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I’m I expecting too much? After my daily cup of coffee and news intake, I went to clean up in the bathroom for work. Knowing that any running water was out, so I had heated up a pot of water on the fire. A facecloth and a pot of water is a good source of bird bath mid winter in AFG.  I’m thankful for the heated water, but today the cold air in the bathroom was more than usual. The tiles, the lack of heat, the frozen pipes. It means a short birth bath. I wanted to just scrub my face from all the fire dust that has been clogging the pores. No luck - my face cleanser and toner were frozen, along with the toothpaste.

I’ve started storing my “necessaries” in the living room cupboard where it’s warmer near the fire. My little four room cottage has shrunk to a one room cabin for the winter.  My room, the living room and the bathroom are all too cold to spend any time in. I’ve put a pile of my clothes and bedding in the “meeting hall” where I sleep, eat, and wonder.

Last March, the world watched Japan deal with a triple header: earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown. During the well documented and very powerful video footage arriving to me, I thought about my friends at the Tokyo Friends School. Knowing the school and the students educated there, they were out there helping their country men get safe water and shelter.

TFS is a unique yet thoughtful Quaker school.  Years ago the then head, and I made a connection. Me being a teacher at a couple of Friends School, the current one, I help begin.  Louise and I visited each others schools, we emailed occasionally checking in to see that all was well.

On a trip to Tokyo, I gave a slideshow to both the students and the parent group to discuss Afghanistan and the work I do here.The slideshows were a big hit, with more questions than we had time for.  The parent presentation was truly amazing.  At first not a hand in the air, and then some very thoughtful questions about the future of the country both politically and from a humanitarian angle.  The parents made a very generous donation and I was very thankful.

Then again last Christmas, the students choose SIO to donate funds to at their holiday charity drive.  I was absolutely shocked that those kids still remembered.  Then this Christmas came along and I received this email from Louisa at TFS:

Dear Marianne,
I hope this message finds you safe and in good health as this new
year gets underway. Here in Japan, we are still preoccupied with the
aftermath of the March earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. Life
is still unsettled for many people up north, and anxious for most of the
population because of fears about the safety of all the nuclear plants
throughout the country. Perhaps Japan’s energy policy will change now at
last.
But I am sure that none of our anxieties and fears begin to measure
up to those of folks on the ground in Afghanistan! I am so glad to read
in your blog that you have been able to continue your good work.
Again this Christmas, when our students were dividing up the funds
they had managed to collect for various causes, they decided to send you
a small contribution, too. The SIO website gives two addresses for
checks, so I have decided to send ours to the one mentioned in your blog,
Box 170070. I hope that will be all right.
Warmest good wishes, Louisa
–                                         Friends School, Tokyo

Dear Louisa,

Happy New Years to you and your family and friends.  I hope that 2012 brings some goodness to you, your country and all it’s citizens. I have watched the country take all the hits and my heart has been heavy. Of course in the good Japanese and Quaker way, you and your students have reached out to others.  How moving and powerful your gesture has been.  Thank you. The Box 170070 is the correct address. Thanks.
May I post your email on my blog?  It really is moving.

My life in AFghanistan is full of wonders everyday.  I just don’t know what will happen each day, so I always look forward and hope that each day I can make a small dent in the pile of stuff needed to be done for the children and teachers here. I’m safe and fine.  The recent snowfall covers the dirt and temporarily makes this place look clean and positive.

I am still planning to come to Tokyo again. Last spring, I cancelled the trip for obvious reasons. When I come, I will be sure to contact you.

A big thank you to you and your kind and thoughtful students.
Best and cheers
Marianne

____________

What I am struck by is the continuous humanitarian spirit - some of that may be a cultural expectation, but quite honestly, my heart tells me that most of it is the human spirit, and dare I say what is supported at a Quaker school. I am grateful to know the people whom I know - both in Tokyo, SF, Boston, AFG, and around the world. There are people in this world who think about others in deep and profound ways. Call us all idealists, but someone’s its the small dash of hope that is needed in places AFG, where hope seems to decline day by day.

