Wendy Thurman
New member
Farah, Afghanistan- Afghan soldiers pulling security on two MI-8 helicopters. The heat is reminiscent of Iraq; these guys are taking advantage of the only spot of shade on the airstrip.
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- Thread starter Wendy Thurman
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Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Wendy,
Do you know any Pashtun, if that's what their language is and how do the deal with you, being a Western independent woman? I'd be happy they are on your side.
Be safe and keep shooting everything. I'd like to know if schools are still going and barber shops are open or things are less open than they were, if you can say?
Is there evidence of repairing the city?
Asher
Do you know any Pashtun, if that's what their language is and how do the deal with you, being a Western independent woman? I'd be happy they are on your side.
Be safe and keep shooting everything. I'd like to know if schools are still going and barber shops are open or things are less open than they were, if you can say?
Is there evidence of repairing the city?
Asher
Wendy Thurman
New member
Asher-
My Pashto skills are non-existent. Dari is spoken throughout Afghanistan, and I can get by in that language (sort of, anyway!). Dari is a dialect of Farsi, or Persian, for those who may not know. Afghanistan is an ethnic mix (note the individual on the right in the photograph- his oriental features mark him as a Hazara, who are descendents of the Mongol invaders of 800 yrs ago) with many languages- Pashto, Tajik, Uzbek, etc. Dari is the common language.
Kabul is a thriving city that has largely been rebuilt. There are ruined structures but they are gradually disappearing. In Kabul there are schools for boys and girls, many men are clean-shaven, DVD shops abound, western-style supermarkets are easily found, the population is ethnically diverse, and the situation is generally pretty secure.
Farah, which is in Southwestern Afghanistan, is nothing like Kabul- it's a Pashtun area, it's poor, and it is anything but cosmopolitan. I've got a few (unremarkable) images from Farah and I'll get them up today.
Wendy