Day 6 passed uneventful. My class started late since the electricity was out when class was supposed to start but we made it through a couple more chapters and the students are picking it up well. One thing that I have noticed is that if I stand close to some of the students they will ask a lot of questions about how to do simple things in the exercises so I have learned to stand across the room until they really need me. For example, one of the students will go line by line asking where each button is to click rather than looking for himself. He will ask and then I will point to the button and then right away he asks about the next one without thinking about it or looking for himself. But overall it is a good class, a little slow, but good.
I heard some interesting and scary news tonight. One of the directors for the non-profit that owns the guesthouse that I am staying in stopped by at dinner time to talk to us. Us consists of two other Americans that are also staying at the guesthouse. He told us that his security group told him that there are two additional bombers in Kabul and the police and security groups are looking for them. He warned us to not go near any government offices, embassies, or major gathering places for a while. He did tell me that the universities should be okay though.
In addition to this nice news, he told me that there is a known Taliban cell at Kabul Polytechnic University and a smaller one at Kabul University. After he told me that, I started wondering about something that happened yesterday. My classes are at the IT Center everyday from 1 to 5, sort of a no no…to be in the same place at the same time all the time. The IT Center is open and students walk in and out all the time. It is a two story building with probably a couple dozen rooms or so. Yesterday, we ended class early because the electricity went off so the students left. I stayed behind in the lab to work on my laptop until Jim could get there to pick me up. When Jim got there and we were leaving the building, the custodian, who has become my friend (he is probably 70 years old and holds my hand all the time with a tight finger interlaced grip), walked us to the door and unlocked it to let us out. The building isn’t normally locked and at the time, I thought it was odd but didn’t worry about it. So I wonder if he did that because of the bombing and was worried that something else could happen or if something else is going on. I mentioned this to the director who was visiting with us after he mentioned the Taliban cell and he told me that the custodian probably did it to protect me. Up until now, I haven’t really worried about my safety at the university. But now I have something else to worry about….yeah!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Day 5 in Kabul
Day 5 started out with a bang and I mean literally. I heard a loud noise that sounded odd and wondered if it was a bomb explosion. When Jim arrived to pick me up, he told me about the bombing and that it was on a road that we drove down on Friday. These are the things that worry you here. If you are at the wrong place at the wrong time, you are in trouble. One of the faculty members that I work with, had just driven past the spot of the explosion when it exploded and he saw it in the rear view. I asked him if he stopped to help and he said no, he took off as quickly as he could.
The GIS class went well today except that the power went out about two-thirds way through the class period so we had to stop. The students asked if we could start class early tomorrow to make up for today so tomorrow will be a longer teaching day. In addition, we were not supposed to have class on Thursday or Friday but they would like to continue the class on Thursday. Friday is the normal day off in Afghanistan so there won’t be any classes but the advance class will begin on Saturday and run until Wednesday.
Once Jim picked me up, we headed back to the guesthouse. The traffic seemed heavier than normal but we made it back without incident.
The news and discussion between everyone is about the bombing. 41 dead and 141 injured and the images from that area look horrible. The bomb destroyed that whole area. It is scary stuff.
The GIS class went well today except that the power went out about two-thirds way through the class period so we had to stop. The students asked if we could start class early tomorrow to make up for today so tomorrow will be a longer teaching day. In addition, we were not supposed to have class on Thursday or Friday but they would like to continue the class on Thursday. Friday is the normal day off in Afghanistan so there won’t be any classes but the advance class will begin on Saturday and run until Wednesday.
Once Jim picked me up, we headed back to the guesthouse. The traffic seemed heavier than normal but we made it back without incident.
The news and discussion between everyone is about the bombing. 41 dead and 141 injured and the images from that area look horrible. The bomb destroyed that whole area. It is scary stuff.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Day 4 in Kabul
Well today started like usual with some Naun and jam and then off to the local ESRI distributor to get a 9.2 DVD. I thought that I had brought one but I didn't. I had to uninstall the 9.1 and install the 9.2 which I got done just in time for the class to start.
We completed a couple sections today and one of the Kabul University professors, Marwise, translated for me...doing a superb job. So we got through chapter 3...only 6 more to go through in 3 days. It sounds like that should be very easy to do but it moves along very slowly.
