Eyes of an Afghan Child

From a distance she appeared to be no more than 5 years old, clinching tightly the hand of a younger boy by her side. Draped in a dirt-stained white scarf, I moved closer to catch a glimpse of her nervous eyes. Head down, scurrying away from my bold, armored jacket and helmet, her eyes and mine parted ways. Yet I felt her presence, among young boys, long bearded men crouched on the side of the road, and among the donkeys as they shifted back and forth carrying a heavy load of stones. She reappeared a few minutes later, brown-haired toddler in tow, as if she were his mother and again shifted her eyes for a second towards mine...at last our eyes connected. A beautiful soul, aged well beyond her years, a girl yet a woman, a child without childhood who saw another woman dressed like a man in her village. Who is this lone figure, able to move about the men freely with her face uncovered, even shaking hands with the men and taking their photographs.
As we loaded into our vehicles and edged slowly down the dirt path, she walked ever so quickly behind our vehicle, still gripping her brother's hand, looking sternly at me as our eyes grew further and further apart. A tear rolled down my cheek while absorbing the dichotomy of the beautiful mountains draped in the background and the children wearing the only set of clothing they own.
Jalrez District is a small area in Wardak Province that many Afghans see as a dangerous area in Afghanistan but on this day, with local villagers walking the streets, selling goods, sharing their stories and offering thanks, this is a place that is filled with peace, not war. But the media will say what they will, trying to create a headline instead of trying to prevent human misery.
I have to say I am falling in love with Afghanistan, with the friends I have made, with the caring nature of the people I have met and with their yearning to improve their lives.

Revv your engines...

Jalrez District, Wardak Province reminds me of Crested Butte in the early spring. Apple trees are beginning to sprout pinkish white flower buds, the air is crisp and light and the mountains are layered for miles beyond the eye's sight with snow-covered peaks, grassy knobs and jagged rocks piled in succinct patterns. We travelled there on Blackhawks to cover the Afghan Public Protection Forces Homecoming after completing their training in Methar Lam District, Laghman Province. After an hour long drive in an MRAP (uparmored vehicle), I felt like I had just recieved the longest amusement park ride in my life!! Luckily, the media reps with me had a sense of humor as we held on to handles inside the vehicle and bumped along for several miles!! Our first stop was at a local school where we met with hundreds of school-aged BOYS who recieved school supplies from the Governor of the district. Such cute little faces...I wanted to hang out with them for a while but we had a tight schedule. See pics...Our next stop was at the Homecoming event which had all 243 Afghan Public Protection Forces there as well as another 400 or so local elders, family members and friends...all MEN. I counted three women, including myself at the event!! With just my uniform on and taking my helmet off, I was stared at by most men b/c they do not normally see women out at events nor do they usually see them with their faces showing. This resulted in the paparatzi effect after the ceremony. A few U.S. soldiers next to me had to tell the Afghans to stop taking photos and I turned away so they would walk away. I am quickly learning about the cultural norms here!! And the bathrooms at this event..hmm...let's see. Well, have you ever walked down the street and seen a manhole in the street? Yep, that is pretty much what I hovered over but because of the bumps on the trip and my belt squeezing my bladder, that was one of the most enjoyable bathroom experiences ever. Lesson Learned for women: don't hover to close to the front of the circle or it might not...

And as for today's wonderful first time experience, I met with several Afghan women to hear their concerns about Afghanistan's Govt., health care, employment opportunities and education. These women were so brave to meet with us and one even gave me her head scarf as a gift before leaving. I was brought to tears within a few minutes of talking to them. So many stories of death or injuries or corruption. And on top of this they are women so they are looked down upon by the majority of men. But today, we became friends, we chatted, had lunch together and now I am sold on helping these women in the future. I can't go into details b/c of security reasons as to how they communicate and provide financial assistance to each other but I can say it is very similar to the "micro loan" process. These women have found a way to bond, to support each other in ways that are lacking in their traditional home setting. But the most depressing issue I believe came of our meeting is that all 6 women are illiterate. Can't read or write their own language..mostly b/c when they were young girl's were not allowed to attend school. They are begging for reading and writing classes, they want to learn how to start their own businesses and above all, they want to be heard by the world. I'm exhausted from a very long week but know that once I'm energized tomorrow, there is so much more that needs to be done:) Carpe Diem.