It was only yesterday that I wrote about Dubai, but I already arrived at Kabul airport 3 hours ago and it all went surprisingly fast. Maybe you heard about the attack (BBC article) on President Karzai only a couple of hours ago here in Kabul. This happened during the military parade, part of the celebrations during revolution day. You can read the article for more details. It is safe where I am right now.
Because of the Wilders movie, the Dutch embassy is evacuated and if the situation worsens, such as attacks on specifically Dutch people then we have to be evacuated to a green zone as well. I think the situation is a bit worse than I expected, but there are very good security plans and measures and there are also Afghan people who guard the house and the offices.
The drive from the airport to the house I'm at was very impressive. You can definitely see all the destruction dating back to the Soviet invasion. But there are also apartment complexes and huge very fancy wedding halls being (re-)build, which is very hopeful.
Just a short update for now!
PS. For everyone who asked me questions about the weather: It doesn't get warmer than 36/37 degrees Celsius, because of the height. When the sun is down it can be very cold.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Dubai!
So I made it to Dubai this morning at 5:30 am. It was quite a hassle to get a visa, the man at the desk thought I didn't look much like my photo and asked me if my passport was really my own!
Anyways, quite a culture shock here! The first people I saw at the Dubai airport are either tourists or other funny people sleeping on chairs and men wearing the traditional white gowns and head scarfs. I did detect a trend though, some men wear there scarf to the left as girls who wear their hair to the left, some to the right and some all the way to the back (hard to explain without the hand movements!). As you can see on the photo's it is a pretty rich country and my Pakistani taxi driver (who took me on a 2-hour tour for only 100 Durham, 15 Euro) told me everything is basically built on sand. One of the towers on my pics is the highest building in Dubai and called the 8th wonder of the earth. We also drove past the King's Palace (Sheikh Mohammed's home, king of Dubai and Prime Minister of UAE) where they feed the birds at 5 pm so I got to see the most beautiful peacocks!
I have never seen so many luxurious hotels, office buildings and residential towers in my life (maybe Manhattan). But I also got to see the creek. Some parts of the creek are set apart by UNESCO to create wildlife there. I wonder if the birds, that are supposed to come and live there are also man-made...
Apparently over 80% of the Dubai population is foreign (according to my taxi driver). People from all over the world, whether already rich or hoping to become rich and see their dreams come true, come to Dubai to make their fortune. This gives Dubai a culturally diverse image. Both the Western oil people in their HUGE SUVs and yellow hummers and my taxi driver who left his family three years ago in Pakistan in order to provide them with a better life are examples.
The place where I'm staying at is next to a mosque. After living next to one on the West Bank I never thought I would like hearing their chanting again, but the singing actually gives me a homey feeling!
Anyways, the long shirt, pants, coat and scarf lie ready for me. Tomorrow at 5 am local time I will leave for the Dubai airport where my flight for Kabul leaves at 7:30 am. As I already wrote before, I happen to arrive on possibly one of the worst days to arrive: Afghan Day of Revolution.
I will keep you updated!
Anyways, quite a culture shock here! The first people I saw at the Dubai airport are either tourists or other funny people sleeping on chairs and men wearing the traditional white gowns and head scarfs. I did detect a trend though, some men wear there scarf to the left as girls who wear their hair to the left, some to the right and some all the way to the back (hard to explain without the hand movements!). As you can see on the photo's it is a pretty rich country and my Pakistani taxi driver (who took me on a 2-hour tour for only 100 Durham, 15 Euro) told me everything is basically built on sand. One of the towers on my pics is the highest building in Dubai and called the 8th wonder of the earth. We also drove past the King's Palace (Sheikh Mohammed's home, king of Dubai and Prime Minister of UAE) where they feed the birds at 5 pm so I got to see the most beautiful peacocks!
I have never seen so many luxurious hotels, office buildings and residential towers in my life (maybe Manhattan). But I also got to see the creek. Some parts of the creek are set apart by UNESCO to create wildlife there. I wonder if the birds, that are supposed to come and live there are also man-made...
Apparently over 80% of the Dubai population is foreign (according to my taxi driver). People from all over the world, whether already rich or hoping to become rich and see their dreams come true, come to Dubai to make their fortune. This gives Dubai a culturally diverse image. Both the Western oil people in their HUGE SUVs and yellow hummers and my taxi driver who left his family three years ago in Pakistan in order to provide them with a better life are examples.
The place where I'm staying at is next to a mosque. After living next to one on the West Bank I never thought I would like hearing their chanting again, but the singing actually gives me a homey feeling!