When I arrived back to the guesthouse, the internet was hooked up so now I have internet in my room.....no more staring at the wall. I had my dinner at the scheduled 7:00 and then came to my room to catch up on this blog and then download some more material for my advanced class.
Nothing too exciting happened today other than getting the machines to work properly.
We completed a couple sections today and one of the Kabul University professors, Marwise, translated for me...doing a superb job. So we got through chapter 3...only 6 more to go through in 3 days. It sounds like that should be very easy to do but it moves along very slowly.
When I arrived back to the guesthouse, the internet was hooked up so now I have internet in my room.....no more staring at the wall. I had my dinner at the scheduled 7:00 and then came to my room to catch up on this blog and then download some more material for my advanced class.
Nothing too exciting happened today other than getting the machines to work properly.
Random Observations up to this point
I thought that I would jot down some random observations at this point so that I can see how much they may change as my time continues here.
First off, the driving is horrible. I have driven in some bad places, Manila, Bangkok, Yangon, LA, London, Atlanta, Nairobi, Kampala, Grand Island, Nebraska (well, that is a joke) but here it is amazing. People, cars, trucks, bikes, carts with donkeys, and motorcycles just go any direction without looking and honk their horn continually. Then on top of that you will have police, army, and security folks come barreling through honking their horns pushing everyone aside to get through. Or when someone important comes through, they just block off the road so you have to find another way to get through. It is crazy. Then toss on top of that the treat of suicide bombers and kidnappers and you get the full picture. Just today, a series of trucks pushed their way past us....I mean pushed, you either get out of the way or you will get hit. Then once they were past us, they slammed on their brakes and started exiting the vehicles with AK47s. It scared me at first and then I realized that they were escorting someone they blocked the road until that car could go into their home compound. Nice....happened all the time in Grand Island or Dannebrog, Nebraska....well, they were shotguns not AK47s and farm trucks not military looking trucks.....and typically hunters just hungry heading to the local bar....so not scary just life during hunting seasons....and they typically didn't carry the guns into the bar but they were in the back window of the truck. Okay, so nothing like Kabul....
Another observation is the dust. There is a fine dust everywhere all the time. You are covered in it day and night. Since I don't have AC, I have to keep the windows open otherwise the room is way to hot. So all my stuff has a nice film of dust on it....including me...all the time. Between sweat and dust, I am a real treat. And I have a light that stays on all the time in my room so I have started covering it with a sock to get it dark at bedtime. So when I look up from my bed, I see the sock hanging there....kind of funny.
Another thing that I found out was that the city provides electricity from 6 pm to 6 am so the outlets in the house work during that time and then a generator runs the other 12 hours and they use extension cords to run things. It is fine...as long as you know that. My first night my fan quite working and I was sticking to my sheets since there was the plastic on the windows and no air flow and then my fan quit and I didn't know the extension cord trick. Now I do.
The Afghanis people that I have met have been fantastic. All them have taken care of me and offered a friendship that is hard to match anywhere. It is unfortunate that a handful of bad people have ruined the image of a place that really has such good people. And I feel bad that at times I become concerned when in the traffic jams that something bad could happen. Most folks are just going about their business but then look at you because you are a foreigner but with no anger or dislike for you just curiosity of someone different. The folks at the university have really taken me in and made sure that I am taken care of. The first night after the wedding party Jim and a couple Afghanis faculty members drove me home and one of them inspected the guesthouse before he would leave. So I feel very safe with these folks.
Another thing that I have noticed is that many of the older street light poles have huge bullet, RPG, or tank rounds through them. This must have been done to bring down the electricity or lighting but they are still there....but have a hole in them.
And lastly the roads are horrible. Some are paved but most are not and both have lots of holes. So it is a bumpy ride.
Enough for today.
