Bpeace in Kabul

Wendy and Corinne left for Dubai this morning. The rest of us wish we had too. It was another hot, hot day in Kabul. The heat is so dry. The air so dusty. And not an ice cube in sight. And our bottled water is always hot from being in the van. Whine, whine, and no wine. We're ready to come home.

It's really hard to write this blog tonight. We're tired, and punchy and still have to pack.

We leave in the morning, so we thought you would like to read our packing list:
1 burqa
2 rugs
30 or more scarves, embroidered (of course)
6 beaded necklaces
2 wooden pears
1 wooden divided Seder plate!
Koochi jewelry (don't ask)
2 teacher's uniforms
turquoise beaded see-through top
Lapis frog
Lapis box
Tablecloth, embroidered (of course)
Bed cover or tablecoth (your choice) with embroidered peacocks, embroidered (of course)
Book mark, embroidered (of course)
2 place mats, embroidered (of course)
6 paper mache painted spoons????? (delivered to Toni in a clear plastic bag so she wouldn't think it was from Al Qaeda...true story)
Beaded pen, in American colors
2 traditional little girl dresses, embroidered (of course)
31 completed candidate profiles
80 video tapes with shots of embroidery on them
6 audio tapes talking about embroidery
embroidered greeting cards

Today, Toni taught her final class to another 30 women. We have Toni on film crying when one woman described how Afghan women in the provinces are beaten by their husbands every day. Undeterred, she taught them about brands and the power of networking.

And speaking of networking, Laurie, Masuda, Ray and Sara visited dead Russian tanks because of making a connection on the Ariana flight to Kabul.

Businesses we invented while we were here:
Maternity dress shop
Plus-size dress shop
Ladies-only gym
Window dressers
Beauty supply distributorship
New bakery partnership
Jewelry/packaging partnership

Businesses we did not invent while we were here:
Embroidery

Food we ate while we were here:
Rice

Food we did not eat while we were here:
Lettuce
Ice cream
Wine

Most valuable thing we brought with us:
Anticeptic wipes

Most useless thing we brought with us:
Books

Awards for:
Best dressed: Corinne
Best hair: Wendy
Best shopper: Corinne
Best networker: Wendy
Best way with kids: Corinne
Best note taker: Wendy
Best coffee drinker: Corinne
Best early riser: Wendy
They are missed and are in their nice cushy beds in Dubai as we write this.

Our guide Wahid, anticipating our departure in the morning, told us we were the most difficult group he had ever handled...and he has brought through dozens of women's missions. He said we did in 6 days what most people would need 10 to do. (Of course...most of us were from New York, and he doesn't know from New York women.) I think he and Najib (our other guide) are simply exhausted. Wahid is a college professor and is very well connected in Kabul as well as thoughtful, informed and patient. Najib is charming in every potentially difficult situation. They are the reason we felt totally safe here in Kabul. Our 2 drivers were amazing, navigating over potholes, with only 2 feet of road on either side--if there is a road.

Laurie finally saw gabions today...imagine women braiding wire into giant boxes. Eventually these boxes are filled with rocks. And the women are thrilled to have the work. It's all poor women who are employed in the gabion factory (loosely put). See photo.

Well, dear Readers, tomorrow night you'll hear from us in Dubai.

--Masuda, Laurie and Toni