A vision of Kabul

Dear Dino,

Background information: I started studying at SJSU in the fall of 1984. I first moved into the I-Center in Spring, 1985. I stayed in and around the I-Center on and off until I graduated in Spring,1994, working as an RA, office assistant and Assistant Director among other “things” at the I-Center. I have a Bachelor in Business and a Master in Social Science. In 2000 I took a year off from work to pursue a postgraduate diploma in African Studies at University in Cape Town, South Africa.

Q.     Are you in Kabul right now, and if yes do you move a lot around the rest of the country? What is the state of the country right now? Is there a feeling of safety or not?

Yes, I’m located in Kabul, working for the Norwegian Embassy here. The first ever-presidential elections were held in October, and the Parliamentary election is scheduled to take place in September this year. The security situation is unstable and unpredictable. Some anti-democratic forces are interested in destabilizing the country during and around these elections. Certain areas in Kabul are considered safe, while we avoid other areas at times when security forces have information on potential terrorist acts against the international military forces, the international community in general and/or the Afghan government. Movements around the country are limited due to the unstable security situation, but I have visited a couple other provinces.

Q.  What exactly do you do? Is it voluntary? Is it a humanitarian service?

I work for the Norwegian Embassy as an employee of the Norwegian government. I’m a diplomat. Afghanistan is one of the major recipients of Norwegian development assistance. Development cooperation is when a developed nation (rich country) assists a developing nation (poor country) with money and expertise to enable the developing country to help its people out of poverty. Norway contributes to certain sectors in Afghanistan, education being one of them. My job is to make sure the education program (and other programs in other sectors) which Norway and other countries support in Afghanistan is as good and effective as possible, and that the money is used in the best possible way. To do this I work closely with the Afghan government, with civil society, and with other donor nations/Embassies.

     Q.     Would you call what you are doing a liturgy? A service to the Afghani people?

Yes, what I due is certainly a service to the Afghan people. The Afghan government wants all its children to go to school (the Millennium Development Goal for 2015). At present there are not enough schools or teachers, and families are too poor - and many places in the country too scared by the unstable security situation - to send their children to school, especially the girls. The international community, including Norway, is therefore assisting the Afghan government in building schools, training teachers, and creating income-generating activities.

      Q.     Do you feel that you are making a difference in the world? Can the actions of one person bring change to the world, or just hope?

I believe in joint efforts. The more various forces are working together, the stronger the force becomes, and the more likely it is that it will make a difference. I feel that I am contributing to Norway’s support of the Afghan government and the Afghan people.  Norway’s and the international community’s job in this country is to support the government by helping it to develop and be strong enough to help its people out of poverty. We are also giving support to civil society (Non governmental organizations - NGOs) because we believe in civil society as a counterpart to the government.

As a diplomat I work mainly with overall structures rather than with individual Afghan people on the ground. I feel I’m making a difference on behalf of Norway and because I share the values I’m suppose to represent by being a diplomat for Norway. I can also see how our efforts are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities. But the important part is that it has to be sustainable, meaning our task must be to enable the Afghan government and civil society to provide the goods and services now coming from the international community.

     Q.     Would you do what you are doing right now if it were not through an official establishment such as the Norwegian Government? I mean would you do it if you were not working for your government? Would you join an international relief agency as an individual?

Good question. I’ve been wanting to work for the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation/Ministry of Foreign Affaires since I was 15 years old. Working with development cooperation has always been interesting to me. I would, even today, like to try working more “on the ground”, for an NGO like the Red Cross or the Norwegian Refugee Council, or maybe for the UN. I might just try that sometime in the future, changing from the political level to more groundwork.

     Q.     What does it do to you, seeing all that pain and sorrow every day? Has it wounded your soul yet? Are you trying to be emotionally detached from it?

Another very good question. I guess one to a certain degree detaches oneself in order to be able to do a job, and you keep your eyes where you see hope. I get very touched by the lives of individual people I meet. Afghan people are proud, and they have learned to survive through many wars. People’s dignity touches me -- women and young girls determined to make a life for themselves, despite the very many obstacles in the country, not least for the female population. I learn something, and understand more, of my own life from what I see and experience in Afghanistan. No, I don’t feel wounded, rather enriched!

Q.     Does this job have priority over other areas in your life?

Hi hi hi. I guess so, since you’re talking to a 41-year old single woman! In many ways the job I now have here in Afghanistan is the one job I’ve “always” wanted. This has been a priority so far in my life. I plan to go back to Norway in 2006 or 2007. In many ways I wish I was younger now, so I could begin the “settling down” part of my life with marriage and children …  Life is based on choices for all of us and I don’t believe I would make different ones if I were to start all over again.  The older I get, the more I chose to believe in faith: What comes my way is for me to learn something from, what does not come my way is not “meant to be”- maybe I would have nothing to learn from it. Whether one believes in this or not, I think it’s a comforting thought!

      Q.     Something more private now. You don't have to answer it if you feel that I am invading your personal life.  Are you married? Does this job require sacrifices on your part so far? How far would you go?

Oooops, I think I answered this question already. Single with no regrets, but after my job here in Afghanistan is finished, ready to find a young, handsome Norwegian man and “settle down”  (-:   … until my next mission at least  (-:

     Q.     I know it sounds cliché, but if you had the power to be heard around the world, and inside the walls of the White House, what would you say to those who are playing with the fate of the world?

Stop the universal Apartheid!!!  Allow free movement of people and goods. Lift all restrictions. For the energy, money, and resources the rich part of the world is putting into protecting its own markets and borders, we could have eliminated poverty many times over and once and for all. It’s really absurd when you start thinking about it! Development cooperation would not be necessary. Nobody would get any welfare from any government, but could freely move around the world and make money from equal opportunities! I would have to find another line of work, and Norway in the freezing north would probably not be very populated, but I still think the world would be a better place to live in general!

     Q.     I know that the Scandinavian example of socialism was pioneering in the protection of human rights around the world, and the Scandinavian countries are the protagonists in the struggle for a more liberal and humane world. Did growing up in that kind of an environment influence you in any way? Do the rest of the Scandinavians think like that?

Yes, I think the “Scandinavian values” and the Scandinavian model of social democracy have influenced me to be interested in the world’s inequalities.  Our location and size has allowed us nation-building on a much smaller and more common scale. Even though this small corner of the world called Scandinavia is becoming more diverse in terms of people and attitudes, there is a common red thread in our values, making us to a large extent “like-minded” in a developing context. Also, I believe my 10 years spent in and around the International House has had influence on me in this regards.

If any new or old friends want to get in touch, I can be contacted at nsc@mfa.no .