Rain

Some people enjoy rain. I’m not really one of those people. I value the option to go outside without getting wet. It has rained a couple times in the past few days and I remember we were at the university the first time. We were just getting out for a fifteen minute break. I noticed people seemed eager to get out from under the entrance to the library—they walked out into the rain with anticipation, like they were entering a room where they knew a friend was waiting.
What is it about rain? Mostly, I think, because it’s so dusty here, the rain settles the air and cleans it for a while. It’s also free (and I suppose clean?) water. Kabul continues to green, as well, and I’m sure it’s not lost on anyone that rain is a major contributor. This was once known as "the garden city," after all.

There seems to be an effort to clean out the sewage gutters at the sides of the roads here—perhaps they do this annually after winter. We see large trucks parked near crews of guys scooping trash and whatever else up out of these ruts and onto the side of the road, then up into the truck. Not a job I’d be too interested in.