Kabul / Ka-boom

Finally, after years and years of thoughts, greedily absorbed news and books about the country, I-AM-HERE. Yet another bucket list point checked (and I should call myself damn lucky to be able to be doing it in this pace), but it’s more than that. A dream, a mysterious place, an undiscovered land with such a miserable history. I didn’t cry when I got there as I previously expected to do, but I did shed a tear in a few different situations during my first month in the country.

I’ve been to Kabul three times in a one month. First time, first days was a full paranoia implemented on me by locals. Locals who would always move by cars with private driver, would never walk on the streets and would talk about Afghanistan as the worst place on the Earth. And it is definitely NOT the worst. It is actually quite a regular place with those few exceptions of bomb blasts and Taliban. The rest of dangers of the country could be probably applied to half of the world (i.e. robbery, mugging, snatching, kidnapping, assaults).

I (actually “we” as I was constantly accompanied by somebody) managed to walk a little in the “good area” and did a hike in the mountains south of the city. I went to the coffee shop which will later become one of my favourite spots in the city. The rest of the tour around the city was made by car which would stop as near the entrance to the place where we were going as possible, as to avoid walking on the open street. We’ve covered the most “picturesque” sights in the city – Darul Aman palace (currently under reconstruction), National Museum (with around 70% of exhibits destroyed), a park with a newly reconstructed palace. The first bomb blast while I was in Kabul happened 10 minutes before we entered the park. It was mentioned as a matter of fact.

The second time in Kabul was a brief visit, between coming back from Lal and leaving for Maza-e-Sharif (all the roads go to Kabul in this country, so everywhere I go I need to pass through the capital). I was invited to a 3^rd anniversary of ROYA – a foundation which provides scholarships for the poorest kids in 4 provinces of Afghanistan. They also help in the school I volunteer in – the place which is the reason why I am in the country and will stay for the next half a year. More about this in some other post.  The second blast happened a day before I got back to Kabul.

The third time in Kabul was MY time. I started to do things my way, mostly ignoring the warnings and being culturally incorrect. I took local transportation, walked alone on the streets, made friends with random people and hung out with them, tried to use as much of Farsi as I learned, ate street food, bargained with just about every shopkeeper, ended up at the house party and crashed in the house of somebody I have just met. This is the city life I loved. The third blast happened in the area I was staying in. Too far to notice though.

It’s the rush, the pollution, constant inhaling car fumes, crowds of people dressed from a fancy style to a traditional Afghan blue burka, street food so cheap that you simply have to buy it, curious people looking at your foreign face and teenagers showing off with English sentences. It’s a country of youth. Majority of population is below 35 years of age. Most of the people I’ve met were my age or younger. The generation which doesn’t care about nationality and doesn’t follow their elders’ mindsets. There was a time in Afghanistan when people who spoke foreign language could be killed. Now, the language courses and schools in the country are blooming.

 It’s a city with a constant flow of barbed wire and protective fences, with armed police and patrols of every big street, with checkpoints and body searches and with people living normal lives, as much as they can. Fun parks, restaurants, coffee shops, VIP restaurants and bazaars.

Taxis and mini vans used as public transportation. Mass of second or third hand cars, often imported from Germany or Poland (sic), with their original license plates simply covered with the Afghan ones.

Kabul is a story to be continued. As well as the rest of Afghanistan…