Quick update

Just a quick note that I am back in Mazar e-Sharif. Yes, yes, I have lots to tell and I have not written in a few days. And it has been a busy few days indeed. Recent trips and meetings include a visit to Kabul University to meet with a lovely old professor of History, a visit to the National Museum of Afghanistan to discuss the Cultural Center I am planning in Mazar with the director of the museum, and a visit to the amazing Turquoise Mountain Foundation (TMI).

TMI was founded a few years ago by the award winning author of the New York Times bestseller "The Places in Between" (recently lauded as one of the ten best books of 2006) that traces the steps of his hike across Afghanistan (yes, ALL of it) in 2003. Among other things he was the summer tutor to Princes Harry and William in the 1990s, for a pretty impressive cv thanks to our friends at Wikipedia, click here. And all that to tell you that I met with him as well to discuss our cultural center, since - well, he has a very successful one!

Back to Mazar via ICRC flight, piloted this time by Captains Jan en Jaco from Pretooooooria, it was a stunning flight aboard one of my favorite planes, the King Air. I sat in the very front seat so I could get the full view of the runway as we charged down to rotate at 85-knots. Okay, I won't do a whole plane post again.

Things in Mazar are good, although it seems I was gone for three weeks, not ten days. Amazing how things can just seem to move on so quickly when one is not around. It is also about 42 degrees Celsius (haven't exactly confirmed that yet, so could be hotter) - particularly fun without air conditioning. But no worries, I have grown accustomed to the dabbing of tears in eyes due to fan blowing full-speed on face. No wonder I packed a suitcase full of moisturizers.

Alas, I have much to tell, and little time to do it now, but tomorrow I will write about my visit today to an all-girls school to watch one of our Hygiene Education Trainers in action, really cool.