I finally arrived in Kabul!

Hi all! I just wanted to let you know that I've arrived safely in Kabul about 3 days ago. It is surprisingly much warmer here then expected. When I left Kabul over a month ago, it was still unbelievably cold and snowy ... so this warm and sunny weather is a very wonderful surprise (particularly after the cold and rainy London and Paris).

I've basically jumped right into the job here. I am busy catching up on the last month's activities, and getting the program moving forward. So far, all is well. I am very excited about my team. They are a great group, and I believe the next year will be an exciting one. I will keep you all posted.

I would love to hear from you all, so don't be bashful with the emails!!!!

My Wandering Feet in Paris

I am writing this note to you from an Irish pub in Paris, sitting next to a Dutch couple and being served by a French Canadian … all the while a French priest is chomping on a toothpick at the bar over a pint. This lovely pub serves my much needed Guinness after a long day on my feet.

It all started with a 7am wake-up after not getting to bed until a little after 2am (work-related, unfortunately). I barely made it down to breakfast before leaving for the Eiffel Tower with the Carr Family. I was a bit grumpy, and Therese and gang blessedly left ahead of me while I frantically searched for my money sack (yep, I pulled my first blond card this morning). After freezing our arses off in line to purchase our tickets for the Eiffel Tower, we had a blast. It was totally worth it being one of the first up the elevator … no crowds, no hassle … it was wonderful.

Then we headed to Versailles. Of course, no trip is complete without getting on the Metro in the wrong direction. I pulled my second blond card for the day. I realized this mistake when we entered into one of the more dangerous districts in Paris … do you remember the Paris riots???

In any event, we finally arrived at Versailles. Woo hoo!!! It was not too cloudy and rainy… However, I pulled my third blond card of the day (by the way, it is only noon at this point) … by forgetting my museum pass at the hotel. The lines were at least 1.5 hours long to purchase a ticket and there was no way I was waiting!!! So I decided to ditch Versailles and head back to Paris, where I went to the Chatelet-les Halles area, then on to the Louvre and Notre Dame, where I became the unofficial photographer for all young couples from Britain and Ireland. I stopped by the Shakespeare & Co bookstore to pick up a new book, and wandered around the Latin Quarter.

And now I am here, at this lovely Irish pub. My feet are aching, but I have a freshly poured Guinness in front of me to help alleviate the pain and swelling… :-)

The Rainy Days of London

The title says it all... almost. It leaves out a very important factor. It was damn cold and windy as well. Therese, Jim, the Carr gang and I persevered ... barely. Everyone was reaching deep to stay positive and upbeat. Admittedly, I fell off the wagon several times ... particularly in the mornings. [Side note... I inherited the Pat Sheehan Gotsch syndrome, which involves at times severe anti-morning behavior. There is no cure for it... and not much I can do to stop it once it starts. I recommend staying clear when noted signs are apparent: growling, grunting, shortness, avoidance of any and all kinds of conversations, and most of all, the clasping of the coffee mug as if it is a life jacket.]

There was a lot to see, and the Carr Gang had an aggressive tour schedule. I joined on some of the activities and backed out on others due to either (a) no interest, (b) I could not get my act together in time, (c) I was delayed, or (d) I had to work. When off on my own I pulled my typical move and just skulked about town, getting a little lost, hitting the local coffee shops and basically just soaking it all in. It was fantastic. Yes, there are plenty of great historical things to see in London, but I prefer just checking the scene out and people watching. I like to take the tourist sites in moderation. :-)

When together, we hit some of the obvious spots: Buckingham Palace, the War Museum, the Changing of the Guard, Tower Bridge, the Eye, etc. We had a great time exploring these spots and taking various goofy pictures.

Now off to Paris…

No bruised bottom for me!

I’m back again … and this time sporting a sassy winter look about me. I am on my way to grab lunch, and we had a bit of snow. The guys wanted to take a photo of me as I wipe out on the slick ground. However, being the good Northern gal that I am, I held my own and did not fall once!!!

