The JimAnna Chronicles » Commentary

Alexander — yoga, snowsuit and food!

jim — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:09:46 +0000

As is starting to become a theme, these images of Alexander are a little out of chronological order. But, I couldn’t resist.

So, we start off with a little baby yoga, courtesy of his guru (AKA, his mother).

He’s got Happy Baby pose down pat!

I came home one afternoon and Alexander was sitting on Anna’s lap … it was too cute, and here’s the result.

Anna was getting him packed for a weekend trip to Switzerland … this is his snowsuit. His expression says it all.

Although he’s still working on his balance, X loves to stand. Anna was actually trying to get him to sit down … he cutely refused. Here he’s showing off his cute new outfit. Thanks, C.C.!

So happy. You can see the evidence of drool. His teeth are coming in … just a question of when they break through. By the amount of drool, you’d think any day now. Of course, they may still be months away.

Go Air Force! He doesn’t know what’s coming, but he’s about to eat his first solid food: quince (or coing in French). So, perhaps these images aren’t the best quality, but I hope the significance of the event outweighs that.

Hmmm … not so sure about this stuff.

OK, now I’m digging this fruit stuff. It’s pretty good!

So good in fact, I want to use that blue and green thing!

Mmm… so happy. We’re since tried a number of other foods, and fruit is definitely still his favorite. Perhaps that has something to do with the sugar content. He’s just like his parents.

I also made a short video of this episode. I am going to do a few other posts, then will finish uploading the video … if these pictures left you wondering what it was like at Chez Gingras for Alexander’s first meal.

Next up will be a couple short trips we took in the past month.

Until then…

–Jim

Sponsoring USAFA Cadets

jim — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:54:21 +0000

So, I’ve learned what it felt like for my sponsor family 14 years ago … and I have a new found appreciation for what they did for me. Thank you Leitz Family! I owe you … big time!

Part of my job here is to help the USAFA cadets who come on exchange. That means I’m part AOC, part sponsor family, part teacher. It’s a unique mix. Fortunately for me, they are a good group. I kinda enjoy hanging out with them. OK OK, I really like hanging out with them. However, unlike my sponsor family in Colorado, there’s more of a professional line to maintain. Again though, the cadets are very good at respecting the rules.

Anyway, I’d like to introduce them to you. Here they are:

Working clockwise from the back, left: Scott, Laura, Dustin, Margo, Nancy, Kaeli, and Maggie.

Speaks for itself…

Yes, they like chocolate, can you tell? This was the chocolate they brought over for Anna … fortunately, Anna didn’t mind sharing.

More fighting over the chocolate.

OK, so there they are. Lots of fun and as long as they’re not getting in trouble, a pleasure to be around. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them this semester. I can only hope that future groups measure up. We’ll see…

Up next will be more images of the little guy… Alexander of Aix-en-Provence.

Until then…

–Jim

Alexander — “best of,” his first three months

jim — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:29:43 +0000

OK, so I know it’s a little early to have a “best of,” but nonetheless, here are our favorite images from the summer.

So cool with his shades on… sitting in Grandma G’s lap.

Just chillin’ for the 4th of July. Yes, they have July 4th in France. It’s just not a holiday.

A little yoga pose.

X and I enjoying lunch in the quaint village of Gigondas … where they also produce some of my favorite wine. We (including Anna) were touring the area with Gabi and Philipp.

While not always a fan of tummy time, he’s usually very interested in what’s going on.

More happy tummy time on his new play mat.

Hey! What’s going on over there?!?

Yum! Thanks Juan and Sonia.

Alexander and Amandine getting to know each other. They were born only 2 days apart… perhaps they’re destined to be together? Same first letter? Coincidence, I think not. Nicolas and Fannie hosted us for a great afternoon and chance for the two to get to know each other.

Just a little handsome man hanging out with us one afternoon. He was trying to decide if he was happy.

Sure enough, he was happy! And totally handsome. Thanks John and Jenni.

OK, so Amandine has a little competition. This is Juliette who is a month older … they’re already holding hands. Juliette is the daughter of Daisy and Thomas.

