Welcome Back to MY Kabul

So I’ve been gone…my last entry I wrote while on holiday in Europe, where I hit Frankfurt, Berlin, Venice and Málaga/Granada (Southern Spain) in 10 days. Things were crazy in my personal life prior to the trip and remained as such when I got back. Then Ramadan came around, it was the best Ramadan I’ve experienced. I really took advantage of the month, beyond fasting, by reading and meditating and reflecting. it gave me a lot of clarity in life, what I want, what I don’t want and how to move forward. Then I took off again for Eid, hit Amsterdam, London, Vienna, NYC and Dubai over 18 days! And since I’ve returned things, overall, have been good ,الحمد لله

It’s not an easy life working in Afghanistan. And I have an unusual situation where my personal life partially operates within Afghan culture, and that can be too much to deal with. It can wear me down and make me not want to delve into the culture, and on this blog, any deeper then my life already forces me too. But in any case, I’ve gotten messages encouraging me to keep this blog going because of the unique side of life I try to show, and I do know there is a value in that, in my little piece of the world wide web. So after 4 months, here I go again attempting to show you the other side of Afghansitan, with something that is by no means the most intellectual or profound observation, or even appropriate by some people's standards, yet it's something I think is a bit funny, a bit shocking, but beyond that, a reality in the Afghanistan of today.

Note: I'm not making any kind of judgment or promotion, I'm just presenting its existence as respectfully and realistically as possible. But if you are sensitive to seeing anatomical enhancement products, please, respectfully, do not read on. Thanks.

The following are products, readily available in several stores across Kabul. Who would ever think in such a conservative and closed society, where a person's reputation matters more than their life, you could get this stuff, not even over a counter, but off a shelf! And it must be profitable b/c otherwise they wouldn’t keep stocking it!

They have a product called "virgin soap" but I didn't catch a picture of it this time. Anyway, this to me is similar to Taliban Glamor Shots posting; it has the essence as was captured very well by the comment Nida made on that post, how Afghanistan is "stuck between two opposing tides - on one hand a very rigid cultural setting and on the other globalization. What results is obsessive narcissism in forms we would have never expected." The availability of these products isn't necessarily the same form of narcissism, but it sure does indicate an increase interests in the self at a very personal level, and the market responding.

I dunno; while in some ways it's funny, it made me think about something not so funny: Afghanistan has one of the world's highest fertility rates, compounded by the average of more than six babies per woman despite years of war and a severe lack of medical care. Back in 2002, a UN maternal study found that in Badakhshan Province alone, the maternal mortality rate was 6,500 deaths per 100,000 live births; the highest ever documented in human history. So it's interesting to observe the above kinds of products are available, but women lack access to correct and relevant information of pre-natal care or health facilities. As exposure to new information increases and the space of (mostly young) people willing to think about such thing expands, I hope they are matched with critical education and access to more vital products and services from a public health perspective...