Kids and More Kids

So there is this burn pit right outside the base.  Since Waste Management Co has not made their way Afghanistan yet, we have to burn all of our trash...I know, not exactly environmentally friendly but there is no other alternative at this stage.  So each day trucks go out and dump the trash and burn it.  So the pit is a large blackened crater that is constantly smoking like the top of a volcano.  Here and there you can see little, smoldering fires as the remnants of the trash gets turned to ash.  But the fire has competition for the trash.  Because the pit is constantly occupied by a collection of goats, sheep, mules, cattle and kids.  The goats and sheep are always rummaging through the burning garbage looking for something good to eat.  The sheep...I am pretty sure they were white at one point but hanging out at the burn pit has turned their wool black.  The other day as we drove by it was raining, so you could see some of the black soot washing away from the sheep although it was just making them looking nastier than they already did.  They do not seem to be too concerned by the fires and the hot earth they are walking over, although they do not seem to be too concerned about anything.  One of my guys said he saw two goats at the top of the burn pit, as he put it..."they were making love, and they were both on fire."  Now, that's what you call the heat of passion.  I'm not sure why the cows and mules hang out there except to see what all the excitement is about.  The kids from the nearby villages will venture in sometimes too.  Perhaps they are suppose to be tending the flocks and herds.  They will rummage through the crater for whatever good stuff they can get their hands on without getting burned.  Crazy.

Driving through the province, it is amazing how many animals and kids there are.  Even driving to Asadabad, the capital of the province that is only five minutes away, if we go at the wrong time in the morning we get stuck behind a mini cattle drive as the farmer takes his livestock down to whereever it is they hang out during the day.  So, they head right down the main street until they take a right just before they get to the center of town.  It is always sketchy when we are driving around because these animals are fearless and stupid.  You will see three cows, or maybe four of five mules walking down the side of the road, no one tending them of course, and you will invaribly see one of them just start tilting his head to the left as though he has decided he wants to cross the road.  Pay no attention to the large vehicles (with weapons) barreling down the road.  Next thing you know it's little head tilt will become a left turn right into the middle of the road as it decides to saunter across without a care in the world.  So we spend quite a bit of time hitting the brakes for a wide variety of animals. 

The kids!  The average Afghan family has five to six kids...that is the average.  So, there are kids everywhere.  Because they are kids, they always come out to the side of the road whenever we pass.  Depending on the village, they will either wave, give us a thumbs up, give us an obscene gesture or throw rocks.  It all depends on where we are in the province.  There is one village in particular where it seems they are not big fans, but the kids still stop and watch us go by...there are so many more than in other places.  They are all young...under twelve...and they will just watch us go by, with little or no emotion.  Kind of like the Stepford Children or Children of the Corn maybe...slightly creepy.  Of course, because it is summer and the temperature is anywhere between 101 and 107 on most days, you will see the kids out swimming in the canals and the river just like anywhere in the world.  I have even seen kids tubing down the river and relaxing along the river bank.  Unfortunately, the kids in the canals are swimming in the water that carries the sewage away from their villages...nice.  There is no clear water here.  It is all brown, even the river. 

Of course the kids are critical in the process of building this country.  Breaking the cycle and educating the next generation so they can better understand the world around them and not be manipulated by ignorance and hate is key.  That is why we build schools and promote education.  The percentage of kids getting an education, both boys and girls, is going up which is great.  What they do with this education remains to be seen.  Hopefully it will get them out of the burn pit.