Sylvia's Journal

I am back in Kabul where summer is in full swing. The dry mountain air instantly dehydrated me and the mineral-laden water that comes out of our faucets turned my skin into parchment.

It was very hard to come home to an empty house that has signs of Axel everywhere. I got a taste of what it might feel like when your best friend would be really gone, forever – all these traces. I had a cup of tea and a good cry and then Skype-chatted with my colleague and friend Jana in Kinshasa for nearly an hour.

When one’s best friend/life partner is not around, second best is long time girl friends and in the absence of that female friends. Now, with neither category A or B nearby I will have to rely on technology and/or expand my network of female friends here in Kabul to help me through the next four months.

I had alerted the guesthouse manager that Axel is not coming back and that I will continue my habit of eating only salads in the evening (green, fruit). Axel’s non return will particularly disappoint the cook and housekeeper. Since I usually leave (for work) before they arrive at our guesthouse and return after they leave there won’t be the Dari/English practice sessions with Axel and little contact with the people/person they are caring for. The cook will probably not be very happy with the minimalist cooking I have asked for, depriving him of Axel’s cooking lessons and the pride of cooking whole meals.