Anyways, the long shirt, pants, coat and scarf lie ready for me. Tomorrow at 5 am local time I will leave for the Dubai airport where my flight for Kabul leaves at 7:30 am. As I already wrote before, I happen to arrive on possibly one of the worst days to arrive: Afghan Day of Revolution.
I will keep you updated!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Almost...
Just one quick message before I leave. Tomorrow I'll be catching the 10:30 am train from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to fly from there (through Schiphol!!!) to Dubai. I'll be spending a little bit over a day there before I leave early Sunday morning to Kabul. Imagine the double culture shock... On top of that, Sunday April 27th 2008, the first day I'll be walking Afghan soil, the Afghans celebrate their day of Revolution. That should be exciting!
Anyways, I just picked up a very fancy flash recorder from work so expect lots of sound bytes and documentaries from me. At least, if I can find a way to post them online! But you can hear them on GrootNieuwsRadio!
Not much more to tell at the moment, but hopefully I can write a little something when I'm in Dubai drinking the most expensive cappuccino, or hopefully latte, ever! (thanks Amy!)
Anyways, I just picked up a very fancy flash recorder from work so expect lots of sound bytes and documentaries from me. At least, if I can find a way to post them online! But you can hear them on GrootNieuwsRadio!
Not much more to tell at the moment, but hopefully I can write a little something when I'm in Dubai drinking the most expensive cappuccino, or hopefully latte, ever! (thanks Amy!)
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Preparations...
Many of you have asked me to keep them updated before and after, but mostly during my trip to Kabul, Afghanistan. Well, here I am, writing my first blog for all of you who are interested.
One of the main questions I should answer is probably why I am going to Kabul, Afghanistan. The ones of you who know me, know that I have always been very interested in the position of women and how women can be empowered. I believe women are not always used to their maximum potential and their capabilities are sometimes ignored or simply forgotten. This is most definitely also the case during (post-conflict) reconstruction. During my studies (Conflict Resolution and Governance) these past couple of months, I've become very fascinated with the role women could and should play during the reconstruction of their country after war and conflict. Empowering women will help with the process of rebuilding a country, because there are a lot of good things women can add, because they are women and because they experience things different than men and have different needs. This is also the case for Afghanistan. (I realize for the academics amongst you, this may sound very normative, but you are more than welcome to read my thesis. The goal of this blog is to share my passions and experiences with you.)
For my MA thesis of the program Conflict Resolution and Governance I am going to Kabul to visit women who participate in self help groups. The goals of these groups are to empower women and strengthen their position in society as well as within their family. My goal is to research their effectiveness and how they play a role in rebuilding the civil society of Afghanistan.
My hope and passion is to see a transformation happening from wartime victims to peacebuilding victors (thanks Nahmyo!). I believe women who were victims of terrible atrocities can become active in changing their community, their society, their world. I know it is possible, it has happened before. Think of Rwanda. Strengthening Governance: The Role of Women in Rwanda's Transition
In exactly 18 days I will leave from Amsterdam through Dubai to Kabul. I will record my experiences here. This is the place where you can find my pictures, my stories and hopefully some sound bytes. Will you travel with me?
One of the main questions I should answer is probably why I am going to Kabul, Afghanistan. The ones of you who know me, know that I have always been very interested in the position of women and how women can be empowered. I believe women are not always used to their maximum potential and their capabilities are sometimes ignored or simply forgotten. This is most definitely also the case during (post-conflict) reconstruction. During my studies (Conflict Resolution and Governance) these past couple of months, I've become very fascinated with the role women could and should play during the reconstruction of their country after war and conflict. Empowering women will help with the process of rebuilding a country, because there are a lot of good things women can add, because they are women and because they experience things different than men and have different needs. This is also the case for Afghanistan. (I realize for the academics amongst you, this may sound very normative, but you are more than welcome to read my thesis. The goal of this blog is to share my passions and experiences with you.)
For my MA thesis of the program Conflict Resolution and Governance I am going to Kabul to visit women who participate in self help groups. The goals of these groups are to empower women and strengthen their position in society as well as within their family. My goal is to research their effectiveness and how they play a role in rebuilding the civil society of Afghanistan.
My hope and passion is to see a transformation happening from wartime victims to peacebuilding victors (thanks Nahmyo!). I believe women who were victims of terrible atrocities can become active in changing their community, their society, their world. I know it is possible, it has happened before. Think of Rwanda. Strengthening Governance: The Role of Women in Rwanda's Transition
In exactly 18 days I will leave from Amsterdam through Dubai to Kabul. I will record my experiences here. This is the place where you can find my pictures, my stories and hopefully some sound bytes. Will you travel with me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
