The internet in the AKF office and the hotel are terrible -- both have restrictions on how much you can use (Serena by time, office by MB) and cut you off when you've used up your allotment. In the Serena you can just get re-upped for free but it's a hassle. Anyway, that's why the lack of posting.
The rest of the trip went really well. This morning's meeting with a more focused group of Mission and DC people was more productive than the first one, although I left both with the impression that they're more enthusiastic about this whole business than I imagined. I should really stop having any expectations at all, I've been surprised basically once a week for the past four months. At any rate, we left with lots of work to do in the next 2-3 weeks and a much clearer picture of what we need to address in order for the project to happen. Vague!
Got dinner with Colin last night at Taverna. I missed him before he left for his new job in Kabul (he left the day before I did from DC), so it was good to have a couple of beers and see what's up. He just started as Chief of Party of a big contract in the East and South -- kind of a hotshot job for someone his age (29?).
It's been interesting to spend more time around Aly, the ambassador. He's seriously impressive in meetings, just very easily confident and authoritative without being domineering or aggressive in any way. As MJ pointed out today at lunch, it helps when you've been giving the AKDN spiel and answering every question in the book every day for ten years.
Finally, I finished The Quiet American, by Graham Greene. More thoughts later, perhaps, but it was interesting* to encounter a character who is (ostensibly) working for the precursor to USAID, in the precursor to Vietnam (well, before we got really entangled there, but still), while in Afghanistan for meetings with USAID.
The rest of my thoughts will be self-censored for possible eventual workplace discovery purpose.
Now I'm sitting outside the gate here in Dubai, struggling with yet another shit-tastic internet connection and hoping the inflatable neck pillow I bought helps me get at least five hours of sleep on my flight. T-minus three hours and nine minutes to takeoff.
*Yes, this is a terribly useless word, like "stupid." A lazy substitute. I am too tired to think of a word that better describes what I mean.
The rest of the trip went really well. This morning's meeting with a more focused group of Mission and DC people was more productive than the first one, although I left both with the impression that they're more enthusiastic about this whole business than I imagined. I should really stop having any expectations at all, I've been surprised basically once a week for the past four months. At any rate, we left with lots of work to do in the next 2-3 weeks and a much clearer picture of what we need to address in order for the project to happen. Vague!
Got dinner with Colin last night at Taverna. I missed him before he left for his new job in Kabul (he left the day before I did from DC), so it was good to have a couple of beers and see what's up. He just started as Chief of Party of a big contract in the East and South -- kind of a hotshot job for someone his age (29?).
It's been interesting to spend more time around Aly, the ambassador. He's seriously impressive in meetings, just very easily confident and authoritative without being domineering or aggressive in any way. As MJ pointed out today at lunch, it helps when you've been giving the AKDN spiel and answering every question in the book every day for ten years.
Finally, I finished The Quiet American, by Graham Greene. More thoughts later, perhaps, but it was interesting* to encounter a character who is (ostensibly) working for the precursor to USAID, in the precursor to Vietnam (well, before we got really entangled there, but still), while in Afghanistan for meetings with USAID.
The rest of my thoughts will be self-censored for possible eventual workplace discovery purpose.
Now I'm sitting outside the gate here in Dubai, struggling with yet another shit-tastic internet connection and hoping the inflatable neck pillow I bought helps me get at least five hours of sleep on my flight. T-minus three hours and nine minutes to takeoff.
*Yes, this is a terribly useless word, like "stupid." A lazy substitute. I am too tired to think of a word that better describes what I mean.
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