Breanna

First of all, I'm glad that I have a crazy enough brother who is willing to take his mom and sisters to a place like Afghanistan knowing that any of the relatives would strangle him if he were in reach. Then again we were the ones up for it so you can call us crazy too. Yes, we are insane but oooOooOOH does that stamp ever look good in my passport! I remember watching the border show from the Indian side and looking across into Pakistan (this was when we had the plans to go to South Africa) thinking "Damn, we came so close and now we aren't even going!" but fate had a different plan in store for us. I am so glad that we were able to go there after all because if we hadn't I would have missed out on such an amazing experience that I will never forget! You know how you create an idea and picture of something in your mind before you've seen it, then when you do see it it's completely different from what you thought? Well that's what happened to me before I entered Afghanistan. It was funny crossing the border because our friend Jazz, the American guy, was not only shocked with himself but more so because he was headed into Afghanistan with a Canadian family. Who would have guessed......what are the odds? I'm glad we met nice people on the bus ride to Kabul. Especially when we were treated to cold juice since I was boiling underneath my headscarf! Speaking of headscarves, I hate them!! It's so frustrating because they never stay on my head so I'm constantly having to adjust them and it gets so hot that I feel like I'm sweating to death! I feel so sorry for the women who have to be completely covered. I am so fortunate to live in Canada where the women have so many rights and freedoms. I am so blessed. I do feel a bit guilty for taking so much for granted. The only way to learn is to be out here living the way others do and seeing the cultures. Kabul is a busy place. I wasn't impressed with the number of times my butt was grabbed at but we all got to belt a few guys! After that we had to reareange the walking order which we've never had to do before. Girls on the inside boys on the outside. Poor them having to watch our butts the whole time, literally! What great bodyguards we have. Any time we stopped for just one minute we'd have a huge crowd gathered around. Soooo much attention!! Now I know how Brad Pitt must feel, hahah! Kunduz was great, I know mom talked all about it but seriously you would have been blown away with the hospitality offered to us. VIP treatment. Absolutely fabulous! I really had the best time. Now I see it all through different eyes. I've learned so much. I'm certainly not the same girl I was when I left home. It should be a mandatory part of everyone's education to do this kind of travel. Forget the fancy new car and go see the world......
Breanna