KAF-eh!

Hey everyone!  Some people wonder about what we have here to keep morale up. Well - we have some reminders of home.  He have a hockey rink, Tim Horton's... and this tiny morale cafe which the Canucks cleverly named (officially) the KAF-eh!  (We are in Kandahar Air Field!).  Haha!  I thought it was clever.  The Canadian civvies who come over here do a great job keeping us happy.  The Yanks have provided most of the stuff: a shopping outlet, Pizza Hut, etc..  Everybody is looking forward to a Thai restaurant which is supposed to open here soon.  The Dutch have that restaurant I already told you about.

 

So if I'm working 12 hour days, what do I do to keep sane?  Well - pretty much what everyone else does - go to the gym.  The Americans have this huge gym here which is always crowded.  You should see some of the people going through there - it's like being with Hercules.  I'm glad they're on our side!  I spend my time at the gym - and I think with the heat and exercise, I'm actually losing weight!  Hopefully, I'll get out of here looking a whole lot better!  ;)  Haha!

 

Check it out - I got to go out of the wire!  (sort of)  Actually, I visited Kandahar Airport - which, I was told, was technically out of the wire.  Ya know - when (God willing) this place gets sorted out, like many of the people want - the airport will be a nice place to fly in to as an air port of destination.  I commented to a co-worker that things are built, but the 50 degree heat makes everything look ancient right away.

 

I've had the opportunity to interact with many Afghans lately.  They can be quite the charming people.  I saw a child for the first time in a while.  I didn't want to look directly (as it was a little girl) - I've heard jealousy can quickly turn to rage here.  I don't know how true that is.  Anyhow, the reason why I bring that up is because the children here need education.  In my assessment, it's like we're here in the 1500 - 1600's.  The kids here need a system of education where they can learn to read, write, and do basic math... and a bit of their faith, in a really short period of time (like 3 years).  The education system here keeps getting destroyed by those who oppose.  Kids really want pens, paper, etc..  Anyhow - I've seen a system like that before (and the FSC's know where I'm going with this!).  And it was the beginning of the efficient school system begun by St. De La Salle.  Too bad the Brothers couldn't make a difference out here, because the country sure could use it - at least from this guy's perspective.  Well - I'll look into it further.

 

There's supposed to be a dust storm coming.  I hear they're worse than any snowstorm.  I'll report more on that later.

 

It's hot like anything - worse than before.  I'm now drinking about 8-10 bottles of water a day.  Oh by the way - to 8c - thanks for the tea you gave me!  I'm enjoying them every day!