ZaraAt

Final Days

2007-08-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

My final days in Kabul were busy between running errands and finishing up at Kabul University. Here are a few more shots of the markets around town - vests, above, for the men and a line of shops selling burkas.
The bazaars on either side of the Kabul river are noisy and bustling from dawn to dusk, so the boy taking a snooze in the mid-morning caught my eye.Kabul has over 4 million people but no traffic lights or painted lanes, and car steering wheels can be on both sides. Kabuli traffic cops enter the fray wielding little red stop signals in their hands, but it isn't uncommon to find them taking it easy under the umbrella over the roundabouts.
Buying some tea was a must before leaving - after drinking so much I couldn't risk the effects of immediate withdrawal. Merchants have many varieties of black and green tea, imported from Africa, China and everywhere in between.

Afghans are ethnically diverse, from from fair skin and eyes to dark hair and black eyes, and I was regularly mistaken for an Afghan and stopped for directions or to chat. But in the bazaar, when I couldn't respond in Pashto or Dari, prices skyrocketed. To negotiate price and find my way to different vendors in the bazaars, I counted on Wali (above) a professor in the Faculty of Agriculture, who was an excellent guide and good friend.

As much as possible we tried to source material for the Faculty of Agriculture at the local markets, from wood for lab benches to computer hardware. For laboratory coats, we bought 40 meters of fabric and had the coats made by a local tailor.

Dusk on either side of the Kabul river. Over the final weeks of my stay, I gave lectures to staff and students in the Faculty of Agriculture on topics ranging from using digital library resources to proposal writing, and over the final days focused on integrating some laboratory exercises into coursework. To examine water quality we took a sample from the Kabul river.
There is a large area for experiments and demonstrations around the Faculty of Agriculture, but for the most part it is not in use. As part of labs, students and staff took water, soil and plant samples which we then tested in the laboratory.

Courses lasted right up until my last day and we had a final send-off of tea, cookies, fresh melon and some very thoughtful gifts from staff and students (including more tea). The time flew past and I am extremely grateful to my Afghan hosts who made the trip so memorable.
Eighty percent of Afghanistan's economy depends on agriculture, and universities should be playing a key role in developing the country. Right now foreign governments, mostly through contracts with private development groups, are at the front of efforts to modernize agriculture. But for all the well-publicized aid money that flows into the country, a huge amount goes to overhead, salaries for foreign consultants and security (which continues to deteriorate), which mean much of this money does not reach Afghanistan. Education and training are needed to generate Afghan professionals to take the lead in development. This effort will take decades of dedication from donor countries, but will well worth it for the development of the country.

Bazaars

2007-08-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more shots from different bazaars around Kabul city center. The the shot above, along the Kabul river, includes some familiar sights - a Chinese bicycle (ubiquitous), a gentle who has lost a leg, a mother in her blue burka, accompanied by two daughters in traditional red. In the background is a huge Mosque under steady construction for decades in spite of all the turmoil.
Fruit. Fresh and dried. The back of the fruit stalls above stretch for over a mile and are walled off in the back with melons. They are open until very late at night and most owners probably stay and sleep in the stalls over night. Deep in the bazaars downtown are all kinds of dried fruit and nuts (many varieties of raisins, figs, apricots, pistachios, olives and more)
The place for electronics is Pashtunistan Square. Below is a look inside - about eight stories of tightly packed shops that all struggle to specialize in something. Need a power cord from an eight year old laptop? - one of these little shops will have it. Haggling is mandatory...maybe over tea.

Below some of the houses that cling to the hills above Kabul

Grapes (below) are now in season - mostly from the Shomali plain and soon from Kandahar. Above the grape vendor is an example of electrification Kabul style. It would seem most of the city receives electricity for part of the day or evening. Generators cover the gaps for shops keepers, businesses, government buildings and the like.

Schools out!

2007-07-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

Primary school is out of session and kites are starting to fill the skies of Kabul. Kids race through the streets in gangs pulling kites behind them - colorful paper, clear plastic, homemade and store bought.
Students at Kabul University are taking the last of their final exams. This week I am giving seminars on course development and capacity building to the faculty.

