Attacks in Kabul
– back dated for blog recovery –
It gets a little harder when the psychological strain of violence in Afghanistan grows day by day. Maybe I just need a vacation, but I’ll tell you what. It sure doesn’t help to have people killed in the same neighborhood as my guest house. I venture to say that the effect that terrorists, the Taliban, or whoever out there want is working. International folks are starting to get worried. That makes living here much less fun.
Casually, when we get the security SMS about foreigners kidnapped or shot to death, the severity of the event doesn’t really register. And then you settle down to think for a bit, and it starts to seep in. Everyone has their ways of dealing with the danger. Sometimes I watch movies to get my mind to escape from all the nonsense. Looking at pictures of civilization, paved streets, and normal life outside of this strange place certainly helps.
Today’s event – the killing of several internationals working for courier DHL, was a real shitter on the day. I used to think that Oakland, CA was dangerous. But this one’s a little too close to home. Not that this is really my home. Just a temporary place where I assume I’m relatively safe. But I hope my family doesn’t read the news and recognize the neighborhood of the killings. Pressure from the family doesn’t make it any easier here.
Sometimes, you just have to wonder whether the Afghan government really has the will to stamp out violence here. You get the cynical feeling that there just isn’t enough interest in public safety, or protection of / service to the public. That’s a bit harsh. But possibly not too far from reality.
Anyway, I don’t expect to stay here too much longer. We’ll see how long I last…