A Real Kabul Winter...

Ok...this is a real Kabul winter. We had a couple days of heavy snowfall and cold tempratures. If it was a little bit colder, it would have been just like home! Unfortunately the sun came out today and the snow is already gone, turning the place into one big muddy mess.

The gal in the white coat is "MJ" who is in the CF and attached to the Embassy staff. The other lady is also attached to the Embassy in the developement portfolio...her name is Racima. They are both great ladies and true Canadians as they had to be outside playing in the snow as well.

The picture of the young Afghan is a lad who always hits us up to buy a bracelet from him. I have promised him that I will buy a couple before I head home...I give him credit, he is determined. Just like a postman he is always there...neither rain, nor snow, nor sickness...

Birthday Season

We are officially entering the Critchley family "Birthday Season" and I would like to wish three very special ladies of my family a very Happy Birthday!

Although I am a male, I am still smart enough to not publically announce the ages of these fine ladies, I will say that I have placed the photo's in chronicalogical order and I will let you figure out the order.

Kathy's special day is Feb 16th

Sue's special day is Feb 11th

Naomi's special day is Feb 17th

In celebration of your birthdays I had a Snickers Bar for breakfast this morning.....not sure why there was a huge beautiful tray of chocolate bars at the breakfast buffet this morning....but I have become very accustomed to life in Kabul and learned not to question everything and enjoy what you have in front of you and more importantly, to enjoy the moment....because it is fleeting and does not last.

So the above is my way of saying to please enjoy your birthdays and do something to make your day special and memorable!

Big hugs and kisses from your loving brother and uncle....

ps: I see on my previous post the Birthday Season extends all the way to Australia and Shell just celebrated her 24th birthday....funny, I think both Kathy and Sue are turning 24 as well.

Winter in Kabul

As you can see, winter has come to Kabul. Over the last couple of days we have had quite a rainfall which was really the first time that it has rained since I arrived almost 8 months ago. The rain was actually quite nice....it cleaned up all of the air pollution, was wonderful to listen to as I feel asleep at night and it covered the surrounding mountains with a layer of snow.

I just had to get up on one of the roofs and take these pcitures of the surrounding mountains as the sky was so clear and blue (normally you cannot see them due to the air pollution) and they were so striking. I had to crop the pictures so that I did not show the surrounding area to the Embassy but I think you will still get the sense of how Kabul is surrounded on all sides by soaring mountains.

In the one photo you can see the old Kabul Wall on the ridgeline. This was the wall built to defend Kabul from the invaders, much along the lines of the Great Wall in China, which both of course proved to be equally disasterous.

There is no snow on the ground down where we are and it was all just slushy rain. Turned the place into one big mud slick. I felt so bad for some of the young kids I saw as we moved around to various meetings in the city. For the most part they do not have proper winter clothes and wear sandals year round. These poor kids would be standing on the side of a incredibly busy road, soaking wet covered in mud, dressed in rags shivering and trying to sell everything from chewing gum to phone cards. Really something to see....

The "New Crew"

During my time home for Christmas, I attended the Canadian Police College and made a presentation to the new group of police officers slated for deployment to Afghanistan in mid-February. I thought it was great timing as they had just started their course and it gave me an oppourtunity to introduce myself and make a presentation about our Police Mission in Afghanistan.

The two pictures were taken by one of the guys in training....and of course I can't recall his name. I feel terrible as I promised I would give him the photo credit. No doubt I will be reminded when I see him.

Currently there are 23 folks in training and this is the first rotation where the majority are coming to Kabul and not Kandahar. We are beginning to transition all of our CivPol resources north so that come July, we will no longer be in the south. This is in response to the new Canadian Engagement Strategy for Afghanistan.

We are working hard behind the scenes here in Kabul getting ready for their arrival as there are so many issues to be worked out as everything is a challenge here. Something as simple as picking up 23 people at the airport and transporting them to their respective work locations, is a big deal. Just when we think we have it nailed down, something changes which has a ripple effect through all the plans.

