All quiet in Kabul

Nothing new except for a spike in intestinal IgE. I'm ok with it--it means I've been eating adventurously. I think it came from some homemade samosa things deep-fried to a flaky perfection with mashed potatoes, veggies and spices inside, but maybe from the ice or water in a tangy but unidentifiable pink drink. Both things my expat companions shied away from; both things went in (and came out of) my gullet fast. Ha! Sorry. Its really nothing out of control , no worries.

I think it did take its toll on me a bit though, because last night I slept from 1800 to 0600 straight. By this morning my poor foam matress was indented so much by my body, it felt like I was climbing out of a canoe!

Going to watch the Germany-Argentina game at the Germany Embassy compound. Should be fun and crowded, and they have a nice restaurant there, projection screen outside, and the best beers. I realize it may not be the best place to be if Germany gets beaten. Is beer as tasty if its shared with crabby Germans?
(Photo at left of George and I. Might be seen better if open in new window.)

Hope you all are having fun!
I'll be here in Kabul until I fly to Pak on Monday.

UN Heaven

Ok, ok, that was admittedly lazy blogging to just put up 4 photos in the previous post. I've changed it now.

Tonight was a party for one of our best midwife trainers, who is leaving after a year and half of work up here in Jalalabad. She's next to me; on the left is another IMC HQ person; the lady in the white works with jailed Afghan women and women's prison guards.

Nangahar province borders Pakistan, and its very religious. ALL women are in burkhas, no matter what; beating and jailing your wife is normal and accepted; i met a doctor today who said she must have 18 children because that's what her husband insists. One a year for 18 years. (She is in her 4th year of marriage and is at 40 weeks with her 4th child.) We joked about family planning, but it hurts my heart.

Maybe i'm getting softer in my old age, but i was also almost in tears while touring Sheik Mesry returnee camp for Afghans who were previously living in Pakistan. It is one of the harshest places I have ever seen, and its where the government designated for thousands of returnees. Its about 25 minutes outside of Jalalabad on the wildest drive that I have been on in a long long time. Our Afghan driver was manhandling that Land Cruiser up and down rocky passes and through not quite dried-up river beds. It was so fun I couldn't stop shrieking and laughing. But the township itself is so sad, and it boggles the mind what people are forced to live with (and without.) It is the epitome of desolate and harsh. We run an outreach clinic there 2x/week (photo.)

I wasn't so generous with the photos at the public ceremony beforehand. With men, I just don’t like it, I feel like a zoo animal. They kept sneaking up to me with their cameras so I wrapped myself up like a ninja too, and put on my big sunglasses. I suppose I should be more gracious, or even magnanimous, but I just get creeped out.

We went back to the Kunar province office for lunch. I eat like a man now, I swear. I am so famished by lunch time! Had a whole plate of lamb, an amount of bread that could feed a family, oily but delicious greens, spicy potatoes, melon, pepsi, and a watery yogurt drink I didn’t even like. Oh, and my muscles are seriously atrophied--I feel them twitch as they die. But, I don’t seem to be gaining any weight. I like this life so far… But, I'm sure building back my running endurance in the oppressive summer heat of DC will be as painful as pigging out here is pleasing. Can't wait.

Here's a photo I call Come Mister Taleban, Tally Me Banana....(daylight come and me wanna go home.)

I'll be back in Kabul soon and then to similarly hot Pakistan next week. I don't want this trip to ever end! Its put a fierce travel bug back in me, so consider yourselves warned....

Bye!

How are these photos connected ? (winner gets a burkha)

(The competition is off, since I gave all the answers in the subsequent post and am now pasting them here. But, if you want a burkha let me know and i'll pick on up for you.)

I'm staying in Jalalabad, at the UN guesthouse (photo.) It is like heaven on earth (and the place i will disappear into contented oblivion, if i ever need to.) Its got brilliant people from all over the world, an inside and poolside bar, all the delicious food and fruit you can eat, a gym, air conditioning, daily laundry service, green space and a garden, a dartboard in my room, and theatre TV for World Cup games. (i can't wait for the brazil-france game.) Diving in the pool after 10 hours in 120F weather is my new favorite feeling.

This is an aerial photo from the UNOperations/World Food Program plane to Jalalabad (same one i'll probably take to Peshawar, Pakistan.) Jalalabad is the largest city in the eastern region province of Nangahar.

The third photo is of Bernard, from Uganda, and his box of Ugandan vodka made from bananas. Inside the box are little plastic pouches of 60 ml--perfect for a cocktail, and highly transportable! Didn't I say these people were brilliant?

