bit of a slump. I'm not stressed out, I'm not upset, I'm no less thrilled to be here. I just miss the freedoms I'm accustomed to. Last night I just sat in the living room and watched TV, something I've not done in quite some time (since before I left the States).

Cheers all!

3-6-07

Today got started the best a day could.....with a hike! I'll let the pictures do the talking, but a few of us went out at 5:30am to catch a sunrise hike up and over Shir Darwaza, a mountain that separates Kabul into North and South. There's a wall along the ridgeline that was used to defend the city at some point in history -- I'll have to research that. However, there are records of recent fighting there as well, which is evident by the empty .50cal shells I found along the trail. Now, this was one of those hikes where we were instructed to stay on trail, because there are still mines scattered about. Who would plant them up there? Someone crazy, that's who! Attendees on the hike included Smudge, Frank, Matt, Scottie, Ralph, Jamison, Tillie the bomb dog, and myself. (The first 4 names on that list are guys from Blue H, so we were in no danger at any time)!

Our hike started and ended in two different villages, and I cannot describe the poverty we saw. There is no central sanitation system so basically there's a pipe coming out of the house that is to remove the "stuff" from the homes, but it just gets it outside onto the ground. Kabul is a beautiful city with magnificent landscapes surrounding it, but I'm afraid the residents don't enjoy it as much as we do.

Top of the Shir Darwaza is about 2300 m, and the elevation of the city os about 2000m above sea level. Hopefully you'll enjoy the pictures!

3-4-07

Today is Yak shanbe (Sunday) the charoom (4th) roz (day) of mars (March). Ha! I'm sure there's a more proper way to put that, but I have to put my new Dari language dictionaries to use sometime, eh?

Well, thanks to a Marine I met on Friday night at a campfire on base, I found out there are church services on Yak shanbe at 1100 and 1900 hours at the Camp. Given that we work on Sunday here, I was able to make the 1900 service (7:00pm) and I'm glad I was able to go. The worship was contemporary with a small praise team and the Word was delivered by one of the new chaplains on base. Chaplain Shaw is a gospel minister from Alabama and I promise you, he almost broke loose a couple times and we came really close to havin' us some CHURCH! It was extremely refreshing. The passage that he used for his message is one of my favorites, from Ex. 33:13-23 where Moses asks God to show him the Glory!

The format was very camp meeting like. The Chaplain asked after the worship time if anyone had anything to testify and folks did. We took communion after the message, and he asked for prayer requests before a brief prayer time.

On that subject, please keep a young Naval officer in your prayers. A few days ago, Lt. Rob (I won't post last names) was in the infirmery with what he thought was a cold. He left there in a coma. He was airlifted to Germany where his condition did not improve and now he is at Besthesda Naval Hospital. His wife is with him, but there has been no change in his condition. I'm sure there are a hundred other stories like this, but this is one I heard of tonight. Please add this family to your prayers. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get any updates, but I am going to try and find out where the Chaplain's offices are and pop in on them from time to time, so maybe I will.

Let's see...what else. Oh, I did mention about my laptop crashing. The good folks I work with in Atlanta are getting me a new one out on Monday I do believe. I've had a webcam up for about 1 day, so when I get the chance to get a new cam, I will and I'll try to get a short film of our offices and inside of the villa, maybe getting some of the faces I work with as well. I've never done anything like that so it may take me some work to figure out, but I'll do what I can. I wish I could take pictures on the base, because I've seen some great opportunities to capture the geography surrounding Kabul with an Army tent or flag or sand bag wall or armored HumVee. I understand the reasoning, but it would still be nice to capture.

Okay, I know I've spoiled you all with pictures so here are a few more. We had the chance to buy some local things at a bazaar on Friday so here are some of my findings.

See those marble goblets and vases? They cost me less than $40 total! Don't feel skimped if you're one of the lucky ones to get a marble vase as a gift, though, remember I'm the one who has to carry 'em home! The blue and gold thing there is a bedspread and matching pillow cases which I got for $5.