First off, the driving is horrible. I have driven in some bad places, Manila, Bangkok, Yangon, LA, London, Atlanta, Nairobi, Kampala, Grand Island, Nebraska (well, that is a joke) but here it is amazing. People, cars, trucks, bikes, carts with donkeys, and motorcycles just go any direction without looking and honk their horn continually. Then on top of that you will have police, army, and security folks come barreling through honking their horns pushing everyone aside to get through. Or when someone important comes through, they just block off the road so you have to find another way to get through. It is crazy. Then toss on top of that the treat of suicide bombers and kidnappers and you get the full picture. Just today, a series of trucks pushed their way past us....I mean pushed, you either get out of the way or you will get hit. Then once they were past us, they slammed on their brakes and started exiting the vehicles with AK47s. It scared me at first and then I realized that they were escorting someone they blocked the road until that car could go into their home compound. Nice....happened all the time in Grand Island or Dannebrog, Nebraska....well, they were shotguns not AK47s and farm trucks not military looking trucks.....and typically hunters just hungry heading to the local bar....so not scary just life during hunting seasons....and they typically didn't carry the guns into the bar but they were in the back window of the truck. Okay, so nothing like Kabul....
Another observation is the dust. There is a fine dust everywhere all the time. You are covered in it day and night. Since I don't have AC, I have to keep the windows open otherwise the room is way to hot. So all my stuff has a nice film of dust on it....including me...all the time. Between sweat and dust, I am a real treat. And I have a light that stays on all the time in my room so I have started covering it with a sock to get it dark at bedtime. So when I look up from my bed, I see the sock hanging there....kind of funny.
Another thing that I found out was that the city provides electricity from 6 pm to 6 am so the outlets in the house work during that time and then a generator runs the other 12 hours and they use extension cords to run things. It is fine...as long as you know that. My first night my fan quite working and I was sticking to my sheets since there was the plastic on the windows and no air flow and then my fan quit and I didn't know the extension cord trick. Now I do.
The Afghanis people that I have met have been fantastic. All them have taken care of me and offered a friendship that is hard to match anywhere. It is unfortunate that a handful of bad people have ruined the image of a place that really has such good people. And I feel bad that at times I become concerned when in the traffic jams that something bad could happen. Most folks are just going about their business but then look at you because you are a foreigner but with no anger or dislike for you just curiosity of someone different. The folks at the university have really taken me in and made sure that I am taken care of. The first night after the wedding party Jim and a couple Afghanis faculty members drove me home and one of them inspected the guesthouse before he would leave. So I feel very safe with these folks.
Another thing that I have noticed is that many of the older street light poles have huge bullet, RPG, or tank rounds through them. This must have been done to bring down the electricity or lighting but they are still there....but have a hole in them.
And lastly the roads are horrible. Some are paved but most are not and both have lots of holes. So it is a bumpy ride.
Enough for today.
Day 3 in Kabul
Day 3....the first day to teach. My classes are being held at the IT Center at Kabul Polytechnic University. The first week of classes will consist of 5 half day classes to teach the Introduction to ArcGIS I class to the faculty of both Kabul Polytechnic University and Kabul University.
The lab is nice and consist of better machines than what I use in the lab at CDC. The downside is that the AC is broken and it is very hot in the afternoon....so the students looked tired and it can't be because of my teaching style. :)
The ESRI Afghanistan distributor provided the books for the class and that is where the first problem arose.....they did not have the CDs in them with the data for the exercises. Luckily I had it on my thumbdrive so we were able to load it on each machine but then ran into the next problem. They had put 9.1 on the machines instead of 9.2 so ArcGIS could not read the 9.2 mxd files for the exercises or the file geodatabases since they came out in 9.2. So I lectured first and then tried to rebuild the mxds in 9.1 so that they could continue...but it didn't work very well so we ended the day a little early.
For my lectures, I have a translator who translates each lecture slide so this really slows the class down and then of course you have Afghanis reading english manuals which slows it down some more. So it will take every bit of the 5 days to finish this class.
That day was my first access to the internet and email since my guesthouse didn't have it yet. It is amazing how disconnected you feel when you do not have access to email or the internet.
So far my diet has consisted of a lot of bread, Naun. For breakfast, I get Naun and jam and for lunch I had Naun and Kabob, and then for dinner Naun and a potato/meat mixture. It is good bread though....maybe not for every meal...but good.
After teaching, Jim gave me a ride back to the guesthouse where I had my first dinner there since I had eaten dinner at the wedding party the first night and then Sofi's house the next night. Then to my room for some work on my advanced class for next week.