Fourth photo of the previous post is of the 76 midwives who graduated from the Institute of Health Sciences today, trained by us. The ceremony was held at the Council of Tribal Elders which was very nice. The women all showed up in burkhas, but took them off and assumed the ninja position. We later had a private reception for them and their female family members , and it was total chaos. Regardless of the fact that no one knew who I was, I ended up presenting each one with a wrapped gift, shaking their hand, and saying Congratulations (in English—how stupid is that?). The director of the program was engrossed in keeping freeloading men from scarfing our lunch, so I stood in. But no midwife came up in order, I'd get bumrushed by 5 different women, and their families at one time. I'd hopefully hand the gift to the midwife in the group--she was usually getting gaudy garlands thrown around her neck, and confetti dumped on her head, then the family would grab me and we'd pose for a flurry of photographs. For SEVENTY-SIX people. I couldn't stop laughing. But, every one was excited and happy, it was a beautiful, joyous affair.

I DO do work here, I just don't write about it.

Went to Mass Sunday night at the Italian embassy-- people from everywhere! indian nuns, soldiers from all over, italians, tons of filipinos, french, africans, it was great. the priest spoke in italian, readings were in tagalog, french, and english. the filipinos ruled the choir--they manned the electric keyboard as well. some songs sounded like asian pop songs, which was also entertaining. i sat in the front row so got to see all the different ways people from all over the world take communion. all the soldiers piled their guns, helmets, and flak jackets up outside. it was hot as blazes in there, so thankfully, it wasn't a long Mass. the priest was wearing black standard-issue italian military boots, which also tripped me out.

Then we went to the international security assistance force (ISAF)--kind of akin the the Green Zone in B-dad, but much more international. Its the military HQ for all the forces here in Kabul. One soldier told me there are 32 countries represented, but the majority are the Brits.
Its so nice to go there, bc I can wear a tank top, go to the gym, get western food and snacks, play futbol and volleyball, and watch the World Cup games on a big screen in a huge bar, where beers are only ONE EURO! i went a little nuts.

And last night was so fricking hot, with no breeze, i couldn't sleep at all. I can only open one window since one side of the house has constant reekage of sewage. I have other funny things to tell you about the guesthouse but i'll do it later and post pictures along with.

Tonight we went to this great French restaurant in Kabul. It was so delicious and such an amazing atmosphere. Its outside with all kinds of fruit trees and foliage, and lights and candels, full bar, big projector screen. That game-deciding foul in the italy-aus game pissed me off, by the way. But, I've finally found my haven! (besides the ISAF.) Tons of young expats from all over the world, speaking all kinds of European languages (and chain-smoking), cocktails, really great food, and good music . There's even a pool, and they serve the best coffee in Kabul, supposedly.
Oh, in the photo is our security guy from S. Africa, a program manager from India, a roving operations lady from the LA office, and our finance guy from Kenya.

I'm going on a trip for a few days within Afghanistan, but I will probably have email access. I'll let you know how it went and share photos afterwards.
Talk to you later.

My Saturday

Swaddled. At an ultrasound unveiling for the maternity hospital.

Fotos

Here are some Kabul photos. I have tons, so let me know if you want to see more. Why the underline? I don't know. I can't change it.


Anyway, Itake most pictures from the car, since I would not feel ok whipping it out on thetreet. So I've learned to take photos really quick, like at a huge pothole, security checkpoint, or traffic jam. (which is why there's a strange glare, sorry.) We were stuck behind this Pakistani tanker for a bit, so I got to catch this cutie:

There is only one IT person in all of Mac-istan and she is traveling from Geneva to the Bahamas. Hopefully later the underline and the foto layout problemas will be rectified.)

I am eating more than mangoes, Mom

Hi All,
I want to say thanks to my aunt patti for making me sound like a slacker. The McCarthy's are a tough bunch, they are. Well, today I also slacked since Friday is the weekend. We went to the house of one of the hospital directors, which was a big honor (she was hand-picked by Karzai.) Here's a picture of the lunch she cooked for us. And this wasn't even all of it. I couldn't fit it in the frame. It was outstanding. I ate so much but really I couldn't fit in ma belly more than a bit of everything. Her littlest son did this cute handwashing thing beforehand. He had so much personality I couldn't believe it--jesturing and entertaining us like a professional comedian.

We were all sitting on floor so thankfully, I could just lie back on the comfortable pillows to digest and enjoy the company. The Afghans told stories about the Taleban--some funny (now), and some just terrible. Its been interesting to see how some of our western-dressing local staff looked during the Taleban years--with the turbans and beards they were forced to wear. They would have scared me then, but now I drop by their office for a chat and a laugh. Tells you something (you already knew) about appearances.... Here's our lunch group. In case you can't spot me, I'm on the right.

