Over the mountain peaks

Ahhh...what an amazing ride as we glided along in a Blackhawk from Kabul to Methar Lam!! As our helicopter landed, I felt as if we had dropped into a movie set, the green sloping hills, the snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance, the sun casting a bright light down as we debarked onto the dirt path. And before we knew it, we were clinching to the inside corners of a truck bed, trying to hold on as they drove us on a winding path to the entrance to the base. It was surreal, sensory overload as I tried to take it all in as the picasso landscape moved under our feet. We arrived at the base camp and were welcomed by soldiers who looked like they were preparing for a ZZ Top look a like contest!! Full beards, longer hair and no sense of uniformity with their uniforms b/c they did not wear rank or name tapes. But, these guys do this on purpose I soon discovered and boy can they take care of business...the media we escorted were kept busy with interviews and several of them were captivated by the amount of training space that was available for the Afghan National Police and other trainees. The graduation event we were attending only lasted 1 hour yet we spent time before and afterwards just gazing out at the natural beauty of Eastern Afghanistan. Over 243 Afghans graduated from a 3-week community security training program and most of them, I think, have never seen a woman without her face covered in public! How do I know this...well, let's just say there are about 15 pics on my camera of me and different groups of Afghan soldiers wanting to pose with me. Also, their eyes followed every woman around as if they were a freshly baked chocolate cake. But others did walk around holding hands and hugging (this is a part of their culture-does not always relate to homosexuality). As we said our goodbyes and departed in the white trucks up the bumpy road to the helicopter, we noticed two young boys standing across on a hill about 200 m away. They waved and smiled at us as we closed the helo door and started to lift from the ground. So many people here want to have happiness and prosperity just like you and I. Let's give it to them in whatever way we can. I've added a few photos for you to see the splendor of Methar Lam.
Today is day two of three in our PA Training for the Provincial (state-level) PA reps. The attendees range from extremley modern to wearing the traditional headdressing and man-dress. But, all of them have been very kind and respectful, always asking permission to leave and offering me tea and/or cookies. The best part about this training is that they each have a different perspective and list of aspirations for their part of the country. It is exciting to see Afghanistan move from a centrally powered government that lacks coordination with the lower level communities to a country that understands the need to allow the Provinces to build a relationship with their constituency and with the media in order to increase flow of information and combat insurgent propaganda.
Off to sleep now...teaching tomorrow and planning a long trip very soon!!

Khosh aa ma dein (Welcome)

Salam from Afghanistan. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a primate and seen your own soul, seen a familiar face that you met in high school, felt a sense of connection? Take a look at Hasani, the San Francisco Zoo's newest baby...a beautiful little gorrilla with more personality than most children!! He connects all of us; across ethnicities, religions, cultures and races. Hasani is a symbol of what we could be one day, a world where we put aside our personal prejudices and see each other as brothers and sisters, see each other as human beings who thrive on love, respect and knowledge, and accept each other for the imperfections instead of persecuting each other because of them.

Beyond Hasani, this week I pulled up a photo of an adult chimpanzee who cradled a young white tiger in her arms..at first I thought it was a photoshop trick...how could a chimpanzee care for a soon to be 200+ pound tiger? After a little research, sure enough the chimpanzee was chosen to care for the tiger cub, breastfeeding included the first few weeks, because the tiger cub was rejected by her mother. Well, I instantly fell in love with these two creatures, juxtaposed in a state of bliss. A few clicks later, this image was my desktop background and I had a few Afghans I work with stop by and ask me about the animals. They laughed, thinking I put the photos together magically...but I quickly let them know that this was a real photo, real love reaching across the lines of several species, not to mention a carnivore who could hunt and kill a chimpanzee was finding warmth and comfort in the arm's of its prey...love and compassion in the purest sense see across all barriers. We are all adaptations of the same mold. Maybe we should look towards animals more often when we need to re-set our perception of people around us. That lady who cut you off in traffic, the teenager who chooses his friends based on how much money they make, the police officer who turns away from defending a citizen in need because of their religion, the Afghan who kills another Afghan because he is angry at the world for not making everyone like him. All of these people were once babies, once innocent little beings who didn't know hatred and sadness, who didn't pass judgement, who giggled at the sight of a human face...any human face and who craved the one thing so many of us often forget how to show - love.

May your Spring be fruitful and the path ahead be filled with unimaginable happiness.
Salam

Salam Aleikum (Peace be to Allah)

Two words down, hundreds to go!! Tashakor means "Thank You", and Lutfan means "Please". After teaching three 2-hour classes, I am finally picking up a few words in Farsi. Our translator has offered to give us lessons in reading, speaking and writing Farsi so hopefully I can pick it up quickly!! Our media and public relations classes have been well received and we are now being asked to provide classes four days a week to meet the needs of the different Ministries who want their employees to attend. Wow!! We never estimated having over 70 interested participants or having the Gov. Media Info Center as our second work place. But, I am honored to help in whatever way possible. Some of our classroom discussions have even focused on ways to respond and support the public during crisis situations and how to build the governments credibility.
Other than teaching, my days have been filled with absorbing all of the new "joint" doctrine and preparing a few projects having to do with increasing Afghan government communications across the country. At this time, the number one form of communication with the public are local and regional radio stations. The fantastic thing about radios is that they do not require a power source. The unfortunate thing about radio stations is that they are not strong enough to broadcast the same message across the whole country. My hope is to help the Afghan media and government find a cost efficient way to communicate to the farthest regions of this country and to help the people see that "giving peace a chance" by not harboring terrorists, by listening to their local elected officials, by finding ways to provide an education for their children, will bring them from fear to hope.
I've attached a few pictures: Three wonderful Afghan women I work with at GMIC and I; Lt. Adam Clampit and I having lunch with Afghans working at our base...we ate something that was delish but I don't know what it was!!
Good day for now.