So, maybe he’s not happy ALL the time. But, he makes the cutest little faces when he’s about to cry. Don’t you think? OK, maybe it’s not as cute for everyone else, but in the interest of introducing you to X, I included it.

That does it for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed an all X, all the time post.

Up next will be more countryside around us here in France.

–Jim

Washington in the Winter – Pt. 2

jim — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:00:20 +0000

Here is part two of our final months in Washington D.C.

I made this image with the use of two polarizing filters to slow down the shutter, but not overexpose the image. Kind of an interesting result.

The reflecting pool had actually frozen enough for people to walk on it. It was pretty cool and doesn’t happen often, so of course I had to get out there and try it myself!

The Lincoln Memorial had a beautiful white blanket over the stairs. Unfortunately, since the federal government was shut down, the inside of the monument was closed.

These guys are part of the Korean War Memorial. It is my favorite of the war memorials. To me, they are the truest reflection of my experience. On the 19 faces of this squad on patrol, you can read the emotion … fear, anxiety, anticipation, weariness, and maybe even a little excitement. The day after a major snowstorm seemed appropriate for the subject.

The squad leader with a look that I can identify with.

A fitting dichotomy.

With the sinking of a South Korean ship by North Korea this year … nearly 57 years after hostilities ended, the engraved message on the memorial rings true “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.”

The happy snowman was a much more carefree symbol.

These guys are part of the Vietnam Memorial. The represent the veterans of the war who returned home. The are gazing at the black marble wall that this their brothers and sisters in arms who weren’t as fortunate and didn’t make it home.

Vietnam Women’s Memorial honors the women who served in Vietnam.

I like the way this lady’s hair and jacket off set the bronze, over-sized Einstein.

This squirrel dug through the snow and came up with a tasty acorn.

Here he is enjoy the fruit (or nut) of his labor.

Another view of the Washington Monument with all the freshly fallen snow. It was very pretty to walk around. I spend almost the entire day just wandering and making images. It was great fun … but meant for an editing nightmare!

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, with just a thin sheet of ice on the tidal basin. The memorial was built after the model of the Pantheon in Rome. It was dedicated in 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a 10,000 pound statue of Jefferson was added in 1947.

The stark, white obelisk of the Washington Moment soaring overhead.

A view of the capitol with the snow covered national mall, after kids (young and old) played in it all day.

This is the most recent of the war memorials. It is the World War Two memorial. The large pillar in the middle represents the Atlantic campaign and each of the small pillars represent a state or territory of the US.

These next images are from the inside of the National Botanic Gardens. I had no idea the gardens were so close to the capitol, but they are right next door.

Anna with a little pregnant bump (she was almost 6 months along here).

Anna gliding through the Smithsonian Institute’s American Art Museum.

Well, that about sums up our nearly six months in Washington DC. Although we tried to see everything, there simply wasn’t enough time to do it all. So, we hope to one day move back and spend a few years exploring the city. Who knows, maybe after France!

Next up will be a few posts on our baby-moon cruise, followed by a short homage to Gabi and Philipp, our dear German friend who’s wedding we had the pleasure of attending.

Until then…

–Jim

Washington in the Winter – Pt. 1

jim — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:18:20 +0000

Ok, now that the most important event has been chronicled (Alexander’s arrival), I’ll go back and try and catch up on some of my older images.

These next two posts will detail our final few months in Washington DC (Jan-Mar 10). It was a great winter with record amounts of snow. Although, Anna was pregnant, she was a trooper and joined me on my long list of activities to do before we left.

This is the Marine Corps War Memorial. It’s over in Arlington, VA very close to the language school we went to, so I had the opportunity to pass it on a regular basis. The scene is of course a huge statue rendering of the famous 1945 Pulizter-prize winning, Joe Rosenthal image of the Marines raising the US flag over Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, Japan. These are truly larger than life and measure a stunning 32 feet tall (9.75m). The casting took three years and was finally complete in 1954, dedicated by President Eisenhower.

The west side of the national capitol building with a bit of ice and snow out front.

This is the ceiling of the Rotunda inside the capitol.

