surreal white light kabul

I'm at the US Embassy compound in Kabul - the light from the sun reflects off the white concrete and is almost blinding. It is accompanied by heat, but tempered by the spring wind. It is eerily quiet much of the time. I walk by the green patches - lush green grass - with a variety of flowers including snapdragons and roses. The roses all look somewhat abused by the wind - once they have bloomed fully their petals turn out - as you walk by the large bunch of them, there is a faint puff of scent. A variety of people walk by - the local hires - mainly men outside it seems - the various military types, the suited men, the women with and without headscarfs - the women who wear skirts and thus reveal their legs which seems odd here. I wander in my kameez with long pants and sandals and my minimalist sweater which covers but doesn't really add any warmth.

The route to my hooch takes me on a little path shaded by a tree - there is a picnic table to the right. It adds a certain hominess to the rows of housing units. I'm in a two man sleeper which is occupied by a woman from Armenia who is here for six months. She has been very gracious in sharing this space...there is no storage and we sleep on bunkbeds. I have the top. We have a large flat screen LG tv w hich is hooked up to AFN network - thus i get to watch Star World and Star Movies - updated from the days I watched them in Pakistan. There are three channels that are Afghani - earlier today there were three young girls singing, their heads only partially covered by their dupattas.

A periodic source of noise are helicopters which seem to fly low over the compound. I haven't been here long enough to decipher the various paint jobs and marking to discern which entity is flying over my head...

My favorite and most common destination is the coffee place - they made nice cappucinos and ice coffees which are shots of espresso with ice and water. Still, caffein helps me get through the afternoon. I attended briefings today but was hit hard at 2 pm by fatigue and headache so came back to the hooch and took an hour nap. My iphone alarm is this irritating sound of an old fashioned phone - but it is very effective. Am meeting someone for dinner who I used to work with in south africa...which seems very remote from here.

I have to attend an all day security briefing tomorrow - and then something else on Sunday. The soonest I'll be leaving for Herat is Monday.