Qalat, Afghanistan, is a busy little city at 0600 on Sunday morning. Kids were off to school, adult men were off to work, traffic coming and going in all directions. It seemed like a regular Monday morning for what we would expect to see back home. While out this morning, many young men and boys, whether walking to school or working on a project, surrounded me sometimes as we were making our way through certain construction areas. Talk about otherworldly experiences. Some seemed happy to see me while others paid me no attention, at least not when I was looking at them.
We left FOB Smart with several observers and a full security force to perform a project familiarization - for me. We walked quite a good distance here and there and everywhere to look at civil projects, vertical (buildings) projects, and security projects. I used a new Flip video camera along the way, so I will soon be posting some of such in good time.
My immediate take away from this morning's experiences on the various projects I observed is that we have excellent mentoring opportunities here in Qalat. I mentioned this yesterday or earlier in the week as well. Such opportunities immediately include concrete work, masonry work, vertical building construction, etc. I am talking directly about means and methods, not just how to form a concrete floor or lay concrete block or brick. Many Afghan National contractors opt for what some would perceive as ancient building methods for modern construction. I routinely observe the mixing of cement, sand, and water on the ground rather than using a machine mixer. I also see the usage of river water with heavy silt and impurities rather than cleaner well water for the concrete. It is commonplace for locals to leave large stones in their mortar mixes and building concrete rather than screening and washing the sand before mixing. I love this place and the ability to explain why using new methods will help them build stronger buildings and walls that will last for decades or longer rather than five years or less.
We employ translators who have their own unique stories and travel with us everywhere we go. Communication otherwise would be a series of hand gestures and an Afghan version of charades! While the translation greatly improves our communication, the language barrier subconsciously forces one to speak in very short, to-the-point sentences and without the intentional use of very technical terms or American colloquialisms. Think teaching math without explaining formulae.
With such an early mission today I find myself dragging a bit more than I have since I have arrived a week ago. I think it is time for an energy drink! Maybe both an energy drink and a coffee... sound good? Absolutely!
143, K&K.
Good night and good day.
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