The famous Apotheosis Washington in the Rotunda. This work was mentioned in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and shows the deification or exaltation of George Washington. I’ll leave the literal or relative symbolism to you, but it’s an impressive fresco work, 180 feet (45m) above the ground. It was painted in 1865 by Constantino Brumidi. Washington is robed in purple (a regal color), flanked by Victory on his right and Liberty on his left, and surrounding them are 13 maidens. This adds further evidence to the idea that 13 is one of, if not the most American number.

This is the National Statuary Hall. It’s the former home of the House of Representatives met until their new, larger chamber was complete in the mid-nineteenth century. Now, it houses 100 statues from each of the states. Wisconsin’s two contributions to the collection are: Robert M. La Follette, Sr. who was historically speaking perhaps Wisconsin’s most influential politician. He served as Congressman, Governor, Senator and ran for president in 1924 where he received 17% of the popular vote. Both his sons followed him into politics. The second statue is Père Jacques Marquette who was a French Jesuit Missionary who founded some of the first non-native settlements in the upper mid-west of the US and was the first to see the upper Mississippi in 1673. He died somewhere along his journey, but his name has been secured in history and is also the namesake for many places in Wisconsin and Michigan, notably Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The inside of the Library of Congress. The architecture is amazing. It’s my favorite building in Washington D.C.

Another view of the Library of Congress.

Peaking into the main chamber of the Supreme Court. Although I didn’t hear an oral argument this day, it was fun to see. Right before we flew out, Anna and I had an opportunity to hear a case. It’s a fascinating experience and I highly recommend it, if you have a chance. But go early as the seats go fast … especially for high profile cases.

The exterior of the Supreme Court.

These next few are a few more images of the west side of the capitol.

These next few images are some color macros I had fun shooting. Can you guess what this one is?? I’ll give you a hint … you can sit on it. Answer below.

More cool colors.

OK, that covers the first part of this post. The next post will have more monuments, museums and the snow storms.

–Jim

PS-the answer is: a black metal park bench with the colors of a mural showing through the slats.

Washington in the fall

jim — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:39:58 +0000

Although we officially moved to the Washington DC area (specifically a former part of the district … Arlington, VA) it feels more like an extended vacation. Plus, Anna’s pregnancy has made things much more interesting. We have been trying to take advantage of our time in the nation’s capital … or as the French say we’re trying to profiter.
So, here are some images I collected during the fall of 2009 here in the DC area.

Honest Abe is impressive and is prevalent throughout the city. I most appreciated seeing and learning about him in a great exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It even included the top hat he wore to Ford’s Theater in April 1865. Then, we went to a production of “The Rivalry” in Ford’s Theater. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s a historical drama of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates in Illinois during the 1858 US senate race and perhaps the most famous political debate. Although Lincoln lost the senate contest, it catapulted him to national fame and enabled him to eventually become the 16th President of the United States of America. It was particularly poignant to see it in Ford’s Theater and we highly recommend the show.

A wood duck in the reflecting pool of the National Mall.

Two soldiers of the Old Guard during a changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

You know where this is … who else would have (for a time) the world’s largest phallic symbol? Oh, and the capital.

The World War Two Memorial that opened in 2004. Each small pillar represents a state or territory and the two large pillars represent the theaters of the war, Atlantic and Pacific.

Walking near the National Portrait Gallery.

The metro is fast, efficient and best of all … clean. The only thing we wish is the trains were more frequent. During rush hour, it’s PACKED and at night, waiting 20 minutes seems like an eternity. But, overall we are very satisfied with the DC metro.

Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz … now residing in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Thanks to Mike E. for making this image.

The Korean War Monument is one of my favorites in DC. I appreciate the look of fear on the soldier’s faces. I believe emotion is present in any conflict and not often reflected in the memorials.

The all important US Air Force Monument.

The Jefferson Memorial is another well done memorial, and the building was completed in 1943 and opened by President Franklin Roosevelt, on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birthday. It was finally completed in 1947 with a 5.8 meter (19′) statue of the 3rd president weighing in at 4,300 kg (10 tons).

