Where to start?!? I have no idea.
Today was amazing, beautiful, playful, dusty, windy, meaty, funny, entertaining, relaxing, and wonderful!
Lets try and start at the beginning and I will try not to leave out any spectacular detail!
This morning started out after breakfast with all of us piling into two vehicles ready to take on the world! We all went out to Barek Aub to pass out school supplies, which we organized yesterday. Driving down the road, coming around the bend right after the line of mountains, we spotted it. In the middle of the vast desert there stood a small village of mud houses where there used to be only tents blowing in the wind. That’s right, this is the same the community which used to be a group of people simply placed outside the city, on the other side of the mountains, barely surviving by living in flaps of fabric held up by sticks. And now there are houses all around, a small school meeting in a house, the outlines for a nice school building and health clinic, and so many smiling children fighting for our attention we cant help but instantly fall in love! We drove up and the ones who had been there before immediately saw the difference between last year and this year. We drove up to the school and the kids instantly turned around, starting smiling and waving at us. They got all lined up and we got to pass out the school supplies. Afterwards, we stayed around and simply played hand games, arm wrestling and anything they could think of to get our attention while some of the guys got a tour of the building site for the new clinic. The kids are so precious… I want to take a few home, but I’m not sure how customs would like that. Sadface ☹ There are so many more things I could say about this place, but that only covers half the day and little did we know… the fun was just beginning!
After lunch is a totally different kind of story. Let me start with the lunch conversation involving someone saying something about a cow, something about killing it, and something about the women not wanting to watch. Well that started a commotion involving everyone getting up from the table before they were done, girls going and getting their charters so they can join the boys outside. Although we were slightly distracted by holding some guards’ guns (obviously not loaded, well supervised and with the safety on) and taking pictures, the Afghan men carried on with their call of duty and officially sent Mr.Cow to his happy place. As weird as this sounds in the US, we have to remember that there is not a Kroger on every corner. This is how they get their food here. This was done so we could pass out fresh, safe meat to Barek Aub with no fear of contamination since the market place meet is a bit sketchy since it hangs outside all day in the sun. This was followed with us opening our own meat packing plant with an all inclusive (by boys only) dance off to Michael Jackson hits and random techno. Jordan Burgen’s band is now famous here in Kabul as well. This dance off was our “thrilling” entertainment as we bagged the meat and put it in the freezer for the families of Barek Aub. We laughed more this afternoon than the rest of the trip combined! So fun!
All of that being said, you would think the day is close to being over. Welp, fill up your coffee… its not even dinner time. After cleaning our hands and arms multiple times for fear of missing something we DIDN’T want to find later, (which I did…YUCK) we were off to the Kabul mall/hotel/”coffee shop” which only served Nescafe instant coffee and tea. It was a nice relaxing time to be able to sit and drink some tea and drop our charters from our heads and just be ourselves. It was a little odd for me personally because I felt completely out of place at the mall. Almost like we didn’t belong or we weren’t welcome. We were looked at funny for shopping and talking with men. I only saw a few females shopping in groups of two or three walking around quietly with their heads down, when everyone else shopping and sitting for coffee were men. Another fun fact about this mall was that each of the 8 perfume stores sold the same things and each smelled like the same mixture of potent feminine delicateness and masculine ruggedness. Back at the homefront, we all sat down for Afghan fried chicken, fries and of course nahn with happy cow cheese. I’m sitting here in the living room not an hour after dinner started and already half my team has retired for the evening while I’m still trying to process today’s events and trying to make it comprehensible for you. There were so many amazing individual moments today that made today indescribable, I can’t put into words my true feelings. One thing I can tell you, I will be back. And its not even at the half way point of our stay! ☺
Thanks to all of you who have been reading our blog including this one which is a novel with multiple major subjects. We look forward to hearing your reactions to our fun Saturday!
