Sylvia's Journal

Today was full of meetings, exchanging information, seeking new information, channeling information to our new consultant, finishing our strategy paper on how we plan to support the government in handling the H1N1 emergency and getting ready for the boss to come back on Sunday.

Another week rushed by and our trip to the US in December is already appearing on the horizon. I have now been here 7 weeks but it feels like several months. I have come a long way since I got off the plane, both in my understanding of my job and my understanding of the language. We have also come a long way in terms of our living situation. Not even one week in the house we now have even such luxuries as toilet roll holders and shelves to put our toothpaste on.

The cook prepared meals that have to last us over the weekend and we have to do our own dishes (oh no!) but it also means no Afghan men walking around the house on plastic slippers for the next two days.

I ended the 110-plus hour workweek with a two hour Dari lesson during which my teacher drilled me about body parts, government units and roles, office equipment and taught me a new batch of verbs. I learned how to say that I voted for Obama and that I am happy he is our president. My teacher is too and still receives emails asking for campaign contributions. I also learned how to ask him whether he voted for Karzai (he didn’t).

There are more interesting things I am learning about Afghanistan through its language. For example, the word for dancing and playing is the same and swimming is literally playing with water. The word for marker (regular marker or highlighter) is ‘toosh’ which reminded me of Sita’s Brooklyn babysitter Goldie who also taught me the word toosh , meaning something quite different. I am having much fun with learning this language and am much encouraged by the enthusiastic response from drivers and guards. They are now no longer trying their English on me but rather rattle along, way too fast, in their native language.

Axel is also learning Dari rapidly, but more the kinds of words that have to do with household items. He has armed himself with a dictionary for relief workers that is full of the most interesting phrases and carries around a piece of paper with the cook’s handwritten words for various foot items in indecipherable script. We are all learning as fast as we can.