These soldiers are part of a re-enactment at the Battle of Manassas. For those of you from the North, it’s also known as the Battle of Bull Run (1st and 2nd), fought on July 21, 1861 and August 28-30, 1862. If you’re confused about the dual name, you’re not alone. It comes from the northern tendency to name battles for the nearest land feature (in this case Bull Run Creek) and the southern tendency to name the battle for the nearest city (Manassas, Virginia).

A demonstration of canon cleaning with a little water.

The Henry family took refuge in this house during the battle. In fact, an octogenarian grandmother, Judith Carter Henry, was unwilling to move from her upstairs bedroom. Unfortunately, she didn’t survive the battle, along with about 28,000 other people between the two battles.

The First Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run), according to legend, is where General “Stonewall” Jackson famously earned his nickname when Confederate General Bee attempting to rally his faltering troops shouted “there stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!”

The fall colors were stunning.

While I joined the boys at Deer Camp at Moose Lake, Anna hosted Mom M. and Sarah here in DC. Fortunately, I was able to join the girls for a day at the end of their trip.

A few weeks later Mom G. came out for a long weekend just before Christmas. The sights were great all decked out for the holidays. Oh, and this is one house that needs no introduction.

The National Christmas Tree and Washington Monument.

Apropos model train at the base of the tree.

The capital is always beautiful at night.
The next post will have our holiday trip back to the midwest for a week, then a week out in California. It was a great trip and we’ll share the pictures soon.
until then.
–Jim

A Year in the Life- part 1

jim — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:13:01 +0000

What would you do if your spouse was going to be deployed to a remote location, fighting daily to make the world a better place, and you were stuck at home to wait? Well I did what any self-respecting girl would do. I cried for a week, and then I went to Paris and cut my hair off. Let me tell you, it was a very liberating thing, and I highly recommend hair therapy to anyone who is facing life without their beloved.
Besides cutting my hair off in Paris, I also attended my very last class to receive my undergraduate degree in Humanities. The class was a week long and we spent that week talking about Picasso and asking the question that everyone must ask themselves when faced with modern art…what does a urinal have to do with art?
I also continued to teach yoga. These are a few pictures taken by the base photographer for the newspaper. These weren’t the pictures they ended up publishing, but I liked these best.

In late October, Jim and I got to meet up for the time between his training and his actual deployment to Afghanistan. We took that time to go to Savannah. It was wonderful and a much needed vacation from the reality that we were facing. I won’t go into more detail about the trip because Jim posted the pictures earlier this year. You can check them out here: http://www.jimanna.com/archives/000163.html
For my 29th birthday I said goodbye to my husband for the next 9 months and boarded a plane to take me back to my empty house in Germany. In November, I decided I was going to go snowboarding with a friend. Mind you, I have not been snowboarding since I was about 20. I am not 20 anymore, but I seem to forget that occasionally. I brilliantly decided that I should go off the jumps. If the 12 year old boys could do it, I could do it, right? Apparently that logic had some flaws to it because I did not land my jump quite right and fell back on my arm, acquiring my first ever broken bone.

Ok, so it isn’t the best picture, but without my own personal photographer around, the pictures of my life have been very limited. So please bear with me for the rest of the photos. Some of the photos are mine, and others are from other people, but none are as great as Jim’s. Keep that in mind as you continue to read.
The rest of November and most of December I spent healing up and teaching modified yoga classes. While it is more difficult, yoga can be done with a broken arm. Christmas time came, and I spent it with my family. This Christmas was an unusually snowy time for Wisconsin. So I got to enjoy a very white Christmas and somehow managed to not crash my father’s car into the ditch. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures while I was home, but I’m sure you get the idea. Before I left for Wisconsin, I enjoyed a couple girls nights. Here is some evidence.

The weekend after I broke my wrist, my friend Jessie broke her opposite wrist, doing the same thing I did. Snowboarding is a hazardous sport. We still managed to make it out to the Trier Christmas Market though, along with Doris, who kept us from breaking anything else.