This blog was brought to you by the letter A, the number 10, diesel fuel, and holy cow (mix between happy cow and sporty cow). Oh, and Julie and Nichole ☺
A, 10, Captain Diesel, Holy Cow, Julie Teresia Smale, Nichole Marie Hutchins
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Ah the Sweet Smell of Diesel Fuel, Another Beautiful Day in Kabul
Hello to all of you Kentucky-ians reading the Post blog. I feel the need to introduce myself. My name is Marcus Baney, I am one of the 3 members from Flatirons Church in Colorado on the trip. I was enlisted to write the blog today for the Post team. Apparently they’ve gotten lazy and have started outsourcing their work, so here I am, much obliged. If you’re ever interested as to what I look like you can just watch some Flatirons services online and look for the long haired tattooed guy playing guitar and dancing around on stage like an idiot, and that’s me. We still probably don’t know each other that well, so let me give you a brief rundown on myself. I’m 21, I’ve lived in Denver my whole life, this is my second trip to Afghanistan, and I have an unhealthy obsession with music and zombie movies. There we go, we’re like old pals. Onwards we go.
Here we are at the end of another day in Afghanistan. Today was Friday here in Kabul, which is the holy day for their religion, so not much happens. People have the day off of work, so there's not much to be done usually. We spent most of the day around the guest house just hanging out. We sorted out some school supplies into 700 different bags that we will be distributing at Barek Aub tomorrow. We formulated an assembly line the likes of which (I can only assume) have never been seen in Afghanistan. Like a well oiled machine, we showed those school supplies who the boss was.
We decided to go out and around the town about mid afternoon. We went to Chaila, which is a popular coffee shop here in Kabul, which was awesome. We had some delicious milkshakes and sat under the shade of a bamboo structure. It was ultra deluxe. Then we went to the king's palace, which I've already seen, so I wasn't all that excited about that. But it’s a pretty neat place nonetheless. It’s a gigantic palace where the king used to live, but was destroyed during the civil war here in the early 90’s. It’s riddled with bullet holes and blasts from bombs and grenades and such. Crazy stuff. We came back to the guest house and then went to dinner at Lai Thai, which is a Thai food restaurant here in Kabul. This is one of W_____’s favorite places to eat, which means every team that comes to Kabul goes there. The last time I was here W_______l ended up challenging me to a spice off, which means a challenge to see who could handle the spiciest foods. I won. I count this not as a victory for me, but for America in general. I think the Afghans need someone to keep showing them who's boss, they're getting a little cocky. So at Lai Thai tonight W______ re-challenged me, thinking last time was a fluke. He was incorrect. I took him to town and back. America still owns Afghanistan, worry you not dear friends.
Other than that not terribly much that's exciting has been going on. We spent a good chunk of our time driving around today asking random strangers on the street, "Bu Chay Kaka, Buza hott didy?" which of course means, "Excuse me cousin, have you seen a small goat?" I don't think they get it. Haha. And we spent a good chunk of time helping W_______ update the English phrases he uses, as some of them are horribly outdated. We taught him things like "sick", "off the heezy fo' sheezy", "tight", and "drop it like it's hot." He's doing very well so far. Tomorrow is our first trip to Barek Aub, and I couldn't be more excited. Apparently the foundation for both the school and the clinic are completed, so I'm very excited to see our progress there. As well as doing the distribution, those are always very neat. Other than that things are awesome, my new position at Flatirons as Junior Executive Vice Pastor of Keeping it Real (at least Brad and I decided that's what it should be) has transfered nicely to Afghanistan. Gotta make sure Sozo is keeping it real also if Flatirons is going to keep working with them. Ok that's really it for now. Hope you all enjoyed it, it was very nice to meet you all. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from someone that’s actually on your team soon. Hopefully. Haha.
Marcus Jon Baney
Here we are at the end of another day in Afghanistan. Today was Friday here in Kabul, which is the holy day for their religion, so not much happens. People have the day off of work, so there's not much to be done usually. We spent most of the day around the guest house just hanging out. We sorted out some school supplies into 700 different bags that we will be distributing at Barek Aub tomorrow. We formulated an assembly line the likes of which (I can only assume) have never been seen in Afghanistan. Like a well oiled machine, we showed those school supplies who the boss was.
