It Was a Good Day
Today is our day off. Aaron and I are all alone, sitting by a crackling fire, gazing into each other's eyes. Okay well, it's not quite that romantic. Actually, I have a hideous cold, the fire is our only source of heat and it really doesn't crackle very nicely and we are both on our computers while there is limited internet. However, today is a lovely day in Afghanistan. I love being able to spend time with Aaron since he has been so busy working out at the factory and I have been interviewing girls. Our time together is sweet and he is taking care of me while I'm sick. I am such a lucky girl because I have Aaron.
There are some really fun things about living in Afghanistan, mainly because you really learn to enjoy the simple things. Today was one of those neat days here. We went to the supermarket today with our country director and our Afghan helper. As we were driving, some kids ran right in front of our car with a long string, one kid holding one end and the other holding one end. Of course we ran the car right through the string and as I looked back, the kids were laughing and jumping up and down. I laughed too. Like I said, it's the simple things. After shopping at Nabeel's supermarket, we came back to the house and made soup. We ate the soup with fresh naan and it tasted so delicious. It's a pretty overcast day here so the soup was a nice touch.
Another little episode we encountered on our way back to the house was a big truck loaded up with sticks that was stuck in the mud on the side of the road. There were only three young skinny boys in sight who apparently were trying to get the truck out of the ditch. One boy was hanging on the other side of the truck so as to use his weight to pull the truck from the ditch. I think he must have weighed 70 or 80 IBS. It was hard not to laugh. Who knows why there were no adults around, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were the ones driving the truck. Not one of them could have been a day past 11 years old.
Yes, life here is full of little oddities, but also little joys. The things that make me smile come by surprise. They are subtleties that would go unnoticed in the US. Kids flying kites in the street, mothers and sisters bundled up under a blanket, drinking tea, men roasting chickens in the street, little boys pushing wheel-barrows filled with rock. Yesterday, we went next door to meet the neighbors. There were about six women huddled in this little house under a blanket. They set a blanket up over a stove and then they get underneath it. It's quite a neat little invention. We sat and drank tea together and I listened to words exchanged in Dari while I held their fat little baby. This family is very poor, but they are so warm and inviting. They said they would come visit me at my house, but I have to tie up the Iman's dog, Orvis, before they would come over.
I'm glad that Aaron and I get the opportunity to live on the ground here for a little while. We visited the military base and it was a different world. I'm happy that we are on the other side of things. People on the base don't understand how people live "out there" where we live. They don't know that normal life happens "out there" I guess. I was being driven down the street a few days ago and huge tanks were rolling through the streets. They were the kind of tanks with the guys on the top that spin around with the huge guns. I have to admit that I was more frightened of them than anyone else because we were in the car trying to pull out and the soldier in the tank was screaming at the top of his lungs for us the get the f*** out of the way, like he was going to fire at someone if they didn't move. Goodness, I thought. Chill out. This is the main road, a civilian road. Unfortunately, people do get fired at in this country, just for being in the way. Not to put a damper on things, but I think that it's so interesting how strongly your environment affects your perspective. Being on the ground here, with Afghans, is such a unique experience. It has already changed my perspective of these people tremendously. I hope that I never stop learning. I hope that I never stop proving myself wrong about misguided assumptions and biases.
I hope that I continue to experience new ways of living and that I never forget that people are the most important thing about this world.
There are some really fun things about living in Afghanistan, mainly because you really learn to enjoy the simple things. Today was one of those neat days here. We went to the supermarket today with our country director and our Afghan helper. As we were driving, some kids ran right in front of our car with a long string, one kid holding one end and the other holding one end. Of course we ran the car right through the string and as I looked back, the kids were laughing and jumping up and down. I laughed too. Like I said, it's the simple things. After shopping at Nabeel's supermarket, we came back to the house and made soup. We ate the soup with fresh naan and it tasted so delicious. It's a pretty overcast day here so the soup was a nice touch.
Another little episode we encountered on our way back to the house was a big truck loaded up with sticks that was stuck in the mud on the side of the road. There were only three young skinny boys in sight who apparently were trying to get the truck out of the ditch. One boy was hanging on the other side of the truck so as to use his weight to pull the truck from the ditch. I think he must have weighed 70 or 80 IBS. It was hard not to laugh. Who knows why there were no adults around, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were the ones driving the truck. Not one of them could have been a day past 11 years old.
Yes, life here is full of little oddities, but also little joys. The things that make me smile come by surprise. They are subtleties that would go unnoticed in the US. Kids flying kites in the street, mothers and sisters bundled up under a blanket, drinking tea, men roasting chickens in the street, little boys pushing wheel-barrows filled with rock. Yesterday, we went next door to meet the neighbors. There were about six women huddled in this little house under a blanket. They set a blanket up over a stove and then they get underneath it. It's quite a neat little invention. We sat and drank tea together and I listened to words exchanged in Dari while I held their fat little baby. This family is very poor, but they are so warm and inviting. They said they would come visit me at my house, but I have to tie up the Iman's dog, Orvis, before they would come over.
I'm glad that Aaron and I get the opportunity to live on the ground here for a little while. We visited the military base and it was a different world. I'm happy that we are on the other side of things. People on the base don't understand how people live "out there" where we live. They don't know that normal life happens "out there" I guess. I was being driven down the street a few days ago and huge tanks were rolling through the streets. They were the kind of tanks with the guys on the top that spin around with the huge guns. I have to admit that I was more frightened of them than anyone else because we were in the car trying to pull out and the soldier in the tank was screaming at the top of his lungs for us the get the f*** out of the way, like he was going to fire at someone if they didn't move. Goodness, I thought. Chill out. This is the main road, a civilian road. Unfortunately, people do get fired at in this country, just for being in the way. Not to put a damper on things, but I think that it's so interesting how strongly your environment affects your perspective. Being on the ground here, with Afghans, is such a unique experience. It has already changed my perspective of these people tremendously. I hope that I never stop learning. I hope that I never stop proving myself wrong about misguided assumptions and biases.
I hope that I continue to experience new ways of living and that I never forget that people are the most important thing about this world.
I love the details. Tell more, more.
ReplyDelete