Saturday, January 31, 2009
Text-only :(
Well, I've tried for two nights now to post, but my connection just isn't up to it. Posting text-only in the hopes this will actually go through. I'll try again tomorrow to put together a "real" post - just didn't want anyone worrying about me...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Another VIP and some cute critters
A couple of days ago we were lucky enough to host ADM Greenert, Fleet Forces Command, for a quick visit. He held an all-hands call where he seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say about the IA process, our training prior to arriving in Afghanistan, and generally anything that wasn't working the way it is supposed to. He walked away with quite a few look-ups but was very gracious throughout the meeting. ADM Greenert was the 7th Fleet Commander when I was with Submarine Group 7 in Yokosuka, so this was not the first time I've met him - and he doesn't seem to have changed at all. :)
We've had a lack of cute critter sightings lately, then all of a sudden today there were three. :) This pretty tabby was waiting for us to come back to our vehicle at the Ministry.
This kitty didn't feel much like posing, but I couldn't get over how white his (her?) coat is - how he/she keeps looking that good with all of the Kabul dirt and mud is beyond me...
Finally, this kitty we actually found outside our office. We're not supposed to feed any animals on the base, but it's very tempting! We're guessing she's a mom cat but that's purely a hunch. She does like to "talk" quite a bit though!
Last but not least a funny picture to leave you with... we managed to find peace in Afghanistan! OK, so it was upside down, but there's no denying it's there! I snagged this picture on our way back to the base today. No idea what's really in the box. :)
A quick special "shout out" to my new pen pal Samantha - thanks for the picture!
We've had a lack of cute critter sightings lately, then all of a sudden today there were three. :) This pretty tabby was waiting for us to come back to our vehicle at the Ministry.
This kitty didn't feel much like posing, but I couldn't get over how white his (her?) coat is - how he/she keeps looking that good with all of the Kabul dirt and mud is beyond me...
Finally, this kitty we actually found outside our office. We're not supposed to feed any animals on the base, but it's very tempting! We're guessing she's a mom cat but that's purely a hunch. She does like to "talk" quite a bit though!
Last but not least a funny picture to leave you with... we managed to find peace in Afghanistan! OK, so it was upside down, but there's no denying it's there! I snagged this picture on our way back to the base today. No idea what's really in the box. :)
A quick special "shout out" to my new pen pal Samantha - thanks for the picture!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Not much news, but...
Well, I don't have a lot of news to pass, but felt like posting tonight so I'll keep it simple.
Just a couple of pics tonight. My boss and I went over to another base in the area and looked around while we were there. Apparently we're at the wrong base - we don't have anything this nice where we are! :)
We also ran into some dog handlers with their charges. Some handlers are a little stand-offish and would prefer that you not interact with their dogs - I can understand that. They are working dogs after all. But these particular handlers were only too eager to let us get to know "Getta" - she's 5 years old and absolutely adorable.
Some people have asked what it is exactly that I'm doing over here. That's a little difficult to answer, as our jobs are pretty broadly defined and we have some leeway as to where we apply our efforts. The basic description would be that we mentor two individuals in the Ministry of Interior that both have legal responsibilities. One is a lawyer, one is not. We assist with whatever projects they have going on and whatever else we can do to make their jobs a little easier. Both of them are great individuals (although very different from each other!) and they really want to see Afghanistan succeed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all government officials.
I'm getting to do things over here that I never would have imagined. The people I work with (on the American, Afghan, and coalition sides) each bring their own stories and backgrounds to the table and make life very interesting. I'm playing a small part in drafting the personnel law for the ANP (Afghan National Police) and just a few days ago was lucky enough to observe a United Nations meeting for donor countries involved with justice programs in Afghanistan. There were easily a dozen countries represented there and it was an eye-opening experience to say the least. We are given a lot of opportunities here to really make a difference. Not too long ago I was involved in an assessment of the detainee operations within Afghanistan - again, something I never thought I'd be doing, but it was fascinating and I learned a lot (although it was a lot of work!).
So I'll wrap it up for tonight. I noticed in the blog counter that I now have hits from South Africa, Jordan, and several European countries. Feel free to forward the link if you know of anyone who might be interested in reading - I'd love to have hits from every continent! :)
Just a couple of pics tonight. My boss and I went over to another base in the area and looked around while we were there. Apparently we're at the wrong base - we don't have anything this nice where we are! :)
We also ran into some dog handlers with their charges. Some handlers are a little stand-offish and would prefer that you not interact with their dogs - I can understand that. They are working dogs after all. But these particular handlers were only too eager to let us get to know "Getta" - she's 5 years old and absolutely adorable.
