Entekhabaat 88*

(* Entekhabaat is the Dari and Pashto word for ‘Elections’ and 88 is the Afghan calender year)

Okay,

Only 18 minutes left before I finish work, let’s see how much I can type.

I’m done with my work work if that makes sense, and now I’m just kicking back waiting to go home. Nothing new is happening, I’m so over appearing ‘anonymous’. It really limits me revealing so much more. Like there was a Village Fete (V1) and it was so cool, it was a fun day for everyone. Of course the local Afghans thought ‘Family day’ meant showing up on their own *rolls eyes*. Only 2 brought their wives! a couple more bought their children so it was cool. I was doing the face painting for the kids and of course to them this was a huge mess! I managed to talk one of the kids into it and the father was like ‘you want to do your face????’ but he got over it when I explained that it washes off. There was a 1 year old American-Phillipino kid, she was SOO adorable – of course she was too restless and didn’t let me do her face. So I did her fathers instead. They played games like dunking ppl into the water and other stuff you wouldn’t’ normally see in Kabul!

Yesterday was officially the first day of campaigning announced by ECC, today on my way to work there were posters everywhere. Karza with his running mates – including Marshal Fahim (errrr… no comment!!!) Ashraf Ghani had begun campaigning a long time ago – and it was illegal to do so. Not setting a good example to the rest of the country!!! Despite warnings, he refused to stop. So anyways, there are even MORE posters of the long nosed, bald man everywhere. Haven’t seen much of Dr Abdullah around.

Personally, I think Ashraf Ghani is our hope! If he lives up to his word, he’s the ideal president. Not only that, he also selects his cabinet/running mates based on meritocracy – not based on ethnic backgrounds etc. And he was also Minister of Finance – Afghanistan is in dire need of someone to fix up the economy. My only problem is that his wife is Lebanese, I want Afghanistan’s first lady to be an outspoken, educated Afghan who will be a role model for the rest of the Afghan women. Zeenat Karzai failed to do that, and it was such a shame because of her medical background. Maybe Ghani’s Lebanese wife can make a positive difference in Afghanistan and be a useful ‘First Lady’. We’ll see…

(7 minutes left…)

Errrmmm… what else, work is alright! I so need a holiday! And I can’t WAIT to get one!

I’m going to sign out now.

Btw the other day we went to Chicken St and I bought this really cool turquoise set for $120. Will put pics up

See ya, have some work to do before going.

(2 mintues left…_)