Training Time

Out of order - but you were warned...

Many of my friends have asked about the training we get before going to Afghanistan - something that I have a neglected to fully report. Before getting to the sexier field training, we have two weeks of more normal classroom fare.

After the first hour or two of class the novelty of talking about going to a conflict zone begins to wear off, and the usual dynamics take over (you start plotting the next cup of coffee, question whether you can get away with a little texting during a boring lecture etc.).  The class members themselves kept the boredom factor to a minimum, as there was a huge array of ages, agencies and ranks represented, with State and DOD being the majority stakeholders. While there was no single stereotype, there were definitely some groupings, including a repeat offender group of civilians who had been to Iraq and or Afghanistan, often several times, then the friendly farmer types (that I'd group myself in) of folks (often from USDA) who were more comfortable in jeans getting their hands dirty than behind a desk, the military of course played to its type, excellent posture, serious demeanor when posing 3 point questions, obligatory jokes about competing services, clearly bemused and sometimes frustrated by their civilian counterparts, but friendly and accessible during breaks.  As different a group as we were, I am convinced that one of our most gung-ho Marine colleagues spoke for the vast majority of the more constrained "suits" when he made an impromptu speech about his conviction that being American meant trying to help this struggling nation.  In short, it was a stirring and comforting feeling to be part of an immensely talented group of people undertaking this mission, and a gratifying but sobering one that the vast majority of speakers began or concluded their presentation by thanking us for our service.

This rousing speech bouyed my spirits until we got to the invasion of Afghanistan by the Mongol Hordes, which is a good thousand years worth of misfortune, exploitation and foreign occupation.  Sadly, the history of this unfortunate country continued in the same vein for another millenia or so, with only short pauses in the nearly constant skirmishing that happened either because of Afghanistans position along major geo-political fault lines (stuck as a buffer between major powers), due to ethnic feuding, or between the "central government" (defined as Kabul) and tribesman when the government attempted to exert real governing control.  Then came recent history - which sounds entirely too much like the old song played in fast forward.

While genuinely disheartening, the history lesson has also proven more useful and relevant than in many past postings.  It also plays a role in why it is so hard to answer questions about whether Afghanistan is advancing/stabilizing/developing (add adjective of choice). It is country that has survived and repelled the invasions of great powers, but which has seldom had governance outside the capital in a form recognizable to most Americans. This makes for big questions, such as how to interact with and support institutions that occupy the political space we instinctively think of as state and local governments, but which have neither a history of performing the function of those entities, nor a clear political mandate or capability to do so.

In discussing my assignment I am often struck by impatience I hear, and the implicit or explicit question of why the Karzai government is as dysfunctional as say, Congress and the President negotiating a budget deal :)  But really, we would do well to remember that the Constitution that we are so (justifiably) proud of and quick to propose as a solution to other countries problems, was ratified thirteen years after the Declaration of Independence, and after our first governmental structure (Articles of Confederation) had proven unworkable. I'm not saying that is the case in Afghanistan, I'm just reminding my countrymen that our own history, with armed rebellions against central authority (Shay's Rebellion) suggests that patience is needed in any endeavor of this scope.

OK off the soap box. In short, the training featured an impressive array of speakers with very helpful information, together with the occasional death-by-PowerPoint session.  One of the more memorable segments was done by our medical unit, who noted that the stress, confinement and seperation from family often causes distinctive behavioral patterns. It seems that there are five possible outcomes from an assignment.  One normally becomes one of the following:

CHUNK 

(overeating - or eating like you're 25 and exercising 3 hours a day)

HUNK

(stress relief via vigorous exercise)

(this is what we diplomats would call a "notional" picture)

SKUNK

(letting it all hang out)

DRUNK

(spending all your time hanging out - best I could do...)

MONK

(hangin out all alone - which is A-OK when you've just been supplied with an awesome Lego fighter kit!)

I roundly rejected the hypothesis, and have instead become a SCHMONK (it helps that FOB-Tiger is "dry")

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the training program is related to the administrative nightmare that is part of any move/job transfer. Some wise and kind soul had the idea that folks going to Afghanistan, Iraq and similar posts have enough to deal with in preparing for their assignment, getting family established and saying farewell, dealing with shipping cars, pets etc. etc. etc. - and could use a bit of help in dealing with the huge number of additional complications that come with these assignments.  These include extra training, complications with "bidding" (obtaining our next assignment), multiple visa applications, arranging travel to military installations, and a raft of human resources paperwork dealing with everything from "danger pay", to completing a Dept of Defense mandated "Internet Security for Dummies" course - which closely resembles the Dept of State "Internet Security for Over-Educated People who Should Know Better -But Regularly Prove They Do Not" program. 

