15 October 2007 / 31 Jauza 1386
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For several months now I have been wondering how to resume this weblog. Essentially what happened was that I became overwhelmed with too much stuff to process while I was in Europe; then when I returned, I was reluctant to create web pages because I needed to focus on dissertation-writing. I thought blogging would end up being procrastination. Then I started doing projects, which have interfered with my writing anyway. Now, I am beginning my last month here. I was seriously considering extending my stay, but I miss my family, and I am now too busy here to write. I actually need to withdraw from Kabul to get some writing headspace. I hope that works.
Meanwhile, a few of the things I have been up to:
1. Teaching at Kabul U and Kabul Polytechnic, which has been interesting and more complicated this fall.
2. Participating in the Disaster Risk Reduction Regional Conference (late August).
3. Doing interviews and field trips to various locations with a hired translator and driver.
4. Observing much of Ramadan (that is fairly compulsory here, unless you want to be so crass as to eat in front of fasting Afghans).
5. Helping set up an Urban and Regional Planning masters program at Kabul University.
6. Doing planning schematics for a 400-hectare area on the southwest edge of Kabul as a way of trading favors with the vice-Mayor.
7. Learning to salsa. Still pretty bad, but I'm working on it.