I am struggling with what to write about tonight, because I have had a busy day at work – that means that I am limited to what went on inside the building. Today, not a lot went on inside the building!
This morning, I woke up and got ready for the gym. I stepped outside and the air was crisp and the sun was shining beautifully. I called Max to say hello, because he had spent Saturday with a couple of friends in Springfield. The funny part about that is that these friends came from my Thayer connection, and they like each other so well that I didn’t even need to be there for them to have a fun visit. I think those are great friends!
After my jaunt on the treadmill, I got ready for work and headed over to the building that houses our section. On the way (it is about a one-minute walk), I pass a green area that is a lovely little park, and the walkways are lined with roses. It is November 11, and the roses are not only in bloom, but also are still budding out. They are beautiful! One of my favorites is a deep coral color, and I look at it every time I walk past. The contrast of that beauty with the ever-present dirt and dust is startling. I think it means that if we look hard enough, we can find something good in just about everything, even if it is a very little thing.
At work, things went well. I worked on a project and got a lot done on it, I helped a couple of our nationals with their reports, and I started on another project. Toward the end of the day, the national staff prepares to go home. You may remember how I told you that many of the nationals wear open-toed shoes. Well, today as I was working, I looked up, and the doors to the men’s and women’s rooms are within my sight. The door to the men’s room was open, and I saw a man who had been wearing said open-toed shoes with his foot in the sink, washing off, I surmised, the dust of the day. It was just not what I expected to see. Then I thought about all the people who would presumably be washing their hands in the sink, and then I stopped thinking.
After lunch, I like to come back to my room for a while to just relax and prepare for the second half of the day. Almost every time I walk through the outside door to the hall that leads to my, and everyone else’s, room, I see a young man who mops the floors. This is a thankless job. In Herat, a couple of men came every other day to sweep the floors in the office, and they washed off the steps and the outdoor hallway connecting all our offices. They did it quietly and cheerfully, knowing that when they appeared the next time, all the dust they washed away would be back. In Kabul, our floor cleaner is quiet, almost shy, and maybe not quite aware of all that is going on around him – maybe not even understanding that tomorrow, the dirt will be back. He now recognizes me, and when he sees me, gives a small smile, quickly looks away, and goes on about his work. I often wonder how he gets to work and where he lives, and what part of his day is the best. I know I will see him tomorrow.
After work, I worked my abdominal muscles, such as they are, and then went to eat dinner with some of my Washington friends. It is a nice end to a day. We have good conversation, laugh a great deal, and keep each other company. Tonight, one man at the table wanted to know where A Winter’s Bone
was written and filmed, because he thought that it was probably somewhere around where I live. What he didn’t know was that it was written and filmed around where I grew up, and not around Sedalia where I live now. We had an interesting geography lesson using a white paper napkin as Missouri and the table as Arkansas.
So now I write, unable to go to church on Skype because my connection is so dismal, and barely able to have a conversation with Emily and Max because of the same thing. Herat had additional bandwidth that I could purchase, but Kabul does not. I think I will start a petition drive. Maybe we can change that.
So four more mornings here, and then one on the plane, and then 10 days at home. I am happy.
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