Almost a new year...

Well, I am starting to recount my survey experience but have put it on a new journal called "Working in Afghanistan". (see link on side of this page) We have a standing date with Dr. Patricia Omidian on thursdays where I send all staff home for the weekend, light a fire, cook a simple meal and we debrief from the week and try to make sense of our life here. Soon, I will be able to share more insights but the hard truth is that I am just living the very immediate life of trying to run a household, an NGO where I live, and develop the programs for women I came to Kabul to produce...all while essentially living in the middle of a power outage-in the maelstrom that is Kabul. By the end of the day yesterday, my hands were black from trying to keep our Afghan "bukhari's" or stoves going all day, and our wood heated hot water had sprung a leak so there was no hot water and I hadn't had a bath in three days-which believe me means something different here than back at home...our new gas oven had blown out on our little Zeba causing burns on her risk and frizzing her hair and scaring us...it is a zoo.

We are sending Norm off to "Pinjao" this week to get him out of Kabul -which he throughly enjoys and I am hoping to finally get ahead of my workload since Mahbouba is back.

The vandals are taking apart our Christmas wedding decorations...I guess it is time for a New Year...Love to all.