Playing Blog Catch-up

The problem with being a bad blogger is having to catch up, and try to capture any memories before they fade from my mind.

I work in one compound and live in another. The only way between the compounds is about a 5 minute drive by hardcar. Our private security detail's policy (PSC) requires us to dawn body armor between the two locations. If there’s an upside to trudging around in the heavy armor, I’m getting some exercise.

On paper, my job states that I will be managing and mentoring/teaching a group of about 10 Afghan technical designers. So far, only one designer has been hired and is working with us. I welcome this because it allows me to spend a lot of time getting him trained and get some standards set up. This trainee can then be a go-to guy for the others when they come on board. I’m all about delegation.

The projects on the slate are not overly complex. They are all municipal improvement projects (parking lots, public latrines and solid waste disposal infrastructure). My biggest challenge is getting adequate field information. Right now I solely rely on locals taking photographs of a site, and then trying to reconstruct something from that. What I really want are trained surveyors, but as my supervisor has said several times in his thick Scottish broughe and with a cheeky smile, “This is Afghanistan.” Which basically means we have to make do with what we can get. Coming from the States I expected lower building and engineering standards, but what I didn’t expect was practically no standards. I suppose this is why I’m here.

I’m also doing my best to navigate the cultural politics. Afghanistan has few engineers, some with extensive building experience, but their methods are vastly different from the west. They have practical experience, with little or no academic training. In the west there is great emphasis on building safe, efficient, and economically sound projects. Here, it's all about making do with what you can find.

A dust storm blew in. The air has been filled with a fog of dust which gets all over everything. It clings to the skin and seems to wick the moisture from it.

Tomorrow is Mujahideen Victory Day, an the Afghan holiday.