Life in Kabul, Afghanistan
Written By: Dorothy Schwankl | Posted: Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
We have friends, "Dean and Diane Smith" and their three small children, who spent two yea rs working for a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Kabul for the purpose of performing acts of mercy. The organization was there with the government's knowledge and approval. For security reasons I cannot give their real names or their line of work.
They wanted to know the Afghan people and build relationships with them. To do that, they decided they would have to live like them. The home that they rented was owned by a Muslim family who lived in the U.S. It was surrounded by a tall fence topped with broken glass. The house was heated by kerosene stoves. During the winters, which are much like ours, food left on the kitchen counter was colder than the food in the refrigerator. On sunny days they stood out in the sun as much as they could to get warm. Electricity was sporadic. Because they were foreigners they hired guards to keep people from coming through the gate. One that I will call Ahmed was married and had a little family. They paid Ahmed's 12 year old son to paint around the windows and hired Pashtuns to dig a new well for them. Because of those improvements the landlord raised the rent!
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