Friday, June 11, 2004

 

Day 8: Contrasts in Kabul

Back to last night for a moment. Wendy and Masuda returned home safely from the US Embassy party at the Elbow Room, where they met South African poppy erradicators--well everyone has to make a living somehow. Wendy and Masuda were clearly the hottest ticket in the room, but they easily and dramatically managed to fend off their male suitors by donning the chador (their omnipresent head scarf).

Today, Friday, is the weekend in Kabul. Most everyone has the day off, and we tried to have one too...but not really.

Several of us went to Nader Shah's Tomb, the highest point in Kabul for a bit of sightseeing. From there we saw 2 sand tornados--pretty incredible.

Later we went to the women's garden, a place where women can have shops, and ONLY women can shop. We visited the shops of a couple of Toni's students, and we bought several things to bring back to the Bpeace Afghan Team. However, in our first use of Afghan money, we totally overpaid for some of the scarves. No wonder the scarf lady looked totally perplexed by the transaction. We can only imagine the shopkeeper going back to her classmates and saying, "Remember that American businesswoman who sounded smart...forget it...she didn't even know how to count money."

Throughout the week we met a number of expats working at the World Bank, UNIFEM, USAID, and other NGOs. We were continually stuck by the energy of these people, knowledge and committment. These are modern day adventurous intelligencia. They were all generous with their time and contacts. They immediately grasped the Bpeace concept and didn't just give us lip service. Over and over we heard that what we are doing is much needed, and that there is definitely a need to train the top tier of business women in Afghanistan.

Lunch was in a Kabul fast-food joint...nine of us ate for $21--in total. (And this was in American money, so we don't think we messed up.) Laurie had a veggie burger. Later we went to Afghans 4 Tomorrow (our guide Wahid's guesthouse) to use their conference room for a 90-minute debrief on the entire trip. We hired a young Afghan woman--Mahbooba--who is home from vacation from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Until she goes back to school in August, Mahbooba will be our Kabul ground coordinator for our Afghan activities.

We waited all week to shop on Chicken Street--supposedly the one shopping street in Kabul where tourists are made to feel welcome. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We were the only tourists in Kabul, and the only ones on Chicken Street. Laurie tried to apply some of Toni's proven negotiating techniques, and wouldn't pay any less than two and half times what one shop keeper asked for. Wendy spent $14 and the rest of us passed. It was about 96 degrees in the shade today, so we didn't feel like trying on any of the fur coats.

Sweaty and grimy we rushed to to a guest house (disguised as a construction company), where Masuda and Women for Afghan Women were hosting a dinnner for us...with live music--the best Afghan musicians in the world...and they don't have a recording contract or even a CD. (Business opportunity anyone?) They were really good, and there were some Bpeace members shaking their booty.

Most importantly, we were honored by the presence of the most important woman in Afghanistan, Dr. Masooda Jalal who did and is running for president of Afghanistan. She spoke to us for about an hour about how economic empowerment will the basis for women's rights in other areas.

In the end it was a weird day. We weren't so tightly scheduled as we had been, it was very hot, it was Wendy and Corinne's last day and we could feel that. And the week-long pend-up demand for Chicken Street shopping was a bust.

Wendy, Laurie and Toni
Comments:
Laurie - the way you write one gets the impression that it is a small town - dignitaries all knew you were there and went out of their way to welcome you - pretty incredible stuff! Sorry about the disappointing Chicken Street - the women's market sounds better anyway - pick something wonderful out for me to buy!!! Love, marla
 
Dear Laur,

I wrote such a long, good note last night and then before I could post it, it disappeared. Tried a second time but fell asleep typing. Shanso and I went to the young Artists Cabaret last night in Chase room. Wow. The kids were amazing, Shanso was amazing (could be hired tomorrow in the development dept.), and we had a great time. Prom has many stories to it, nothing really bad, mostly good. The lasting image was the Shan in her black mini--no bull she was the prettiest of all...nolo contendere. Shan made the travel team. Me? Well today, saturday, I'm going to rearrange all our bookshelves using the Dewey Decimal System then clean all the undersides of the tables and chairs which, when you think about it, are real germ and dirt collectors.
Your last couple of days sound like a sea change from the beginning of the week. It must be hard to digest it all and to reconcile what must be conflicting feelings, excitement, shock, guilt, and so forth--then teamates peeling away to go home. Hard for a non-participant to grasp, but your wonderful dailies sure help.
Jess seems really good--bonded ith boys (expected) and with Jay (inevitable). She is getting S's apt. after all and is so happy. She's now in San Fran. Baby Sylvia has straightened herself out and turned rightside up which, as I recall, is upside down. Do you feel like a Granny yet?
Only two days and you'll be home. Can't wait. I miss and love you.


L,L
 
Dear Laur,

I wrote such a long, good note last night and then before I could post it, it disappeared. Tried a second time but fell asleep typing. Shanso and I went to the young Artists Cabaret last night in Chase room. Wow. The kids were amazing, Shanso was amazing (could be hired tomorrow in the development dept.), and we had a great time. Prom has many stories to it, nothing really bad, mostly good. The lasting image was the Shan in her black mini--no bull she was the prettiest of all...nolo contendere. Shan made the travel team. Me? Well today, saturday, I'm going to rearrange all our bookshelves using the Dewey Decimal System then clean all the undersides of the tables and chairs which, when you think about it, are real germ and dirt collectors.
Your last couple of days sound like a sea change from the beginning of the week. It must be hard to digest it all and to reconcile what must be conflicting feelings, excitement, shock, guilt, and so forth--then teamates peeling away to go home. Hard for a non-participant to grasp, but your wonderful dailies sure help.
Jess seems really good--bonded ith boys (expected) and with Jay (inevitable). She is getting S's apt. after all and is so happy. She's now in San Fran. Baby Sylvia has straightened herself out and turned rightside up which, as I recall, is upside down. Do you feel like a Granny yet?
Only two days and you'll be home. Can't wait. I miss and love you.


L,L
 
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