The lab is nice and consist of better machines than what I use in the lab at CDC. The downside is that the AC is broken and it is very hot in the afternoon....so the students looked tired and it can't be because of my teaching style. :)
The ESRI Afghanistan distributor provided the books for the class and that is where the first problem arose.....they did not have the CDs in them with the data for the exercises. Luckily I had it on my thumbdrive so we were able to load it on each machine but then ran into the next problem. They had put 9.1 on the machines instead of 9.2 so ArcGIS could not read the 9.2 mxd files for the exercises or the file geodatabases since they came out in 9.2. So I lectured first and then tried to rebuild the mxds in 9.1 so that they could continue...but it didn't work very well so we ended the day a little early.
For my lectures, I have a translator who translates each lecture slide so this really slows the class down and then of course you have Afghanis reading english manuals which slows it down some more. So it will take every bit of the 5 days to finish this class.
That day was my first access to the internet and email since my guesthouse didn't have it yet. It is amazing how disconnected you feel when you do not have access to email or the internet.
So far my diet has consisted of a lot of bread, Naun. For breakfast, I get Naun and jam and for lunch I had Naun and Kabob, and then for dinner Naun and a potato/meat mixture. It is good bread though....maybe not for every meal...but good.
After teaching, Jim gave me a ride back to the guesthouse where I had my first dinner there since I had eaten dinner at the wedding party the first night and then Sofi's house the next night. Then to my room for some work on my advanced class for next week.
Day 2 in Kabul
Day 2 in Kabul was on a Friday. Friday's in Afghanistan are like a Saturday in the US....it is a day off so offices are closed and public places are packed. Jim and I decided to roam around a bit since no one was working so we headed to the Bagh-e Babur gardens. Well, we didn't actually go in since it was packed but we drove past it and then up behind it through the houses on the hill to a fort looking thing that has a couple old cannons. From this view point, we could see the entire valley and into the gardens from above. I have included some photos from it. It was a nice trip...a little concerning at times, since the roads through the homes on the hill are very tight and there is only one way in and out....so you feel a little vulnerable.
After our visit to the "cannon memorial", we drove through the markets near the garden. It was packed with folks shopping at street vendors since most shops are closed. Again it was a nice drive, but a little edgy since we didn't see any foreigners and people, of course, where looking at us.
From here, we drove around a bit and then headed to meet some of the faculty from Kabul University at one of their homes for dinner. The home of Sofi, the faculty member whose house we visited, is in some Russian made apartments that where on the front line in the Mujahideen civil wars and are riddled with bullet holes. The dinner was incredible...almost as much as we had at the wedding. We sat in a sitting room on cushions on the floor and ate from dishes served on the floor and had some great conversation.
After the dinner and talk, it was time to head home...about 10 pm. As we were driving back, we got stopped at a check point and the police asked for our passports. Jim told them that he did not have it with him but did have his ID. They demanded that he give them his passport and again he told them that he did not have it. This argument went on for a bit until the supervisor was called over and it started again. At this point, Jim decided to just take off which he tried to do but two police officer's with AK47s stepped in front of us and stopped us. Again the conversation continued but when the police officer step from the front of the vehicle, he then took off. The police officer on my side raised his weapons but luckily did not shoot and they didn't follow us.
We made it safely back to the guesthouse and I was a bit relieved to be back in my room even though there is nothing to do but stare at the wall.....but I was safe.
So ended my second day in Kabul. For only having been here for two days, it seems a like I have seen and experience a lot.
After our visit to the "cannon memorial", we drove through the markets near the garden. It was packed with folks shopping at street vendors since most shops are closed. Again it was a nice drive, but a little edgy since we didn't see any foreigners and people, of course, where looking at us.
From here, we drove around a bit and then headed to meet some of the faculty from Kabul University at one of their homes for dinner. The home of Sofi, the faculty member whose house we visited, is in some Russian made apartments that where on the front line in the Mujahideen civil wars and are riddled with bullet holes. The dinner was incredible...almost as much as we had at the wedding. We sat in a sitting room on cushions on the floor and ate from dishes served on the floor and had some great conversation.