Some people have asked what it is exactly that I'm doing over here. That's a little difficult to answer, as our jobs are pretty broadly defined and we have some leeway as to where we apply our efforts. The basic description would be that we mentor two individuals in the Ministry of Interior that both have legal responsibilities. One is a lawyer, one is not. We assist with whatever projects they have going on and whatever else we can do to make their jobs a little easier. Both of them are great individuals (although very different from each other!) and they really want to see Afghanistan succeed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all government officials.
I'm getting to do things over here that I never would have imagined. The people I work with (on the American, Afghan, and coalition sides) each bring their own stories and backgrounds to the table and make life very interesting. I'm playing a small part in drafting the personnel law for the ANP (Afghan National Police) and just a few days ago was lucky enough to observe a United Nations meeting for donor countries involved with justice programs in Afghanistan. There were easily a dozen countries represented there and it was an eye-opening experience to say the least. We are given a lot of opportunities here to really make a difference. Not too long ago I was involved in an assessment of the detainee operations within Afghanistan - again, something I never thought I'd be doing, but it was fascinating and I learned a lot (although it was a lot of work!).
So I'll wrap it up for tonight. I noticed in the blog counter that I now have hits from South Africa, Jordan, and several European countries. Feel free to forward the link if you know of anyone who might be interested in reading - I'd love to have hits from every continent! :)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day!
Yep, it's Inauguration Day! I'm actually watching the Today show early coverage. Some people have asked me if we'll get to watch the ceremony. We do - but only if we stay up until 9:30 to see it! OK, so that's not all that late, but when you're getting up before 5 every day it seems a little later. :) Anyway, yes, I definitely plan to watch. I think if I were in the States I would have tried to go to be there in person. Craziness, I know, but just to be able to say later "I was there" means something.
First a little news from Rhode Island. It's ironic that RI has had so much snow this year and we've had almost nothing here. Last year, RI only had a couple of good storms, while Kabul set a new snowfall record. Global warming at work??? I don't know - but it certainly makes for a great picture of Brandy. She was NOT happy about having to wade through snow.
One quick "thank you" goes out to the crew that puts on the outdoor feast at one of our dining facilities. They're there almost every night (in the cold!) cooking up something wonderful. You have to wait in a (usually) much longer line, but it's definitely worth it. This pic was taken on Mongolian BBQ night. It's a nice way to break up the repetitive menu, and Steve, Dan and I have taken to marking one night a week as our get-together night. Anything to keep from slipping into groundhog day syndrome!
One quick critter shot - this cute tabby was running around at the Ministry of Interior. He wasn't too keen on posing though...
Finally, a remembrance...
News coverage has still been very sparse, but it was confirmed that one U.S. servicemember was killed during the explosion (along with two Afghan civilians). The flag has been flown at half-mast in his honor ever since.
First a little news from Rhode Island. It's ironic that RI has had so much snow this year and we've had almost nothing here. Last year, RI only had a couple of good storms, while Kabul set a new snowfall record. Global warming at work??? I don't know - but it certainly makes for a great picture of Brandy. She was NOT happy about having to wade through snow.
One quick "thank you" goes out to the crew that puts on the outdoor feast at one of our dining facilities. They're there almost every night (in the cold!) cooking up something wonderful. You have to wait in a (usually) much longer line, but it's definitely worth it. This pic was taken on Mongolian BBQ night. It's a nice way to break up the repetitive menu, and Steve, Dan and I have taken to marking one night a week as our get-together night. Anything to keep from slipping into groundhog day syndrome!
One quick critter shot - this cute tabby was running around at the Ministry of Interior. He wasn't too keen on posing though...
Finally, a remembrance...
News coverage has still been very sparse, but it was confirmed that one U.S. servicemember was killed during the explosion (along with two Afghan civilians). The flag has been flown at half-mast in his honor ever since.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Kabul explosion
A quick, somber post tonight. I'm sure a number of you have seen on the news that there was an explosion in Kabul this morning. Let me assure you that I am not hurt (and in fact wasn't even on base when it happened). News here is very tight as you might expect and if you've been reading the wires you probably know more about what happened than I do. Thanks to everyone who emailed to make sure I was alright. Please keep those who were injured or killed today in your thoughts and prayers.