Here's my Ghengis Khan warrior helmet! It'll be a good thing to hang on a shelf. I'm not sure how old it REALLY is, but it's cool nonetheless. The thing in my hand is a tool used to harvest vegetables, not a tool of war, but it just looks cool with the helmet!





Is he French or Afghani? The hat was made popular by Masud, the "Lion of the Panjshir", Tajik mujahed commander of the JIA and then top military chief of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. He was assassinated in 2001.




Okay, that's enough for tonight. Oh, and in case you're interested, the attack that you're hearing about on the news today occured on the Jalalabad Rd near the city of Jalalabad. It was not near Kabul, but over the mountain from us. Everything is still quiet here. And I'm keeping you guys back home in prayer as well. I saw the results of the tornados that ripped through south GA and I'm about to call home and check on my folks. I spoke with my sister earlier and she said there was some damage in Macon at my parent's house. I also heard that a friend in Americus sustained some damage to their home and business.

3-2-07


Friday! Today is our "off" day here, which means we'll work a little bit but will be able to do some other things as well. There's a bazaar today at Camp Eggers at which locals sell their wares and we'll head over there as well as the American Embassey. The weather is nice here today, so it'll be a good day to be outside!



Yesterday a couple of us took a walk up to the grocery store and it was honestly about the highlight of my week! See, since we have the Blue H guys, we cannot go anywhere without an armed escort and because of the rules we have to follow concerning security, they are obligated to ensure our safety, which is why we typically drive everywhere. We're picked up and dropped off behind gates and walls and such whenever possible. Where not, they exit the vehicles first and scan the area before letting us out. So given the chance to take a stroll up the street was a welcome gift! Now, we didn't go unescorted. One of our Blue H guys went with us but I think he volunteered just so he could get a change of pace as well.



I'm excited about the break today. I'll get a chance to catch up on my journal and some reading that I've not had time for this week. Before I left the States, I was doing this Bible study of I Samual with some guys from church and I've not done anymore reading since I got here. Hopefully I'll be able to find a place outside on the patio to catch up on it while taking in some sunlight. Oh, we all went out last night with another contractor and you would not believe the night sky here. I went out Wednesday night as well to have dinner with some folks from ECC, Inc and their compound is located out near the airport so you get a really good view of the sky. It's neat because since we're on similar parallels, I get to see the same constellations as back home. It's a little comforting, to have something here that reminds one of home.



Okay, enough yammering.....onto the pictures!




Ralph & Jamison ready for our stroll











This is outside of the villa. Now, before you go thinking we're living the highlife here, remember -- this is our house and our office and there are about 15 people that live here presently.








Now you see why Ralph has on those boots! This is the street our villa is on.







Here's the little store just up the street from us with it's proud manager of the day! We didn't shop here today, but went to the larger which is on up the block, on a paved road.









Here are the children that "escorted" us to the store.








There's nothing like the smile of a child to brighten your day!









As I eludeded to earlier, here are the bread winners for the family. They were so happy about their new prizes that I couldn't resist this shot.








Here I am with them (notice the paved road).










Sunset in Kabul. I do not know the name of the feature shown, but I'm working to get an unclassified map of the area so I'll be able to tell you soon.

3-1-07

We are experiencing momentary, technical difficulties. Please stand by. Seriously, my laptop crashed just at the end of the workday today and I'm trying to remedy the problem. I have access to another unit, but it does not have all my files obviously so that may present a problem....ARGH!

Once I get the issue corrected, I'll post up some pictures from our walk to the market today. It was quite an enjoyable time and we got to meet some neighborhood children along the way who loved us taking pictures of them. Granted, they wanted a $1USD for each one, but we obliged. See, I'm told these partically children are the bread winners for their family since their father was injured in some fighting and lost a leg. Turns out, he's the guy I've seen around the block on the crutches!

