Preparations for the trip

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What to wear? seemed to be one of the biggest questions in my mind as I got closer to the actual departure date. Members of our group have received different information about what western women should wear in Afghanistan. My son, who served in Kabul and Kandahar said, "wear a burka with body armor underneath." He wasn't much help! The consensus of opinions seemed to be long pants, closed toed shoes, and a bulky tunic type shirt that goes down to right above the knees. I didn't want to waste a bunch of money on clothes that I'd never wear again, and have been told that while our laundry will be done at the place we are staying, we should have sturdy wash 'n wear clothes. I stumbled across a clearance sale at Stein Mart and loaded up on XL men's outdoorsy-type shirts that I plan to wear with jeans and cargo pants.

Next up - the scarf! We've been told that while outside of our compound, we will need to wear headscarves that cover our heads and drape our shoulders. Call me vain, but I don't want to look like a babuska girl with clashing scarves and attire, even if it is a war zone. I had a few scarves, but they were long and thin, for wrapping around the neck under a jacket. I became so desperate to find scarves at one point, I began looking at table linens, figuring that a tablecloth or table runner might have to do. Eventually, I found a selection of large faux cashmere scarves on clearance at Old Navy, so I bought an assortment of colors so I will never clash.

Passport - ruh-oh! To enter Afghanistan, you must apply for and have been granted a visa in advance. I filled out the form, sent it with my money order and passport to the Afghan embassy in DC, and waited...apparently, the overnight express mail is not delievered with ordinary mail, as my passport ended up in our mailbox, all by itself, over a weekend with heavy thunderstorms. When I retrieved it, the cardboard envelope it was in was mush, and the cover of the passport had "bled," leaving blue mildew-looking marks inside the two cover pages. Luckily, the pages are still totally legible and the lamination is intact, so I will not have to get a new passport. The inner pages of the passport are fine. Whew!

Five more days til I leave!

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Comments

[Amitav]

Hi Ms. Jumper
I am an Indian, studied in Hawaii Univ,Hawaii, and I have stayed in Afghanistan for 2months during Oct-Dec2004, as i had my dreams of working with NGO/UNHCR ( Now i work for an Airline though!!) Its a pretty straight country..Presuming you ll live in Kabul, dont go out before 0730am, dont come out of your residence after 2100hrs !! Try to arrange a local english speaking guy,(try to arrange someone in the age range of 18-20) they will always be there for you. Dont offer them money against service in their face, they doesnt like it.The guy who was with me, his name is "Hakim". Probably he is now working in one indian restaurant called "ANAAR" at NO.4 "SHER E NAW". Best place to stay is a locality called 'WAZIR E AKBAR KHAN' full of embassy and M16 holding US Marines! You will not face any probs for wearing Denims or Shirts, but avoid street taxis/cars, or walking in the market alone. Go to flower street to buy all the necessary "western" groceries, and "CHARA HI SIDARAT" square for more utility goods. The temp. will be ok now, and always carry handkerchief or a big towel to protect yourself from DUST ! I hope you will enjoy your stay, and dont get afraid of anything, Afghanis(NOT PUSTUNS THOUGH), are nice people, they will respect you and honour you. they will understand you a bit late :)...but they are trustworthy by any means.There are some good german food joints and an english brakfast places, i would recommend you to visit. have a nice stay. CHAO....Amit

[Sharon Jumper]

Thank you, Amit
I appreciate the advice. :) Sharon