Friday, January 16, 2009
I'm back!
Very sorry I haven't been posting! It's been a hectic week, and it didn't help that I managed to catch the latest bug/bacteria/virus going around and was laid up a couple of days. But I'm better now, although I'm still behind on blogging and emails. If you're one of the people I owe an email to, I haven't forgotten you! :)
First up in the picture lineup is Dari class graduation. We finished up on Wednesday night with a final exam that everyone passed. The first picture is me with our instructor Saboor. The squiggle on the board behind us is "Tracy" written in Dari.
Next is the class picture. We started with 21 students - this was all that was left by the time the final rolled around. :)
We also had another VIP visit. This one was with MGEN Wright, the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Army. Turns out he is friends with now-retired CAPT Tom Greene, so if anyone out there has CAPT Greene's email address, please pass it to me so I can pass this picture along!
I managed to make it out to the bazaar this morning - a little cold and rainy, so business was not good for the vendors. When that happens, their sales pitches get a little more forceful and of course you find yourself buying stuff you hadn't really planned on - it's so hard for me to say no to the kids! Here's a picture of one of my purchases (diamond-cut agate beads - much prettier close up!) and their salesman.
Last picture - I was walking to the chow hall this afternoon and all of a sudden it turned sunny and clear. I don't think we've seen the sun at all this week - it's snowed every day (although at least nothing has accumulated!) and been generally pretty miserable. So of course I grabbed a picture (I've learned to keep my camera with me at all times). This is what we call "TV Hill" - I'm sure it has a proper name, but this is where all the cell phone and tv towers are (and frankly, it looks a lot better snow-covered!).
That's it for now - hopefully not so long until my next post!
First up in the picture lineup is Dari class graduation. We finished up on Wednesday night with a final exam that everyone passed. The first picture is me with our instructor Saboor. The squiggle on the board behind us is "Tracy" written in Dari.
Next is the class picture. We started with 21 students - this was all that was left by the time the final rolled around. :)
We also had another VIP visit. This one was with MGEN Wright, the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Army. Turns out he is friends with now-retired CAPT Tom Greene, so if anyone out there has CAPT Greene's email address, please pass it to me so I can pass this picture along!
I managed to make it out to the bazaar this morning - a little cold and rainy, so business was not good for the vendors. When that happens, their sales pitches get a little more forceful and of course you find yourself buying stuff you hadn't really planned on - it's so hard for me to say no to the kids! Here's a picture of one of my purchases (diamond-cut agate beads - much prettier close up!) and their salesman.
Last picture - I was walking to the chow hall this afternoon and all of a sudden it turned sunny and clear. I don't think we've seen the sun at all this week - it's snowed every day (although at least nothing has accumulated!) and been generally pretty miserable. So of course I grabbed a picture (I've learned to keep my camera with me at all times). This is what we call "TV Hill" - I'm sure it has a proper name, but this is where all the cell phone and tv towers are (and frankly, it looks a lot better snow-covered!).
That's it for now - hopefully not so long until my next post!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Books, a sense of humor, and another farewell
Just some quick notes before I stop procrastinating (I should be studying my Dari right now!).
A couple of people have asked me for book recommendations about Afghanistan. Granted, there are way too many good books out there, but I'll vouch for a few. Of course Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) needs to be on the list. It's a very sad book, but I think it does a great job describing Afghanistan - especially Afghanistan as it once was. I saw the movie adaptation but of course the book is always better. His follow-up book, A Thousand Splendid Suns is also well worth a read, although I think it's even more of a sad tale (if that's possible!). I just finished Three Cups of Tea about Greg Mortenson, who has made a career out of building schools, clinics, and just about anything else that needs to be done in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is more focused on Pakistan, but unfortunately many of the same problems apply here. I'm currently reading The Bookseller of Kabul, written by Asne Seierstad. She's a Norwegian who actually lived with an Afghan family right after the fall of the Taliban. I'm not very far into it yet but it looks really good.
OK, one funny anecdote from my Dari class. Every language seems to have its own sense of humor (speaking from my vast experience of four languages now). We all had to laugh at one translation last week. The Dari word for husband is shawhar - "shaw" meaning "night" and "har" meaning "every." :) Nothing as funny on the feminine side though - the Dari word for "wife" and "woman" are the same - "zan." Take that as you may...
