First Full Day

I stayed in bed until noon, snoozing on and off, and working off the jet lag. Although my air-conditioning wasn't working, I got a good night's sleep.

My roommate and I have our own little apartment area, complete with a living room and kitchen. She checked on me and said later that since I slept in, she did as well. Then we enjoyed coffee and the news on satellite TV in our little living room. Long about 1 p.m. two of our colleagues invited us to lunch in a garden area out back. He is a former Associated Press reporter now working on the same contract as I, and she works for an Afghan marketing agency. If I can download it, the photo is attached.

Several of us then took a shopping trip to Supreme, which is a small western-style grocery and clothing store, which has incredible security. It's very popular with the foreigners here. We bought breakfast and lunch foods, as well as a few comfort items, and then headed to a meeting a the US Embassy. I bought a sorbet popsicle, which sounded so good in this heat, but it began to melt as soon as I stepped outside. I ate as much as I could and then threw away the melting rest. Raspberry sorbet was running down my arms as I fought to beat the heat. Our driver came 'round with a rag to dry my hands and arms!

After our meeting at the embassy, we came back to check email and then headed off to watch the world cup soccer finals at the home of another contractor working here in the arena of business development. It was a beautiful evening -- quiet, not too hot, almost a full moon, and you could see the stars. It was so unlike DC as it was so quiet and peaceful. I'm sure you are wondering how that could be in a "war zone." But it's true -- most nights here are very quiet and very peaceful.

The folks hosting the party set up a TV and projector on their patio so we watched the match outside on a big screen. The group included a mix of people from several countries, including a National Public Radio reporter, so the conversation was very interesting. It reminded me of a super bowl evening.

There were groups meeting all over Kabul to watch the World Soccer Cup. It's such a big event overseas, and it brings people of all nationalities together. It's something we in the US really miss.

I really had a good day, but it's late and time for bed. Kabul is 8.5 hours ahead of the east coast of the US, so it's 1:45 a.m. as I write this.

Tomorrow I have four meetings with various groups, so I don't know that I'll have time to write again. Very soon I will meet with the Afghan government minister whose people I will serve as mentor to over the next several months. Apparently a letter of introduction has been sent to him by the US Ambassador. I hope the get a copy of that letter as it still amazes me that a little girl from Wisconsin is here mentoring a major ministry of a country. I know that my mother is proud and I think my father would be very proud. I'm just glad that I have a supportive family. It's not easy to be separated.

While I was shopping at Supreme today, I noticed some children's T-shirts, one of which said "My mommy is a peacekeeper in Kabul." I would have bought it for my granddaughter had it said "My grandmommy is a peacekeeper in Kabul." There probably aren't a great number of grandmothers here -- at least not enough to make a profit on t-shirts!

Cheers!