After lunch we went to the Hotel Intercontinental. I used to treat myself to an evening there in Jordan sometimes, or just sit on their veranda and smoke the hookah with friends. It later got car-bombed. (I think I have a knack for frequenting places that later get bombed--like the UN HQ in Iraq and some hotels in Baghdad.) I bought the full-on long shirt, pajama pants, and matching long scarf. I'll try to send a picture for you to laugh at. And I got some other long shirts and a bag, all made by Afgan refugees living in Pakistan. There were so many gifts I wanted to buy for everyone, but I'd need a whole trunk to take it home. Which wouldn't be all that difficult, except that I have to fly on a small ICRC plane to Pakistan first. I'll get stuff for you guys in Paksistan instead.
Here's a photo of the lovely Kabul mountains. Next post will be all photos so you can get a better idea of what the city is like.
Besos, Ciao.

Backlog backblog #1: Dubai and Flight to Kabul

I didn't get to my friends in Dubai that I wanted to. A few Lebanese guys who were our neighbors in Baghdad made millions there and now live in Dubai. These were the ones that built us IMC women (photo of Sarah, Amanda and me) a pool in their front yard so we would hang out over there more often. I know most of you already know that story, but I don't think I ever had any pictures to show you (thank you mandarino.) Its nice, eh? No photos of the amazing waterballet routine amanda and i perfected, but at least you can see in the background evidence of the international water polo grudge matches that went on between staff.

Anyway, got relegated to the small terminal at Dubai airport (although the Duty Free was just as impressive) where the little planes fly to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, etc. It was actually nice to hear Arabic again. I really like it and it was fun to know what what gates they were talking about when they'd announce it in Arabic--since I was making little headway with Russian and Azeri. The flight to Kabul had all the usual suspects: the lifelong NGO workers with their somewhat local garb but expensive travel gear; the UN workers with their vest and backpacks; US contractors with buzzcuts harking back to their military days; turbaned men in robes; Korean business men in suits; and ones I couldn't classify if I tried.
Here's the plane:
It was really comfortable on the airplane and the european flight attendants were sweet, but the contrast from yesterday's flight made me chuckle. Instead of oily but yummy curried beef/chicken with red wine and vodka, we got 2 whitebread sandwiches with no crust and some white mush salad in the middle (i guess i'm NOT eating just anything these days) and juice. and some brown biscuits for dessert. And while it was nice to have to three seats to myself, I was kinda missing the Russian lady's big tush on my leg....

But, the flight was great. I think I just love traveling, or being in transit, I should say. Everything is fleeting and exciting, and you're somewhat unreachable and unstoppable, and responsible for nothing--for some reason that just makes me happy. One my favorite transits was being in a tiny, tin can of a plane flying over and between the soaring snowy Himalayas in Nepal. But being in a stinky filthy overnight bus in southern Bolivia was just as fun. The only time I hate being in transit is the x-country flight to SF. Then, four/five hours drives me mad since I can't ever wait to be on the ground and start the fun.

Flying into Kabul was cool too. Sprawling city of 4 million (? fact checker?) surrounded by mountains. Next post I'll put more about Kabul itself and show you where I'm living. Here's a photo from the plane.

Parwan

Hi Kiddies,
Went to Parwan district today to see a great midwifery program that IMC runs, funded by the World Bank. I'm going to go out to dinner and to a bar so can't post much now. Believe me, it hurts me just as much as you. I'm bursting with things to tell you, and pictures to share. So far, I really love Afghanistan. Everything to me is a really great photo or moment frozen in time. I'll post a few here. Kabul has a really interesting pulse, and the more I see of the city, the more I like. Hopefully will do some shopping and sightseeing this weekend. Friday and Saturday are the weekend days here, so I plan on posting a bunch then.


Here are some photos from both on the way to Parwan, and in the main town, whose name I forgot. The one with the camels are nomads called Koochies (phonetically spelled.) The photo up top is an example of the mud that all the houses and walls are built out of all over the place, even in Kabul. The two kids by the bikes are just that. And the man with the bikes actually is sewing on a sewing machine, if you look closely you can tell. Bikes are all over Kabul, everyone and their grandfather (not grandmother--no women) are on bikes. Burkas are all over the place too. I would say about 40% of women I see on the street are in burkhas.
The one with the car is for you, Ruby. Its called, "Would'ya get in the boot?!" (Which is what Ruby and I would say to cute men while we were tearing around Wales.-boot means trunk in the UK and Aus.)

more excuses

Hi All!
I'm sorry I've been MIA. Actually, I shouldn't say that in these circumstances. I've just been tired at night but have to deal with personnel issues, and drink beer with the finance guys. Kabul is cool though, and I feel safe--as long as I'm tightly swaddled around the head. here's one pic from my roommate (little crazy with the zoom in my opinion.) I have a green headscarf too, but people sort of freak out about my eyes when I wear it. Got my fruit yesterday, which is one of my favorite things to do in any country. Gorgeous mangoes!!!!! (I eat them day and night) And great cherries, peaches, watermelon, plums. I'm going to Parwan today to check out a midwifery training program. Will be back later today. What's tomorrow? I'll post soon, I promise. I have so much to tell you, I'm going to have to do a bunch of back-logged entries (starting w/ the flight over here) so you'll have lots to read.
Besos!