And yet another farewell to report - Rob is a Marine who was assigned to work Detainee Operations. He did that and a whole lot more. I was lucky enough to work with him on an assessment we just completed and he was incredibly helpful. He's heading back to his beloved East Coast. Fair winds and following seas Rob...
One last picture before I run away to study - I managed to get a decent sunset shot so I'll leave you with it. If it looks cold to you - it was! :)
A couple of people have asked me for book recommendations about Afghanistan. Granted, there are way too many good books out there, but I'll vouch for a few. Of course Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) needs to be on the list. It's a very sad book, but I think it does a great job describing Afghanistan - especially Afghanistan as it once was. I saw the movie adaptation but of course the book is always better. His follow-up book, A Thousand Splendid Suns is also well worth a read, although I think it's even more of a sad tale (if that's possible!). I just finished Three Cups of Tea about Greg Mortenson, who has made a career out of building schools, clinics, and just about anything else that needs to be done in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is more focused on Pakistan, but unfortunately many of the same problems apply here. I'm currently reading The Bookseller of Kabul, written by Asne Seierstad. She's a Norwegian who actually lived with an Afghan family right after the fall of the Taliban. I'm not very far into it yet but it looks really good.
OK, one funny anecdote from my Dari class. Every language seems to have its own sense of humor (speaking from my vast experience of four languages now). We all had to laugh at one translation last week. The Dari word for husband is shawhar - "shaw" meaning "night" and "har" meaning "every." :) Nothing as funny on the feminine side though - the Dari word for "wife" and "woman" are the same - "zan." Take that as you may...
And yet another farewell to report - Rob is a Marine who was assigned to work Detainee Operations. He did that and a whole lot more. I was lucky enough to work with him on an assessment we just completed and he was incredibly helpful. He's heading back to his beloved East Coast. Fair winds and following seas Rob...
One last picture before I run away to study - I managed to get a decent sunset shot so I'll leave you with it. If it looks cold to you - it was! :)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Survival Dari
Well, I've made it through four class sessions and am about to head to my fifth. We've already dropped about a quarter of the class - it's pretty intense. I can now count, tell time, figure out what day of the week it is (assuming I can do that in English - some days are harder than others!), and ask random questions like how old someone is, if they're married, if they have kids, where they're from, etc. Basically enough to get me into trouble. :)
I'll leave you with a pretty picture tonight. The base is pretty "industrial" and not really designed to provide a lot of scenery, so I try to take shots whenever and wherever I find them. I took this one walking to work a couple of days ago. You've seen the flag display in other pictures. This is the same display from a different perspective - I just happened to notice how absolutely clear and blue the sky was that morning. Again, the picture doesn't quite do it justice, but you get the idea. Unfortunately, it's also a grim reminder of the realities of being here. Any time a nation loses a soldier in action, their flag is lowered to half-staff. We prefer the days all the flags are flying at full mast.
I'll leave you with a pretty picture tonight. The base is pretty "industrial" and not really designed to provide a lot of scenery, so I try to take shots whenever and wherever I find them. I took this one walking to work a couple of days ago. You've seen the flag display in other pictures. This is the same display from a different perspective - I just happened to notice how absolutely clear and blue the sky was that morning. Again, the picture doesn't quite do it justice, but you get the idea. Unfortunately, it's also a grim reminder of the realities of being here. Any time a nation loses a soldier in action, their flag is lowered to half-staff. We prefer the days all the flags are flying at full mast.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Dari
Just a quick post tonight as I'm heading off to Dari class. The class is good but moves VERY fast. It's two hours a night for ten nights, and I've had two classes so far. The instructor is an Afghan who flew fighters for their Air Force before quitting to become a translator (guess which makes more money?). I'm sure he just cringes at some of our pronunciation but at least he's very patient with us. We did learn on the first night that most of us have been mispronouncing the name of the language the whole time - it's not "DAR-e" but more like "dairy." Who knew? He is also giving us some background on Afghan customs and traditions so that's very interesting.
I wanted to pass along a picture sent to me by a CDR who was in my class at Ft. Jackson. When we finished the Udairi range, we got all of the Naval Academy graduates together for a group picture. I'm the only '94 grad, but it was nice to see USNA so well represented among the officers in our group. And yes, we're all squinting, and yes, it was pretty chilly. We voted to keep our covers on so that you all couldn't see how bad we looked after three days without showers! :)
Busy days, but at least they're flying by. Hope all is well on your end!
