My workweek a short summary in 500 words or less.

So the workweek began with confusion. The library is responsible for textbook distribution and in order to distribute, the students should have a record in our system with a unique id. We then check the textbook(s) out to them and all is well. But what happens when you have 50-60 new students who arrived, ready for their textbook, but we don't have them in the system? Well. The ever faithful paper and pen method works just fine.

This week, I finished a report on funding and fundraising for the upper admins. They seemed both pleased with my work and disappointed that I wasn't bringing them good news. Of the top 100 foundations giving money out, less than 700,000 has been spent since 2004 in Afghanistan. Everyone thinks that the American government is spending enough there already. They are spending money, sure, but not on the people, not on education, not on projects like AUAf. We've got to work on that. Big time. At least my research helped document the situation for them and they understood the scale and scope of what is ahead for development projects. We have to start from scratch.

On Sunday, I gave my passport to human resources again. Instead of sending it on to get a work permit, I was getting, finally, a multi-entry 'stay' visa. I had a six month, single visit visa and that meant that if I left, I'd have to wait a bit in Dubai or some such until I got permission to enter again. I got my visa and passport in hand on Tuesday. It really isn't such a big deal except for I had to carry extra 'papers' signed and sealed (literally) saying that everything is ok, but my passport is unavailable due to its being processed by specified ministry. Why? Well, the street we drive regularly has now police and army checkpoints. We pass at least two every time we drive it. And they have taken to stopping 'richer' cars and telling the folks inside that if they don't produce their papers within half an hour, they will haul us down to central processing. Sigh. It is most likely just a way to get more monies, but it is daunting. So when I was gracefully driven straight past these checkpoints, I just sighed with relief. I had my 'papers' but didn't want to use them. Most of the police have difficulty reading anyways.

So with multi-entry visa in my 'papers' now, I booked flights to Dubai and Mumbai for my March spring-break rest.

Then, less than 24 hours later, I checked my American bank account to see if my first paycheck made it through. It did. But so did about five unknown charges taking place in Dearborn, MI. Sigh. Visa checkcard with Bank of America was compromised. I'm down less than 500 bucks, but still. They moved fast. So quickly! I'm putting my money on the Safi Airways transaction. I wont book them online again. What can I say, but those criminal, but 'permitted' networks are nasty, mean beasts.

How do you solve a problem like credit fraud (on a personal level)? Well. Your card gets canceled. Then they mail you a replacement card to your home address. Then your home folks will send the card to a friend in Dubai and you will pick it up there. And make a long distance phone call to get it activated. So you first have to make sure that your skype is working in the UAE. If not, you get to give Etisalat some more of your money to make the call. In the meantime, you don't have access to your US bank. Isn't that special?!

But I am blessed. I had asked for 1,500 to be taken out of my paycheck and provided to me as cash. I'll have that available to me on Sunday. I had no idea all this would happen, but money is always nice to have around. And extra money is even better.

It is raining in Kabul this weekend. Fresher air is nice. Muddy shoes again, less nice.

I had off from work today. It is the Prophet's Birthday. I cleaned, straightened, worked on a project (a side project related to normal work) and watched a movie with Carol who is the assistant to the AUAf president. We watched New Moon. Man. It really sucked. But the company was fun. Most of my guest housemates are away for the holiday weekend. I think most of them are in Dubai. A big jealous, but the visa came to me too late for a last-minute trip.

Tomorrow (Friday) I will do my usual routines of laundry, shopping (I would like to find some light bulbs as my reading lamp lost its bulb--at least it didn't explode on me like one of the 'internationals' said happened to him. That would be too exciting before falling asleep!)

On Saturday, I hope to get over to the Kabul Museum (or the National Museum of Afghanistan). I was not able to go last weekend because they closed us down for transportation due to the opening of the National Assembly.

Then it is three weeks of work and I'm on vacation. I can't wait to see folks I miss in Dubai and then escape reality for a bit into the magical world of Mumbai. Don't quite know where I will stay there, but just making arrangements for travel is fun. Reading and perusing pictures. I should have been in the travel business. The education business suits me fine, though.

On Monday night, my team will serve as the Quiz masters for the night. Our AUAf team is getting hard to beat! I am having a lot of fun coming up with my sets of questions.

