Kabul: the first impressions

this mornings we were awake early as the time change has not yet set in. As I was writing to my nephew Triston (12), I was serenaded by the local Imam’s call to prayer for the Muslim faithful. It was a haunting and most beautiful melody. 

I tried to describe Kabul to Triston in a way he might picture it beyond my photos. My first illustration to Tris was to ask him to imagine it was raining … but not water drops! Rather, this place seems to have a yellow crumbs of dust and dirt that fall like a microscopic mist everywhere.

The streets are lined with walls around most residences from years of warfare conditioning the people to fortify themselves to protect from the invasion du jour. We are not allowed nor advised to go out alone anywhere at anytime. And so we will not.

The place we are staying is a fiercely protected private alley with heavy haystack like chicanes made of sand and concrete on both ends of the block ostensibly to reduce the direct attack of any suicide bombers. Further there are no less than four government militia armed with AK-47s at each checkpoint on either end of our block.

The main first impression is that one must consider everyday freedom we have at home rare and specialized privilege of the few here on a day to day, hour to hour basis. Freedom of movement, speech and expression are all taken in careful measured calculated steps. This is my first impression.
Now we go on to meet the directors and photographers of AINA (‘the mirror’). More to come as the time allows today. 

Salaam,
Tony