Kicking off a year in Afghanistan
Greetings All! Here's the first of my Afghanistan blog posts. Survived the FT Lewis-Bangor Maine-Leipzig Germany-Bishkek Kyrgystan-Kabul Afghanistan odyssey and now live in a pretty decent barracks at Kabul International Airport.
Most importantly, my fiddle and mandolin arrived intact. Well, sorta--my fiddle suffered a broken e string but is otherwise as fit as a ... bassoon. :) I intend to post some tunes here, just as I did back in '04-'05 from Mosul, Iraq. If there is one thing this country needs more of, it's music.
Also brought my small wooden travel chess set. Great for taking your mind off your circumstances and focusing it on crushing the ego of the hapless chap sitting on the other side of the board. Or getting your own ego crushed. Either way, there is no such thing as a "friendly" game of chess. I play for pints of blood. B Pos, please.... :P
The chow is pretty good, although the discriminating palates among us bemoan the British emphasis on beans. It keeps body and soul together, so I have no complaints. The free wireless connection at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation tent is a boon to the spirits. A daily check of Facebook, mail and news does wonders for the spirits.
I wasn't on the ground 24 hours before I made my first foray into Kabul to visit the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (a neat meeting with a bit of spleen venting from ministry representatives and humanitarian do-gooders) as well as the US Embassy in Kabul. The Embassy occupies some pretty nice buildings within walking distance from ISAF (although you are accosted by ragamuffins trying to sell you scarves if you're on foot). Their gift shop has enough spirits to float a rowboat. No wonder those State Dept folks are so relaxed.
More to follow! --GT
Most importantly, my fiddle and mandolin arrived intact. Well, sorta--my fiddle suffered a broken e string but is otherwise as fit as a ... bassoon. :) I intend to post some tunes here, just as I did back in '04-'05 from Mosul, Iraq. If there is one thing this country needs more of, it's music.
Also brought my small wooden travel chess set. Great for taking your mind off your circumstances and focusing it on crushing the ego of the hapless chap sitting on the other side of the board. Or getting your own ego crushed. Either way, there is no such thing as a "friendly" game of chess. I play for pints of blood. B Pos, please.... :P
The chow is pretty good, although the discriminating palates among us bemoan the British emphasis on beans. It keeps body and soul together, so I have no complaints. The free wireless connection at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation tent is a boon to the spirits. A daily check of Facebook, mail and news does wonders for the spirits.
I wasn't on the ground 24 hours before I made my first foray into Kabul to visit the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (a neat meeting with a bit of spleen venting from ministry representatives and humanitarian do-gooders) as well as the US Embassy in Kabul. The Embassy occupies some pretty nice buildings within walking distance from ISAF (although you are accosted by ragamuffins trying to sell you scarves if you're on foot). Their gift shop has enough spirits to float a rowboat. No wonder those State Dept folks are so relaxed.
More to follow! --GT
Labels: Afghanistan, Kabul, OEF
posted by Glenn Tolle | 8:20 PM
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