On the Air Quality in Kabul

on the ride home from work yesterday, we were talking about pollution in asian cities and the numbers for Kabul. We were looking on the positive side--in that instead of industrial pollution, our air quality just has a lot of feces and carbon from dried and dusty poo and wood stoves. I quipped, 'well, at least it's organic.' and that cracked everyone up nicely.

When you are at work and the lights go out

My regular hours, official hours, the general hours when I can for certain be found at my desk on campus, more or less, are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The sun retreats sometime around that time. And today, I have chosen to continue to work until 7 to try to get some of those things done or gather up things to work on at home when I may or may not have internet access (like downloading the 400 or so remaining photos of students and staff that I have not uploaded to Koha yet).

Suddenly, the power goes out. The emergency lights, the florescent bulbs with a little orange light next to them, seem to have been burned out...or are generally not working. So it is pitch black. As in can't see the fingers I have in front of me. Save for the glow of my laptop. The power is out for the lights and facilities, but the wifi still works. And I work on a laptop, so the battery still works. I just keep downloading and typing away in the pitch dark. My eyes are bad enough that I find myself scootched up as close as possible to the screen, which lessened its light output to save battery time. And I get through about 50 when the lights return. I am quite sure I must have looked like a hunchback, hunkered over my laptop as I was as the student outside of my window gave me a good smile and chuckle.

I do enjoy the little things getting done. And now it is truly time for the weekend. I hope very much to enjoy the ride home.

Adventures going to work

This morning, I was first in line waiting for our routine pickup. When I got to the van, from my group, I was the first inside. But then we learned that there were now 6 persons, and the van, for security reasons can only hold 5. After a little banter about who can leave and who has a meeting, I just said, ok, I will take the next one. And so I disembarked and waved everyone farewell/catch you later.

I went inside and about 10 minutes later, a car arrived for me and I got in and we took off on the road to campus. About 5 minutes from campus, we saw the earlier van pulled to the side of the road and surrounded by ANP. Afghan National Police (blue-ish) uniforms. We slowed down enough to holler at the drivers of that van and then got pulled over ourselves. They wanted to see passports. The earlier van, the one that I was on for that brief moment this morning, had been waiting for over 10 minutes wondering what to do...

My driver was somewhat assertive and obstinate and he chose to yell something in Dari to the ANP man next to our car such that the ANP man, armed, of course, banged on the hood of the car and yelled something back. We drove off and I think that my eyes were popping and I dared not look back. But I did, because I can't help but do that, and saw that the other van, the earlier van, was now pulling off, too.

We all made it to campus safely.

There were a few emails this morning now declaring that we should have with us our original passport, not a photocopy, and on our person at all times.

But that's how I got to work this morning. Just a side venture into a pod of men with multiple small arms pointing this way and that.

End Note:

I get to send my passport off to get its longer, multi-entry visa next week. And now, I look forward to the weekend.

Update, long past due

My house is working out just fine. There were a few incidents, growing pains, and adjustments to accommodate, but for the most part, the house and the residents are coming along just fine.

The house is now full. We have another woman at the house! So now there are we, two. They have just about fixed some of the sound-proofing needs so that we can enjoy a most excellent television setup downstairs.

My room is perfect for what I need here. I enjoy the space. I now have TWO comfy seats to go with my poof. I need to make better use of my storage space and finally put away my suitcases.

This morning during my shower, the shower head sprung a leak. Luckily, there are multiple drains for the water to find its way out.

My internet is getting better and the bandwidth is to be fixed very soon. I can now at least receive a signal from the wifi router. One small thing to ready for the big day when our equipment arrives and gets installed. We sent a man, flew him, to Dubai to procure and bring into the country the right equipment which I think includes satellite dishes and receivers, etc. Big job and complex, I'm sure. It has been said that if the ANA or ANP needs the equipment, it can be confiscated at the point of awareness. I wish that good man all the best!

Work itself is amazingly fulfilling. I have extracurricular assignments (i.e. not directly cataloging or systems work) that I am delighted to be working on. The local staff and I are getting along swimmingly...of course, I am rather known to try to live and let live and make things work as easily and nicely as possible.

I am just so glad I put myself into this situation. It is not easy. Not at all. But I am not regretting my venture into life on this side of the world.

My Neighbors at the new Guest House

First night at the new guest house. In my back yard, on the other side of my window, is a very tall fence (rises to the second floor). On the other side of that is a squatters camp. An open field full of children, fires, shelters and in the far left corner a collection of mud huts. They were happy and joyfully banging ...drums and tin and whatever they could find in a mixture of laughter and children's squeals of glee.

