Day off

Boy, did I sleep in. The bed here is incredibly comfortable and I sleep like a log, it’s been great.

Our driver Wais has emerged as my favorite of the staff. At first I didn’t know if I could trust him—he seems young and a bit rough around the edges. But I’ve come to really like his easy smile and deliberate nature. I’m still terrified by the driving, but I think that’s par for the course in these developing countries where no one obeys the traffic laws—or the dictates of good sense. But now it’s funny. We’re so happy to see one another—he yells “Jon!” and I yell “Wais!”…and then we kind of stand there smiling stupidly because I can’t understand Dari and he can’t understand English. I get fooled every time, too. That spark of recognition in his eye, I just sort of start saying, “Hey what’s going on…etc.” and then it sinks in yet again that he just doesn’t know what I’m saying. We’ve gone through some charades—one in particular where I was noticing how big his hands are and we tried on each others’ shoe. I don’t know if the guy can read. Anyway, I like Wais and I have been giving him several of the fun size snickers I bought at the duty free on the way here. Just ran out, though. I was thinking of leaving him the clothes I’ve brought as well—they’ll be a bit big for him, but it would be worse for anyone else.

Friday night Mary and I walked around the corner to a Chinese place. Really awful Chinese food. I gave our leftovers to one of the guards—an enthusiastic guy who can whistle some English through the spaces of his several missing teeth. On the ride home from the university today, he turned to me and said, “Chinese,” twisted up his face and indicated thumbs down, then, “Aziz,” in reference to our cook, and his eyebrows lifted as he gave a thumbs up. This particular guard fought with Massoud and wears green fatigues and that signature Northern Alliance cap—which I now have one of! Haroun got me one and I was so stoked about it—but I’m not so sure it’s appropriate to wear in public—some ridiculous tourist chic…so I have just been wearing it inside.