Kabul Kids

Kabul October 30, 2009





There are children everywhere in Kabul. In 2002, according to the latest statistics I can find, 43% of the population was under the age of 15. With an average fertility rate that hovers around 7, I can only assume that the statistic has not changed much in the past 7 years, even with an above average infant mortality rate.

Every day when I am driven to campus I hold my breath and watch school children cross busy Darulaman Road, sometimes across 4-6 individually defined lanes of buses, cars, vans and motorcycles. There are no traffic lights, crossing guards or sidewalks. Those children who do attend school go 6 days a week. The boys in my area wear blue shirts and black pants, girls all over Kabul wear black tunics, black pants and white head scarves.

Children who do not go to school, at least the ones that I see, work herding sheep, clerking in their parent's shops, or they wander in traffic begging, selling gum or phone cards. It is a harsh way to live. Laws to protect children in the labor force are controversial primarily because working children are frequently an important contributor to the family income. The government does not provide financial assistance to needy families.

In my neighborhood there are lots and lots of kids and like kids everywhere they play and cry. Fight with their siblings, fly kites and run around the dusty streets. We all live in close proximity here so I hear all their comings and goings. The city is dangerous, bombs, grenades and rocket fire disrupt the lives of many but here in my neighborhood life continues uninterrupted. If the wind is blowing and you are home from school and have a kite to fly, you do regardless of the crumbling violent world around us.

Art in Afghanistan

October 22, 2009
Kabul

There is a National Gallery of Art in Kabul which we visited the other day. Riddled with bullets during the years of war, it has now been repaired and houses an interesting, if eclectic collection of old and contemporary Afghan art as well as European oils carried here by kings and ambassadors over the years.

During the Taliban years much art was destroyed and the museum has a glass case full of ripped and torn paintings and drawings - mostly of women that didn't survive. There is beauty emerging, however from the rubble. The Garden of Peace and Hope is an example. The roses, which are indigenous to this area are beautiful and continue to bloom even as the evenings grow cold. I hate to think about them dying off for the winter. From my time here in 2006 I know the winters to be bleak and muddy in sepia tones. The roses add splashes of color now.

Kabul Street Scenes

October 17, 2009
Kabul

Kabul streets are teeming with activity at all times. Vendors, shoppers, workers all weave in between cars and pedestrians and create a rich tapestry of street life. Shops are clustered by product sold. For example, all the rope makers are in one block, the grain sellers in another. The fruit and vegetable sellers are clustered in open air markets along the side of the road.

I am imprisoned in an AUAF car, unable to walk freely along the street. In our district there are some fruit and veggie stands that we may be driven to, and accompanied by an escort, we can walk among the stands and buy produce. And, of course there are grocery stores and craft shops that cater to the International population in Kabul. Other than that I experience Kabul streets behind glass.

The weather has begun to turn and locals are predicting a cold winter. Wood vendors have stacked cords and cords of wood in lots by the side of the road, and men pushing carts make deliveries of split logs. Heat here is produced either by electric heaters, kerosene, diesel or wood. It still reaches into the 70s during the day and I have yet to put on a coat.

We wait with baited breath for the election decision. We are on notice that our travel may be curtailed even further if the unrest they anticipate occurs. More on that next time.

Walking in a War Zone

Darulaman Palace from the new campus

Kabul, 10 October 2009

The University was given 45 acres of land on which to build a campus. Since my arrival I have heard that it was the only place to go for a walk here, since walking for exercise on the streets is strictly forbidden for Westerners. So this morning P and I decided to check it out. We accompanied two others who were planning to jog, a driver, an escort and an armed guard to the property. All along I had been imaging a park - lush with green grass, tropical plants, nice graveled paths. Well that was wishful thinking born of a desperate need to see a color beyond brown!

But, there was a soccer field carefully tended and newly mowed and after some exploration in the dust we spent 45 minutes walking vigorously around and around the field. The property is near Darulaman Palace which you can see in the photo and eventually it will be a spectacular campus. Right now it is mostly dirt which puffed up in a cloud around my feet as I walked. It was until recently full of land mines and we could see evidence of the de-mining activity. We have been assured that they are all gone now - the last two were discovered and removed in the spring.

