Today in Herat

Well, we are not on lockdown, but our Afghan security force is waiting to get their checks before they ride with us again, which means we are not going anywhere – again! Oh, well. Fortunately, I don’t really need anything other than Puffs Plus and some Vaseline for my incredibly dry hands, but it would be nice to get out as we did last week for the party. I haven’t forgotten that party!

I will be taking pictures of my October hair. It hasn’t been cut for 2 ½ months, and so I am becoming unrecognizable. I talked a while back about what I was doing without, and right now, the most pressing things are (guys, turn your heads) a shower with enough room to shave my legs, and a person who can cut short hair. I have a feeling I won’t have those things any time soon.

Today is October 1, and I have been gone for six weeks. I begin to wonder about coming home even for a leave. When I get there, I wonder whether it will feel the same? I am trying very hard to be where I am and not back home in my mind so that my being away won’t be so difficult. I must say, though, that my being here makes me know that “east, west, home is best.”

Today, I posted a New York Times article to my Facebook page about how Afghan soldiers are being given information about Americans’ lack of knowledge about Afghan culture. That tied into my blog post yesterday, and I thought it would be interesting for you to read.

Another Times article that I think you would like and that is very enlightening has to do with the complexity of American foreign policy, and it was written by Thomas Friedman. I sent that article to Hasat and Esman, as when we were talking about the United States’ role in their country, and Americans’ lack of interest in it, they asked me about why American didn’t hammer Pakistan. I told them that foreign policy is far beyond my comprehension, and that I can’t really explain it other than to say that America has great heart for those in need, great need for her own people, and great power and might. And America must take care of its people, while considering the world. That in itself is a delicate balance.

They also wanted to know why the Congress had authorized the war in Iraq. Those of you who know me know that I held forth for quite a while on that one, and I think I might have gotten loud. For those of you who don’t know me, I believed that coming into Afghanistan after 9/11 was the right thing to do, and that here is where we should have stayed and concentrated all our efforts. I’ll leave it at that.

And because it’s getting late, I will leave it at that for tonight. Good week ahead.