Quick Thoughts

Well, it rained heavily last night and now we wait for the cloud cover to rise so we can get out on the helicopter. The weather plays a very important role in whether we get things done or not. So let me share a few observations...

Two young Afghanis visited our hooch last evening to repair our Internet cable. As they worked on the problem they saw all our camera gear and asked why we were there. They asked if it took a lot of training to be photographers and do what we do, and we indicated it did take some schooling. They shared that they both had been taken out of the country as boys during the Russian conflict. They were educated in their "neighbor" country and and are now back to try and make a difference. They are hoping beyond hope, that in their country that has had so many conflicts and invasions over centuries, that somehow this one will end soon. The key they told us was education. Their society, they said, rose and fell with each conflict and alas so did education amongst the people. With stability they hoped, young Afghanis would get educated and their standards would rise. "This is a beautiful country", they both claimed, they just wished that more people could see the beauty they saw and not the fighting!

As I walked back from dinner last night a resident of the compound compared living here like a life in prison. It was a thought that had crossed my mind often over the last 48 hours. Here you are surrounded by walls, you constantly encounter guards with guns and dogs, every movement monitored and you are confined to the compound 24/7. You sleep in close quarters and there are just so many things you can do each day - - same food, same faces and yes you can spend time in the gym but there is no escape. Sounds familiar? Our getting out this morning is the envy of many, who never get to leave except when heading for the airport on R&R. No matter that leaving means danger and the unknown - we are in a war zone after all. So as we leave, we are wished good luck, but they also say, "wish we were coming with you"...how strange is that?