hello from Baghlan

It's been almost three months since I've moved to Afghanistan. I've been quiet about stories and thoughts since in many ways I'm still dealing with some sensory overload. Of course everything is new to me...and even after three months, it still is. I have nothing clever or profound to say thus far (or maybe ever) about my time here since all I have gone through so far are pockets of experiences that I have yet failed to pull together into something of a story (or stories).

As some of you may know, I was in Vancouver for a week in November. After the visit, I realised it would be good to make an effort to keep those interested (yes, I am talking to the three of you who are still asking me to update my blog...) a window into what I'm up to here.

I admit I have been lazy with this blog...but I am interested in keeping in touch and this is my effort, albeit a delinquent effort, to share a bit of what's going on for me. There's facebook now, which means, this might be a bit passe. I've never been up with the techno-times though.

The timing of my trip to Vancouver was particularly significant - I was there for the last week of an 8 month negotiation course at SFU, I turned 30, and it was also the week of Darwin's funeral. Pretty dynamic week. The events of the week forced me to reflect on both life and death. I look at a man like Darwin, who I have known for the past 13 years, and who for many of those years was a significant part of my life, and realise how rare it is that we find people with the dedication, passion and energy he had to invest in people's lives. I can only hope to have a life that has impacted people as Darwin's has.