That being said, we are very much looking forward to the "new crew" as I know they all bring unique skills and experience to the Mission which are in critical need as we continue to train and mentor the ANP.

Jamaica - Part 2

I was going through my Jamaica pictures trying to decide which ones to post and it really jumped out at me just how vastly diverse our world is. Quite simply, all the pictures from Jamaica are green and the ones from Afghanistan are brown. What a difference....didn't even need to enlarge the photo's, one quick glance and it was readily apparent where they were taken.

I have included pictures of the "Honeymoon Cottage" where we stayed. The cottage was split into four seperate suites and we shared a small private pool in the back. Each morning Debra and I would have a cup of coffee on the patio and take in the amazing sights and sounds of Jamaica. Then we would make our way down to the main manor and decide if we were going to spend the day beside the pool or the beach....what a great trip.

White Guy at the Pool!

Well, as you can clearly see from the photo above, the title of this post is readily apparent....even with a couple of pre-tanning sessions in Ottawa prior to going to Jamaica, I stood out at the pool like a marshmallow in a bag of coal!

I am now back at work in Afghanistan after my three week break back home. As I sit here in my room and type out this post, I can close my eyes and smell the Christmas turkey, Debra's cinnamon buns, the tropical flowers in Jamaica and of course my after sun lotion. Can't believe how fast the time went and how much fun we had.

We were extremely fortunate that I made it home for Christmas. Seemed like everything was against me as I tried to get home on Dec 22nd. First the EU banned all Afghan airlines from EU airspace. This had a trickle down effect on all flights from Kabul and numerous were cancelled. Then the weather chaos in Europe and Frankfurt shutting down and finally an insurgent attack in Kabul the day before I left which threatened to shut down the Kabul airport.....I was literally counting the minutes until I got on the plane. But, all worked well and we had a wonderful Christmas at home with Jennifer, Brandon, Sarah and Joel. It really recharged my batteries (soul) spending time with my family and friends enjoying great food, wine and moments where we laughed until we cried.

Debra and I headed off to Ocho Rios in Jamaica right after New Years and had a splendid week of sunshine at the Resort. It actually took us a couple of days to slow down and get into the groove...more importantly the Jamaican or possibly the Caribbean pace of doing things. In other words, no rush, slow down and enjoy the moment. The service and staff were outstanding and we truly enjoyed ourselves.

We really played tourists and signed up for a Mountain Bike tour on one of the days and you can see from the photo's, the "fabulous beach cruisers" as described in the brochure, didn't quite stand up to the description. I actually think I recognized one bike as being Steve's old bike from when we were kids in Kelowna (I knew it was his because of the bent handlebars and dented fenders resulting from when he raced down the hill down onto the carport, could not stop in time and ran off the end, went down the stairs and crashed on the hill below).

I will be posting additionally pictures from Jamaica, Christmas family pictures and of course future exploits as I complete the next half of my Mission in Afghanistan. I sincerely wish everyone to have an outstanding 2011 and you enjoy what we are trying to bring to the people of Afghanistan.....Peace and Prosperity.

Cpl. Steve Martin

Last night I attended a Ramp Ceremony for Cpl. Steve Martin who was killed by an IED while on foot patrol in the district of Kandahar. Cpl. Martin was part of a larger patrol that was in the area to protect a major road construction project.

Cpl. Martin's death is tragic in so many ways. Tragic in that he died 2 days before his 25 birthday. Tragic as he had been deployed three times, once to Haiti right after the earthquake and twice to Afghanistan. And finally, tragic as we are entering the season where we celebrate the birth of a child who came to earth to spread Peace.

I will be heading home today to be with my family and friends...Cpl. Martin has also left Afghanistan for home where he will be met by his family and friends...may he rest in Peace.

Our hearts and prayers go out to Cpl. Martin's family and friends during this difficult time and may the rest of us embrace the season of Peace and truly appreciate and be thankful for all that we have and hold dear.