013112 So what does one live like in Afghanistan?

013112 So what does one live like in Afghanistan?

Living in AFghanistan as a contractor or soldier can mean anything from an open bay C-hut to a 3-man room.  That of course is the permanent housing and you certainly may be living in a tent for weeks or even months to get that.  In Iraq there were military and civilian housing areas.  The accomodations were about the same for both but they were segregated areas.  And if a military company moved in, the housing office would do their best to ensure all the soldiers were as close to one another as possible.  That was Iraq.  In Afghanistan (and this has just been my observation here at HQ iSAF), it doesn't seem to matter at all.  As people arrive, be they military or civilian, you get assigned a room.  Most of my co-workers seem to have at least one military guy their rooms.  soldiers here work 12 hour shifts just like civilians.  The buildings that we live in have concrete walls and a solid roof and blast doors (for mortar attacks which are rare.)  Otherwise they look like any standard college dorm.  The showers can be good or bad so the trick is to find one you like and keep using it. The one that I like generally has plenty of hot water and violates the water use of a 3 minute shower every 30 seconds (translation: damn good water volume.)  Anyway, here are some pics.  My bed is the top bed but only until two dickhead roommates move out in March (if not sooner hopefully.)  And the closet pics pretty much show ALL of my clothing that I have here.  As you can see it certainly isn't much.  But it's all I really need.
R/Chris

012612 Yes, it does snow in Kabul

012612 Yes, it does snow in Kabul

 

It has snowed three times here in Kabul in the last month.  Generally the weather is clear, cold and dry (very similiar to Colorado Springs.)  The snow will last for several days and it sure makes the dreary brown base look clean and inviting.  One thing the snow (and rain) does is clean the air and in the winter it certainly makes a noticeable difference (see earlier post on Kabul air quality.)  Here are some recent pics and the one pic with flags shows all the NATO and other nations that have representatives/forces either here or in Afghanistan.  While Iraq really was a primary US led mission, Afghanistan is slightly different (as it is a NATO coalition mission.)  But any way you cut it, the US is still the primary force in Afghanistan. 
R/Chris

012512 Don't Feed the Cats!

012512 Don't Feed the Cats!

When I was in Iraq rarely saw stay cats or dogs.  This is because any strays were routinely rounded up and either shot or given the needle.  The reason is rabies.  The disease is widespread throughout much of the
'third world' and untreatable once symptoms start to show. 
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Soldier-Died-of-Preventable-Rabies-129947358.html
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/ap-mother-of-gi-who-died-of-rabies-seeks-answers-091611/
In Afghanistan the Military has taken a different approach.  One of the reasons they've done this is that people just won't/can't  see a stray dog or cat and not try to help out or even pet it.  The cats here on HQ  ISAF Kabul are now 'working cats' and they've been 'fixed' (so I've been told) and their job is to hunt mice and snakes and keep that population under control.  As such, a fat cat (fed from scraps from people) does not
make for a good mouse catching machine.
R/Chris

010712 Is there Skiing in Afghanistan! Yes there is and there is no risk from mines when the snow is greater than 2M!

010712 Is there Skiing in Afghanistan! Yes there is and there is no risk from mines when the snow is greater than 2M!

I was asked if there is skiing in Afghanistan.  I didn't know until I found a brochure in one of the restaurants.  Evidently there is (see pics) and when the snow is greater than 2M, there is no risk from mines! (see the article in the pics.)  While this is great news, I don't think I'll be going skiing here anytime soon.  And all the snow on base here is now gone.
R/Chris

06JAN12 It's still snowing and cold and I'm wearing no gloves

06JAN12 It's still snowing and cold and I'm wearing no gloves

It's been snowing/raining here the last few days and this morning was sunny and bright and cold.  If it's so cold why am I not weaing gloves?  When I came to Afghanistan on the last flight there was a strict weight limit (30 kg, which is about 66 lbs).  Now just the two computers I was carrying was 15 lbs. I had to ration just about everything else and my final carry-on weight was 65 lbs.  There were others at the gate in Dubai tossing out stuff just to meet the weight limit of the final flight.  Anyway, here are a few pics from this morning taken from the balcony of one of the coffee shops and one pic taken in DeStille garden.  The hills in the one pic are just that, hills.  Ususally they're just brown.  The mountains (Hindu Kush range, slighty visible to the right) are further away and are snow covered all year round.  DeStill garden is a patio area where you can sit outside and enjoy a meal or coffee.  The pics were taken in the morning and by the end of the day much of the snow was gone (and the drab was back), but it was still cold.
R/Chris

04Jan12 Yes, it snows in Kabul

04Jan12 Yes, it snows in Kabul

It's 7 AM on 04 Jan and I'm finishing the midwatch (8PM - 8AM) and it's been lightly raining/snowing all night. At 7 AM the snow finally 'sticks a little' and so I took a pic.  At around 5900' elevation it's generally dry here in the summer and winter but obviously, it does snow here in the foothills of the Hindu Kush.
http://www.afghan-network.net/Culture/kabul.html
R/Chris

03Jan12 Gota get to the gym

03Jan12 Gota get to the gym

I've been here at HQ ISAF for three weeks now and still am not into a decent routine.  One of the nice things about being a contractor overseas is that one generally gets into a daily routine and follows it everyday.  While it can be boring and monotonous it is simple and stress reducing.  Anyway, above is a pic of the gym (that I need to get to) but for right now I just pass by it on the way to DFAC for meals.  The gym is also one of the only hardened structures on base so it's where everyone took refuge during an attack (such as on 13 Sep 11.) 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8759579/Kabul-US-embassy-attack-September-13-as-it-happened.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZtYM7ZRIE0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H47Jx2OpoRs
On the youtube vids, most of the soldiers you see are not American but Macedonian.  You can tell from the bright yellow and orange patch on the shoulder part of the uniform.  The guys in the darker green uniforms are Americans. In Iraq, security was 'contracted' out to Ugandans.  In Afghanistan its done by Macedonians (for odd political reasons!)  It seems  that many things here happen for political reasons. 
Also, it's still cold here and you can see the mountains during the day (I currently work the night shift 8 PM to 8 AM.)  The days are nice and can be very clear.  But at night, there's an haze of pollutants in the air during to all the burning of anything to keep warm.  And winter has really only just started.
R/Chris