At my new place

It is not quite finished. But my room will do just fine.

Internet is struggling.

No fridge. No gas to oven/stove.

No washer for clothes.

I have heat and hot water.

That'll do, eh?

Letter from Laura Bush (AUAf Library)

This letter is on the wall across from my desk. In the reflection, you can see the windows behind me.

The letter reads:

"The White House

November 5, 2008

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to send greetings to everyone gathered for the official dedication of the American University of Afghanistan's Bernice Nachman Marlowe Library. Congratulations on celebrating this great achievement!

Today you honor Afghanistan's commitment to education by opening a vital center for learning. Only two years after the American University of Afghanistan was established, its students have access to the excellent resources and vast knowledge that libraries offer. Young Afghans, especially women, can come here to study many different subjects and read about the courageous democratic leaders of their country. They may even be inspired to follow in their footsteps.

I commend the American University of Afghanistan and all those who work to improve education in Afghanistan. Your efforts help prepare the future leaders of this nation for success in school and out.

President Bush joins me in sending our best wishes for many book-filled years.

Sincerely,

Laura Bush [signed]

Figuring out Koha - first attempts

My work these past few days is to try to bring some systemic order to dealing with 1) Lost and Missing items and 2) Course Reserves.

In dealing with Lost and Missing items, my first attempt showed up in all of our records with the not helpful message: Default. Item not Lost. I must remember to test these things before I go home.

The second project is adding a new module to the system. I am looking forward to that! (More or less).

The Driveway inside my Guest House Coupound

When I am picked up for work, the vehicle drives all the way inside. Then the doors are closed (more or less). I get in and we drive off.

Along the right in this picture is a greenhouse. To the left, but unseen, is the garden/yard space.

I have been told that I am moving beginning this weekend (more or less).

About a Filing Cabinet

Today, one of the library staff had to get something out of one of our filing cabinets. In doing so, somehow, the top drawer became dislodged and fell in.

The first step was to ask our janitorial staff to assist. When this started to fail, H., a library staff member gave advice and looked at the progress. Eventually it was concluded that the cabinet was broken.

Then our library director dropped by and mentioned that he had fixed that before. We waited a while and when L., another library staff member, had waited enough, she asked him to assist.

We took everything out and sorted the parts and then nearly gave up when I threw off my headscarf and said, no, we can get this fixed!* You just need a little tenacity.

With a little more analysis and a lot of elbow grease (literally, greasy), we put it together following the director's known experience looking for that little switch that allows you to disconnect the carrier that holds the file drawer from the main mechanism. I found it and that was that. File drawers fixed.

Hands washed and all is well.

*I think that I said something like, 'no, this can be fixed! [then threw off headscarf that had been getting caught by the various components] I am an American!"

The Pelican Restaurant (French couple owns this place)

My work: What I do here in Kabul

I work in technical services and systems in the library at the American University of Afghanistan. AUAf is located on the southwest side of the city closer to the Darulaman Palace ruins than 'downtown'.

My work includes cataloging, acquisitions and systems work. Our integrated library system is Koha and we have a contract with Liblime to make things run as smoothly as possible.

In my first few days here, I have been exploring the current setup and sorting out some particularly difficult sets for cataloging. Most of my time has been talking with and observing the library staff in how they go about their work.

In the near future, I will be installing and testing new modules and working on workflows that provide the library with a few efficiencies in our approach to materials management.

It's a good job.

Front Doors to the AUAf Library

Conversation about a fire alarm

At work on Sunday, I had noticed that the newly installed fire alarm was beeping at regular intervals. I asked a local colleague if it had been reported to facilities and he said that the security office had installed it and said that we got the kind of alarm that beeps. I mentioned that the alarm beeps because it needs a new battery. He said, no, the alarm that we have beeps to let us know that it is working.

So when my other colleague arrived, I asked her if the noise bothered her and she said she would call security to check to see. She did and security staff came over relatively promptly.

I told the man from security that the battery needed to be changed; that the fire alarm needed a new battery, but he said, no, the battery is new. Just some of the fire alarms beep and others just have the light. I said I would prefer to just have the light, then. And so he went and got another fire alarm and this one just had the blinking red light. He installed it and we all said thank you and appreciated his efforts.

I am going to bring in one of my duracell 9v batteries tomorrow. When I look up at the fire alarm now above my desk, it does not seem to be blinking any more.