After the dinner and talk, it was time to head home...about 10 pm. As we were driving back, we got stopped at a check point and the police asked for our passports. Jim told them that he did not have it with him but did have his ID. They demanded that he give them his passport and again he told them that he did not have it. This argument went on for a bit until the supervisor was called over and it started again. At this point, Jim decided to just take off which he tried to do but two police officer's with AK47s stepped in front of us and stopped us. Again the conversation continued but when the police officer step from the front of the vehicle, he then took off. The police officer on my side raised his weapons but luckily did not shoot and they didn't follow us.
We made it safely back to the guesthouse and I was a bit relieved to be back in my room even though there is nothing to do but stare at the wall.....but I was safe.
So ended my second day in Kabul. For only having been here for two days, it seems a like I have seen and experience a lot.
Getting to Kabul
Initially, I was going to spend a month in Thailand and Myanmar supporting the UN in the Humanitarian effort and then return to the states to visit with my family before going to Kabul but because of the amount of work in Myanmar, I extended and then came straight to Kabul.
I flew from Yangon, Myanmar to Bangkok where I worked on my coursework for my advanced class that I will be teaching in Kabul. On July 2nd, I left Bangkok for Dubai. I arrived into Dubai at about midnight and then by the time I went through customs, gathered my bags, and got a ride to my hotel, it was about 2:00 am and my flight from Dubai to Kabul was leaving at 7:30 am...so it was a short night. I got up at 4:30 and headed to the airport to find a mess at the Terminal 2 in Dubai. The line was out the door and down the street. So I stood in line for over an hour to get to the check in counter. Unfortunately, I had to pay an over weight fine for my bags since they only allowed 25 kilos total for the bags and I had a months worth of clothes and souvenirs.
My flight to Kabul was on KAM airlines which isn't the nicest of airlines but it works. I was squashed in the middle sit between two big guys and the guy infront of me leaned his seat back as far as he could get it to go. So my right shoulder overlapped the left shoulder of the guy to my right and the guy to the left overlapped my left shoulder. When they delivered the food, it was a real challenge to eat since I was crouched over the food….eating like a caveman trying to protect his food.
When I arrived into Kabul, it was great to get out of the plane but then stood in another long line to get through the passport control. After I got through the passport control and collected my bags, I then had to fight through folks wanting to carry my bags for me. I finally arrived at the front door of the airport and started looking for my driver…..but he wasn’t to be found. I stood for a long time turning away bag carrier after bag carrier and then gave up and went back inside so that I wouldn’t be hassled so much. I stood inside quite a while and then finally asked a lady if there was another place that someone would meet me. She told me out in the parking lot and offered to watch my bags while I go check….sure enough, my driver was out there. If I had waited for him to come to me, I would still be standing in the airport but how would I have known to go to the parking lot to look for him. Other people had signs for their arrivals so I assumed he would do the same…..oh, well, it worked out.
We loaded my bags into the car and then began the drive across Kabul in stop in go traffic with cars, people, bicycles, and motorcycles going in all directions….it is the ultimate obstacle course….but then add the fear of a suicide bomber or kidnapping and it becomes really fun….especially when you just have an ordinary vehicle and no guards. But some have said that this is a preferable way to travel since it draws less attention……to sort of fly under the radar.
After an hour, we made it to my guest house and dropped off my bags. We then headed for Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic University to meet the faculty. So off we headed again for the Kabul obstacle course….windows down since the AC doesn’t work in his sportage and being stared at as we cruise the streets. It was very nice to meet all the faculty and right after we left, we got a call from one of the faculty members to go to an Afghan wedding party….so we headed to Jim’s house, he is my driver, guide, and coordinator, so that he could change clothes and then headed to the wedding hall and on to the next Kabul experience.
Afghan wedding parties are huge. They are in big halls and they separate the room so that women are on one side and the guys are on the other and the wall that separates the two sides prevents the two genders from seeing the other. So the guys party, eat, and dance together on one side and the girls on the other. It was a lot of fun and the food was spectacular. I ate so much food that I thought I was going to pop. About 10 pm, we headed back to the sportage, Jim’s mini-4 wheel drive, and the drive back to guest house across town.