As the third large snowfall wakes our day, we all think of the internally displaced people (IDPs), who mainly live in tents.  The night came down to another 8 below 0 level for the manyth night in a row.  Just yesterday I opened two boxes donated that had hand-made quilts from The Blue Star Mothers. Thanks ladies for organizing this.  I will be stopping by some tents today to give the blankets to those in need.

For 24 hours it’s been snowing in Kabul and the place is quiet, white, and clean. No snow plows to clean the streets, just brave drivers who shuffle the workers off to the office.

After a trip to the APO for a donation pick-up, I got to pick through a box of toys. Someone’s precious dinosaur collection arrived, as well as, perhaps the same kid, a collection of remote control cars. I have changed the batteries and called for some friends to come over to give a test race.

Tomorrow I return to the APO to pick up the 12 other boxes that have warm clothes in them. That is always a fun sorting process, as I know infants to teenagers who need clothes. It gets to about 10 C below zero at night these months.

One box had 5 hand made quilts. Tomorrow on the way to the office I will stop by one of the “tent camps” that the very poor live in. Many people will be warmer tomorrow night.

Out of the dust of Kabul into the canned air of a plane - and it is good

With each trip to the APO box, we receive more and more fleece blankets, knitted blankets, warm snow suits and boots. Currently on my porch is a pile of wood for my wood stove and boxes of these donations.  I just wrote a check for $41,500 for the ambulance. We will receive it in 2 days. Then fill it up with the medicine we bought in Kabul, all the birthing kits donated by a group, the warm clothes, and some toys. The ambulance will be taken to the village with all the donations and arrive by the end of the week. We are over the moon excited that the Wardak Vally clinic will have health care, warm clothes, and incentives for the pregnant moms to come to the clinic for prenatal care.

Healthy children keeps attendance rates higher in school and children are less likely to drop out.  Same for the teachers, if they are in better health and their children who stay at home while she teaches, if they are healthy, the chance of staying in school and not home caring for smaller ill children allows them to be teaching.

This grant came from the US Embassy health program.  If they like how we handle this. I have a plan for supporting physical education classes for girls.

While I don’t need an ambulance, the folks who live in villages far from any hospital must either “wait it out to see how I feel,” or get in a borrowed car and try to get to a clinic or hospital a few hours away.

SIO is supporting a village clinic down in Wardak, my province away from home. The clinic has been running for a few years now, but recently the doctor of the village died, so the clinic shut down, no one else in the area is trained. We worked with an Army doctor here in Kabul, to secure the funds to hire a doctor and a midwife for a year, to purchase medicine and medical equipment to update the clinic, and to purchase a new ambulance.

Healthy children make better students. Healthy teachers make better teachers. This clinic will assist on many levels. There will be someone in this valley clinic to serve the 200,000 people who need help birthing children, give vaccinations, tend to burns from the winter heating devises, diagnose TB, malaria or hepatitis (all highly communicative), and to comfort people that have felt alone. The brand new ambulance will enable the doctor, midwife, and the locals a chance to get to the nearest hospital 2 hours away in a swift and supported manner.

We are so happy to support the village with not only hundreds of boxes of warm clothes, school supplies, and toys for the children, but we now have allowed the students and the teachers a chance to be healthy, which allows them to remain in school and continue their studies !!!!!!  Keep School’s Open.

All we are waiting for is the “transfer of funds” and for me to get the checkbook from the bank (a half day event here in AFG). Photos of the purchase and transfer of ambulance to come.  Actually I have boxes of clothes and toys waiting on my porch. We will fill the ambulance with supplies and drive it down.  Unfortunately we won’t be able to go with the ambulance. This village is currently under rule of the Taliban. They are happy to have the ambulance and supplies, well Taliban’s kids need health care, but they aren’t too welcoming to American women. That is ok, we do this work for the people who need it.

When the weather drops to below zero at night, I’d recommend purchasing a new BBQ. That’s what we have done. It means that around 9 pm, the whole crew, which ranges in numbers from 5-12 so far, all head out to sit around the coals to cook kebobs. We have been trying new marinades and spices. If you don’t have a thick jacket, just borrow one of my blankets and wrap it around, no problem. Last night we had chicken kebobs with a masala spice rub at about 10 pm, followed by a good Attan dancing session.

I’m thinking for the summer we should bust out the snow-shoes and wool mittens.