Miranda and Istanbul

Two days ago, Tariq gave me a new baby parrot that’s super cute and she keeps me company in the office. She barely has all of her feathers in! After a lengthly internet search I determined that she is an Indian Ring Neck Parrot. Apparently this species is highly intelligent and can speak, whistle, and perform tricks - they learn concepts quickly and love to show off (hey, this actually sounds more like Tariq than the bird...hee hee.) I've named her Miranda after a local soft drink (like orange crush) because of the beautiful dark orange color of her beak. Soon I will be able to feed her fresh mulberries (delicious!), mangos and all the other wonderful in-season fruits that Afghanistan has to offer.

I'm also two weeks in to formal Dari lessons and must say that I'm quite delighted with our new Dari teacher. His name is "Uhstad" (teacher) Sharif, and what is quite funny is that one of my colleagues here keeps accidentally calling him Shafi. Although he started off being rather strict and stern, it turns out that he has a great sense of humour. Amazingly, with daily lessons, my comprehension of Dari has skyrocketed...and though I stumble as I practice, I can now communicate much better with my relatives and our staff people here. Learning Dari is one of the highlights of my day and I hope I can absorb as much as possible while I'm in Afghanistan.

Tariq and I are very much looking forward to my first "Rest and Relaxation Leave" (R&R). I get three of these a year and I am certainly ready for one now. We’ve decided to travel to Istanbul, Turkey and have made all our flight, hotel and visa arrangements. I’ve found a lovely boutique hotel called the Sumahan (www.sumahan.com) on the Bosphorus that was built by a couple of architects. It will be wonderful to have the opportunity to see the Caves of Cappadocia, tour around the city and partake in the local cuisine and night life. However, before we take off to Istanbul, I am planning a work trip to Bamiyan... a thinly veiled excuse to see the famous Bande d'Amir... so stay tuned for what should be some interesting blogging!