Tuesday March 13

I slept in today until six. My toughest lecture is today, but I think I have it under control. It was a cold sunny morning and the mountains were out. They were not as dramatic as those we saw flying in, but they were still pretty impressive.

We have a translator today. He is quite good and knows his H&H well. Sometimes I have to check my pride when I feel like he is embellishing my lecture. There was also a point where a question was asked and the only answers I could think of were use GIS or guess. My computer use has left me out of touch with the earlier methods still used in a place like this.

The class started out pretty rocky. One of the professors said it was all too complicated and we needed to spend some time describing what a model is. We did and he backed off. Later he told me he intends to start each day with a basic question that he feels the class needs. Now that I know that it will be easier to handle. It feels like a little bit of a power play, but I feel like my role as a cultural learner requires I submit to some of that.

Speaking of being a cultural learner. We gave them an hour for lunch yesterday. When just 4 people came back on time I figured that they were the only ones coming and started. Half an hour later the rest of the class streamed in. Today I asked if an hour is too short for lunch. They murmured and then one of the professors said “lunch and prayer.” 1:30 it is then…man did I feel like an infidel.

We were strongly advised not to eat lunch at the Ministry. This is really sad since the food the locals are eating looks fabulous. We are forced to pack cookies and fruit that we can scavenge at breakfast (yesterday I made a salami and Swiss sandwich). It is really too bad. John and I both forgot hand sanitizer too, so we are eating everything while holding them in napkins. It was particularly fun when he passed me a pretzel, both of us holding it in a napkin.

While on the topic of food it is pretty good here. There are several different places we eat. The CAFÉ at USAID, the Corps spread at Qualaa house, and this morning we visited the dining facility 30 yards from our house for the first time. The food is always good. I’ve had some very good kabobs and an eggplant/potato casserole that was surprisingly enjoyable. The breakfast spreads are bigger than a shonees. I feel like they cater to various US cultures. There is always southern food (Biscuits and gravy and grits which John appreciates). But the best part is the fresh fruit. Plenty every day and its good.

Speaking of potato above, whenever we get hassled (usually by strangers walking by us) for not speaking one of the languages (which happens a lot here and the ‘I’m only here for two weeks’ answer is not satisfying) John always shows off the one Pharsi word he does know: catchaloo or potato. It is such a fun word that it always makes the accuser laugh and become less aggressive.
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Tonight was the first night that we were not too exhausted to use the gym. It’s a really nice gym, about 200 yards from our house. I ran and lifted and feel much better. I really think the medicine (though taken semi-regularly) is helping with getting back in shape.

Even though I have a very small sample set (some where around 3) I think that today was one of the best possible days in Kabul. It wasn’t muddy, or hot, or cold, or dusty or foggy or smoggy. The mountains were out and snow capped. Really nice.

On the way back from the gym tonight I had the brief feeling that I had been here in a dream many years ago. Um…weird. When I was a charismatic I would have read something into it. Now I just write a couple sentences and move on.

Anyway, seeing the daily workings of USAID has really helped to demystify the ‘international development’ industry. It is true that they appear to have a sense of mission and purpose…but they also write reports, deal with annoying co-workers (possibly to a disproportionate degree) and just slog it out through the bureaucracy of multiple governments. Some could be in it for the money and adventure (which both can be plentiful if you play it right and are somewhat useful). Meanwhile, it has encouraged me regarding the usefulness of a professor of hydrology/hydraulics in a country like this. The engineers I am dealing with are really hungry for training, but are, for the most part, not well trained. Of course, I have also often felt that precisely what I am doing is what I should continue doing.

Tuesday March 20

No embassy cars rolled today. I was stuck here. I could have gone to AID and shared a cubicle with John in a distracting work environment. But that had not proved an effective work environment yesterday. So I stayed here and was wildly productive. I counted more than an entire layer of sand (10 bags), read journal articles, worked on my paper, organized my data, and several other things. It was a good day. But I could have done this at home. I was here to teach RAS. I think I will go in tomorrow for the morning just to be around people, but it was pretty productive here in the kitchen.

While I worked on data I listened to the Islam class. It was pretty technical Quran hermeneutics. I found it really interesting but I don’t think I’ll be using much of it for the class I’m teaching. He did tell a story I found interesting, though. Apparently Woodberry (the top scholar of Islam at an evangelical university, Fuller) spent much of his adult life in Afghanistan. Apparently he helped pastor the only sanctioned church in the country. Finally, just before the Taliban rolled through, the government gave them 1 day notice that the church building was to be torn down. The members showed up the next day and served tea to the construction workers as they demolished the building. I found that pretty moving. Also, after they had destroyed the church they started digging in the ground around it. Someone asked what they were doing. They said they had heard about an underground church. Woodberry and Co. smiled and said, ‘terribly sorry sir, but you will never destroy that.’

I had trouble sleeping last night so I stayed up and wrote a little on my new story. Here is my opening paragraph:

“Cigarette smoke hung in the air, mixing with the gaseous offings of overcooked bacon and sausage as if an oblation to some approachably mundane deity of substantial girth. Frank’s was one of those diners firmly set in an era before cholesterol was one of the seven deadly sins. It had occupied the same inconvenient downtown location for decades and must have been a real social hub, back when downtowns mattered. These days one had to wonder how Frank’s remained financially viable. This Saturday morning there were only a handful of patrons. An octogenarian read his paper at the bar, absentmindedly wiping the last yolk from his plate with his remaining stub of toast. Three ladies from the bridal shop and dance studio upstairs occupied a center table, just starting on their pancakes, French toast and the news that the third generation men’s clothing store next door was giving way to a Kinkos. And in the corner, two friends sat in the same booth that they occupied on the first Saturday of every month to share cheese covered home fries, undrinkable coffee and the stuff of life. But this wasn’t the first Saturday of the month.”

I also worked on the Vicksburg ghost story. It was fun. I think, this year for Christmas, I am going to collect some of my essays, my better Scrolls intros, the handful of poems I’ve written and a couple stories and put together a little booklet to give to my family and a handful of friends as a gift.

It is fun to think I might be getting close with the PhD. If this paper goes in, it is conceivable that I could be done in the year from June time frame I have been pushing for (didn’t happen). I have to finish at this point. I have too much of my life invested to not finish. Its not even about the degree at this point. If I fail after the thousands of hours I have spent on this instead of my marriage or my church or my friends or California backpacking or all of the things I have given up for it, I’ll be left with an empty feeling for a long time.

Today was a beautiful spring day and I had a fabulous lunch of pork loin, salad, a potato wedge, macaroni salad just like I make it and a cream puff. I think I’ll try to have a light dinner. J I’m just not used to having lunch since we can’t eat at the ministry.

You know I am running out of material when I start writing about the food.
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I’m having trouble sleeping again. In twenty minutes I will need to add the new day heading. I am sitting on the marble steps outside our room. The house is actually pretty nice. My basement room leaks and is water damaged, but the floors and stairs are made of marble. It really is quite attractive.

I’m glad we live in the age of the internet. This whole thing would be so much harder if I couldn’t exchange long e-mails with my wife.

I checked out the base movie collection tonight when I sent my journal from the internet station (since I didn’t go into AID). They had a lot of fun stuff…but apparently I need an ID that I don’t have and I’m not sure I can get it.

There is a tiny dead lizard on the steps next to me. I poked him with my cracker box to make sure he was dead…yup.