The pile of white stones in the foreground indicates a mine has been removed from that spot. You can see the soccer field and then the palace in the background.

Standing next to an overturned burned Soviet tank which presumably will be removed before the campus is built!

Posing with our guard in front of an exploded mine - seems inappropriate that I have a big grin on my face. The guard, who was very vigilant and nice to have along was hamming it up and striking poses before the photo was taken.

Contrasts

September 20, Ramadan ended with Eid or Eid ul-Fitr a 3-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fitr means "to break fast"; and so the holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated after the end of the Islamic month of fasting on the first day of Shawwal. (tip of the nib to Wikipedia)

Because of my teaching schedule I was able to slip away for 10 days which actually turned into 14 thanks to the Afghanistan Consulate in DC which failed to return my passport and visa in time for my scheduled flight. For my break, I chose to return to Vermont where I relished all opportunities to walk freely, drive my car and keep my own schedule. Not to mention brushing my teeth with tap water!

Last night I landed back in Kabul and its hot streets swirling with dust and debris. Today I taught my management and business principles class. We discussed the steps in making a business, or really any decision. Determining the problem, establishing and weighting criteria, and finally developing and analyzing alternatives and making a final selection. The alternatives for solving problems in Afghanistan are decidedly more complex than in my Vermont world. Poverty, violence and concerns about security all limit options. Not to mention the challenge of travel and access to places abroad.

I share with you some photos of contrast. Brown dry Kabul overflowing with life and street commerce and more sedate Burlington with its beaches and autumn foliage. Both capture me in many ways but my heart is home in Vermont.

Massoud, The National Hero

Last Wednesday was Massoud Day, a holiday to honor Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated on September 9, 2001. Massoud played a significant role in driving the Soviets from Afghanistan, and with the rise of the Taliban in 1996 he again played the role of opposition leader. Some speculate that Osama bin Laden ordered the assassination just 2 days before 9-11 in order to solidify his support from the Taliban and guarantee their protection and cooperation.

The University was closed and our (international staff) travel was even further restricted than usual because no one was sure what would happen in Kabul City. As it turned out nothing happened that would have impacted us but we are all cautious.

The election results are still looming. I have heard two opinions regarding the outcome. One is that the international community must insist on a run off election in order to maintain credibility and stem a violent retaliation from the loser. The other view is that no one has the energy for another election, people would not participate, and discussions have already begun between the two top candidates to agree on roles for both in the government.

We shall see - October should be an interesting month in Afghan politics!

Kabul Now and Then

September 5, 2009
Kabul

Today I went with three University colleagues to Darulaman Palace. Built in the 1920s by King Amanullah Kahn after he returned from the UK intent on modernizing Afghanistan, the palace was built in the European neoclassical style and looks down Darulaman Road toward Kabul's center city. When King Amanullah Kahn was exiled by religious conservatives the building, originally intended as the seat of Parliament sat vacant. It was gutted by fire in 1969, renovated and then attacked and burned by Soviet forces in 1978. Afghan war lords completed destruction of this massive palace in the 1990's as they fought one another for control of Kabul. Today the building is an empty shell, with only a small corner used by NATO forces as an outlook.

Every day in Kabul I wonder what this city looked like before the Soviets, Mujahideen, and Taliban forces destroyed it's buildings and beauty. Because it is hard to answer that question or find images of Kabul pre-destruction, I decided to go back to my photos from 2006 to at least measure any progress in the past three years to rebuild this city. The overwhelming poverty is a constant reminder of our failure to improve the human condition, which pre-dates any modern destruction but I was able to document some progress - there is less scaffolding and more shops are open along the major routes. In addition, slowly some roads are being repaired, and pedestrian bridges (at least two) are being built across busy roads.

First Week of School

September 2, 2009
Kabul

Classes started this week. The University (American University of Afghanistan or AUAF) schedules day and evening classes to accommodate the approximately 80% of the student body who work during the day. However, this leads to really full evening classes and under enrolled classes in the day. I am teaching two courses - Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurship. My day session in Business has 2 students and the day session of Entrepreneurship only one, however, the evening classes are full. The day classes will probably be canceled which gives me too much unexpected free time during the week which I am trying to fill with some outside consulting work and work on the 10,000 women project (see www.auaf.edu.af).

