My Look at this Crazy world

My Thursday started around 5:30am – When I awoke the first thought that came to mind was the fact our crate will arrive today!  The items we boxed up in Louisville KY have arrived and will be in Mazair today….Yeah, only one problem the family that was to be moved out, from our new home yesterday, still holds the key to the gate including their things in the house.  So @ 7:00 I decided it would be nice of me to show up and give them a friendly reminder they were to have moved out and OOO by the way I will be here today with three very large wooden crates.   I knock on the door and a boy two years old, maybe,  opens and says “sOb” (Morning) that’s about all he can say because he’s two.  He closes the door in my face to return with an older brother that is five at the most – I ask if their father is at home to no response and the door closed again in my face.  Yet another brother this one ten or eleven opens the door. I ask again is your father home he said no but may I help you.  I explain to him that seeing how as of yesterday I should have been given the key to this house I have two very large crates arriving from Kabul and will be setting them over the wall some time today. The boy with an exasperated look on his face says you need to just set them here on the sidewalk… No I explain they are large boxes the size of a small car and will not go on the sidewalk, so he offers me the street.  NO> NO> I am telling you that today there will be two very large wooden boxes in the yard and I will be here to cover them with plastic to protect from the rain.  You need to call your father and let him know.

Some of you might know that EB turns one year old on the 21st. One year ago in an ice storm in Louisville Ky along came the second most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. So how would I celebrated such a special year, NO other way but to block out the entire weekend. For those of you who actually know the 21st is on a Saturday you must remember that in our new culture we observer the Holiday on Thursday and Friday rather than Saturday and Sunday. ANYWAY… how we celebrated EB’s 1st year, Thursday morning I took my right hand man Moosen to the local market and ordered 22.5lb of cake, yes over 20 pounds of cake.  For a grand total of 1,000AFS($20) and 18lb of random nuts, raisins, and chocolate  2,000 AFS ($40) and 6.5lbs of cookies  250AFS($5) for a food total of  $65. I was so pleased with the mounds of food and the simple fact the party was coming together so nicely I decided to take the family to lunch.
We called this EB’s family celebration.  Not to be confused with the Friday party that will include neighbors, friends, drivers, guards and team members.  So lunch was @ a local restaurant called the Royal Oak.  A cheeseburger for the little girl some spring rolls for Jeni and a James Burger for Me – complete with a fried egg.  And since he had provided some amazing help I asked Moosen to join us for lunch.  It was in this nice American/British style restaurant I discover my driver doesn’t like burgers.  What a same I had to eat his as well.

We returned home to a freshly baked cake that Jeni had so lovingly made (heart shape none the less) and EB took her evening nap before destroying her very own cupcake covered in icing.  After cleaning the icing from here little fingers and face she opened present 1 of the weekend a ball. Wow! Did she love this new pink soccer style ball. It was so much fun she didn’t even want to see her next gift- her very own camel.

Day #2 the second plumber comes turns on the water staring with the1st floor the 2nd and 3rd then says to me something like, l;kadjflkj qelk aioulknv;iu pomvn tank akuv.,neip neo peipako alkjivl nmnaio naoinpo. I look at one of my drivers he shakes his head as if saying this guy is crazy. I looked back as though I agreed because I some how knew he wanted to replace the Tank and lots of pipe. I called a friend that knows the language and asked my driver to talk to him a minute. I was right the guy wanted to make our 1,000 gallon tank a 2,000 and replace the water main that runs along the top of the house. All for a great low price of 208,000 Afg – that’s 4,000 dollars. I can live with out water !!! I can tell from the looks my driver was giving he might know a bit about this so I ask him to share his ideas. After a small exchange we decide to install a second pump that will help force water from the tank to the house. Long story short the pump was bought installed by yet a different plumber and it did provide water to the 3rd floor just now how we had hoped. I discovered no less than one inch of water covering my bedroom floor. We call that plumber back he says the pump is working great and we wanted water on the 3rd floor now we have it. Yes I agree but it is also coming down the wall into my room well its an added bonus. NO, I don’t think so we call another plumber. We remove the pump so I do not drown in my own bedroom, oooo yeah by the way even though it didn’t work he was still going to charge me for taking it out.
By this time I have lost count of days and even the number of plumbers we called a different plumber every day. Finally 8 days after this fiasco started and 9 plumbers later we discovered the valves in the tub and one of the hot water heaters was bad. WE HAVE WATER, and I also have a pump with a 1500 psi tank if any one is interested, im not going to be using it.

(P.S. Dad send on of the McNeally boys they could make a killing here)

The story continues with the same plumber that rode the bike in with the western toilet  attached to the back rack!  Come with me to the kitchen I gestured with hand motions and so few words it felt rather odd.  Little water, little water I would say turn on the valve for Hot or Cold and he would go into a long exchange in Dari.  Air basically the lack there of was what he tried so hard to explain to me.  The system needs air, now we all know this principle all to well right turn the Milk jug straight up and down and what do you get chug chug chug – turn it to the side so air might seep in and you get a steady stream.  So the guy leaves returns with a 1.5 meters (5 feet) of white pipe.  With the blade of a hack saw, not a full saw just the blade, and cuts the water main that runs along the top of our house.  Builds another fire to heat the pipe and adds the air vent to our system.  Charges me 2,600 Afg and explains to me in Dari that it is fixed.  So I turn on the water in the kitchen and the bath the pressure is a bit better but he explains I need to pump more water to the roof to see the full effect.  I understand the tank might be close to empty and accept this answer.  The only issue is there is not electricity at the time to run the pump but he assures me its fixed we say our blessings and good bye as he leaves!

If you recall the Milk Jug example you know that this did help SOME. There is now a bit more cold water coming into the system but the hot water boilers yes that boilers plural will not fill. So I say something to one of our team members who seems to be a bit handy and he says he will find different plumber who will come tomorrow.

Our second week in Afghanistan has been what I would call a bit dry! You need not attempt to ready any thing into that other than DRY!!!  Our first week was getting to know the city dinner out at restaurants in the city and learning our way around. Day #6, I was determined we would have water in our Kitchen and Bath, so we could wash the mound of dishes and maybe take a bath that didn’t resemble a bucket and cup.

Actually the story begins on day #5 by asking a friend to call a plumber to install a western toilet. The phone calls were made and less than a hour latter here is some one to look at what is needed for the job, it is later in the day, and he promises to return first thing in the morning. The plumber came bright and early @ 2pm with a western toilet tied to the back of his bike, YES that’s right like the Queen Song “Bicycle Bicycle”.  As if this was not already strange enough that my new western toilet didn’t come in the back of white van with the name and cell of the plumber stenciled along the side.  It became really odd when he started the instillation, every one has stood and watched some one put a toilet in right – Well just incase you haven’t let me explain.  In the States most people use a small ring of wax to seal the porcelain object we so lovingly call the thrown to the plastic pipe that is in the floor, so the defecation and waste do not leak. Not in Afghanistan, no sir in Afghanistan we simply install the toilet and then build a large fire in the bowl heat the very object that was white pretty and some what clean so the plastic pipe that the thrown has been crammed into will not leak.   (And yes 8 days later it hasn’t leaked but we haven had water either so we will see) But that is another story all together.

While taking part in a game called Amazing Race  Mazir we dorve past a larg Rickshaw of Jugs, wow they do things much different here.   You know me camera in had I had to snap a few pictures.
We are loving the city while the sights and sounds are much different from those of America.    Jeni and I are working trying to get settled into our home learn a bit of language and figure out the store for food. ( Dad we are eating well)  I have been uploading pictures to facebook if you would like to see more of what we are experiancing.