Back in Kabul

So things come around. I departed Afghanistan September 17, 2011 and I arrived in Argentina on November 29 after taking time to adjust to life outside of Kabul.  Then in July 2012 I was asked to come back to Kabul for a six week stint as the spokesperson again.  My boss was kind enough to support this, recognizing I needed the chance to see how it was a year later, and knowing that I loved the work I did in Kabul.  She made it happen with my front office (the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission) and so I am now here in Kabul.

A lot of things are different, but, surprisingly, many things are the same.  Different?  I am now living in a hooch.  Yeah, don't love this.  There is always a weird smell and some sort of dampness I can't escape. Despite the fact that Kabul is basically highish desert, I feel like I am inside a Florida gym when I am in the hooch.  That said though, I am very thankful to have my own room and not have to share.
Same? The DFAC food.  The construction.  Helicopters overhead all day long.  Playing volleyball on my day off. And a lot of people are still here.  My first two weeks were spent saying hello to old friends.  I managed to overlap with a lot of people that arrived in my last two months so it was fun to catch up and share stories.  I was at the Duck and Cover, or sitting at the firepit or the beach, talking until pretty late.

Typical Kabul Night

The work is similar but it is a whole new team so I also spent my early days aggressively getting to know the new personalities. As the spokesperson, you have to be on good terms with every section, as well as the military and the other embassies, in order to get all the information you need.

The new team is great, especially the Deputy (who is a friend from Buenos Aires) and I think they are going to have a good year.  I am just reaching the halfway point of my TDY and am just beginning to think through the experience.  It has given me perspective on where we are going and what we did in the past two years. On a personal level, I also just feel really lucky to be back here, to see my Afghan friends, revisit the country, help contribute for a bit.  That is the best part. I plan to compare to my experience last year that I blogged about here:  http://www.weebleskabulbuttheydontfalldown.blogspot.com/