Some Slow Days

2007-07-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

The King of Afghanistan, 92-year-old, Mohammad Zahir Shah, died this week. Kabul has practically shut down, both officially, with government offices and Kabul University closed, but also under virtual security lock-down with concerns over attacks during the ceremony to honor the King. Zahir Shah's reign began in 1933, at age 19, and ended in 1973 when his cousin, Mohammad Daoud Khan took over and tried to increase the speed of reforms. Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, having spent the previous thirty years in exile, mostly in Italy.
With the town so quiet, and no activity at the University I'm posting a few earlier shots. Lunch in the cafeteria, served everyday by a large crew of older gentlemen. Also a shot of an assistant professor, Abdul Aziz, signing the payroll book in the Dean's office. Along with drinking tea and chatting (a photo of me and another professor, Mohammad Wali) this is a major reason for staff to visit the Dean's office.

The Shomali Plain

2007-07-20T11:59:00.001-07:00

The Shomali Plain begins just to the north of Kabul, a broad valley with towns tucked along the base of the mountains that line the plain. With a local NGO, I visited three towns, Guldara, Farza and Istalaf where they are developing woodlots and fruit tree production. Wood for house and furniture construction, such as poplar, mostly comes from Pakistan and Russia, but can be readily grown in Afghanistan. (Wood for heating and cooking seems to come mostly from oak and cedar forest in Eastern Afghanistan).

The hills above these towns are rocky and barren , but snow melt flowing from these slopes provides water for homes and irrigation for agriculture. In Guldara we visited a farmer growing grapes, plums, apples, cherries, woodlot seedlings, wheat, and many vegetables over a well-tended series of terraces. For water, the farmer was constructing and maintaining a Karez, an ancient system to channel groundwater. Deep pits dug to the level of the water table are lined with stones and then horizontal tunnels dug to connect each pit. The further up the slope, the deeper the pits and the more groundwater can be captured and channeled. To maintain the Karez someone has the extremely dangerous job of regularly clearing the underground horizontal tunnel's connecting the shafts. After touring the terraces fed by this system, the farmer, Samad, invited us to a lunch of yogurt, fresh bread and mulberries in front of a large, clear pool where the Karez emptied.

On to Farza we toured another series of woodlots and could see some of the snow remaining from the previous winter clinging to the mountains above town. Just outside of town, we visited Paghman, where the Royal family used to maintain a summer home (now in ruin) which looked out over the Shomali's green fields fed by the snowmelt. Across a narrow river valley from Paghman, lies the town of Istalaf. Like several towns in this area, during the past decades Istalaf was heavily shelled, but construction of homes and schools is occurring at a rapid pace. Istalaf is becoming an attraction for its production of pottery. Our group was invited in see a potter at work. He was happy to give us a tour of his workshop, but he insisted on his son retrieving his turban if we wanted to film him at work.

Shots of the Faculty of Agriculture

2007-07-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

A faculty workshop was held last week, and I haven't posted any photos for a while, so here are just a few. Many more photos are on the way.
Along the side of the building there is a small tree seedling project (above). Below are a couple shots of some of the faculty...fully absorbed in the workshop. (There is one woman faculty member, but she is away in India getting a graduate degree) Last is a shot of Dean Mohsini giving a talk.

"Bush" Bazaar

2007-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

The center of Kabul is so full of commerce and markets, it is hard to know when you pass from one bazaar into another. As far as I can tell, except for Fridays, the markets are bustling from dawn to dusk.
Last week I went to a section full of fabric vendors and purchased a few yards of cotton fabric. Down a few more alleys in a building whirring with sewing machines and one tailor after another, I ordered a shalwar kameez (long shirt and baggy pants), typical daily dress. In general vendors of specific goods are all grouped tightly together be it cookware, shoes or dried fruit. And on the outskirts of all the markets are fresh fruit and vegetable vendors. Tomatoes, apricots, melons, okra and peppers are all in great supply right now.
The "Bush" Bazaar does stand a little apart from the other bazaars, along one of the roads out of town. Here you can purchase just about any item gleaned - one way or another - from the mountains of material brought in for military personal or employees from foreign government missions. Western cloths, electronics, huge containers of chow (canned fruit and vegetables, mashed potato mix, pie filling) cosmetics, printers marked "non-confidential", giant felt snowmen with top hat and green vest. Military rations which the army probably buys for 30USD sell for 80 cents in the bazaar and are a popular item in almost every shop. With all the variety in the bazaars, I'm hoping to score some items needed at the faculty, such as latex laboratory gloves, and lab coats we can have made.

