Sylvia's Journal

The boss is back from Pakistan. He interviewed a Pakistani candidate for a position we are recruiting for. The gentleman asked about security in Kabul. This seems funny to me. In Peshawar bombs go off nearly every day. And after each bomb there are people wounded and dead. Afghans are picked up off the street by Pakistani security forces as potential security risks. For my Afghan boss whose family lives there, a trip home is not as joyful as it should be.

We are gearing up for the inauguration of the new old president later this week. There are many expectations and worries about the new cabinet. If the minister of health changes we need to start all over again building relationships, establishing trust and getting feet in the door. This could set us back months. On the other hand, if the minister stays there is still the possibility of an internal (re)shuffling of the top ranks below him.

There is frost on the lawn in the morning and the frozen grapes are falling of the arbor to the great delight of the pigeons, sparrows and office cats (there is more than one I discovered). The roses are still blooming but there are no more new buds and the remaining blooms are turning brown at the edges.

The last bukhari stoves are being installed. I got one this morning. Apparently on its first day of service these stoves give off quite a smell and fill up the room with smoke. I did not notice this until someone entered my office and I noticed the cloud of white smoke that escaped. No wonder my throat was hurting. The rest of the day I let the cold winter air come in to dissipate the fumes and smoke. I hope the adjustments the stove and I have to make to one another will only last this one day. It is still warm enough during the day to have the door open.

Axel had another conference in Dari with the cook and housekeeper about doing laundry and preparing another meal. We are discovering that the cook essentially knows three dishes which he prepares over and over with only the slightest variation. We have asked for Qabuli pilau, a famous Afghan rice dish with raisons and carrot strips.

More items from our wish list are being ticked off: shower curtains installed, pink hand towels (we asked for dishtowels but must have gotten the translation wrong). We also have huge fire extinguisher hanging by a thread, quite literally, off the wall, at a height that makes it impossible for me to use because of my injured arm/shoulder. I’d have to get a chair, drag it up the stairs and then remove the extinguisher from its hook if ever one of our bukhari stoves burst into flames. Axel is checking out the German stove company’s website as I write this to learn more about how to prevent this from happening.