I wanted to pass along a picture sent to me by a CDR who was in my class at Ft. Jackson. When we finished the Udairi range, we got all of the Naval Academy graduates together for a group picture. I'm the only '94 grad, but it was nice to see USNA so well represented among the officers in our group. And yes, we're all squinting, and yes, it was pretty chilly. We voted to keep our covers on so that you all couldn't see how bad we looked after three days without showers! :)
Busy days, but at least they're flying by. Hope all is well on your end!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Catching up
A few random entries today to catch up on events from December and start the new year with a clean slate.
Earlier in December we had a change of command at CSTC-A (Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan) where MGEN Cone was relieved by MGEN Formica. I didn't get to go to the actual ceremony (held off base) but we did have an awards formation for MGEN Cone. And yes, I am in this picture if you look really hard! Here is the story about the change of command.
Earlier I wrote about how gorgeous the mountains visible from the base can be. We finally had one of those clear days and I was able to take this picture. Trust me, it's even more impressive in person.
We had a little excitement a few days ago - a light dusting of snow and an earthquake all on the same day. The earthquake was about 200 miles away, so we only felt a little bit of shaking, and none of the snow stuck, but it at least gave us something to talk about and take pictures of... The snow was a little strange - big fluffy flakes that actually bounced as they hit you. Look hard and you can see a few flakes in this picture, but there really wasn't much to get in the picture!
The next two pictures were taken during a detention center visit. The first was in the "kitchen" - really just an open space with fire pits (but it did smell really good!). The workers in the kitchen were asking to have their picture taken - how could I say no? :)
This next picture is "retaliation" to some of my friends in Iraq, who send really cute pictures and descriptions of dogs that they see and/or work with. Well, I haven't seen any cute dogs around here, but this obviously well-fed tabby was patrolling at the detention center, so I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures. I think he knew he was about to become famous!
Finally, a picture of Jamal, one of our interpreters. I am trying to pick up some Dari while I am here (actually signed up for a class that starts tomorrow). He teaches me Dari and I try to teach him a little bit of Spanish and Japanese - it's pretty funny. He is only 24, but he speaks six languages and is about to graduate from law school - a very impressive guy who really makes it possible for us to do what we do here. You can also see a few of the office Christmas decorations, thanks to one of Pete's care packages. :)
Hopefully you enjoyed the quick photo tour. I'll be in class Saturday-Wednesday nights so I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to update for the next few days.
Earlier in December we had a change of command at CSTC-A (Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan) where MGEN Cone was relieved by MGEN Formica. I didn't get to go to the actual ceremony (held off base) but we did have an awards formation for MGEN Cone. And yes, I am in this picture if you look really hard! Here is the story about the change of command.
Earlier I wrote about how gorgeous the mountains visible from the base can be. We finally had one of those clear days and I was able to take this picture. Trust me, it's even more impressive in person.
We had a little excitement a few days ago - a light dusting of snow and an earthquake all on the same day. The earthquake was about 200 miles away, so we only felt a little bit of shaking, and none of the snow stuck, but it at least gave us something to talk about and take pictures of... The snow was a little strange - big fluffy flakes that actually bounced as they hit you. Look hard and you can see a few flakes in this picture, but there really wasn't much to get in the picture!
The next two pictures were taken during a detention center visit. The first was in the "kitchen" - really just an open space with fire pits (but it did smell really good!). The workers in the kitchen were asking to have their picture taken - how could I say no? :)
This next picture is "retaliation" to some of my friends in Iraq, who send really cute pictures and descriptions of dogs that they see and/or work with. Well, I haven't seen any cute dogs around here, but this obviously well-fed tabby was patrolling at the detention center, so I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures. I think he knew he was about to become famous!
Finally, a picture of Jamal, one of our interpreters. I am trying to pick up some Dari while I am here (actually signed up for a class that starts tomorrow). He teaches me Dari and I try to teach him a little bit of Spanish and Japanese - it's pretty funny. He is only 24, but he speaks six languages and is about to graduate from law school - a very impressive guy who really makes it possible for us to do what we do here. You can also see a few of the office Christmas decorations, thanks to one of Pete's care packages. :)
Hopefully you enjoyed the quick photo tour. I'll be in class Saturday-Wednesday nights so I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to update for the next few days.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great celebration. Very tame on this end - the base had a karaoke party, but I opted out in favor of sleep! We have New Year's Day off, then we have our "normal" low battle rhythm day on Friday, so in effect we have two days off. Yippee!!!
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