Challenges at the Faculty of Agriculture

2007-07-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Each day I get to know more faculty in the Ag school, and get a better idea of challenges facing the program. Decades ago, the US poured money and resources into the Faculty of Agriculture. Over a dozen professors from US schools (mostly the University of Nebraska) taught a majority of the classes, trained technicians for the laboratories and oversaw administration. Now the older, Afghan faculty, with the best training and experience, expect a restoration of the old model and barring that are not inspired by the prospect of years worth of rebuilding an academic program. Younger faculty are ambitious and want to improve, but have had extremely poor training and preparation. Some younger faculty are currently outside the country seeking higher degrees, and when they return will provide traction to move all the faculty forward. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education sends the Faculty of Agriculture increasing numbers of students every year (currently over 1200 students to about active 40 faculty)
Afghanistan is awash in money for development, and native, technical expertise is highly sought, but next to impossible to find. Many professors would like to contract with NGOs (monthly salary for professors is US 400), but in general the Faculty of Agriculture has few resources and not much expertise to contribute, and so are not sought out as a resource by development groups. But as existing resources are mobilized (new lab equipment, laboratory and teaching resources) the plan is that the Faculty will become more active in development.
I've spent a lot of time meeting with professors from all the departments, so that's a quick run-down on the realities I hear a lot about everyday over many cups of tea and a lot of hospitality.

Cuisine

2007-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

My diet in Kabul is extremely predictable with a few radical exceptions. For my main meal, everyday I walk to the campus dining hall with a few faculty and an occasional student. For 25 Afghanis (50 US cents) patrons receive a small paper ticket which is immediately turned over to an aged group of gentlemen who serve up a large pile of pilau (rice with raisins, bits of carrot, and a lot of oil), a small dallop of vegetables (greens or some kidney beans) half a piece of naan and a cup of consume with coriander. At home friends often comment at how fast I eat, but here I struggle to keep up - lunch rarely lasts 15 minutes and we're out of there.
Lunch had been subsidized so that it cost only 5 Afghanis (10 US cents) but the price has steadily risen, and only last week the price rose from 20 Afghanis because the University no longer covers the cost of firewood to cook the meal. A few days ago some faculty and I arrived late for lunch and the doors were closed, so we ambled outside the walled campus to the street to buy 'burgers' from a vendor. These consisted of a small sliver of some soy-based patty, wrapped in a pile of grease-soaked french fries wrapped in a piece of naan and doused in some kind of homemade pickle. Back in the office, the 'burgers' somehow had the effect of making us all slump to one side on the couch so we had to put out an arm for extra support. It took several cups of tea to sit up straight again.
Meanwhile, with the burgeoning ex-pat community, there is a strong incentive to appeal to diverse tastes. Last week I met a friend for dinner at 'La Cantina'. A couple nights ago I had good Korean food, and today I had lunch at a French bistro. These places serve up 'novelty' as much as anything, and cater almost entirely to foreigners. They are advertised by word of mouth and have nondescript entrances. La Cantina lies on a small, dusty street and the entrance is marked only by a small hut full of armed gaurds. Patrons are searched before they enter an open air courtyard full of flowers, Mexican kitsch on the walls and salsa music in the background.
The ex-pat restaurants are an interesting change of pace, but so is the experience of a 'burger' on the street. Today I picked up an advert card for "Pizza Brasil". This might be pushing the envelope, but if I go I'll write a review.

Field Trip

2007-06-24T11:18:00.001-07:00

Prof. Kohastani of Forestry and Natural Resources, invited me to join a class trip to visit some areas of interest around Kabul. We visited Kolhe Hashmatkhan, a wetland and sanctuary for migrating birds near the edge of town. A couple decades ago the wetland was much larger, and the Kabul river flowed through the city, and citizens would visit the lake for picnics on days off. But the land around the water source was settled as Kabul became the center of more conflict. Ringed by rugged and stony hills, the sea of green is a a refreshing sight. I have had a bit of trouble with my camera, but I put the satellite image of the wetland to give and idea of the development around the wetland. All around the lake are agricultural fields, houses being built (although this is supposed to be prohibited) and other activities, like washing cars, which are adding increased pressure to the wetland. Above the lake looms Bin-e-Hesar, and ancient, walled fortress.
From the wetland we drove back towards city center, passed Kabul's Olympic stadium to visit Marajon, a looming hill, which used to be covered in trees prior to hostilities. The land is now occupied by AMDC, a national organization which clears land mines and is run by a professor of forestry from Kabul University. The compound has de-mining equipment and a large kennel full of German Shepherds being trained for security and de-mining, but most of the area within is covered in tree saplings and nurseries. The students were given a tour, treated to lunch and were clearly inspired by the work of AMDC. A funny moment occurred as the large bus carrying students was leaving the compound and creeping up the narrow, tree-lined lane. The bus was too big to negotiate a turn, and it looked as it we might take out several 5-6 year old trees. A chaotic scene ensued where the bus-driver was ready to throw it into gear and tear over the trees, but the students jumped off the bus and tried to pull back the trees and direct the driver as he eased back and forth for about 15 minute to avoid the trees.
Next week I start to meet with groups of faculty to hear more about their teaching programs.