Okay, well, pictures to follow soon. I promise. Tomorrow is a bazaar and half day work since Friday is like Sunday here. We'll be heading to the bazaar and while there I'll be able to pick up some local things to take home. Woo-hoo! I'll be the first in my family to have the Christmas shopping done this year!!!

Cheers!
~Charles

2-27-07
We're now officially calling Kabul "KaBOOM"! Okay, not funny, I know but cut me some slack. Actually, the explosion you heard about on the news was at Bagram AFB which is about 1.5 hours north of Kabul. All's quiet in Big K today, another day for the markets to be open and people milling about.

In fact, for dinner, a few of us actually walked to dinner. It was only a block and a half through the mud and we still had the Blue H guys with us, but it was nice to get out and go for a stroll.

I now officially have a webcam, but my Yahoo messenger is not recognizing it. The computer finds it, but Yahoo doesn't, so I'm tinkering with that. I can also be reached by phone through Yahoo messenger, now. My ID is "gak2biker", so feel free to call me if you have Yahoo messenger too! It only costs me one cent / minute to call out, and nothing to receive, I think. Skype costs two cents / minute so look at the money I'm saving!! =)

Anyway, I'm off to bed. No new pictures to report. Today was all work. Catch ya tomorrow!

2-26-07

One of my friends just emailed some questions that I thought I'd answer quickly before turning in for the night. She said that our villa looks huge. Well, it kinda is! It's a 4 story place, one level just below ground with three others above ground. Our offices are on the below ground floor, along with two bedrooms and a storage room. Our security guys double up in the bedrooms down there. The security guys' main office is on our main floor with the living room, dining room, kitchen, 1 bath, and 1 bedroom. The 2nd floor, where we're at, has 5 bedrooms and the room I'm in sleeps two so 6 of us are here on the 2nd. There are 3 bathrooms on this floor as well. The 3rd floor I've only seen once, but I think there may be 2 bedrooms with baths, and 3 security guys.

In all, I believe there are at least 14 people that sleep in the villa, and we have three more coming in next week for a short time. There's a guard shack manned 24-7 outside the gate you see in the snowy picture, and to the left inside the wall is another security hut where a couple guys stay. Needless to say, we're well covered with guards!

Now, the area of town we're in is obviously not the same as what you see in the pictures I've posted. The villas around us are pretty similar to ours in size. The Spanish Embassy is just around the corner, and the house being built next to us is valued at like $500k - $1M USD. Definitely NOT par for the course in Kabul, but at least there is money coming into the economy, which bodes well for the city and country.

From here on, I'll likely refer to our security force as Blue H to make it easier, at least for me. Okay, off to bed. 8:00 am meeting with the Army and ya can't be late to those things!

Cheers!

2-26-07

More pics...

Sunrise over the villa up the street from us.

Which of these do you use? Yes, that's a porcelein hole in the floor with foot pads so you can do the one hung low squat! Um....the only time I want to do THAT is in the woods, not in my house.

Moving on....sorry these are not clearer but it was very overcast and snowing today. Plus, these were taken from a moving vehicle...

The morning commute. I'll NEVER complain about my commute in Atlanta again. This is incredible and beyond words. Cars, pedestrians, kids selling things, people on bikes -- all on the street on a mission. There are no lines on the road to seperate lanes. There are no rules of passing except to honk then floor it. It's so crazy, that our driver this morning bumped a guy walking to get him to move. The ex-pats here that drive are told not to stop if they hit someone or run over them or are in an accident. A mob will form and you'll stand no chance against them. It's just THAT crazy!

A bike shop (you knew I'd fine these!)

Typical street scene

"if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either." II Thessalonians 3:10

Amidst the poverty and ruins, the people work. In fact, they realized that a 5 day work week was not enough to get their economy rolling and to restore the country so they are now on a 6 day work week.