Kabul Communications

ay yay, i was too tired to post last night. But, by the time you wake up, wonders of prose and photos will await you, I promise.

If any one needs to reach me by phone in the next 2 weeks, dial the following to reach me on my mobile: 011 93 799 460 712. Its on me most of the time. You can also reach me by CB radio at [breaker breaker breaker] India Mike Charlie 7.

Oh, gosh, and the world would be such a happier place if everyone downloaded Skype (www.skype.com.) Its easier than 1-2-3, and you can talk or instant message to anyone in the world for free, clear as a bell, even if you have a dial up connection. Just download it on your computer, pick a user name (mine is cmccarthy.imc), buy a headset, and call me when you're done.
This is the security gentleman who gave me all these goodies--my cell, CB, and sweeping travel restrictions (red and brown on the computerized map= no-go per the UN, darnit.)
Kabul is very green on the map, so no worries.
I'm off to a hospital. We have a projecet through DHHS to reduce maternal mortality at a certain maternity hospital.
Have great Mondays!

Kabul Kabul Kabul

I'm here, its great. The guesthouse is really nice. I'll send photos soon. Just got back from the office, we're heading out to a Lebanese restaurant now, and to show me a bit of Kabul. I'll add to this later tonight.

Dubai

Ooooh, I'm so excited. Its 0200 and I'm in my hotel in Dubai. I'm way too psyched to sleep, plus there is too much to enjoy in this hotel room of mine. I guess I lied about the no more fluffy bathrobe and slippers, 'cause guess what I'm wearing right now?!! I also have all kind of fruits and chocolates and its a beautiful room, all kind of fun things in the bathroom too. They looked at me like I was nuts for asking if the gym was open (its not, unfortunately.) The bed is gorgeous, and there's a big flat screen TV.

I flew on Azeribaijan Airlines, which was surprisingly nice. The food was good (I eat anything these days....) and the wine was flowing. Three glasses on a 1.5 hour flight isn't too bad, right? I had some tea to sober up. Man, the wotka was flowing too. I was wondering why the flight attendants were giving out so many small glasses of water, until I remembered I was still with Azeris.

I sat next to two large Russian women, one of which tried to gank my aisle seat and stick me in the middle between them! She was motioning to me to sit in the middle and making feel-bad-for-me-noises, and then started gesturing at her large breasts and my, well, you've seen the pictures, as if that were justification for making me sit in the middle! Niet. I was like, shit, if that's the way the world worked I'd get nothing in life--move it, cectpa.

They played the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. No one was watching or listening to it, though, since people were hanging out in groups getting drunk on free vodka. But I was cracking up! That movie is funny! The Russian lady and I became friends again after I accidentally smacked her leg at a funny part. And when the the lady in the movie puts on that horrible wedding gown and sees herself for the first time and goes, "I'm a snow beast" I busted out laughing but the Russian lady really liked the dress, "very beautiful!" umm, that's about all for the plane ride. Oh, except for when we landed at midnight the temperature read a cool 93F. Back in the Gulf....

The airport was totally thrilling, stupid as that sounds. All kinds of things going on, and super modern, but colorful and energizing. I can't even explain was so cool. I was watching part of the US match w/ Italy on a huge mounted TV while on the moving walkway. What a crazy physical game! I was walking backwards (staying in place) on the walkway so I could see more of the game, but there was a group of men in robes and women in black with only their eyes uncovered approaching, which, for some reason, made me not want to be too much of a jackass.

But, I made some good of my short time here--I went shopping. The stores are overwhelming. I could've stayed in there for hours. I got a great TINY little camera!! yeah!! Its a little late in the game, I know, and I've already missed taking a lot of great shots--especially yesterday of the Caspian Sea and the Old City--but at least I can post some good ones from Afg and Pak, ensha'allah.

I bought the smallest camera they had, its a Sony SXC-T9. I'm sure it does tons of things I will never use, but I basically got it for free. [I got USD 100/day in Baku (~1000 bucks) but it was so hard to pay for things there, with men being so chivalrous (love it.) So, I had room service and laundry bills, and a few rounds of drinks from my pub, and my silk head scarf but that was it. Paid in cash for the camera. Ba-boom.]

