First entry

Street scene, Conakry, Guinea, May 2001

Welcome to my blog. No promises about how devoutly I'll update it. I'm posting this from l'Atmosphere, a rather atmospheric French restaurant in Kabul.

I'm pretty anxious to soak up some decadence right now because I've just come back from two slightly rougher weeks in the field - one in Panjao (Central Highlands of Afghanistan) and one in Kandahar City - where security rules prevented me from leaving the Oxfam compound for four days.

Programme for the next few weeks: Working in Kabul until September 10, then two weeks in Delhi to avoid any troubles brought on by the Afghan elections, and then working here (perhaps including two weeks in Badakhshan) until the end of my Oxfam contract on October 31.