Herat

Yea!! I got to go on a trip because I thought we should go, not something pre-planned.

One of the things I'm doing is overseeing the Fulbright Program here. It's not in my long-term portfolio, but until all the other new people arrive, I've got it. I actually really enjoy it and kinda wish I could keep it... Anyway - we are finishing up the interviews of candidates and I realized we have a bunch of strong applicants from Herat. So, I said - let's go there and do the interviews instead of trying to get them all to Kabul and into the Embassy.

Herat is a really fun-seeming place. I wish I could have stayed longer and had the chance to really see it. Even in 24hrs though, it just felt like a more normal city. It didn't have the hectic, desperate feel that Kabul does. It felt like people are just living their lives. We take it for granted at home, but it was almost refreshing out here. I felt safe enough that I wanted to drive with the windows open.

Side Note - I miss open windows so much it is driving me batty. I have not been in a building or car with open windows since we left the States.

Back to Herat - The interviews went well. I think we have some contenders and I am really happy we went to them. This year was the first time we've done that and I like the precedent. It's also just fun to see why people want to come to the States, what they ask about and push them to see if they can handle it. We only send Masters degree candidates from Afghanistan, so they have to be really ready for what they're getting into. Although, by the end of the day I was tired enough to suggest that from now on we should just have a giant frat party, invite the candidates and the ones that don't freak out will be our nominees.

So, that was all yesterday. This morning, before the flight back, we toured around some of the historic/famous sites in the city. The pictures are of that and my Lincoln Center. Doing the interviews wasn't exactly a photo moment.

Kunduz

July 11, 2009

It was 8:00AM and I was in a convoy leaving the Embassy to go on my first trip with the Ambassador. Joe calls to tell me that my sister is on her way to the hospital in labor. I almost fell out of my seat. Seriously Mel, you had to pick the one day that I couldn't be in phone contact???

For anyone who has not heard, Mel had a beautiful baby girl - Guinevere Rose (Gwen).

So the trip... Traveling with the Ambassador actually sounds more important than it is. He travels with a gaggle of people, I went as the Press Officer. What that means is I had to try to have the press that traveled with us in beneficial places to catch the action. It is a virtually impossible job. They are never in the right place - sometimes because I don't know what I'm doing, sometimes because journalism is new here so they haven't honed their instincts, and sometimes because the Ambassador is a machine and he just keeps going, finds new things to do, makes unexpected stops, etc.

The real reason I went was that we did the Grand Opening of one of my Lincoln Centers that day. Kunduz is not the most cosmopolitan place, so it was a big accomplishment opening something up there. I can't take any credit for it, the team before me did everything, but it was fun to be a part of. The picture is of local journalists interviewing people who use the center.

The other really cool thing we did that day was visit a women's cooperative that makes clothes, has a vocational school, AND a daycare/kindergarten for the kids of the women who work there. I loved the place. The women created it out of almost nothing, run it themselves, market their goods themselves, in short everything you would hope women here could do. And the kids.... too cute. The picture of the little one and the soldier was possibly my favorite moment. This little boy was maybe 4 and he wanted to talk to EVERYONE. He was just babbling on to Eric (the soldier) who was saying "Wow. That's a great story." Of course none of us had any idea what he was saying, but it didn't matter at all.




More pictures - the really tall gentleman is AMB Eikenberry

Turquoise Mountain

Ambassador Mussomeli, our "Assistant Ambassador" (think XO) wanted to go to Turquoise Mountain, so his very cool assistant Robyn called and asked if we wanted to be part of the group that went with him. Joe had to pick up 11 crates of stuff at the airport for his office, so he couldn't come. I, however, quite happily did.

Turquoise Mountain is a British-run NGO that has set up a school/workshop for traditional Afghan arts - Calligraphy, Jewelry making, Woodworking and Ceramics. The things they make are stunning.
And, they recently got international accreditation, so their graduates can go on to fine arts higher education all over the world.