Anyway, Dubai seems nice from what I can tell. I made the reluctant driver give me a mini-tour of the city at 1 in the morning. But it all kind of looked the same--nice roads and road signs, tons of shopping, bilboards, hotels, palms, all kind of people and restaurants. If I weren't traveling on some one else's dime, I could definitely stay a few days. I have read a lot about the "hidden" sides of Dubai, where suffering, oppression, and modern day slavery exist and are condoned, so sort of dulls the shine for me.

Being here reminds me of some of the places I still want to go in the Middle East. Like Lebanon (mainly Beirut) and Syria. Damascus is supposed to be absolutely beautiful. And Georgia is now climbing my list, and, of course, Turkey. I've been reading this book called Ali and Nino which takes place in Azerbaijan, Iran, and Georgia before the first World War. Its fascinating; I wish I had read it before I left.

I should have some great photos from dinner Friday night at a caravan sarai--where people and their caravans would stay when they came into Baku. It was beautiful, or course, and had traditional music and dancers, gorgeous carpets and wonderful food. The vodka was in tall, narrow-stemmed glasses this time, and they didn't let you have an empty glass for long. Lovely long night again. So, I'll post those, and some of the old city, when my friends there send them to me.
I can't believe I'm finally going to Afghanistan! I'm so excited.
Ok, hope you're having nice weekends. Thanks for all your comments and for reading! Love you guys!

Real Deal

Going to Afghanistan tomorrow! No more European vacation. Won't be any fluffy bathrobes and slippers. I'm really excited, though. I fly to Dubai Saturday evening, just for an overnight stay. Then fly on a UN flight into Kabul. I arrive in Kabul on Sunday afternoon.

I wish I had more time in Dubai, just to see all the sights (that famous hotel with sails, and the indoor ski hill, and the beaches, of course.) And I know a few people who live there--the Lebanese guys who built us (the IMC women in Baghdad) a pool in their front yard in Baghdad. They made so much money in Baghdad doing pre-fab housing and toilet/sanitation units for the army, they are multi-millionaires now. Not bad people to know in Dubai..... I guess another time.
So, tonight is my last night in Baku. Going to a traditional Azeri restaurant for a big meal with all the staff and consultants. There are a bunch of consultants here working on IMC projects-from Hopkins, CDC, Abt Associates, etc. They're working on injury surveillance systems, public health reform, communication on bird flu, and emergency medicine training. All things I'm interested in, so its been fun to talk shop a bit with the experts. Should be a fun night. Hopefully will end at our pub for beers and late night futbol. The owner has promised to give me one of the cool World Cup t-shirts that the waitstaff wear since I've spent so much time there. He's a doll.

Gotta run. Have quick Fridays and great weekends!

There’s more to Sheki than sheep balls

Other stuff we saw that day was a palace from the 18th century, I think. It had trees outside from the 5th century. The inside was all hand-painted walls and ceilings and colored glass windows hand-laid with tiny carved wood pieces. I’ll put pictures up. It was stunning.


And then we went to an Albanian church, the beginnings of which were in 2-1 BC! (what's in the pic has been renovated.) There were old crypts dug up and you could see all the bones and bodies. So crazy old. There were even animal bones up at the altar from the old Christian/pagan sacrifices. We had to climb up some windy stone roads. Just put the massive Land Cruiser into 4-wheel and got up some roads a horse would’ve had trouble on. Very medieval feeling—like the back alleys of Kilkenny, Ireland.

I learned so much about the history of Azerbaijan, and the Caucasus in general. How a lot of Iran used to be Azerbaijan (all Persia, I assume), and after a war 1808 (?) between Iran and Russia, they sort of divided it. But there are more Azeris in Iran than Iranians. Plus there are so many Turks, Turk descendants, Kurds, and more in Iran. Most of the Iranian army used to be Azeris, and all the major shahs were actually Azeris too. The guide said not many people not from this region know that. Shia Muslim is what most Azeris are. Thor Heyerdahl (Con-tiki 2 anyone? Didn’t he try to prove the Phoenicians could have made it to America on a reed raft centuries before Columbus? Wasn’t the raft called the Con-tiki, which sank, and the Con-tiki 2, which also sank? We need a Mac-istan fact checker. Volunteers?) Oh, but Thor Heyerdahl has a theory that Norwegians are actually descendants of Azeris.

Oh, and we stayed at this amazing ancient hotel. Here’s a picture. It was like a castle too. Beautiful, all made of stone, all the walls and arches. But very nice inside. I slept on the couch though because the mattresses were like mush, but it was still nice.

Watched a lamb get butchered while the guys bought some breakfast. Then we drove the 4 hours home.

I’ve been amazed at what I can sleep through now, being so profoundly jet-lagged. The road between Sheki and Baku has some off-roading areas in the mountains due to construction, which makes for an exciting ride. And I was had to hang on for dear life through some the switchbacks. But on the way to Sheki I slept like a baby, sitting up, through all of that. Very surprising for someone who was kept awake by the gurgling of the air conditioner last night while in a comfy bed.
I’ve got to try to post this now. I say try because I know she can be testy sometimes, Mama Blogspot.

