Ramadan

It is the fourth and last week of Ramadan and everybody here is fasting, which means that all physical pleasures, so also eating and drinking are prohibited between dawn and sunset (~ 5am – 5 pm). Beside, Muslim are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam so that the fast is a kind of an deeply personal worship which should redirect the heart away from worldly activities and bring them closer to god.

Yesterday I joined the guys in their fast. So my day started off at 3.30am for suhoor (“mid-night-dinner” - and I just felt so pity for the girls who had gotten up even earlier to prepare the food). Suhoor ends with the morning prayer at sunrise, which of cause I didn’t attend. While Javed went to study, me and the girls slept for another 1,5 hours (at 7am we leave the house, me to the office, the others to University).

At 8 o’clock my mouth is feeling so dry that its getting really annoying. 9am I’m thinking that I will die of thirst. At 9.30am I have to admit: I can’t go on with the not drinking part of the fast…so now: only eating and other physical pleasures (?) are remaining. This part is much easier, but still the food tempting so much… only from 3pm onwards I’m getting really hungry…at 4 the stomach is aching but only an hour to go and me cheating with a chewing-gum;)…I don’t even want to know how the others feel, who are following these for some 26 days now properly…Back at home I do understand more than then bit why the guys were always so keen in rushing home on time for iftar (the evening fast-braek).

Moved to Javed’s (one of the AIESECers) family yesterday. When we reached his parents had gone to their village outside Kabul but anyways the house was full of peopleJ.

Two of his uncles had come with their children, his grand-ma and of cause there were his sisters (who had prepared an amazing dinner) and his brother. For the night we still counted some 13 children, one uncle with his 3 kids had already left though. These afghan kids were just soooo cute. Having fun saying “Gute Nacht” some hundreds of times, which they knew cause it is the usual “good night”-greeting of their grandmother for Javed, who is learning German (great - so we will have our German-Dari lessons every night now:)).

I got ill for the first time in Kabul. Some mixture of a sunstroke, food poisoning and cold. The nights are getting freezing cold theses days and the houses generally don’t have any heating system. I sleep with two pull-over and blankets and still I’m shivering.

Kalai Marat Bik

Today I got the opportunity to go for the first time to the outsides of Kabul. Sultan, the owner of the “Mediathek”, where the AIESEC office is, invited me to join them to a place called Kalai Marat Bik, some 25 min north from Kabul.

I had an amazing time over there enjoying the beautiful countryside, and even rote one of the Buskashi-horses for a while. Knowing that this area is known for the intense fighting during the war; it is even more astonishing that now seams to be heaven on earth.

But most of the internationals here will most probably never go to these places. I heard that due to security issues quite a few of the international forces and organisation here restrict their people to very few places in town, or even to their own campus.

First day in Kabul

Finally arrived in the country I was so long dreaming to go to. Reaching at 6 am in Kabul I had already seen one of the most beautiful sun-rises of my life…

And the story behind the picture is even nicer. I was seated in the middle range of the aircraft so couldn’t really look out of the window. An elderly afghan couple sitting at the window seats some lines in front of me, called me, made me sit on the ground just in front of their knees and take this awesome picture:

Flying into Kabul I was amazed by the impressive nature of this country. Rough, bizarre mountainscapes, and then nearer to the city small houses and farms which fit so perfectly in the picture. Stunning!

At the airport a whole bench of AIESECers were well-coming me. The guys had to get up at 3.30 am to get there on time. And they really made me feeling comfortable from the very beginning. Thank you guys, you are just awesome!

And than the first impression of Kabul city: so different from what “everybody” expects. The city seamed to be so quiet and peaceful. Kids and students from all ages on their way to school and college. First shop-owners getting ready for the day and the air still fresh and quite cool. Just normal life.