Settling in

2007-06-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

It seems much longer than a week here in Kabul - maybe because each day I am introduced to so many people and so much information.

The routine at Kabul University is morning classes, lunch and then the halls are mostly quiet until 'night' classes which last from 4-6. This leaves professors with time to chat about how things work in their department, and also with time to help get acquainted with some of the unused resources available for use. The library has many good, donated books in English, but they are not organized or cataloged, and there is no plan in the works to do this, so a couple staff will help get this process started. Making these resources more accessible is a first step.

Each bazaar has its own feel and it's own set of specialty merchandise. For the cheapest mobile phones, I was led to Kotai-Sangi, just down the road from the University. Centered on a round-about, it is a sprawling market seething with hawkers and shoppers. It was so jammed (cars, bicycles and people fight for every inch in the round-about) that it was hard to get a decent photo of the place.

I continue to get to know my neighborhood. There are perpetual soccer matches in the streets. The one in the photo is a block from my guesthouse, and I stopped for a moment to watch. Out of a doorway next to me must be the sister of the one of the players who was completely absorbed in the match.
I was invited on a field trip with the department of natural resources to see a sanctuary for migratory birds outside of town, so I'll have news of this trip next time I post.

Kabul University

2007-06-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my summer log from Kabul, where I hope to give you an adequate impression of my daily life and work here. Above is the entrance to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Kabul, my home for the summer. Remodeling of the building was finished last year. There are approximately 45 faculty for about 1300 students. Most of the older faculty received graduate degrees from the US in the 60's and 70's, some faculty from the USSR after that, and then many new, young faculty (one is just 19) received their degrees in the last few years from the University of Kabul. Figuring out where they are has been a struggle so far. There are about 15 faculty who are currently abroad seeking higher degrees. Many rarely come to the university because jobs with NGO's are far more lucrative. There are faculty who are dynamic, outgoing and anxious to help me (and glad to trade English lessons for Dari or a little Pashto). Other faculty... drink a lot of tea. My job, in large part is to evaluate and enhance the courses. After two days at "The Faculty" I have been made to feel extremely welcome, and am offered more cups of tea than I can consume.
The campus of Kabul University is an oasis of quiet in the middle of the chaotic city. Large trees and meadows are all over campus, and a recent irrigation project has helped turn most of the campus green.
Kabul is pretty hot right now, but will get hotter towards August. But with an altitude of almost 6000 ft the heat isn't quite as searing and the nights are cool and relaxing. It is dusty. Walking
to campus, the mornings are clear and crisp. The wind picks up over the course of most days and dust scours everything. There is no way to stop it, so even with doors and windows closed, a thin film covers everything. The air quality in Kabul isn't great anyway, and by the afternoon, the hillsides, covered with houses, are hard to make out.

I shifted around to a few different spots in town my first few days, but have settle in a neighborhood, Karta-i-Char, which used to have a lot of University staff and faculty. Like many neighborhoods in Kabul, it was almost entirely flattened by shelling during the 1990's. While the the Taliban controlled Kabul, it languished, at best, and as a whole the population of the city dropped perhaps below 500,000. Since 2001 Kabul is estimated to have grown to about 4 million and is throbbing with traffic and activity. The streets of Karta-i-Char have piles of rubble from bombed out lots and piles of gravel, sand and cement to use in new construction. An empty lot along my walk to campus now serves as a volley ball court.

It's mango and melon season! Nothing cuts the dust like a fresh mango. When I looked over a vender's fruit around the corner from my guesthouse, he insisted I take his photo, so I thought I would post it. Down the road from Karta-i-Char are some bustling local bazaars selling some local (Afghan) dried fruits and nuts, meat, and lots of imports from Pakistan and Iran other parts via Dubai. One of the staples of the diet, naan, is a flat bread eaten with most meals. After gawking at the fresh naan being pulled out of the oven a colleague and I were invited in to have a closer look. The dough is flattened into thick disks, 'perforated' and then stretch out, wet, and from above the open fire, 'slapped' onto the wall of the conical oven, cooked for a few minutes, then peeled off the wall, piping hot. A minute after we sat down our hosts had fresh naan and hot tea in front of us. I tried to capture the process on video.

That's it for now. I'll try to post regularly, so you know what's up here.