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Like a Friday night, exhausted and ready to sleep for days, but in AFG one gets ONE day off. Wrong, just wrong. Had my first meal in 2 days - made pasta with a cuke salad. Trying to keep the dust out of the bowl has created a good challenge.  Lots of snoring tonight, as not a wink last night.

Today’s outting included a venture across town to a meeting to plan the travel details to Daikundi, got there and other people came to the meeting asking if I could help on a project about environmental education and how it is needed in AFG. When we got to the details, the gentleman who was to help with this offered nothing. Wants the training, but less than helpful in getting us to a VERY remote part of AFG, even more remote than last summer.  Tonight is research time.  Donkey, copter, plane, bus, taxi, hire a driver.  Something will happen and we hope well.

The phone calls have begun, so too must the flow chart of who is who. With several projects going, and a multitude of contacts, I’ll have to keep a visual of who is who, who does what, who knows who - otherwise it will be foot in mouth experience trying to remember everyone.

Suggestions?

You’ll never recognize it. It has new floors, counters, 2 luggage turnstyles, a customs counter with proper lines, and space.  Gone are the days of wires hanging from the ceiling buzzing, dusty cement floors, and no room. The terminal is open and quite impressive. A greeting fit for any tourist, NGO worker, well paid ex-pat, or under paid Afghan.

Rest up and in an hour the meetings begin. Feels like I never left.

Don’t let the pomp and polish fool you when you are in Switzerland. Yes, they are the country and people of the spit and polish, “let’s keep it clean, follow the rules, and don’t step out of line” (unless you are helping someone hide a few bucks). Switzerland has some wonderful graffiti. Out on the autoway, the backs of signs hung over the road have fantastic pieces. Haven’t spotted a screw but I’ve seen some great work. Proud of the youth for talking together in a country less than breaking away from the mold.

Crack of dawn exit - which went pretty wrong last time, so climbing into bed with I think, a broken travel watch.  Ah great, figure this out on a Sunday in a Puritan country with not a shop open, and a country known for it’s time keeping pieces.  I’ll pay too much tomorrow at the airport to get another one, though it may have the symbol on it and remind me of the several great trips to Swissland. Can’t beat good friends to hang with.

Yesterday we went to a bird santuary -holy avarian Batman - very cool - at the Malarian Ponds (I got a mosquito bite) so I had to drink a tonic water health drink tonight to be sure I fend off the disease. Went to the Olympic Museum today to see some relics of games past. Notably no reference to the “situation” when the athletes faces a few guns, but seeing some of the suits, and medals of all the years gone by was fascinating.

The nervous stomach starts tonight, and the travel in and out of various airports, with various bags, excuses, wonders, and adventures are here. Next stop London and Dubai. The heat will get turned up very fast.

…… eat chocolate, buy a watch, and relax.  I can do that.

After 17 hours of travel, almost not making my first flight because I slept through my alarm and nearly missed the ride to SFO, I’m blurred in Geneva.

The post I wrote in NYC looks like it didn’t post, probably a good thing anyway - lots of comments about people in pinstripes.

Putting a plug in for MInt Chip ice cream at Bi-Rite. The company, flavors, and viewing are great there on 18th and Dolores, and if you time it right you can watch and listen to the daily car towing event while giggling with friends.

Here’s to adventures for all this summer - on the beach, in a plane, on a car roof watching stars, collecting treasures, sharing ideas, mixing healthy drinks, or working on a project that needs completion.

Be safe, be well, and stay tuned because I’m surely going to be in for a ride. Who’s idea was this anyway?

School is nearly done - few meetings - then it’s time to roll out.  Spent two days in full day meetings at the Department of Education rewriting the science frameworks (a dense book in how to translate the science standards into something that resembles a lesson plan). Group of smart and very thoughtful PhDs, but as we all know, consensus with a group of 20 people is a balance of listening, thinking, and picking just the right time to speak.  Good practice for my own approach to faculty meetings.  Won’t miss ‘em at all over the summer.

I’m sooooo appreciative of the donations that are still rolling in!!  Wow, people are thoughtful, supportive, and generous.  These last minute donations will be used to get notebooks and pencils for the children in school.  Thanks so much.

Ruby was just hanging out for an hour of scratching, bone licking, and hugs. Nice time before I won’t see her for too long.

80s, 90s, 100s

We are complaining about wearing another layer. Into the suitcase goes another long sleeved top to cover the skin. Preparing for a triple digit summer with no A/C.

• Peet’s coffee - check
• Dansko clogs - check
• Cipro - check
• Camera - check
• Practical jokes for the guards - check
• Lecture notes on brain development - check
• Sense of humor - check
• Bones for stray dogs - check

I’m ready for triple digits, ever changing plans, hurry up and waiting, and smiles from teachers as we playing “The Guessing Box” in Dari.

……. I’d be able to leave now - cash, visa, clean change of clothes, x-rays, what more could a girl need on the road. The “to do” list isn’t too long:

• Scooter Rally
• water the plants
• print the boarding pass
• ticket from Dubai
• scratch Ruby and hide a few bones
• print the lecture notes
• say good bye to various vagrants (you might be one of them)

Counting the minutes but I must complete my duties at my paying gig - stuff and mail reports, close up the year and classroom, find someone to feed Elvis (11 foot boa) jumbo rats, and assure the boss I’ll be safe.

Forget to write when life is just the same old - get up, coffee, go to work - it will be the same thing just in another country. It’s a bit more work to make the coffee, primp for the day, and get to ‘the office’ - but it’s the same.

The ventures are shaping up and for sure the trainings will bring me to new people in new places, yet the dedication is the same, if not stronger this summer.  Lots of reasons to jump ship and take a real vacation, but it’s these reasons that keep me more focused on helping teachers and students. The people of AFG are feeling abandoned and unsupported.

One the dock: child development course in Kabul, science teacher training at the Blind School, organizing and holding a “Best Teaching Practices Conference” in Kabul, rural village teacher training in a new province, and the ever popular “hob knob in Dari” game. I have lots of visiting, gift giving, and tea drinking events I”m sure.

I will have to pick up my old habit of sharing my adventures, thoughts, observations, and tid bits of learning as I carry on in Kabul.