I just got 80% on my first piece of coursework for my 2nd module (DD205), woo :-). And it was on a really boring subject that I'm not personally interested in (the USA/Mexico border).

I got two 80%-courseworks for my last module (DD100), and an average of 71%. (With the last half of the course being completed in Afghanistan, away from my library and mostly offline!).

So, what I learned from this first piece is: Leave it to the last minute, and then rush it!

Tags: academia, afghanistan, degree, offline, sociology, studying, university, vexen
Current Location: Monchengladbach, Germany

I've mostly packed!!!!

Got a week of travelling around to go, but, my departure window to start the journey, is not far away!

When I get home, I'll need to fix the internet connection there, but first there are a couple of kittens, a beloved wife, and a car, that need lots of TLC!

No more sand, water runs, body armour & helmet, alarms, or talking shit in a small cramped room all day with the same 8 people!

Tags: afghanistan, desert, internet access, work
Current Location: Afghanistan

It was freezing last night (not literally)... has been cold all week, but last evening and last night it was proper desert winter weather. In previous weeks it has remained hot all night. Well, I guess it's autumn.

How's the rest of the world doing?

Still over a month to go over here. Can't wait to get back to Germany.

Got some clubbing in Berlin lined up (anyone want to come?), and lots of chilling planned with my better half.

Tags: afghanistan, desert, germany

Kabul is cold compared to Mazaar-e-Sherif, I'm glad to be back up here!

My laptop isn't online, I can only use a work PC... and we all share it, so I'm not online much. And, I can't really reply to emails in an organized or timely manner.

I've got some great photos, but they're all over a meg so I need to find some photo-editting software before I can upload them. Some of them will be for my work-safe friends list only if you can see any of my work kit/workmates in the photos. I have a digital camera now! Woo!

I'm on night shift tonight, monitoring the equipment all night.

I miss my normal life, but also I'm enjoying it out here... if only I had a decent laptop so I could get more stuff done! I think I might have to finally admit that I need a new one, even though the old one still (mostly) works!

Tags: afghanistan, laptops, work
Current Location: Mazaar-e-Sherif, Afghanistan
Current Mood: good
Listening To: Silence

A network virus on the Roshan network (Afghanistan civilian net) has hit all the computers connected to it; the laptop I'm using will remain offline for a week or so until I scan it and fix it, and get new antivirus for it, and stuff.

So I won't be on Yahoo for a bit, and hey, I miss you guys already!

In other news, I will soon be back in Germany for ten days soon. Which is timely, I've got loads of stuff to do! Not least of all, spending nights-in with my wife!

Tags: afghanistan, computer viruses, geeky, germany, relationships

I've been moving around for a week, doing security assessments and site surveys in North West Afghanistan... I've got some awesome photos from the back of the helicopters and of the mountains.

The most amazing thing is that there are always people... we can be flying over mountains for 30 minutes, and *still* see, in the middle of nowhere, a man and a camel walking down an endless road, apparently going nowhere.

There are cultivated fields on mountainsides that are hundreds of miles from any town or village. People live in huts randomly distributed across the wild.

And then, suddenly, in a basis or on a plateux, is another military camp with thick walls, barbed wire, lights, business and proto-civilisation, normally with a tent-camp of migrant worker Afghans nearby, and an airstrip.

Is a very beautiful country. I'm back at the camp where I'm temporarily staying, now, and have written up my reports (which are eventually going to the SACEUR - Supreme Allied Commander EURope (Nato's 2nd biggest wiggyest big wig). Never has a computer geek had so much rank trying their best to help him!

Tags: afghanistan, army, desert, nato, work

There was a dust storm brewing a few times, could only see 50 meters at one point, but it died down. It gets quite painful to open eyes whilst outdoors!

It is much hotter here (Mazaar-e-Sherif) than it is in Kabul, it verges on 50 degrees, and 40 degrees in the shade. I am here at Mes for another two weeks (probably), before returning to Kabul. I'm some kind of free-floating technician.

The bugs are energetic, and spontaneously generate randomly. Only the small red ants are organized.

There are only 11 Brits on this camp, plenty of French, Belgians, Swedes, Finnish, hundreds of Germans, a few guys from Croatia and a few from Hungary. Amongst others. I am on the night shift, but haven't had any time to myself on account of there being a barbeque.

Tags: afghanistan, desert, heat, insects, work
Current Location: Afghanistan
Current Mood: blank

"Settling" in Afghanistan is a two-way process.

On the one hand, I am in a good routine of chatting to friends of an evening, and doing a little coursework, and relaxing during the sparse hours I have free. I am settling in that I've bought speakers for the laptop, got my own pillow cases onto my pillow, and am settling into a routine.

But as I said its a two-way process... the dust and sandy atmosphere is settling in to everything... I am getting accustomed to floors, surfaces, objects and everything being constantly covered in a constant film of desert and dryness... whereas at first I wanted to constantly wash my hands and face... now the desert is settling into me!

But the days are getting hotter... 40degrees celsius today at 1pm... and with that we wear body armour, jacket, helmet (when driving from one work premises to another), boots, etc.