In January, I decided to take a trip to Amsterdam. The teacher who taught my last class in Paris was teaching a class on Van Gogh in Amsterdam. Even though I was done with school, she generously agreed that I could come and hang out with her class. I spent most of my week in Amsterdam by myself, wandering around the museums and entertaining myself with the always colorful people watching. I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit, and learned a little more about Van Gogh in the process.

Notice how this car is as long as the bike the girl is riding on.

As I was taking pictures of the car, the owner came up and got into it. I was so embarrassed, but she didn’t seem to mind and she obligingly let me take her photo.

Only in Amsterdam…

Upon my return to Germany, fate stepped in and united me with my new best friend. Sheena was looking for a new home, and I was looking for someone to talk to. So it became official. I am now a crazy cat lady, and Sheena and I couldn’t be happier.

The rest of January and part of February I spent getting ready for the Prague Half Marathon and also trying not to rub it in that I was meeting up with Jim in South Africa. It was great to be able to have a trip like that to break up the time and reconnect with Jim. Again, he has posted tons of pictures from the trip, so I won’t add extra. I just wanted to add that of all the trips we have taken together, South Africa may have been my favorite. If anyone is considering taking a trip there, do it! They have everything you could possibly want in a vacation, adventure, culture, interesting flora and fauna, as well as lovely warm people.
After my return from S. Africa, I turned my attention back to running. In March I went with some friends to Prague to run a half marathon. All the training paid off, and I ran the half in 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was a great race and all of us had a wonderful time together. Since I was so close to beating the 2 hour mark in Prague, I decided to sign myself up for another race in May. The Luxembourg half marathon was the race I chose to see if I could beat my time. Unfortunately, I did worse in Luxembourg. I won’t put my time on here, but I’ll just say that I still would love to beat my Prague time by 2 minutes. Someday…

After the race, and still smiling.

I will continue April through July on the second half of this post.
Anna

A Year in the Life- part 2

jim — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:13:58 +0000

In April three significant events took place. First, I went to the Herrmann haus to celebrate Reinhardt’s birthday and second, my mom came out to visit. After that, I took a trip with some girlfriends to Sardinia, Italy. April was a bit of a blur, but a happy one.
Here are some photos that I took at the Herrmann’s:
Only in Bavaria would your friends be in a traditional style band. They came out to play some songs for the festivities and wish Reinhardt a happy birthday. They were wonderful and some people even got out and did a polka later in the evening.

There was a lot of beer drinking, along with the wonderful food that Christina made.

I finally got to meet the illusive sister, Nina, and her new family.

It was a wonderful weekend away and I had a great time with the Herrmanns as always.
The Mom visit:
The first four days of Mom’s visit we went to see Juan, our family’s exchange student from Spain, and his wife, Sonja, in Barcelona. They showed us all around Barcelona, and had us taste all the delicacies of the area, even pig’s feet. I can’t say they were my favorite, but now I can say I’ve tried them.

Some more photos from the trip.

Our house.

Spring fever.

My friends, Jessie and Ali, and I went to Sardinia, which is an island off the coast of Italy. We just drove around and saw the sights. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as warm as we were hoping it would be, but we still managed to find some great food and unique experiences.
Sardinian traffic jam.

This island has been inhabited since about 6000 B.C. and the ancient people made these structures that are still standing today. They are called Nuraghi and they are believed to have been used as fortresses. People can just go into them and explore. So that is exactly what we did.

Jessie

In May, my other Mom, Nancy, came to visit and to be my support as I attended my graduation ceremony in Heidelberg. Before we did that, we took a short trip to Switzerland, where I introduced her to my favorite little town in Switzerland, Muerren. As I expected, she fell in love with Muerren, and also the fresh mountain air. The wonderful reception at the B&B we stayed at, Chalet Fontana, helped her come up with a brilliant idea of starting her own B&B in Wisconsin. We had a great couple of days hiking around in the mountains, but alas, eventually we had to come back down. Then it was off to Heidelberg, where I was officially graduated. Although I had really finished my classes in August, it helped me to gain closure from my life as a college student. I was glad I attended the ceremony and also incredibly grateful to have Mom there to support me.