Speaking of mama blogspot, i have had much better success in writing comments and loading photos if i use Mozilla Firefox as a browser instead of explorer. It only takes a second to download, and all the cool people use it. No, they've moved on to cooler things, but Mozilla is still better than Internet Explorer. Am I Ron?

You guys are gross

Why do you want to hear more about the sheep balls? I’d like to just let them digest in my stomach in peace, pass through my intestines, and let my duped body absorb whatever components of them it wants to recirculate. Mom, what parts of the sheep testicle will stay with me?
Moving on…. I didn’t know what they were beforehand. After the third course of innocuous-looking and tasty meats on a shish, I stopped asking. And by innocuous-looking I mean it was clearly the hin leg of a sheep, or something else slightly recognizable in an anatomical sense. Nothing even as bloody as the steaks Cori made me before I left. :)

It was the fourth course that had the skewered balls. They weren’t even round (I’m not an idiot.) They looked like sliced chicken breast. That should have clued me in, though, since all the other courses I had to struggle with the chunks of fat before I tore the meat from the bones with my teeth.

Like I said in the comments, I just happened to be too full for courses 5 and 6, otherwise I would have eaten some animal’s kidney, and some other animal’s (or maybe the same animal’s) liver and stomach muscles. Darn. Had a lovely desert special to Sheki—monkey tongue. Just kidding. But there was a monkey on a leash tied to a tree. The trainer found reason to beat it during lunch, which was not fun to listen to. I put a picture here of it. Anyway, desert was some ground walnut pasty business. And tea made in a samovar. (You’re going to have to google that one, I don’t have the energy to explain it.)


The wodka was gooooood though. Darn darn good. It wasn’t even that chilled, but it was smooth. It was from the Ukraine, and clearly warranted lengthy toasts. (And I though Ron’s mom said a long Grace!) But the vodka toasts were even longer, and peppered with Ensha’allahs. All in all, the lunch was 3 hours. Three hours!

(To the tune of Poppin' My Collar by three 6 mafia)

Ever since I can remember I been droppin' my knowledge....

Baghdad, 2003













Baku, 2006




(is this funny to anyone else? Its almost the same picture! Droppin' the knowledge like its hot!)

Happy Birthday, Da

Every June 13th, my dad turns 29.

"I hurted myself!"

(Until I bring you all the lavish gifts I got you from Asia, this photo (and hopefully a chuckle) is all I can do for a present.)

Hope its been great!

SHEEP BALLS

I happened to eat sheep testicles yesterday. I will tell you about it in a later post because there are lots of good stories I have to tell you from beautiful Sheki. (I just got back this after noon but will probably have to post later so I can get some work done. : )

Photos from Gange and Yevlakh

4:30 pm AZ time

Here's some photos I couldn't post from my (hotel dial-up) on Sunday night:

This is the outside of the Gange ER that was done by IMC (right) and a renovated room. (To be compared with the unrenovated room picture further below.)


We did a workshop on the Emergency Medicine program last Saturday with presentations from two of IMC's staff who will be in charge of it, and then two people (out of a group of 10) that IMC sent to the states to learn about injury prevention. That's the thing I didn't want to talk about--creating a powerpoint presentation in Azeri with a CRAZY lady. OH my lord, I never knew I had so much patience. I'll post a picture of us below. But, after the presentations we went to the new ERs in both Gange and Yevlakh (these pictures are from Gange.)

OOh, some of you guys on the east coast are waking up, so I'm going to post this now, but will post lots more pictures today.
Besos!

Roughin' It

Hi All,
You guys make me feel so good, you're reading this and making comments!! Sorry I've been offline for a while. We got back from Ganje on Saturday night and, (instead of posting) we went out to a pub to watch some futbol, then went to a small club, then went to a fun nightclub--til 0500, or so. This Euro-schedule is working out well with my jet-lag. I am so tired I can't form sentences during the day. But, about 5pm or so (0800 EST) I totally wake up and have tons of energy. So, having dinner around 10pm, then going out until 0500 (8pm EST) is perfect!

Today I spent the day at the Hyatt hotel. Nice pool/spa and work out facility and lounge to watch the French Open. Nursed a painful hangover by the pool until, or course, 5 pm then had a great work out, and watched Nadal beat Federer(YES!! I love that passionate hottie.) Then went to dinner at 10pm and watched more futbol, and now its 1220 and I'm back at my hotel.
There's a guesthouse on the 8th floor of this hotel with a lounge and they're playing the Angola-Portugal game. I'm really tempted to go up there and watch it with all the oil pipeline workers from the UK who are all over the city, but I probably shouldn't perpetuate my body-clock adjustment problems.

