Friday, July 7, 2006
The Wedding of Shamla III
It's the day of the wedding, Tuesday. It's agreed, by all those going (and who is going is not clear), that we will reach the marriage hall by 7 pm. And dinner, I asked? From my experience of Indian weddings, I felt we may want to give it a miss. Maybe we could eat out? No answer. At 5.45 Agathe,...
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Thursday, July 6, 2006
The Wedding of Shamla II
The wedding card is cream with grey, silver and gold embossed flowers, and a scalloped edging. The insert is the invitation in Dari. It starts with a prayer to both worlds - heaven and hell. It goes on to say that spring is beautiful with flowers in the sun; the night is beautiful with stars in the...
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Nuts over rice
Like rice? Want to serve it to your self and your guests in a special way? Since coming to Afghanistan, where nuts are plenty, I have begun to use this recipe quite a bit. I serve it with spinach, dhal (an Indian lentils mix), yogurt, chutney. This recipe also keeps well. I refrigerate it, heat it...
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Stir Fry Spinach
I like to cook. I like dishes that are quick to prepare, good to taste, aesthetic to look at, and nourishing for my health and that of my friends. If you like (and even if you don't like) spinach - here is a quick one. You need: Spinach Olive oil Garlic Salt and pepper to taste Wash the spinach well...
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Wednesday, July 5, 2006
The Wedding of Shamla I
When Shamla, a 21-year old Afghan woman, came to work as the assistant gender and human rights trainer, I never thought it would be such a short stay. Two weeks after she joined I asked her a personal question - what did she think about getting married? I don't want to, she said, rather vehemently,...
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Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Two week countdown
Two weeks from today, I will be on a flight to Delhi. My two week countdown has begun. I find myself caught between the world of being here and moving there. Everyday, it's the last of something, at least for the present. On Sunday, it was the first day of my last class. I took a deep breath as I...
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Sunday, July 2, 2006
A Special Relationship
Today, I woke up at 6.45 am, determined to honour a special relationship. I had a date with the naan shop, down my street. It's the bread shop, which I pass going to and coming from work. For the last four months I have seen the three men who work there almost everyday. They call out as I am...
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Saturday, July 1, 2006
Mending Afghanistan, Stitch by Stitch
She's American, he's Afghan. They met in 1979 in Tajikistan, where she was studying Linguistics and he was an undergraduate. She returned to America, got married, had children and worked in textiles and graphic design. He returned to Afghanistan, a land plagued by war and destruction. She's Rachel....
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On Blogging and giving thanks
I wanted to wait till I had reached the 200 reader mark. Today it is 198. But, today is when I have time and want to give thanks - to all the people who clicked on Greenfields and read my blog. A greater thanks to those that took the time to write and send a comment. I eagerly wait to click on the...
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Thursday, June 29, 2006
Men and Women
Yesterday, in my Reproductive Health (RH) class, the topic was HIV/AIDS and Male Responsibility. The students were very interested, especially in HIV/AIDS. Of a class of 12, three are women. In a segregated society such as Afghanistan, it is difficult for them to feel comfortable in a room where sex...
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