I wish I could share more of my pictures, but I'm getting a little frusatrated with loading them on the blog tonight. The blog site is not cooperating and I've spent the better part of 2 hours just getting these up. It's getting late here and I still have some work to do before morning. I'll try to get the pictures transferred to a photo sharing site sometime soon so you can see them all.

2-26-07

Snowy Monday in Big K. This pic was taken from the balcony outside my room on the 2nd floor of our villa. You can see the muddy streets and the walls that help keep the bad things out.

Here are a few more pictures from move in day...

The room Jamison and I are sharing

The hallway outside our room, 2nd floor of 4

Since I'm having some trouble loading pics, I'm going to close this thread out and start another with some shots from today's excursion.

2-24-07
Hello from Kabul!
We finally made it! It's 6:45pm here, 9:15am there -- yea it's a weird time zone apparently. We basically didn't sleep last night but we finally got up at like 4 and made our way to the aiport only to be told to wait until 6:30 which turned into 7:15 but the attendant got us on the flight. We had to pay extra for being UNDER the baggage weight -- yea, UNDER!Funny thing is Jamison had more weight than I but we had to pay the same amount - it was basically a "screw you American tax" we think because we were the only ones to pay it. Anyway, the flight was nice --I got to sit in 1st class! Well, the big leather chair with more legroom was about all the difference it was on the flight but I'll take it.

The Afghan landscape is amazing. The mountains are tall, bigger than the Rockies, and they totally emcompass the city of Kabul. In the airport this morning we met some others who work in Kabul and have for 3 yrs, and another guy working security for another outfit. I got some good information from the other two of things to watch out for but also found out from Deana, an Aussie lady, that Sunday and Wednesday are salsa nights, Monday is trivia -- they had to make sure we knew the important stuff! I sat next to a Bulgarian banker on the flight and got more info from him.

Once on the ground in Kabul, you quickly realize you ain't in Kansas anymoreToto! Soldiers running drills just off the runway, soldiers greet the plane, soldiers shuffle you through passport check and baggage claim -- all the while looking at you in a very intimindating manner, even though they're not packing guns. This one lady US Army Capt. almost got herself in trouble. She was packing heat, as was her partner, and they were waiting for some folks on our flight. Well, she kept trying to come inside the terminal and the UN guy kept telling her she wasn't allowed inside with her guns. It's stuff like that which makes ya wonder what we think as Americans sometimes. Why did she persist? There was no reason and all it did was upset the local police who are trying to maintain the rules.

Outside the terminal, our security force was not there. We carried our bags past several guys with guns and other folks were getting shuffled by their security teams into SUV's. I met a guy from SOC, another security detail, and he let me call our guys. Apparently they had called to find out when the flight was coming in and were told 12:30 so they were shocked that we got here at like 11:30. Anyway, it all worked out. One of the locals came up and talked with us for a bit. He works with the tourism board and with airport security and was not pushy but very nice. Once meeting our security detail, they all seem very nice and take their job VERY seriously. They're carrying AK-47's, dress in plain clothes, and drive Toyota 4-Runners -- they like to keep a low profile. The other security details are all in military dress with vests full of shell slings trying to be all bad. Our guys are mostly Scottish, turns out, so I'll likely come home with a touch of Scottish accent!

Even with the unsurety at the airport, it's not really an uncomfortable place. It's really below the poverty line, though, but that doesn't stop folks.Everyone is out buying and selling and playing soccer and doing things, not staying inside or cowling about. That says a lot about the people and their motivation to make this a better place. There's mud everywhere right now because of the thawing in the mountains. Our road is nothing but mud and holes bigger than our SUV! There are "improved" roads but not in the neighborhoods yet.

Tomorrow we'll head over to Camp Eggers and get some briefing over there about our work and the lay of the land there. Apparently that's where we grocery shop and such as well. I'm gonna head downstairs and watch some rugby with the guys on the satellite TV. I guess England's playing Ireland so it ought to be a good game.

I'll get some pictures up tomorrow or Monday. Thank you all for the emails and prayers. I appreciate them very much!