Day Fourteen

It was another sunny, cool day in Northern Afghanistan as I ventured off to the office for another fun-filled day. Soon after I got there, Chris and I took off for the ANA side of camp to see what the situation was with their video computer and see if we were going to get to do anything with it today. On the walk over there, I told Chris, "one of two things is going to happen...the computer is going to be sitting in the same place as it was yesterday, or it's not going to be there...I don't think they can fix those problems in one day." Of course, as expected, the computer was sitting in the same spot, as evidenced by the undisturbed dust and dirt around it that had gathered since we cleaned it yesterday. Once we got there and pretty much displayed our displeasure with it not being fixed, the ANA IT guy soon appeared. Of course, he didn't have all the software he needed to make it work, so again, it was "it'll be fixed tomorrow." It's really starting to become a trend with these guys. They really aren't in a hurry to get anything done around here. It's frustrating to help people when they don't seem to want to help themselves sometimes. I'm trying to stay positive and not get angry with them, but it does get difficult at times. I just have to remember that modern technology is new to them, and maybe things aren't as easy for them as they are for me. Still, you'd like to think a sense of urgency would appear sooner or later. Chris updated his Facebook status for today and it really says it all about what we've seen so far. "Just another day in Afghanistan, where everything will be fixed "tomorrow"...I will let you know when tomorrow comes." If only he could hear me laughing. Perfectly said my friend.

Since we couldn't work on their computer, Chris and I took the Windows-coverted Mac laptop with us to see if that would work at least. If we got it to work with their equipment, it would give the ANA's a backup and mobile editing system to use. Now, here's the thing...I'm a troubleshooter...I'm a firm believer that everything can work somehow, and a "never say never" mentality is one I've sort of adopted over the years. I think I troubleshot this damn computer more than any I have ever worked on in my life, only to ultimately find that there was no way to import video into it. Whoever bought these laptops bought the very basic, bottom-of-the-barrel Mac and it just isn't equipped to do what we need it to do. I tried everything. I switched cords, I switched cables, I switched machines, I used 4 different source decks, I downloaded drivers, I searched device drivers, I used every connector attachment I had to try and get this thing running. Nothing. Now I really am stuck waiting for their computer to get fixed...or for Kabul to send us a new one that will actually work for what we need it for. Ask ME what I need Kabul...please...just ask me. I'd love to get ahold of the idiot who told them to buy these Macs.

Chris and I did do something while there. I brought the tape measure and measured all their equipment and the space we had to work with. Chris drew out a sketch of how I wanted things laid out, and we came up with a plan for how we would set it all up. LtCol Niem was happy with our plan. He even went upstairs to the Corps Commander's office to tell him to come down and see how hard his "mentors" were working. I didn't really even do that much, but to them in their world, even the smallest things make a huge difference. I truly realize here just how much I take advantage of in my own life.

Also while at their office, I got to meet the new Afghan Brigade Public Affairs officer. When I walked into the office initially, I saw him and thought, "wow, he looks very familiar," but didn't think much of it at the time. During the course of our "socializing hour," I discovered that this guy just happened to be the son of the Corps Commander, Major General Murad, who I wrote about a few days ago. [Check out the photo of me and General Murad and this photo of me and his son - they look almost identical] Interesting I thought, as this guy worked directly under his own father. Anyone who knows anything about the military chain of command knows that in America, this would never happen. But, as with everything else, Afghan culture dictates that a father in the Army normally has "control" of his son in the Army also. Something to that effect. I'm learning more and more every day about this place, the culture, and what it considered "ok" and "not ok." It's definitely not the United States.

I came back to our office feeling pretty frustrated and unfulfilled about yet another trip over there with nothing really getting done. But, as I told Chris on the walk back from there, we have to stay positive and that's what I keep telling myself. Chris isn't a negative person anyway, so we get along great as far as all that goes. We'll keep marching along...even if it's marching at a snail's pace right now.

With the anticipation of pulling an all-nighter in order to watch the NFL playoff games (one starts at midnight, the other at 0340 here), I went back to my room to see if I could get a nap in for a little while. I did - for 3 hours - and felt pretty good afterwards. Here's hoping Brett Favre makes it worth it! I'd love to see him in the Super Bowl again.

I got some dinner and then walked outside and noticed the stars. There's something to be said about the night sky here in Afghanistan. I don't know much about Science anymore; about how your location changes the way things look and all that (I hated Science in school and still do.) But here, the stars are unlike anything I've ever seen before. They're so bright and seem so close. Some even have what appears to be a slight hint of yellow or brown in them, when compared to the rest of the bright white starts. Some are really big, some are really small, and some often appear to flicker against the dark black sky. I can find the little dipper with ease, but I don't know much about the rest. I'm always amazed at how much others know about the unique shapes of all the stars, but never have known enough myself to know what they were talking about. I really have to look up the constellations and see what I can pick out. If there's any place in the world where you could see them all, this is it. It's funny that tonight was the night I stopped to really look at them. Right before I walked away from what seemed like hours of "fascination" with them, I noticed one falling. Now, in Afghanistan, you might think the first thing that comes to mind - when you see a moving ball of light in the sky - is that it's NOT a falling star. Don't worry...it wasn't that. It was indeed a falling star and I thought it was appropriate to make a wish, despite my doubts about it ever coming true. I won't give you the details of my wish for fear of it not coming true, but I hope that at least one person reading this knows what the wish was for. If ever there was a time that I wanted a wish to come true, this is that time. I love you.

I'm off to watch the football games in the dining facility. If there's a signal in the gym tonight, I'll run on the treadmill while watching it. That I definitely need. I'll be like the walking dead tomorrow after this all-nighter I'm about to pull, but I should be used to it though I guess. It's certainly not the first time I've been up for 48 hours on this trip, is it?