Ramadan which is on-going through the month of September also presents some logistical challenges. The campus staff leave at 2pm every day and the late afternoon and evening classes are arranged to allow a 45 minute break for Iftar. According to Wikipedia, Iftar refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time.

Because sunset and thus Iftar occurs at a slightly different time every day, my classes also start and end at a different time every day! Ramadan ends at the end of September and then the schedule will settle down.

Here are some photos of the campus. It is not large but is great for me to be able to walk around. It is the only place I am able to walk, being out on the street is absolutely forbidden and I (and all other foreigners) am driven everywhere by a driver and an escort. During the election all guest houses were on "lock-down" and nobody was able to leave. I wasn't here yet, but everyone was going absolutely stir crazy. The restrictions are hard for many to get used to.

Kabul Kite Wars

August 29, 2009
Kabul

From the roof of Peach House (right)I have 360 degree views of Kabul. The building with the blue trim is an orphanage across the dirt road from the house. The boys in the orphanage and the boys who live on my side of the street are warring kites. The victor slices his opponent's kite. Then when the adults in the orphanage are otherwise occupied the losers scale the wall either into or out of the orphanage to retrieve their grounded kite! If you look carefully you can see three kites in one of these photos. My little camera can't pick them up very well. Also notice how high the orphanage walls are. Kite flying is not for the faint of heart!

It continues to be dry and hot with dust everywhere, coating every surface. The roads are dirt with the exception being the major routes through the city. The dust coupled with car exhaust obscures the mountains in a haze. The traffic is unbelievable - today was as congested as I have ever seen it. Like bumper cars at the fair going every which way and no lanes. Roundabouts can't even keep the drivers moving in the same direction. Yet, it seems to work in its own fashion - accidents don't seem to be a huge problem, and people get to where they need to go!

Friday August 28, 2009
Kabul

Arrived yesterday to a brand new airport which looks like a real airport and not a quonset hut - which was my memory from 2006. Kabul appears at first blush to be more pulled together - less rubble and more new construction. More guns too - trucks and SUV/tanks with men and guns at many intersections. Today at the grocery store there was a sentry on a raised platform across the street. Out my window I see yards of razor wire protecting our compound, and armed guards at our front gate (which was also the case in 06). The pictures above are from my bedroom window and the front balcony - you can see the razor wire in one and the courtyard in the other.

Friday and Saturday are weekend days so it is our opportunity to shop, rest and in my case prepare frantically for the first day of classes on Sunday. I have never taught Entrepreneurship before so am hoping to be at least one class ahead of my students! (Mike - if you are reading this I need you!) The other class is Principles of Business which is much more familiar to me.

My house is one of three faculty and staff guest houses. Mine is called Peach House - which was explained as we drove up and I saw the color. I'll send a picture of the front in the next post. There are three floors, with a total of 8 bedrooms, two kitchens and numerous bathrooms. My colleagues are mostly American - one Canadian and a woman from Kyrgyzstan. All are here for one year - some are on their second assignments. I am quite happy knowing I will be returning home in December for already I am missing all my favorite people.

August 27, 2009
Dubai

Arrived last night at 7:30 Dubai time - very easy entry. If you hold a US passport you don't need a visa, and after my passport was stamped I didn't even have to offer up my luggage for inspection. No one seemed concerned about what I was bringing into the country. This morning I arrived at the airport at 9 am to catch my 11:30 flight to Kabul only to discover that it has been delayed 2 hours. Be thankful, a fellow passenger told me, that it wasn't canceled - something that happens on a regular basis.

I am eager to get to Kabul and stop traveling. I am also eager to meet my colleagues, visit the campus and get a sense of the student body.

It is hot and humid in Dubai and I expect only slightly cooler weather in Kabul. Hard on this westerner used to wearing sleeveless tops, capris and sandals to put on long sleeves, long pants and a head scarf!

The photos were taken from my hotel room at 6 this morning. Dubai, from what I could see during my cab rides to and from the airport is all new construction in the desert. An amazing contrast from New Dehli - my transfer point in 06 when donkeys, cows and dogs roamed between the terminal buildings. Here in Dubai there is no live stock in sight - only cement, cars and luxury hotels.