Sylvia's Journal

The flight to Kabul was quick because I slept most of the way, stretched out on three seats. The (very) early morning flight Kabul is the cheapest of its offerings. You’d think that that would fill up the plane but it was half empty, hence the three seats.

My vertigo had subsided except for that one moment that the plane was pushed backwards into its parking slot, after arrival in Kabul. The backwards movement, uncommon in planes, tripped up my brain and everything started spinning again; luckily it lasted less than a minute and I was able to walk out of the plane into what was at least a physically stable world.

Otherwise things aren’t very stable here. Kabul is picking itself up, once again, from a series of traumatic events that had occurred during my absence (one plane crash and two attacks, Darulaman and Baghram). This does not include the many other efforts at intimidation that are happening with increasing regularity all over the country, especially in the once peaceful north. I’d like to think these are acts of people who are cornered and becoming desperate, but like us to think they are on the winning team.

Axel cooked me a nice breakfast and then I went back to sleep to continue my series of interrupted naps. I slept till 12:00 and then went to the office to participate in the continuation of our work planning meetings. It was the reason for taking the early morning flight.

The day ended with a phone call with Boston where I was joined, by video, with the people I had just left in Washington. It was as if I had been beamed halfway across the globe overnight, or shipped like a UPS parcel.