Mmmm, fondue

This is where the brilliant idea to start her own B&B surfaced. It is an idea that is still in the process of coming to fruition, but I know it will be a great B&B as she is quite possibly the best hostess ever.

Back down to Earth and on with the ceremony.

Mother’s Day brunch

A little antique shopping

There is nothing quite like the canola fields in Germany that grow in the beginning of spring. The intensity of yellow is unparalleled.

Later in May I agreed to participate in the first annual Diversity Day held at Spangdahlem Air Base. Diversity Day is an event meant to celebrate all the various backgrounds and cultures that are represented by the military members here and throughout the world. So I was asked to do a yoga demonstration, highlighting the 2,000 year old tradition. I somehow convinced the other yoga teacher on base, Amanda, to join me on stage. Since I didn’t make it to any of the planning meetings, I got to go first for the day. Those of you who know me well know that I am not a person who likes to be center stage, yet there I was, right in the center of the stage doing yoga. Although I was incredibly nervous, I had to pretend like I was completely calm and controlled. Apparently I pulled it off because after people said I looked very zen-like. The biggest thing I was worried about was falling over during my headstand. As I was about to go up into headstand I can’t tell you what was going on in my mind, but I can tell you it was not very zen. Regardless, the 15 minutes of yoga demonstration passed without either Amanda or I messing up, and in the end I did not die of stage fright.

The end of May and early June I decided to go home to spend a little more time with family and to help my sister Emma prepare for her wedding. I am truly grateful I got to be a small part of the preparations and can’t wait for the big day to arrive. In the end of May, Switzerland called me back again, and my friend Deb and I participated in a Frauenlauf, or women’s run. It was a 10K race that took place in Bern. Before that we went to visit Muerren again, and it was gorgeous as always. We had a great time together and actually enjoyed the run. It was a nice change of pace to not have to elbow through sweaty, stinky men during the race. Everyone was very polite, and it was an incredibly civilized and fun run to be a part of. Maybe I can do it again next year. You never know…

My last adventure before Jim’s return, was a trip to Nice to be the support crew for my friend Jessie. She did the Nice Ironman competition (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a full marathon which is 26.2 miles) and completely rocked it. I was so inspired watching all the people push themselves to their absolute physical limits and still survive. It was fun to be a part of the race, but not actually have to do the race myself. Doris, who was the other person on the support crew for Jessie, and I spent the day watching the race and cheering. The rest of our time spent in Nice, we went sightseeing, hung out at the beach, and of course went shopping. It was a wonderful trip to take before Jim’s return, and also I was really glad to be able to support Jessie in her monumental achievement.
Jessie and Michea, the other girl from Spangdahlem doing the race, right before the swim start.

They even had their own cheerleaders. They rotated through different girls and different outfits all day, but there were cheerleaders urging the competitors onward from morning until night.

Chillin at the beach

Doris, Jessie and me.

Riding one of nature’s most fearsome beasts, the squirrel. (I just saw “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”)

The sights

I know I am in danger of being sappy, but as much as I loved all the things I got to do this year, I would have given all of them up if I could have spent the time with Jim. As I could not, these things I did throughout the year more than kept me busy, they helped me reconnect with myself. As I am readying myself for our next step, I think this past year has helped me become a stronger and more self-sufficient woman. Also the lesson has been driven home to me that you have to take care of yourself and love yourself first before you can love others. I know this lesson will help me throughout life, and I hope that you all understand that it is necessity not luxury to take care of yourself. Go ahead, give yourself a hug.
So to sum up my last year, it was hard and it was fun, but it was just a year in the life…
Anna

Afghanistan — Month Three (Part 1)

jim — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:10:41 +0000

Hi everyone, it’s about time for another monthly post. This will be another two part post, and I will follow it very shortly with images from South Africa. Anna and I will be there for a vacation. One of the benefits of being on such a long deployment is that we get to take a short break in the middle. But, enough of that, on with the Afghan pictures.
I have been continuing my effort to learn the language and immerse myself into Afghan culture. I really do enjoy it and the more I know, the better I can perform my job.

This photogenic gentleman was in Kapisa province.

