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| Footbridge and Vendors on the Kabul River |
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| Homes Crawling Up a Hillside |
I rained on Kabul last week. Not common for September; "Mud Season", as some of the expats call it, begins in October. It was enough of a change to start me thinking about wrapping it up here. I'm sure it will take months if not years to absorb all I've seen, heard and learned in Afghanistan. Whatever preconceptions I might have had are all evaporated in the face of reality. As one who constitutionally, perennially looks upon a half-full glass--I must say it's been a wonderful experience. This will be the last post before I return to my "regular" life. I do intend to add a reflective piece sometime later. And as I've agreed to return to Kabul for a month in January, there will be more posts at a future time.
I admit to a certain frustration coloring my impressions of this country. While I've come to admire the kindness and hospitality of the people, there is a nagging downside. After generations of subsistence living as a "donor supported state", many of the young people have an ingrained sense of entitlement. Of course it could just be me getting old and crotchety. Yet it's not just young Afghans. I've observed this same troubling trend at home. And perhaps the coming generation can be forgiven to some degree, especially here. They find themselves in a country and a time of transition. They are caught between the old ways--the pull of family and tribal ties, and the growing appeal of the global environment and the digital world.
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| Al Sharia Mosque |
At this point I can't assess the level of success (or failure) of my endeavors. I'll leave that to others and the march of time. I am optimistic enough to have spent 3 days of the Eid holiday preparing bid quotes for a proposed reprise next year. For now, I'll leave you, faithful followers, with more photos--random images from the past two months.
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| It Wasn't All Work |
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| Job Service, Kabul-style |
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