The reality....

I keep getting e-mails and facebook messages from people asking whats it really like in Kabul in terms of security? Do you feel safe? Do you have to wear a hijab? What's it like being a woman in Afghanistan? Therefore, I decided to dedicate this entry to answering some of those questions.

In terms of security my accommodation and office is very secure. I was having a conversation with someone else in my office about the security here and I was mentioning to her that it will really be hard to go back to reality or a North American lifestyle, even after being here for a week. I get into a secure vehicle with at least one guy in the morning to go to work, I'm not allowed to travel anywhere alone. I must keep full identification on me and a cell phone at all times. One of our volunteers ended up going by herself last weekend out and got stopped by the local police twice on her way to her destination. Two of the guys I've gotten to know here went out without identification and were detained by the police until someone could bring their passports to prove who they were. You really have to be cautious. Our cars are checked each time we leave a secure area for bombs or any sort of dangerous device. Once I'm at work I must go through a metal detector and put my bag through one of those airport style security scanners. I need to swipe a card that says I am on the premise and need to card to get in and out of all the rooms. To go to lunch I must leave my building and then show an armed guard some identification before I'm allowed to enter the dining hall. Overall, I generally feel safe, there are tons of armed guards wherever I go. Even the restaurants we eat at in town are stationed with guards who perform a number of checks before we're allowed in. There are moments, especially at night where you may feel a little uneasy. We have guard dogs and whenever I can hear them bark for an extended period of time in the middle of the night my stomach just drops. The part that makes me nervous is sleeping in my loft by myself. Even though I know our location is secure I've been sleeping with my lights on. Last night was the first night I slept with them off. I'm doing a lot of reading on Kabul right now and I feel like if I read that sort of material before I go to bed my imagination tends to get the better of me.

Being here has really made me appreciate having grown up in Canada. I lived in the same city for my whole childhood, I didn't have to escape and move into a refugee camp for five years like a lot of my co-workers. So many of the people I've met talk about how they spent time in Pakistan because it was just so bad here. I got an education and had the opportunity (and still have the opportunity for that matter) to pursue as much education as I want. I never had to be scared to go to school. I had the best learning aids and resources, supplies, books and teachers. I never had to fear practicing my religion. My culture wasn't destroyed or burned overnight. My parents didn't force me to get married at a young age and have children. When you travel and experience something like this you really realize how good you have it in Canada. In North America, we (including myself at times) get so wrapped up in drama with our friends, with what we wear, and how we look. After seeing this, it doesn't really matter. Everything else seems real insignificant.

You really see the difference in the way woman are treated. As soon as I landed here I could notice the difference. I was waiting for my luggage in Kabul airport and this woman was in a full burqa standing next to her husband. She just kept staring at me. It was really bizarre. When more men came around the area her husband looked at her, pointed at a corner in the airport and motioned her to move. I didn't think that I would see so many women wearing the burqa, whether they are forced into wearing it, or whether they have made the choice to wear it is not really my business. But, I was very amazed by this and that so many woman still do this, even after the reign of the Taliban. Foreigners are to wear headscarfs in the city and while commuting; however, at work we are not require to wear them. Everyone who I've spoken to has suggested that you always carry one on you at all times because you never really know what is going to happen. As soon as I jump in the car the hijab/headscarf goes on out of respect. When we eat in the city, we usually eat at restaurants for foreigners, no one normally wears a headscarf. At last weekends event we were all required to wear headscarfs because the government officials who had been invited were more traditional.

I have a lot more to say in this department but I'm at work right now and probably should be doing the five million things I need to do...I'll try and continue writing in a bit.