back again.

Hi again.

So, I’m back. Back in Dubai, waiting for a flight back to Kabul. Back after almost a month away from Afghanistan. My extended absence was a bit of an accident; I took a holiday in France with some friends, which led me to a brief trip to New York, which became a longer trip, and then there was a mix-up about the planes which took another week to resolve.

Obviously, much has happened in Kabul since I’ve been gone. Kabul’s premier hotel was attacked. (Thanks to those who wrote to ask after my safety, though your concerned emails and skypes had the unintended effect of making me feel like a complete poseur, a flak-jacketed frappacino-sipping sideline warrior.)

Also this month in Kabul, the coldest winter weather in 15 years. This is less newsworthy to the West though vastly more important to Afghans than the hotel attack. People are dying. I just got this email from a friend yesterday in Kabul:

from hamida aman
to hamida_aman@hotmail.com,
date Jan 28, 2008 8:07 PM
subject The chain reaction
mailed-by hotmail.com


Dear Friends,

As most of you will have surely noticed, Afghanistan is currently facing one of its harshest winters in living memory.
You might have also noticed that thousands of women, kids, and men are struggling every day to heat and feed their families.
The point here is certainly not to make you feel guilty but very simply try to do something at our very modest level.
Of course, most of you are working for international organizations involved at some point with large-scale humanitarian aid or development projects.
But in our personal and more modest scale, we are a group of friends who want to apply what some call Zakat, some other charity or just compassion by giving what we can.

A donation of 50$ will allowed a family to survive during one month and receive flower and coal to warm their house.

Please write below your name, phone number and the amount you would like to donate and send back the list to the sender. Please forward this e -mail to those you knows who would like to donate.

Many thanks for your generosity!

Meanwhile, here in Dubai, they're offering a free bmw or bentley with every purchase of a new Damanc property.

More soon.

-G.