A Weekend of Sorts

Tomorrow is Friday and I am going off the camp grounds to try to buy some necessities, not the least of which is Puffs Plus. I NEED them! I will tell you at the risk of turning red with embarrassment that all of our personal needs (except Puffs Plus and Vaseline and things such as that) we must go to “Logistics” to get. These needs include toilet paper. Unlike at the camp in Kabul, anyone asking for TP gets two rolls to carry back to his or her room. At the Kabul camp, we get an entire package, and they put it in an opaque plastic bag. I can’t tell you how exposed one feels as one is carrying two rolls of toilet paper across a huge gravel lot while at least ten people stare. What I want to know is this: why haven’t I ever seen anyone carry toilet paper? Why is it that all these people see ME?

I got to teach again, although this was unplanned! We had a mix-up, and the teacher thought she was supposed to be downtown visiting judges and prosecutors; however, she was supposed to be here teaching money laundering. So I was thrown to the lions until she arrived. I believe in being honest, and so I told the group that I knew nothing about money laundering. They told me, via translator, of course, that I was supposed to be teaching torture. I told them I didn’t know anything about torture, either, except that I didn’t want it to happen to me. I explained that both those topics would be federal law in the United States, and I didn’t have a federal practice. I told them that the torture class would also rely on several “conventions” such as the Geneva Conventions, which would be included in international law; I know nothing about international law, I said, because I had a horrible international law teacher in law school and remembered nothing of what he had said.

So I opened it up for questions. I was very pleased with their questions; they wanted to know the inter-relationship between the federal government and the state governments, and how each state could possibly have different laws. I haven’t asked about how the governments co-exist here, except I think that most provincial governments are actually the federal government extended throughout the entire country. I used highways as an example of how all governments work together for the betterment of the citizens.

They asked about the educational system, and whether it was free. Afghanistan provides a free education through the B.A. degree; however, that is only at public schools. Private schools exist here at every level of education, including at the post-secondary level. I explained that nothing past secondary education in the United States is provided at no cost, but that education at the primary and secondary levels is not only free but also a right. I explained about the cost of community colleges, state universities, and private colleges. I told them that I got lucky and got a good scholarship to a good private college so that I didn’t have to pay much of anything; I explained that when it came time for Emily to go to college, I wanted her to go to a private college, and she got a good scholarship so that we had to pay about half. They wanted to know if she was smart or lazy! I explained, as we all laughed together, that the college I attended wanted Emily to come for pretty much nothing, but she didn’t want to go there!

They also wanted to know the inter-relationship between federal crimes and state crimes. That was a little more difficult to explain, just as it would be to explain to many of you reading this. For instance, they wanted to know if killing was a crime at the state level, did that mean that it was or was not a crime at the federal level. We went through several scenaria, including one where someone killed a park ranger at Yellowstone. I’m not sure I did a good job with that one.

As they are all police officers, they wanted to know what education was required for police officers and whether officers could work at different jobs. For instance, in Afghanistan, some kinds of police officers can investigate crimes, and some kinds of officers work traffic cases. I tried to explain the ranks of police officers, but I don’t think I did a good job of that, either. If anyone reading can give me a succinct lecture about police ranking, I would appreciate it so that I could give it to them. I would give you credit, I promise.

Regardless of what they asked and I answered, I have to tell you that it certainly felt good to have them say hello to me when I walked in and to smile and wave when I left. They will graduate in three weeks and I will get to be at their graduation. They will have spent six days per week for eight weeks studying this curriculum, and when they leave, most of them will know about 35% more than they knew when they began – that is the usual assessment for improvement on the post-test. I call that dedication.

On the office front, Esman was tired today. He watched a cricket match on television that lasted much too long. Hasat has been teaching, so he hasn’t been in. One of our team has been on leave and is now back, and another one has now gone on leave. My turn will come!

So life here in Afghanistan goes on. I looked at a map of the world last night, and I was shocked at how far from home I am. It’s one thing to be here and quite another to see where “here” is. It makes me grateful for the people who make me feel connected to the life I know that is, literally, halfway around the world. Thanks to you all. Tomorrow, I will let you know what the American base is like.