We decided to go out and around the town about mid afternoon. We went to Chaila, which is a popular coffee shop here in Kabul, which was awesome. We had some delicious milkshakes and sat under the shade of a bamboo structure. It was ultra deluxe. Then we went to the king's palace, which I've already seen, so I wasn't all that excited about that. But it’s a pretty neat place nonetheless. It’s a gigantic palace where the king used to live, but was destroyed during the civil war here in the early 90’s. It’s riddled with bullet holes and blasts from bombs and grenades and such. Crazy stuff. We came back to the guest house and then went to dinner at Lai Thai, which is a Thai food restaurant here in Kabul. This is one of W_____’s favorite places to eat, which means every team that comes to Kabul goes there. The last time I was here W_______l ended up challenging me to a spice off, which means a challenge to see who could handle the spiciest foods. I won. I count this not as a victory for me, but for America in general. I think the Afghans need someone to keep showing them who's boss, they're getting a little cocky. So at Lai Thai tonight W______ re-challenged me, thinking last time was a fluke. He was incorrect. I took him to town and back. America still owns Afghanistan, worry you not dear friends.
Other than that not terribly much that's exciting has been going on. We spent a good chunk of our time driving around today asking random strangers on the street, "Bu Chay Kaka, Buza hott didy?" which of course means, "Excuse me cousin, have you seen a small goat?" I don't think they get it. Haha. And we spent a good chunk of time helping W_______ update the English phrases he uses, as some of them are horribly outdated. We taught him things like "sick", "off the heezy fo' sheezy", "tight", and "drop it like it's hot." He's doing very well so far. Tomorrow is our first trip to Barek Aub, and I couldn't be more excited. Apparently the foundation for both the school and the clinic are completed, so I'm very excited to see our progress there. As well as doing the distribution, those are always very neat. Other than that things are awesome, my new position at Flatirons as Junior Executive Vice Pastor of Keeping it Real (at least Brad and I decided that's what it should be) has transfered nicely to Afghanistan. Gotta make sure Sozo is keeping it real also if Flatirons is going to keep working with them. Ok that's really it for now. Hope you all enjoyed it, it was very nice to meet you all. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from someone that’s actually on your team soon. Hopefully. Haha.
Marcus Jon Baney
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Clean at last, clean at last!
We’ve arrived in Kabul! Stinky, dirty, hungry, and tired, but we arrived together and in harmony! I apologize for the delay of this post, but due to lack of sleep my mind would not function to write…that and I got pulled aside by one of our friends here to get measured for my very amazingly comfortable outfit.
We were in Dubai for about 10 hours. It started with purchasing some German chapstick that Julie was nostalgic with from Poland, Marcus and Jordan built a BEAUTIFUL tent out of North Western Airline blankets (the Dubai police were very impressed!), we ate food, and played cards. Around 4am we took to the bathrooms to transform in Afghan beauties and gents. I personally felt like a ragamuffin hippie, as Julie and Nichole had authentic clothing. The guys remained in jeans and t-shirts. AT 4:30am we got two taxis to take us to terminal 2 of the Dubai airport. We were hanging on for dear life in the back seats, laughing at the suggested driving lanes, and realizing that we were in the Middle East.
Finally, Dubai to Kabul! The three hour flight was quite an enjoyable one. Nichole was commenting on how she felt like she was on a domestic flight compared to last year. There were many English-speaking people, and the seats were stable. Arriving in Kabul we got off the plane in intrigue, but also a daze. We waited in the customs line, a little uncomfortably…at least for the first-time Afghanistan visitors.
Our first day in Kabul finally arrived! Meeting W____ at the airport was an exciting one, old-timers and new-comers were greeted with equal enthusiasm. We were transported to the guesthouse, one vehicle being air-conditioned! We arrived at the guesthouse to lunch, tea, and internet. The house is amazing, and we already feel at home. We got to be tourists for a while, riding around Kabul, also holding on for dear life. Stop signs exist, but we are wondering why. Traveling with three vehicles can be very beneficial, because driving is a team-effort! We went to prayer hill and took pictures. We also visited Inter-Continental, where the U.S. Ambassador happened to be visiting. We had tea, basically on the side of hill in a rose garden in plastic chairs that sunk in to the ground. Nichole dubbed it sticks-and-stones tea, due to the leaves floating around. It was very delicious! We came back to the guesthouse to dinner where we learned how to ask if there was a small goat running around…thanks to Jon’s curiosity. We all feel very enlightened! And then, we crashed. The call to prayer came around 4:30am, which I ZZZZ’d my way right through.
We have just finished a breakfast of Naan, pancakes, Nutella, and of course, a glass of amazing tea. Off to our second day!