So - this unsung bureaucrat set up an HR SWAT team that deals with us troublesome "AIP" (Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan) folks. We are all assigned a "technician" who responds quickly and in comprehensible english to our key concerns, like whether the ban by the United Arab Emirates on any knives or military-style equipment applies to an heirloom straight edge razor. (not my question if you're wondering). However, the key to the program is an afternoon paperwork blitzkrieg, in which they assemble about 20 of us in a room and hammer out a dozen or so forms that we would normally either deal with ourselves or complete after arriving at post.

What is really remarkable about the program of course, is that it is remarkable, and not a standard way to handle transfers.  Oh well, I'll chalk it up as another perk of the assignment, with a big thanks to my rock star of a tech, who contributed greatly to preventing a case of pre-deployment PTSD.  THANK YOU!

Back to School

As a parent, one of the great joys in life is watching your children go to school (and knowing that you no longer have to).

Nowhere is this more true than in Afghanistan, where a full generation was basically without educational options, particularly if you were a girl.  Since the fall of the Taliban, the focus on education has been intense, and the needs overwhelming. As security takes hold, and development begins to happen the ravenous appetite for knowledge has exploded, and families make huge sacrifices to offer their children what they hope will be a path to a better life.

Outdoor Classroom

Overall, education is one of the unsung victories here, and massive progress has been made. Afghanistan is not only full of new classrooms, desks, and other school supplies, but has trained a huge cadre of teachers and been developing an administration to manage the huge task of educating something like half of its population which (if I remember the statistic correctly) is under the age of 15.

Accordingly, it was a genuine pleasure to visit a girls school that the ROK PRT had selected as a project. Currently, the school is comprised of ten connex's (shipping containers), a handful of tarps, twenty teachers, and a collection of battered benches and desks. The 1200 students come in two shifts, walking up to four kilometers to school, and quentching their thirst by scooping muddy water from an irrigation canal behind the facility. 

Crossing Guards - Afghanistan style

We met with the principal and local officials and elders who were eager to begin construction, but who were unfailingly polite and gracious hosts. They explained one of the challenges facing them, which is that as security improves more children stay in school longer, generating intense demand.  Although they had concerns, they proudly reported that they had the first graduation in the history of the school with 90 students completing their studies, and expected that number to rise rapidly in coming years.

The community had pooled their resources to purchase land for the school, and was pleased to give us a tour. As I hope the pictures show - it is stark but a beautiful site, with the mountains to one side and dusty farms on the other. If all goes according to plan a school that will provide for 2000 students could be ready by the end of 2012.

As you would expect, our MRAPs and soldiers drew a crowd of curious children (and adults) who we tried with varying success to engage in small conversation, torn between the desire to try to "show the flag" and gain some understanding of local perceptions and dynamics, and the urge to be a tourist and take pictures of the adorable kids, quaint donkey-drawn carts etc. etc. Mostly, I tried to stick by an interpreter, and use the zoom to grab some shots when there was a lull in conversation or we moved from place to place.

School Site

Soon enough we piled back into our extra thick tin cans, and started the long and uncomfortable ride back to base, where we had a quick huddle, gave a cheer I understood not a word of, and took a group photo Korean style - which is to do the first photo with a simple smile and the second with upraised fist. (I haven't found the photographer yet, but I'm certain this blog will be well stocked with shots featuring the "fighting" pose).

On the Road Again

After the disturbing tragedy of the "complex" attack on the governor's compound in nearby Charikar, and the scramble to ensure that my local employees who have been working there were safe (they were) and have everything we can provide to help them deal with the situation I was pretty tired.  However, in light of the courage and dedication they have shown in forging ahead and denying the Taliban even the victory of delaying their work, I felt a duty to continue as well, and hit the road again.

Pushing out into new territory, I had a chance to see more of the stunning valleys and rivers that allow Afghans to carve a living out of the rocks and dirt that dominate the landscape of Afghanistan.  We follow the thin green belt along the valley floor, keeping watch, and sometimes being watched from the sheer rock faces that rise to the sides.

Although the scenery is breathtaking (despite the fact I get it only in tiny snippets from my position in the back of the monstrous vehicles we travel in), travelling is slow, hot, bumpy and generally seems designed to remind me that I am no longer in my twenties, (nor thirties).  On the positive side, as I was again out with my "fellow 'mericans" I could enjoy the good-natured teasing, joking, insulting among the crew that resembles the dynamics on sports teams, fraternities, firefighters etc. whose sometimes relentless harassment of their colleagues is a form of what is known in our home as "boy love" - where affection is also known to take the shape of a fist... Fortunately for me, as I am something of a novelty for them being both a civilian and a generation or so removed from many of them, I am spared both the teasing, which I wouldn't mind, and any physical abuse they may inflict on each other, which could be fatal to those of use whose biceps are not measured in feet.

Anyhow - I was glad to have a competent and cohesive squad to ride with, and appreciated their musical choices, even if the sing-along wasn't quite up to American Idol standards.  As sometimes happens, a random song change jolted me from the experience of rolling with my new homies to suddenly being almost overwhelmed by memories of grooving out in the kitchen with the family to "I'm a Be".  I chose to think of it as bringing along those homeboys (and girl) along on the adventure.