I really like this image. These boys are in a Kabul bakery. If you look close, you can see a lot through the window, and on the window.

This man was in downtown Kabul, watching the traffic pass by.

I also had fun with a macro lens. This is the Dari word for day, shanbe.

Macros are fun because even something as mundane as my keyboard makes for decent fodder.

In order to build the capacity of construction companies in the region, we tailored a training class for them. The result was very positive. Not only are these companies very hungry for work (and the resulting paycheck), but also for knowledge. We immediately saw improvement in the proposals submitted for projects, which is an encouraging sign.
These next few images are people who were at the training.

Although he’s a contractor, this man should run for politics. He gave a fiery speech to lament the vast requirements levied upon contractors (i.e. they have to do lots of coordination with a government they don’t often trust). At the conclusion, he got a rowdy applause.

This camel was toting goods through one of the main markets in Kapisa.

More market images…

These little tuk-tuk type vehicles are all over the place. They appear to be quite useful.

Little red riding hood.
The next few images are more interesting Afghan people.

Just along for the ride.

I love the multi-color doors that every compound has.

And the contrast that color has with the landscape.

Of course, one of my main jobs is to go out and inspect projects. If you look close at this one, you can see there were a lot of problems with the brickwork. Fortunately, again, the contractor was very receptive to our direction and made all the changes we required.

It’s very important to follow the contract directly, which is what I am confirming here. As such, it’s important to write a good contract, so we can ensure a quality product.

Lumber is fairly scarce, so these men are making their own, on site.

This is a ribbon cutting/ground breaking ceremony for one of our projects.

You don’t see any western faces here, which is a very good thing. Although we help these projects come to fruition, ultimately, they are Afghan projects. So, we make sure to involve the appropriate government officials in every stage, at the same time wiping out any chance for corruption. This builds their capacity to effectively run their country, and ideally builds the people’s trust to know that their elected and appointed government is a capable and enduring institution. It is only Afghans who can bring long term stability so many people desire.
–Jim

Afghanistan — Month Two (Part 2)

jim — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:27:33 +0000

This vista is the Panjshir River in Kapisa.

Our vehicles traveling on a road we’re building.

Here is that same contractor again. He’s Pashtun and VERY jovial.

We stopped for a very quick meeting to say hello, but he insisted we have a bite to eat. He pays his 1000+ employees about $4/day (a very reasonable Afghan wage), but the big benefits are two meals a day and transportation to the mosque for prayers. Have I mentioned that Afghan food is tasty? Well, this image shows one of my favorite meals: dry bread with rice, dipped in a meat sauce.

Here is another view of Parwan Province.

These boys are in a market in the city of Charikar.

The contrast is stark here.
The next set of pictures is from our Christmas Eve party (and we repeated the event on New Year’s Eve). Jon (our Doc) wanted to share his family’s tradition with our team. So, we all enjoyed a cigar together on a cool Christmas Eve.

This is Patrick.

The George.

Cindy.

Daniel, who is gifted with languages and computers.

Todd, one of the other civil engineers, who does a great job, no matter what he’s doing.

Yes, I enjoyed a cigar too (sorry, Mom).

We have many meetings with the Afghans.

The Afghans also have many meetings with us. This particular one is to gain support from the leaders of the area around a proposed project. The idea is that we present project proposals that are technically viable and sufficiently planned to a board of Afghans. They then have a voice in the process to recommend a contractor. With that process, we gain buy-in and they can help ensure a quality project is produced. Although we (the US govt) retain final authority to choose a contractor, the Afghans help us choose the best contractor for every project.

I know I look a little funny in this picture, but I was emphatically indicating where we needed to go.

These gentlemen were in a meeting with us. I love the lighting in this image and the Chief added a great filter. Now, I think this image could be from an Afghan Van Gogh.

I’m not sure if this color is natural or not, but it’s certainly colorful.

More interesting contrasts: the new and old, the water and desert and reflection and reality.
Those images depict our second month here. My time here remains a very rewarding and exciting experience.
I look forward to the summer when construction can resume in earnest.
Until the next post…
–Jim