Kabul

I didn't know what to expect when I arrived in Kabul. It's technically still a war zone. American's are flown by helicopter from the airport to the US embassy compound inside the green zone. My flight  from Dubai to to Kabul was remarkably empty, with no kids or families. That seemed to confirm that my latest work destination was going to be a little different. BUT, my return flight a week later was packed full of families and children leaving a very very different impression - one that I was happy to take with me. It felt like Disneyland - and apparently that is what most flights in and out of Kabul are like. I think my first flight was on a religious day where few were travelling. As usual, I can't share that much of my work. I couldn't take any photos once I was there but I got a few as we flew in to this capital city that sits at about 6000 feet elevation surrounded by stark mountains. Here are a few thoughts...

I arrived in Kabul the evening of the recent wedding attack that killed over eighty people, injuring hundreds more. (Weddings in Afghanistan are huge celebrations with hundreds to over a thousand attending.) This attack lingered throughout the week as a backdrop to my time and an illustration of the challenges that so many face in a country that the US is still technically fighting a war. Insecurity and attacks of all sorts are still common and the threat to those that work for Western organizations is extremely high. 

Those I was with this past week risk their lives every day to go to work to help build a more peaceful and stable Afghanistan. They don't know if they will return at night to see their children and their families. Their stories of trauma and grief are only rivaled by their courage to keep showing up. The morning after the wedding attack, everyone was at work. I told them that if a suicide bomber killed eighty people in Washington DC, people wouldn't return to work for weeks. It would take years for us to recover. Every time I led a session on stress and resilience I said that my local Afghan colleagues should be leading it. They know something about resilience and thriving that most of us will never know. Their fortitude is sustained by faith and by family, the bedrock of their society. 

The memories and backdrop of the wedding attack will linger as another layer of trauma for them and a difficult memory for me but what I will remember about my very short week in Afghanistan are the beautiful stark mountains that surround Kabul, the roses and beautiful flowers  in the compound I stayed that the local gardeners take so much pride in, the beautiful green farm land outside of Kabul that I saw photos of...I will remember the anguish and struggle so many face over the opportunity to leave for a new home that offers the opportunity of safety and peace or to remain with family in Afghanistan, continuing to build a more peaceful country, but at the risk of their life and their family. But mostly I will remember the faces of those who have experienced such great tragedy and loss - loss that I will never understand - and yet they choose to continue living, refusing, as Rumi writes, to be a 'caravan of despair.' I will remember their stories of great sadness as well as those of great courage, strength and beauty. 

Duncan

PS The Sewing Circles of Herat by Christina Lamb is a great book that will give you much insight into Afghanistan.