Katherine Emilia Kohrs
We were in Dubai for about 10 hours. It started with purchasing some German chapstick that Julie was nostalgic with from Poland, Marcus and Jordan built a BEAUTIFUL tent out of North Western Airline blankets (the Dubai police were very impressed!), we ate food, and played cards. Around 4am we took to the bathrooms to transform in Afghan beauties and gents. I personally felt like a ragamuffin hippie, as Julie and Nichole had authentic clothing. The guys remained in jeans and t-shirts. AT 4:30am we got two taxis to take us to terminal 2 of the Dubai airport. We were hanging on for dear life in the back seats, laughing at the suggested driving lanes, and realizing that we were in the Middle East.
Finally, Dubai to Kabul! The three hour flight was quite an enjoyable one. Nichole was commenting on how she felt like she was on a domestic flight compared to last year. There were many English-speaking people, and the seats were stable. Arriving in Kabul we got off the plane in intrigue, but also a daze. We waited in the customs line, a little uncomfortably…at least for the first-time Afghanistan visitors.
Our first day in Kabul finally arrived! Meeting W____ at the airport was an exciting one, old-timers and new-comers were greeted with equal enthusiasm. We were transported to the guesthouse, one vehicle being air-conditioned! We arrived at the guesthouse to lunch, tea, and internet. The house is amazing, and we already feel at home. We got to be tourists for a while, riding around Kabul, also holding on for dear life. Stop signs exist, but we are wondering why. Traveling with three vehicles can be very beneficial, because driving is a team-effort! We went to prayer hill and took pictures. We also visited Inter-Continental, where the U.S. Ambassador happened to be visiting. We had tea, basically on the side of hill in a rose garden in plastic chairs that sunk in to the ground. Nichole dubbed it sticks-and-stones tea, due to the leaves floating around. It was very delicious! We came back to the guesthouse to dinner where we learned how to ask if there was a small goat running around…thanks to Jon’s curiosity. We all feel very enlightened! And then, we crashed. The call to prayer came around 4:30am, which I ZZZZ’d my way right through.
We have just finished a breakfast of Naan, pancakes, Nutella, and of course, a glass of amazing tea. Off to our second day!
Katherine Emilia Kohrs
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Mind Your Step...Greetings from Amsterdam Airport
So, don’t freak out, but we’re all dead…tired that is. Around an hour ago, we landed here in wonderful Amsterdam, where you will all be happy to know that the American dollar is worth about the same as cup of coffee to a dog (nothing). [That was Julie’s joke.] Seriously though, it cost me $15 to buy a bag of sliced apples, a water, and a Coke Light. Aside from the ridiculous exchange rates and extreme exhaustions that leads to bad jokes, we are all excited about the trip and our spirits are still high.
Our good friends from Flatirons just arrived a few minutes ago, and we’re all looking forward to getting to know our team members a little better. Nichole is officially in charge of team synergy, and has ice breakers planned accordingly.
Some quick team member updates: Mark is dressed like Johnny Cash and has been since we left. Julie is still sick. Nichole is still loud (we could hear her three rows back singing in the middle of the flight). Katie is in her happy place. Lee is calm and cool as always. Ben is at McDonald’s eating. And I, your faithful blogger, am counting down the hours until the next Ambien dosage.
Thanks to all of you for checking the blog, and we’ll be updating as we have time (not that often though so please don’t continually hit refresh). That’s all for now. It’s time to hand this over to Ben for editing. More updates to come.
Edwin Steven Downing
Our good friends from Flatirons just arrived a few minutes ago, and we’re all looking forward to getting to know our team members a little better. Nichole is officially in charge of team synergy, and has ice breakers planned accordingly.
Some quick team member updates: Mark is dressed like Johnny Cash and has been since we left. Julie is still sick. Nichole is still loud (we could hear her three rows back singing in the middle of the flight). Katie is in her happy place. Lee is calm and cool as always. Ben is at McDonald’s eating. And I, your faithful blogger, am counting down the hours until the next Ambien dosage.
Thanks to all of you for checking the blog, and we’ll be updating as we have time (not that often though so please don’t continually hit refresh). That’s all for now. It’s time to hand this over to Ben for editing. More updates to come.
Edwin Steven Downing
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