For this assignment I traveled to Afghanistan three different times from October 2003 to June 2004. Each time I returned, it was great to see how the country was stabilizing, growing, and improving. There was a lot of new construction, and Internet cafés and banks were popping up everywhere in Kabul. I know that pre-election violence has set back some of this progress, but the future certainly looks brighter than it did a year ago.
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I traveled around the countryside in a Jeep with my guide, and I was always sort of on edge because I never really knew whether we were in a safe place. So we drove at breakneck speeds to get from point A to point B, which meant we didn't get to stop and talk to the people along the way as much as I would have liked to.
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I met a lot of people in Afghanistan who get a big adrenaline rush out of traveling to war-torn places. They work at embassies, non-governmental organizations, and media outlets and have this type of personality that enjoys being on the forefront of breaking news. There was even one woman I met who travels the world, from war zone to war zone, setting up Thai restaurants for the expatriate community of aid workers. She must make a fortune from all the foreigners because her prices are high, and she only takes U.S. dollars. One time we had dinner for five at her place, and it was $90.
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