This is a quick note to let you all know that I miss you all and am looking forward to sharing some laughs with you when I am back in the States.

A big hello from Kabul!!!

Hi all! I am sorry it has taken me so long to drop you an update. It has been a busy few weeks here, and the work never seems to end. Life in Kabul is plodding along. We are restricted in movement at this time, so any night activities are out unless you consider whooping it up with a bottle of water and a laptop is a good time!

A little over a week ago we had a few members of the HQ staff head back to DC. Therefore a going away dinner was in order. Someone from our office ended up hiring a local band dubbed the Taliband… I am assuming here that this is not the real name of the band… You have to appreciate the sense of humor of the folks who work here. In any event, the band was very good, playing mostly local music. They snuck in the theme song to Titanic, which was very interesting. All in all … it was a very good time.

I promised Patty the other day that I would try to get some pictures of Kabul posted. Since we are not really allowed out and about, I tried to take photos of street life the morning after a major snow fall from the car. I had some good pictures taken … folks trying to peddle their bikes through the freshly fallen snow … random shop owners shoveling snow off their front walkways, etc. However, in my eagerness to take photos on this beautiful morning, I did not realize we were in a restricted area until it was too late. Security guards stopped our vehicle and asked for the camera. Anyway, to make a long story short … they let me off with a warning, returned my camera to me (with the photos deleted… of course) and we were off on our merry way a little over a half hour later (me a bit more deflated knowing some cool shots were forever gone). Yep… as I’ve told our folks here in the Kabul office, I pulled a dumb blond move. Given the level of stupidity on my part, I thought the security forces acted very professionally.

I was able to get a few shots in before I made it to the office after this little incident. They are not very exciting. It was hard to take photos because the road became really crappy and I was (admittedly) bummed that the photos I took before we hit the secured area were deleted!!! Oh well, maybe next snow storm…

I hope all is well with you. I will try to write more soon.

Racing over the Dunes in Dubai

Hi all. I was in Dubai over the weekend on my way to Afghanistan visiting friends. It was a somewhat hectic trip over, flying through London which I hope I do not experience again. Heathrow is not a travel-friendly airport. In any event, I arrived in Dubai with many hopes to make it out to the dunes for a fun-filled day frolicking in the desert. I was not disappointed.

Peter, Jeni and I with their neighbors spent Saturday afternoon driving through the dunes on our way to Fossil Rock on the outskirts of Dubai -- Patrick and his fiancé were on their four-wheelers (I know there is a more technical name for them....) while Peter, Jeni and I rode "comfortably" in Peter's jeep as we raced across the sand. It was quite the ride (I love their "oh shit!" handles). If I had any issues with motion sickness I would have been in real trouble. We stopped along the way for several much needed breaks, where I was taught how to ride one of the bikes. I can proudly say I tried it ... I clearly need more practices as I almost jetted Patrick off the bike several times. We were laughing so hard that we had to stop several times. In any event, I hope to try it again when I have more time and more sleep to appreciate the experience.

Fossil Rock was incredible. You can see the fossils of fish, shells and other random items. The way the rock was shaped, it appeared to be a large stone replica of a reef. We hung around for a while and stretched our legs, and then headed back to the cars before the sun set. On our way back, we ran across a nomadic herder on his camel. He was friendly, and clearly so was his camel whom I lovingly called Holy Shit as he tried to put his head in my window.

I promised Peter and Jeni I would stay longer on my way back from Afghanistan. We plan to camp out in the desert with some of their friends for an evening to barbeque and have drinks under the stars.... which will be much needed after spending more than a month in Afghanistan.

One last note before I end this message. The terminal I flew out of Dubai to head to Kabul -- Terminal 2 -- is called the "Axis of Evil Terminal" due to the many regional destinations and beyond the terminal serves, such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, etc. You get the pictur

e. It was more of a hazing ritual for the standard Western contractor who heads to these destinations. If you can make it through this place without problems, you are set to go.

I will write more soon. I hope this finds you all doing well. I miss you and look for

ward to sharing my trip with you when I am back Stateside.