Suffice it to say I was in awe and so inspired. The pictures should say it all.

Joe's Job

Well, it is true, I do answer the phone for the help desk! And I do go out and take care of trouble tickets. I also do new accounts and beg main State's IT bubbas to transfer existing accounts to us. We have recently relocated a couple of offices and that is a pain in the butt! And because we gave everyone new computers and our unclas network does not use roaming profiles we had to reload everyone's printer settings among other things.

Okay, okay. I am now officially an IT geek.

The job is not bad although it is not what I want to do for a living. I would much rather be doing the stuff I used to do but it does pay the bills and I get to be with my wife. :-)

Last but not least, please add US Embassy Kabul to your friends on Facebook. Although Bev is not mentioned in the most recent posting she is in the picture AND she wrote the article. (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=107557722530&ref=nf)

Gardez

I got to travel last Sunday and Monday to Gardez, a province south of Kabul. It was a bit overwhelming to travel so soon after getting here, but the trip ended up being great.

I went to see our new Lincoln Center and interview people for the Coordinator position. Lincoln Centers are libraries and cultural centers that we have all over the world. In most places we call them American Corners, but we decided that's not the best idea in Afghanistan. We have a 20,000 volume book collection, computers with Internet and we hold all kinds of classes, workshops, etc. For example, a surgeon from one of the bigger hospitals in Afghanistan just held a 3-hour class for medical students on surgery techniques at one of the Lincoln Centers. I am overseeing all the Lincoln Centers in Afghanistan, hence my trip.

We took a helicopter from Kabul to Gardez. I was as shocked as anyone to be OK in the flight... The ride home was not so good. Let's just say that when the pilot can't get the front end and tail end to balance, the flight is not pleasant.

Pics from the Helicopter


Anyway, we arrived at the FOB (Forward Operating Base) and hopped right into the convoy to go to the Governor's compound (where the Lincoln Center is). The convoy was MRAPs (big-ass vehicles designed to not get blown up), and getting into the thing was crazy - it's SO HIGH up. The PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) Commander was awesome, super nice and excited about the Lincoln Center. He is also a giant. Had to be 6'6" and when he shook my hand I felt like a little child. I'm pretty sure his hand actually wrapped around mine. It was pretty clear he wanted to help me up into the MRAP but wasn't sure how to... It would have been faster for everyone if he'd just tossed me in.

The PRT Commander was going to the Governor's compound for the monthly Provincial Development Council with all the big-wigs in the province. Think of a 2 hour meeting full of people who all have stuff that needs to be funded, everyone thinks their project is the most important, and only a few people have any money to do this stuff with. It's like Congress except there's one guy holding the checkbook. You can imagine what that one guy's meeting is like... That's our PRT Commander. I only saw the last part of the meeting, but I have to say it was a lesson in diplomacy watching him handle himself. The rest of the morning I spent inspecting the new building. It's a cute little building with lots of windows, so lots of light, mauve carpet and ceiling tiles that looked like pineapples. Apparently they're pretty standard around here.

Pics of the FOB/Surrounding Countryside







Since I couldn't go anywhere without the convoy, and the PRT Commander had to meet with the Governor, I got to tag along. Nothing super exciting, but we did get lunch out of it and afterwards the Governor gave me a rug. It's about 3'x5', very very nice and currently in my office. We're still trying to decide if it will go in the new Lincoln Center or somewhere else. I think the best part may have been the wrapping - clear plastic with pink hearts and "For You" on it and plastic flowers taped to the outside. Regardless of what happens with the rug, I'm keeping the flowers.

The interviews went well - better than I expected. We found a guy we liked. Hopefully he'll take the job. Far and away the best part of the trip was when one of the translators at the Governor's office came up to me to ask if the library was really opening and really had Internet and was really free for anyone. I told him it is and I hope he'll use it and enjoy it. He was so excited. If I understood him correctly, this will be the first real public library in the province.