Sylvia's Journal

I am home in Lobster Cove, like a sponge sucking up the humidity. People complain, but I like it. When I landed in Boston the sun came out for the first time in weeks, as if for the occasion. I saw New England at its best: flowering trees, shrubs, a dazzling green from the new growth everywhere.

I missed two days of writing and posting because I was traveling light, without a computer.

I left Afghanistan on the Safi fight with the usual cast of characters: beefy bold(ing) (military and paramilitary) men with sun glasses and cellphones or iPods strapped to their enormous upper arms and their camouflaged back packs.

In Dubai I dropped my bags off at the hotel, had lunch at the Bateel date place in a nearby shopping center, brought some gifts for the girls at Fabindia and took a taxi to the Dubai Mall for a hour long massage to get more kinks out and get me ready for the long voyage home.

I dined at the Waterfront Promenade looking at the water fountains sitting on a terrace at the foot of the tallest structure in the world. With my back to the tower I watched people from all over the world try to get their loved one or travel companion on a picture with the tower in the background. One has to get deep down on one’s knees to get both person and structure in the picture. It was good fun watching people contorting themselves – only a companion and a glass of cold white wine were missing.

The nice Delta people gave me an upgrade so I was able to make the transatlantic crossing mostly on my back and asleep in the wonderful flatbed pods. It is really the only sane way to make the 15 plus hour trip. Even so it was long.

In between sleep I watched the King’s Speech, Easy Rider and a Chinese Detective that was cut short by our landing in Atlanta. I also was able to complete nearly all the homework my Dari teacher had given me for the next two weeks.

The final leg I made in a very full plane from Atlanta to Boston. A couple from Ghana or Nigeria in full traditional garb, probably coming to Boston for their child’s graduation, provided a wonderful contrast with the many business travelers holding on for dear life to their two cellphones and powerpoint presentations.

Axel waited for me, Starbucks coffee in hand, and drove me to Manchester where I walked the estate, ate some fleshy asparagus straight from the garden and inhaled deeply the salty sea air to clean out the Kabul dirt from my respiratory system. There is no place like home.

Tessa had arranged a pedicure and we each brought our dresses for the graduation to get a good match between dress and toes. Afterwards we joined Axel for an early bird dinner out and we marveled at everything and everybody. I turned in at 7:30 PM to be ready for the one work day in this vacation.