Tomorrow I'm going to Sheki which is another 5 hours away but its where our primary health care program will be based out of. It supposed to be absolutely beautiful, so I'll try to get some more photos. I'll be in town Tuesday then out to areas in southern Azerbaijan (not so pretty) for Wednesday and Thursday. I'm going to end this one now and post it, then publish some photos with explanations as separate posts.
Thank you for the map, Mac-istan IT wizard, genius, stud.

You know, all day I think of interesting things, I mean really brilliant, fascinating things I want to share with you. Then, when I sit down to write, I can't remember any of them. Its kind of impossible to have a notepad with me all the time to jot stuff down, but also frustrating to forget the things I want to tell you. Then again, this blog is really just to let you know I'm alive and very well, not necessarily to wax poetic about the world through my eyes. ok, glad we got that figured out. In the mean time, I'll work on remembering the good stuff to tell you, and if you have any questions about any places/people/culture, etc., please ask.
Besos,
Mac/CF

Geography is fundamental

(Also from Mac-istan IT.)
Here's a map of Azerbaijan. Baku is that thing that's circled all the way to the east.



McCarthys--right click on the map, and select "Open Link in New Window." Then put the cursor arrow over the map and look for a little orange picture box with blue arrows. Click on that and it will let you zoom in so you can read the map.

So, you can see Baku on this, obviously. I've got to take some photos here of the city, because its so cool. There are really old beautiful building from before Soviet times. And there is the "old city" with most of its original city walls, with crazy tiny windy streets and alleys. The rest of Baku has only been here since about 1880.

Go west from Baku and you will see Yevlakh, where we are doing part of the Emergency Medicine Development program. For some reason, Gange isn't on here, although I think its bigger than Yevlakh. You can see Yevlakh is right on the oil pipeline, as most of our programs are, since we get a lot of money from the corporate social responsibility depts of the oil companys here. The train tracks give you an idea of where the pipeline is. There's a picture I took of an oil train on the pipeline going west to the Black Sea in Georgia below.

On the map you can also see Sheki, where I'm going tomorrow am. Its near Russia, north of Yevlakh. Then on Wednesday and Thursday I'll be in areas in the southwest: Lachin and Agdzhabedi. Lachin is where we have a Dept. of State program with the internally displaced persons from the Azerbaijan/Armenia wars over the land thats near Lachin, but part of Armenia on this map. Its right at the border. And Agdzhabedi is north of the border with Iran. We've had some community investment and health programs there. Is that good for maps for today? I don't know if IT Mac-istan will be able to find links to weather for those places (I wouldn't put it past her), but the southern areas are really hot, and Sheki should be a little cooler than Baku--its in the mountains, I think.

So, I think I ramble when I'm drunk....

(I'm posting this morning now what I wrote last night.)
June 9, 2006 evening
You guys were about to get your first drunk posting! Lucky dogs. But the internet isn't workign right now. I did that earlier post today, June 9, not Thursday June 8th like it said. So, tonight was the first World Cup game—1800 in Germany so 2100 here. I went home at 2000 just to get a break from the office. We were there after that yummy breakfast I described, but still it was a long day. Great lunch too, but I don’t want to make you feel bad about the burger king or subway you had for lunch…. So I came back to the hotel (which is a far cry from my hotel in Baku, but still has a fridge to keep my beers and shish kabobs from spoiling. I’m reading this great book from Cori about a woman pilot in east Africa in the mid-1930’s. Its dope. But I read that, had one of my delicious beers from Baku, but supported by the French beer company Castel, and dozed. Then went back to the office to watch the first game tonight on a big TV, bought just for the World Cup--gotta love the Training line item in budgets— with all of our male staff and country director. (By the way, did anyone else notice how hot #5 on Germany was. Goodness me!) The beers here are not small. The smallest is 33 oz, I think. Good times.
I showed up in my Brazil warm up jacket (long story) and started with the Ole ole ole oleeeee, etc. That got everyone fired up and I was passed my first even larger beer, a 40 ouncer, or something similar. Following quickly after that bottle was a tray of meat and various oil-fried vegetables and fruits, and Ganja specialty sausagey-like thing. I put it all away, and thus warranted my first vodka shot. (Russian is whats spoken in Baku, but in outlying areas its Azeri.) They first asked me if I like vwetkeh. I smelled trouble coming so I said no, but I think they detected my smile at just the mention of the name vwetkeh, and before I knew it it was in my hand. And that's as far as I'll go on this family blog....
I am picking up more Russian words than just those related to intoxication. I love learning the phrases and intonations of new languages. Like getting the right inflection for ‘da’ (yes, yeah? of course, and?, etc.) And same with niet. Spazibas for thank you is one of my favorites, but also the Azeri words are fun too. I think I’ve gotten down what you need to know: yes, no, where is…, please, thank you, thank you very much, I’m sorry, toilet, its delicious, lets go, very beautiful, what's your name? my name is, just a minute, and numbers help too. So, my list has begun.
But its funny the great relationships you can have with people without speaking their language. The Ganja office cook and I are like long-lost soul mates—I couldn’t love her more. And there are just physical maneuvers of deference that go a long way too—like smiling, and hand to the chest w/ slight bow. I keep wanting to say Arabic words—they are so easy and flow off the tongue, but not here. Although some people know some Arabic from Uzbekistan, and other former-Soviet but Islamic countries.
Tomorrow is a conference for one of the USAID-sponsored programs on emergency service development. My emergency dept. nursing experience has been relied up and utilized, so that’s nice. I spent all day today, oh wait, I don’t even want to talk about it still. Anyway, we should be back in Baku Saturday night our time (while you are just getting up, or not) and we will probably hit some bars in Baku for more futbol. Then Sunday will be relaxation—I think hitting the Hyatt pool for some sunshine and fun—can’t wait.
Have lovely weekends everyone!

