Sylvia's Journal

The drive to the office this morning was a treat for the senses: the smells that came from the warm Uzbeki naan stacked on the front seat and the snow on the mountains surrounding the city. I had to pinch myself that this was real and I had that giddy feeling again – I am really living in Afghanistan!

I like Thursdays because the week is coming to an end thereis the promise of sleeping tomorrow and take a break from the intensity of work. And this Thursday was extra special because we had planned our first social event in our new house.

This first dinner party was catered by our housekeeper and cook who stayed late to leave us a spotless kitchen and every dish cleaned and put away. With some technical assistance from the cook from guesthouse zero they had been busy for the last few days preparing a spectacular meal and presented us with a table overflowing with goodies.

Our guests were Afghan-American, Afghan, American and Dutch, some people knew each other but others had never met. Two people escaped the US embassy compound by emphasizing the work relationship building aspect of our dinner party. This was only the 2nd time in 6 months that they had been let out of the US bubble, apart from their quarterly leave. They also never have a chance to eat Afghan food as strange as that may sound.

I had invited one of the general directors from the ministry who came with his wife, also in the ministry and his young son. We practiced pointing at body parts in Dari and English, while his wife and I conversed in halting English and Dari sentences. In the meantime Axel learned a lot about traditional Afghan herbal medicine. It was good we had several Afghan-Americans in the room who were called to find the right word now and then in either language for non-everyday expressions.

We hatched plans to try out a hammam sometimes with the ladies and also plot another escape for our new US bubble friends. All this stands in sharp contrast to what everyone in the US thinks about living here. It’s very nice!