Some highlights:

My Basic "Battle Rattle"

which I hope never to field test, and which is heavier than it looks

Typical Hills in Afghanistan

the white line is a road

Curious Kids at the Corner Grocery Store

Abandoned Tanks from Soviet Invasion

(Yes It's Hard not to Dwell on Afghanistan's Reputation as the "Graveyard of Empires") 

will try to get better pictures another time

Summertime at the Riverfront

Hard to see, but kids from the village to the left are swimming in the river.

Too Close for Comfort

Dear Friends and Family

Just a line to let you know I was not anywhere near the attack that happened today on the Governor of Parwan Province which has hit the news.  It is a tragedy for the many workers who were trying to help the people of Afghanistan and I ask you to say a prayer and think of them today.  Fortunately, none of my American or Afghan colleagues were hurt during the event.  Gotta go. Hope the next posting has better news...

A Day in the Life - photo journey

FOB-Tiger the Beautiful...

Who says concrete barriers are drab?

Yes, I can read Hangul (Korean) - in the bottom center it says Korean PRT

OK OK, this isn't actually my picture - but it's one of those wonderful moments where you see two worlds coming together and UC that Afghans luv2 text their BFFs

Can I have the keys Dad? PLEASE!

Doesn't really capture it, but those mountains are closer than they look

Luckily NOT Home Sweet Home

I took this picture of a bunker when I realized it they started to become a natural part of the landscape to me.  Luckily, I haven't had the occasion to spend "quality time" in one yet.

This little guy (about 4 inches long) did share my hooch

Peace, Out

Building my Afghan Snowman

Well, as people told me to expect, the days have gone slowly, but the weeks quickly.  I just hit my three week anniversary on the ground in Parwan, and was advised that I am now officially a "veteran" - in the "old hand" sense, not the shot and wounded sense.

Anyhow, I began this entry with the tired expression "Busy Drinking from a Fire Hose" - and decided that I have really just had it with that analogy.

First - There is the anatomical problem. I beleive that all children should in fact attempt to drink from a GARDEN hose, so they can learn the painful but important lesson about our anatomical safety valve.  In other words, your stomach, throat, and mouth have a finite capacity, when they get full, you have your nasal cavity to fall back on as an emergency drain. For me the idea of having the excess "water" (new information) being expelled in a messy and painful fashion just doesn't cover the idea.

Second - If you get technical and use a genuine FIRE hose, the scene would be substantially uglier. First of all, you'd need an accomplice, and unfortunately Dr. Kevorkian, the logical candidate for any assisted suicide job, just isn't strong enough and heavy enough to keep a fire hose in place.  Assuming his burly nephew is willing to take up the mantle what you would get is a fascinating set of photos for a forensic pathology text on a newly invented cause of death called concurrent pulmonary/respiratory/esophogeal rupture.

Finally (and most damning) the fire hose analogy does not reflect a key dynamic of the situations we typically apply it to, such as starting a new job, doing detailed research on a new topic, moving to a new country etc. etc. etc.  It only addresses the idea that an overwhelming tide of data and stimuli are coming at you (and absurdly suggests that it is possible to digest such a stream).  What it does not cover is the fact that the data are overwhelming and undigestable because they are unfamiliar, and you lack the context to be able to quickly sort data, see patterns, and draw conclusions.

You see, as a Foreign Service family who bounces from place to place, starting and ending jobs, schools, freinds, hobbies etc., we are "drinking from the fire hose" more often than not, so the madness of this expression simply must end.  After careful reflection on this serious matter I have developed a new analogy which I am hoping will catch on in the cool climate that will become home after Afghanistan. It goes like this.

Building a snowman in a blizzard.

Catchy I know - but aside from the brilliant wordsmithing, it's LOGICAL.

Here's the logic:

1. The snow is a limitless amount of data or stimuli which swirls around in a disorienting fashion.
2. The snowman is the compilation and organization of that data into a meaningful composite image. 
3. The snowman builder is the poor schmuck who gets kicked out the door into the storm and told by the big boss needs a first-class snowman PRONTO.

Now comes my favorite part.  My analogy has a built-in timeline (at no extra cost). Assume we start at the beginning of the storm (not too much to ask I think).

First, you're out there in your new job, new school, new language, new culture admiring the pretty snowflakes despite the gusting wind but having no genuine conception of what is going on or how to collect anything but the tiniest fragments (individual snowflakes) which often simply melt away.

Next, as some time goes by the data begins to accumulate and it becomes possible to scrape up handfuls of it to start building something small.

Finally, as the storm continues, and if you work diligently and quickly to collect the snow efficiently and from a large area (make use of snow drifts etc. etc.), you can assemble a respectable snowman, bringing order from the chaos.

Not perfect I concede, but I'm going with it.

So that's my excuse - I've been busy building a snowman.

More regular postings soon - with pictures - as I did come in from the storm for hot cocoa and buying a camera.