G'Morning all!
I'm in Ganja--about 4 hours west of Baku.
Just had a lovely breakfast outside with eggs, local bread, cheese,and tea. And my new favorite food, the creamy yummy part of milk (looks like cottage cheese) with honey. Ugh, so good , ate it with a spoon, but you're supposed to put it on bread.
Food here is damn good, so far. Its like a mix of turkish, iranian, italian, etc. Kind of goes along with Azerbaijan's cultural and religious history, which is fascinating. I guess it was a Christian nation for the most part until ole Ataturk came through. Then in 1917-1921 they aligned with Georgia and Armenia to make a Caucasus state, but soon after that, they were all annexed into the Soviet Union. I may be wrong about some of that, but it what I've pieced together from non-stop pestering of whomever I'm in an automobile with. So, its pretty much a secular state now. Iran (next door neighbor) is pretty pissed off about that since they think Azerbaijan should be a good Muslim state, (no more JLo stores....)
I really hate myself for not bringing a camera. I could post each day with a few photos that would show so much more than what I could describe. But I gotta tell you about the city of Baku, and the gorgeous drive out here, and even to see what the lovely people look like. Maybe in a later post when I'm feeling more verbose. Plus I think I can use the IMC office digital camera and just download the pictures each day.
You guys are all sleeping now anyway. Its tough, because when you guys wake up, its the end of the day for me. I've usually been out at the field sites all day, and then when I get a chance to sit down in the evening, the offices in the states open, and I get a ton of work emails. But thats when I want to email friends back, chat on msn or skype or gmail. And of course, I want to stay up and check out all the news, the French Open, the NBA finals, the World Cup, and Bunky's blog. Am I whining? I don't mean to. I love it out here.
I gotta run. Talk to you later.

Baku is sweet

I have a fluffy white bathrobe and slippers in my hotel room, free pastries and Eurosport TV for breakfast; there's a JLo store right below the massive, beautiful office which is in a gorgeous old building. Its awesome. AND the women wear tight shirts and short skirts! (Meaning, I don't have to cover head to toe, which is nice.) Too bad all I packed were shirts 2 sizes too big and MC Hammer pants (ankles are very suggestive in Peshawar.) So, I look like a country bumpkin compared to the styley ladies of the office, but what can I do? Oh, I know, dress like Jenny from the Block.
Anyway, I have been doing work all day and catching up from 3 days off work email, even though I can hardly keep my eyes open. Had a planning lunch with the senior program staff to figure out my schedule here. Going to be working with the Emergency Medicine program out in the field for the next few days (have to remember to pack my new bathrobe...) Then it will be the weekend, which hopefully means fun Caspian Sea sightseeing things. Then policy meetings, and more field visits next week--I'm all booked up! I have a feeling this six weeks is going to go really quickly.
All for now. Hope everyone is well.

Back in London

Hey there,
In London, at the IMC UK office. Its so fun to be back in London, and its a gorgeous day here so dying to go hang out outside. I leave tonight at 9pm for Baku, Azerbaijan. Say it with me, McCarthys, Az-Zer-By-Jan. Goood. I arrive at 0630 local time, again (same as today), so we'll see how crazy tired I am.
Thanks to my IT consultant (and good friend) Kate for the posting how-to. (Kate, can you make that picture of Jennings and I be at the top all the time?)
Gotta run. Talk soon!

How to leave comments!

First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am Mac-istan's IT administrator, Kate. While cfm is busy saving lives in the middle East, I'll try to manage the technical aspects of the blog. Please feel free to contact me with any technical difficulties at ITmacistan@gmail.com

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