Author Archives: Shirley

This was originally posted on http://www.pomegranateveils.com The first is a gardener at a guesthouse in Kabul. The photo was take over the shoulder of the driver and escort while we were waiting on the person we were picking up there. … Continue reading →

Kabul is an exhausting place to be. At least it is for me and most of the people with whom I work. Sure part of it is the security situation; this is especially true since the supermarket bombing a few … Continue reading →

This photo was taken during an extra snowy day in Kabul. The gate and razor wire are at the end of the drive to the house where I live. The number of trees in the background are rare; they are … Continue reading →

The building blocks of my life here in Kabul are not that different from those in my life before Kabul. I go to work and spend too much time on the trivial and in meetings and not enough on the … Continue reading →

A few days of rain and snow had cleared the air and today was sunny and quite lovely as long as you looked up. February and March are the wet months here and the ground is a muddy mess. This … Continue reading →

So the explosion at Finest in Kabul hit rather close to home as this is one of the places we often shop on Friday. Thankfully everyone from campus is safely accounted for though some were in or near the store … Continue reading →

Life in Kabul often has a surreal quality that is partly related to the nightmare of what has been and may be again, the reality of what is, and the dreams and desires for what might be. Sometimes you find … Continue reading →

There are some places to get gas from pumps like you might have found in the the US about twenty years ago but many local people buy their auto fuel from vendors such as this.

I spend most of my time in Kabul in bubbles that are only marginally “in Afghanistan.” I move from campus, to the guesthouse where I live, to grocery stores and places to eat that cater to expats. It is in … Continue reading →