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
Simple Drops of Water
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."
-Miss PiggyUS Muppet and Pig
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"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."
-Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, 1952German Jewish diarist (1929 - 1945)
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"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves."
-Salma Hayek
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"Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it."
ConfuciusChinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC) -
The pictures from the new slideshow are courtesy of the participants of today's VCR trip. I was told that they were able to distribute coal (1 large & 1 little bag), a food bag, and a big box of winter clothes & blanket to each family. They gave out some other supplies, 2 tents, and they were able to fit some of the kiddos for boots. I heard that the conditions out there were just terrible.
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I noticed this sink this morning and I thought that it was really neat what had happened. The faucet had dripped overnight and the drops formed a column of ice. It sounds kind of corny but it sort of reminds me of what Kabul is like. To the casual observer Kabul would appear to be an old, run down, city with a lot of dust and makeshift shops. But there are times when its beauty really presents itself. When you look at one of its huge mountains with all of the homes embedded on the hillside all covered with the snow, it makes you realize that this is a really beautiful place. That column of ice will eventually melt but I will always look at that sink a little differently. I will always remember the beautiful sculpture that it made with just simple drops of water.
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Of course today was bazaar day. I went out with Adam. The Women of Hope people were out there selling their stuff. Here are some handmade dolls and camels.
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Some wine burqas.
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Other antiques.
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And of course, everywhere you had to hear that same phrase from all of the vendors. I am going to miss hearing it when I leave.
Thanks for reading.
1 comment:
everytime i come back i am always amazed by all the things you do there...its good to be reading about your life out there and everything..and your pictures..they tell so many stories..
do keep posting..
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