Hey! Hey! It's Friday!

Friday is a holy day for muslims, so naturally we get Fridays off. Sundays function as Mondays, which isn't as weird as it sounds, everything being relative. Weekends are usually a much anticipated holiday from the daily grind, unless you live here, in which case you're under house arrest, completely alone...except for 2 guards, 2 ducks, 2 ducklings (the other 8 were eaten by Mamma Cass), the wild cat Mamma Cass and her 5 kittens.
At first I fought the system.
I insisted on getting out. The raison d'etre for the System is ever elusive Security. The fact is that we live in a really peaceful part of Afghanistan, it was the final outpost against the Taliban. If you google Taloqan you're bound to get a lot of info on its eventual fall in 2001. Now things are cool. We have a few roads! Real ones, that don't make you throw up or dislocate anything. Some innovative dudes sell soft serve! This despite no electricity or running water. It's really incredible, in neon pink wafer cones. We refer to it as Giardia-in-a-cone. If you don't know what Giardia is, count yourself blessed. So really I couldn't see why we shouldn't get out for a stroll once in a while.
I dragged J through deep snow and too much mud and detritus to mention. Until I cracked under the glares.
Something you may not realise is that women are never ever seen in public here. Never. If you see them they are scuttling by in precarious Chinese plastic court shoes smothered from head to ankle in invariably blue, though sometimes white (nothing like choice), burqas. That much has not changed. I made a documentary on some of the remarkable women in this community which also contributed to me never wanting to leave my compound again.
It's the Wild West folks. Headlines in the local paper yesterday -- our Police Chief disappeared overnight with a big bag of heroin. Another little kid dies from 'sexual aggression.' The Women's Department shelters a few more girls forced into marriage. You get the gist of it.
Perhaps my outlook is too bleak.
It really doesn't help that we returned to a shattered Kabul. The pic above is what was left of our organisation's vehicle after a mob decided to do away with our coworker. He escaped by the skin of his teeth.
And every time I switch on BBC World they're advertising what a dreadful job is being done by NGOs in Afghanistan. Thanks for the good press! Exactly what's needed to get the cooperation of the people. If there is waste and misuse of funds perhaps they should drop the N from NGO and have a look...