My A-Team

Time flies and I've realized it's time to put an update on our blog. The weather has turned chill in Kabul. Tariq has been very busy strapping insulation to the little water tank on our roof, building a little "hut" to keep Che out of the rain, and setting up a little wood stove in our room on the roof. It really looks like the kind of old-fashioned stove that the wicked witch used to try to stuff Gretel in! But the heat is nice and warm, and much better than the smell of gas. Che has grown a long coat to keep him insulated over the winter. I am so amazed by what a beautiful dog he is. He likes to curl up and be my pillow while I read!

Work has been a blessing - I love the two girls I work with (see picture). On my right is my Director Shirine Pont, a very classy and clever gal from Austria. On my left is Nita Colaco, our Communications (and everything else under the sun) Consultant. She's a bright dynamo. I learn things from these two everyday and really enjoy working with them. Most of my time has been spent deep in the Afghanistan Procurement Law and Regulations, and I am designing a procurement training curriculum for Afghan businesses, as well as procurement toolkits for both Afghan businesses and international buyers. I'm doing so many different types of tasks at work that it would be hard to describe them all. I like the diversity of my work days and feel like I'm learning many new things, most importantly, how to be an effective manager.

A bit of bad news: I misplaced (read: lost) our digital camera sometime last weekend. I'm still hoping that it will turn up - but if not, I might be a bit limited when it comes to posting interesting pictures! However, we've just booked a hotel in Dubai and will be going for a mini four-day vacation in two weeks. I'm looking forward to the beach, good food, shopping and night-life! I'll be able to get a new camera while we are there.