Mazar e Sharif

I just got back from a little trip to Mazar e Sharif, which is way up north near Tajikistan. We left at 4 am from Kabul airport on this ancient Anatov cargo plane. It's only about an hour's flight, but you fly over a spur of the Hindu Kush, and the mountains are incredible. The plane was actually flying around the sides of mountains, so that we were looking up at peaks from the windows. Mazar e Sharif is home to a famous blue Mosque, which is located in the exact center of the city. It is one of two or three buildings in the city which are more than one storey tall. There was some intense fighting there during the latest installment of the Afghan civil war, but most of the damage has been repaired. The roads are horrible, particularly inside the city. There was a huge market where day-laborers gathered in the morning to find work. I guess this sight had a comforting familiarity to it, being something one might see in many towns in the states. When I got back to Kabul, after a brief stop in Konduz, I felt a remarkable sensation of being home. I had not expected it, but in the last month I've become accustomed to this place, and I missed Kabul even though I'd only left for a day. Kabul is a beautiful city, if you can look past the dirt and the signs of past wars and present occupation.

Negligence

I got an email from a friend of mine who has some concerns about how his life is turning out. I know how he feels, though I don't exactly share the sentiment. As I told him, when we were in the Corps we had purpose. Even when life was miserable, we could always say that it was for a reason. Its hard to leave that behind. I guess the important part of this is that the Marines gave us an external purpose, which was applied to us. Now, its up to us to struggle along and figure it out. This is, of course, the whole point, but that doesn't necessarily make it any easier to get out there and do it. I'm sure that one of my loving family members would jump into the conversation at this point and tell me that its not so much about finding the purpose as it is living your life and figuring it out along the way. This is of course entirely true. Tonight I was reminded of how tenuous the whole work situation is over here. I guess the point is to get back up, live as best you can and not let the momentary setbacks get you down. So.....Buck Up, Johnny! I'll catch you back in the world.

13 signs of job burnout

One of my colleagues pulled this off of MSN. Let's see how life in Kabul measures up......

1. chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down
Nap-time has become an important part of our daily life.
2. anger at those making demands
You wouldn't believe some of the things we're asked to do.
3. self-criticism for putting up with the demands
Self-criticism is not part of our work-ethic. We're awesome, its everyone else....
4. cynicism, negativity, and irritability
Only in the morning.
5. a sense of being besieged
In our case its merited, but yes.
6. exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things
Inconsequential things seem to explode easily, does that count?
7. frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
Well, we are in Afghanistan and on anti-malarials.
8. weight loss or gain
See number 7.
9. sleeplessness and depression
Not yet.
10. shortness of breath
Only at altitude.
11. suspiciousness
Again, I think we are allowed a 'gimmee' on this one.
12. feelings of helplessness
Only when unarmed.
13. increased degree of risk taking
Define risk....

Kabul Joe's Photos

Ok everyone, I've finaly posted some photos online. Not being the most computer-savvy guy on the planet, this was something of a task for me. So, if you want to see pictures of my crew and I, check it out. In other news, I was watching the Tour de France yesterday and was reminded of my brother Nick, who is the most impressive athlete I've ever met. Gotta go, I'm not really getting paid ridiculous amounts of money to sit around and blog, no matter what Nikita thinks.

Independence Day

There are no parades here today. Hopefully there will be no fireworks tonight. I guess the Fourth is as good a day as any to reflect on what our country is doing abroad and at home to further the spirit of this 'noble experiment' which started over two hundred years ago. I would imagine that if I could still recieve my Economist subscription there would be lengthy articles undertaking a measured examination of American democracy in this week's issue. Freedom has become a buzz-word of the right, used as a justification for unilateral action. Now that I am no longer in the military I can say that we are creating more enemies than we kill, and one day we may pay a real price for our arrogance. Of course, some of my acquantances and family members might uncharitably point out that I am profiting from the role our country has given itself in the world. I remember joining the Marines in part because I'd read John Locke and The Federalist Papers in college, and in doing so had developed a healthy respect for the value of democracy. But I also read Machiavelli, and The Prince more often informed what I saw in the Marines than did The Republic. I guess its hard for people at home to see what's going on in the world, and most of them wouldn't want to if they could. This morning a US Marine was beheaded in Iraq. In remote sections of Afghanistan election workers are being killed and women are being terrorized because the decided to take part in a process that many of us disdain so much we don't even bother to cast our vote. Locke brought forth into the political consciousness of Great Britain the revolutionary concept that government is only suffered to rule by the consent of the governed. If this is true then we are ultimately responsible for what is done in the name of our country. I love my country, and more importantly I love the principles upon which it was so imperfectly founded. I think that we have grown as a nation, and made progress towards an egalitarian society even though we have also faced setbacks in civil liberties at home and abused our power abroad. I see a lot of xenophobia from many Americans over here but that is not the full story, either. I'm not going to express my opinion on what we are doing here in Afghanistan, I haven't yet been here long enough to form an educated one. But I do have an absentee ballot coming to me here, and I will be voting. When you watch your fireworks tonight, remember that part of the Star Spangled Banner about the land of the free and the home of the brave. Ask yourself if that's true today.