Cozier by the Moment!

One of the things I love about moving into a new place is seeing the transformation that occurs. Over the months or years you can see how a place morphs into a home. I’m delighted to have my new additions a rug and some plants. I finally bought some plants to bring a little life…

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Sugarcane Traffic Cop

One of the wonderful things about living in a place like Kabul: you never quite know what you’ll see next. My favorite chuckle for the day was seeing the traffic cop using a stick of sugar cane to direct traffic. In a place like Kabul you might expect something a little more forceful from the…

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Hobbies in Kabul

Afghanistan is treating me well. After a month in country it really feels as though I’m settling in to some good routines. While I’ve been enjoying spending more time relaxing and being social than I ever had time to do in DC, I’m also working on finding some good activities to engage in. Many expats…

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Dangers of Afghanistan

My apologies in advance for the heaviness of the today’s topic. I figure that underneath it all, folks are thinking of security issues when they imagine me in Afghanistan. Might as well bring it out in the open. Today I had a shocking reminder of the dangers that exist no matter where you are in…

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What is your work like?

As you can see, I work in a house that appears more like a wedding cake than an office building. INGOs (International Non-governmental Organizations) are basically stuck with the Pakistani chintz architecture that has made its way over the border. As you can see, modern style houses are nothing but elaborate and gaudy. I learned…

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What exactly are you are doing in Kabul?

I figure that I’ll start with some of the basics here, like what I do. I know that given my line of work, people are often at a loss for what I actually do, particularly in Afghanistan. I am now based in Kabul, Afghanistan working on the Higher Education Project (HEP). I am still with…

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Miel’s Abode in Kabul

Welcome to my abode! Certainly a long ways from our place in Washington, but I’ve worked to make it a home away from home. The placement of the room is superb, tucked away in the back left ground floor. Though I’d generally prefer to have a place further up, this keeps it away from the…

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Shopping with Osama

So with Eid starting yesterday the normal grocery store that we go to, Hamadi’s, was closed. Just down the road was another shop, Chelsea Market, that has lots of the same good but a bit on the dustier side. We went in and did our shopping and all was good. Today however, I went back…

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Eid Mubarak!

(Happy Eid) Celebrating and learning about holidays around the world has been one of my favorite experiences of travel. Discovering how others celebrate family and religious occasions says a lot about a culture. I was fortunate to arrive in Kabul during the month of Ramadan to experience this special time of year for Muslims. Ramadan…

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Where in the world….

Where in the world is Miel you might ask? It’s my way of bringing back the good ol’ days of Carmen San Diego. Perhaps I’ll have to go in disguise in places around the world. Or perhaps I’ll give you clues as to where I am and the winner guesses correctly. I’m liking the idea…

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