6 Months In Kabul: The Gordian Knot

Problog

Hello and welcome to my blog. It is a blog about an Air Force Physician that was reluctantly deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan for 6 months.

I have to admit, I did not exactly volunteer for the deployment, and I was a little anxious about how it would all turn out. I ended up making the best of it, and surprisingly, I actually had a pleasant, life changing, experience.

I decided to keep the blog up and running because I kept on hearing, "Why is it that you only hear the bad news coming from Iraq and Afghanistan." I figured that I was helping spread a positive message about what we are doing over. Even more important, I wanted to continue to spread the word about the plight of the Afghan people, 99.9% of which are the most incredibly friendly people that you will ever meet. The title picture is a great example of that. I have never encountered such genuinely warm and friendly people. It was so strange to see so many people with so little material objects, yet at the same time, filled with so much of the joy that comes with close family ties, abundant friends, and a close knit community. We could definetly learn a lot from them.

You may notice, as you read the blog in its entirety, my arc. I shift from focusing on myself and my personal comforts, to shifting my focus on the Afghan cause. It is very easy to get distracted by the hustle of daily life and the comforts that the U.S. provides. It is really a challenge to awake from that coma and to start to care and think about the welfare of other people unrelated to you. I think it really took me about 4 or 5 months before I really opened my eyes and became personally affected by what I was experiencing. I hope I was able to recreate it.

I have tried to keep the blog squeaky clean so as to not offend anyone (or get me in trouble-I am still in the military). Even though I am a political junky with very strong personal opinions I have been steadfast in keeping this site free of any politics. I was called to do a job and I tried to do it to the best of my ability regardless of my political stance.

I recreated the blog to read more like a book, or should I say blook (get used to the corniness it only gets worse from here) just to make it an easier read. I have removed some names and pictures just to keep it more anonymous. I hope that it helps in making it less about me and more about the cause.

Lastly, in the spirit of the blog, I decided to include the Chipin Widget that I used to raise money for Nazia. If I get any additional money I will send the funds to The Women of Hope Project and someone over in Kabul will discretely give it to her (unless I hear otherwise). You can also contribute directly to the Women of Hope Project website. They are a wonderful cause. If you enjoy this blog then feel free to contribute. I am sure that once you read her story you will be very moved.

So kick back. Get ready to hopefully laugh and definitely cry.
If you like what you read then post a comment. I will be continuously editing this site in an attempt to improve it. Who knows maybe one day it will become a book!

Enjoy. Thanks for reading.

-Shazdoc

Monday, May 26, 2008

“There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.” --Robert Byrne

I discovered a great new website today called Quotationspage.com. I provided a link. They have a word of the day and a quote of the day section. I included today's word of the day because I thought it was so interesting: http://www.quotationspage.com/

Gordian knot (noun) [GOR-dee-ahn not]
1. an exceptionally complicated problem: "It took him years to solve the architectural Gordian knot, but finally, plans for an unprecedented high-rise stretched out before him."
2. the intricate knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia to a pole near the temple of Zeus in Gordium and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword after hearing an oracle promise that whoever could undo it would be the next ruler of Asia; the knot cut by Alexander the Great at the temple of Zeus.

Some would say that the task of rebuilding of Afghanistan is a gordian knot. Go ahead and use the word with your friends. Be sure to act suprised when they do not now what it means.

Today we had a Bazaar (yes, I am actually spelling it correctly today). I took a ton of pics and created a photo book. I was not just looking today, I actually bought a dress for my daughter. Take a look.

The asking price was $60.00 and I got him down to $25.00. It is all hand made. I do not feel guilty negotiating because they actually expect it. The dress has bells and other metallic trinkets that make noise when it moves. I know my daughter will love it. I would say that she could wear it for Halloween but I think that my wife already has a costume picked out. I believe that she will be a cat this year.

I also uploaded some pics of the National Military Hospital (NMH) and my birthday in case you were interested.

I received a package today with 4 discs filled with PC games. I shared it with my office mates. I also received a very nice supportive email from a spouse whose husband who just deployed to Afghanistan. Keep them coming.

Thanks for reading.

6 Months In Kabul

I have a new website- AdvancedPatientEducation.com. Come take a look.

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Monday, May 26, 2008

The Gordian Knot

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