The guest house is nice….basically a typical youth hostel, pension house, type set up. I have a room with a twin size bed, no TV, and a common bathroom. There is supposed to be an internet connection but it hasn’t been hooked up yet. So when you are there, there isn’t much to do but sit in your room and stare at the wall. Jim had only been there once before so we drove through a lot of side roads trying to find it….but we did. We had to convince the guards who block the whole road, to let us pass. That night I thought that I would sleep like a rock since I had been traveling so much and then eating a big dinner…and I did for a while but then woke up covered in sweat since my room was an oven. There is no AC and the windows where covered in plastic so no air could come in….so I tossed and turned in wet sheets until morning.
I flew from Yangon, Myanmar to Bangkok where I worked on my coursework for my advanced class that I will be teaching in Kabul. On July 2nd, I left Bangkok for Dubai. I arrived into Dubai at about midnight and then by the time I went through customs, gathered my bags, and got a ride to my hotel, it was about 2:00 am and my flight from Dubai to Kabul was leaving at 7:30 am...so it was a short night. I got up at 4:30 and headed to the airport to find a mess at the Terminal 2 in Dubai. The line was out the door and down the street. So I stood in line for over an hour to get to the check in counter. Unfortunately, I had to pay an over weight fine for my bags since they only allowed 25 kilos total for the bags and I had a months worth of clothes and souvenirs.
My flight to Kabul was on KAM airlines which isn't the nicest of airlines but it works. I was squashed in the middle sit between two big guys and the guy infront of me leaned his seat back as far as he could get it to go. So my right shoulder overlapped the left shoulder of the guy to my right and the guy to the left overlapped my left shoulder. When they delivered the food, it was a real challenge to eat since I was crouched over the food….eating like a caveman trying to protect his food.
When I arrived into Kabul, it was great to get out of the plane but then stood in another long line to get through the passport control. After I got through the passport control and collected my bags, I then had to fight through folks wanting to carry my bags for me. I finally arrived at the front door of the airport and started looking for my driver…..but he wasn’t to be found. I stood for a long time turning away bag carrier after bag carrier and then gave up and went back inside so that I wouldn’t be hassled so much. I stood inside quite a while and then finally asked a lady if there was another place that someone would meet me. She told me out in the parking lot and offered to watch my bags while I go check….sure enough, my driver was out there. If I had waited for him to come to me, I would still be standing in the airport but how would I have known to go to the parking lot to look for him. Other people had signs for their arrivals so I assumed he would do the same…..oh, well, it worked out.
We loaded my bags into the car and then began the drive across Kabul in stop in go traffic with cars, people, bicycles, and motorcycles going in all directions….it is the ultimate obstacle course….but then add the fear of a suicide bomber or kidnapping and it becomes really fun….especially when you just have an ordinary vehicle and no guards. But some have said that this is a preferable way to travel since it draws less attention……to sort of fly under the radar.
After an hour, we made it to my guest house and dropped off my bags. We then headed for Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic University to meet the faculty. So off we headed again for the Kabul obstacle course….windows down since the AC doesn’t work in his sportage and being stared at as we cruise the streets. It was very nice to meet all the faculty and right after we left, we got a call from one of the faculty members to go to an Afghan wedding party….so we headed to Jim’s house, he is my driver, guide, and coordinator, so that he could change clothes and then headed to the wedding hall and on to the next Kabul experience.
Afghan wedding parties are huge. They are in big halls and they separate the room so that women are on one side and the guys are on the other and the wall that separates the two sides prevents the two genders from seeing the other. So the guys party, eat, and dance together on one side and the girls on the other. It was a lot of fun and the food was spectacular. I ate so much food that I thought I was going to pop. About 10 pm, we headed back to the sportage, Jim’s mini-4 wheel drive, and the drive back to guest house across town.
The guest house is nice….basically a typical youth hostel, pension house, type set up. I have a room with a twin size bed, no TV, and a common bathroom. There is supposed to be an internet connection but it hasn’t been hooked up yet. So when you are there, there isn’t much to do but sit in your room and stare at the wall. Jim had only been there once before so we drove through a lot of side roads trying to find it….but we did. We had to convince the guards who block the whole road, to let us pass. That night I thought that I would sleep like a rock since I had been traveling so much and then eating a big dinner…and I did for a while but then woke up covered in sweat since my room was an oven. There is no AC and the windows where covered in plastic so no air could come in….so I tossed and turned in wet sheets until morning.
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