I'm quite liking it out here :-)

Thanks to Shuri and Gail, and Opto! for the conversation, it's a real morale boost. I got some good friends :-)

Tags: acclimitisation, afghanistan, desert, work

To: All Al Queda Fighters
From: Bin Laden, Osama
Subject: The Cave

Hi guys. We've all been putting in long hours recently but we've really come together as a group and I love that! However, while we are fighting a jihad, we can't forget to take care of the cave, and frankly I have a few concerns.

1) While it's good to be concerned about cruise missiles, we should be even more concerned about the dust in our cave. We want to avoid excessive dust inhalation, (a health and safety issue) - so we need to sweep the cave daily. I've done my bit on the cleaning rota...have you? I've posted a sign-up sheet near the cave reception area (next to the Halaal toaster).

2) It's not often I make a video address but when I do, I'm trying to scare the sh it out of most of the world's population, okay? This means while we're taping, please do not ride your scooter in the background or keep doing the 'Wassup' thing. Thanks.

3) Food. I bought a box of Dairylea recently, clearly wrote "Ossy" on the front, and put it on the top shelf. Today, two of my Dairylea slices were gone. Consideration. That's all I'm saying.

4) I'm not against team spirit and all that, but we must distance ourselves from the Infidel's bat and ball games. Please do not chant "Ossy Ossy Ossy, Oy Oy Oy" when I ride past on the donkey. Thanks.

5) Graffiti. To whoever wrote "OSAMA F**K S DONKEYS" on the group toilet wall, it's a lie. The donkey backed into me, whilst I was relieving myself at the edge of the mountain.

6) The use of chickens is strictly for food. Assam, the old excuse that the 'chicken backed into me, whilst I was relieving myself at the edge of the mountain' will not be accepted in future. (With donkeys, there is a grey area.)

Finally , We've heard that there may be Western soldiers in disguise trying to infiltrate our ranks. I want to set up patrols to look for them. First patrol will be Omar, Muhammad, Abdul, Akbar and Dave.

Love you lots, Group Hug.
Os.

P.s. - I'm sick of having "Osama's Bed Linen" scribbled on my laundry bag. Cut it out, it's not funny anymore.

(I got this when it was posted to the Sluts list several weeks ago)

Tags: afghanistan, humour, iraq, jokes, osama bin laden
Current Mood: awake
Listening To: "Sleepwalk" by Christian Death

I would not like to boast, but the SAS are like... very very scary. Intsensely accurate, fast, efficient. There is a group who have been training in Pakistan for "several years" according to the news.

Sierra Leone

A low-volume event I recall is during the Sierra Leone unrest, when a small army The West Side Boys captured 11 British military personell, and helf them prisoner for a month or so. The SAS, with army and navy cover, landed. After 20 minutes of landing, the SAS rescued the hostages, and proceeded to capture/kill (I can't remember which) the leader of the group, and were lifted back after only a 90 minute fight. The SAS suffered _one_ fatality.

*finds a link*
http://www.lineone.net/express/00/09/11/news/n0100splash-d.html

The SAS are one of the few things that make me actively proud of my country! They are the military group I respect *most* for being able to very accurately "get" the bad guys without hitting a single innocent.


Although not applicable in Afghanistan, and especially against Osama bin Laden (who does not use radio phones), Michael the Technical Director (who knows lots of history), was telling me about an America assassination of some military leader who was being bad once - actually he was attacking Israel, though I can't remember who he was.
The Americans assinated him with absolute precision... with a missile. He used a phone that was traced, and was pinpointed exactly, and you guys hit him with a single missile across half a country. Which is about as accurate as you can get.

I'm good at not-quite remembering these things!


I hope that we, the West, are cabable of taking out the Teleban with as much care as possible. With the complete closing of Afghanistan's borders by the Teleban forces even to aid, food, etc, it's populace are in severe trouble, so now I feel that we should also destroy the Teleban quickly, because it is necessary to get aid through again.

But I do not believe the answer lies in helping the Norther Alliance, because if we've leartn anything, it's that arming one group to fight another has always backfired. We, particalarily the USA (the world's biggest exporter of arms), and the UK (who helped the American's train the Teleban in the first place to create more resistance against Russian forces), should have learned from our history. Although we should co-operate and exchange information with the Northern Alliance, I do not believe in arming them (although some is necessary for negotiation and because we actually need their help).

Our biggest problem is that Saudi Arabia, Iraq + Palestine (the people if not the governments) and of course Afghanistan (along with many other Arab and Muslim countries) are absolutely sick and tired of seeing Western forces invade yet again, and I fear that once we remove the Teleban, we will leave behind even more hatred of the West.

But... it's a no-win situation and for now I'd like to see the Teleban and Osama bin Laden (don't forget he has previously killed many hundreds of American's in various bombings and combat in the last 10 years, the Sep-11 attacks were just shockingly on American soil) removed. We created a monster, now we have to deal with it.

I just hope the Islamic world can forgive us.

Tags: afghanistan, osma bin laden, sas, the taliban, usa
Current Mood: productive
Listening To: "The Love Cats" by The Cure