2nd day in Kabul

Dear friends,

I am learning more about being here as a foreigner. Read….

So yesterday the Kabul Ali could not help me. He was just to busy. So I decided to stay one more night in the Hotel (Plaza). I wrote some more people on couchsurfing, That would be a good solution. The once I wrote before, they did not answer yet.

Then I went for a orientation and peace walk through the city. About 10km. I decided to do it more often maybe even daily. It felt good and some ideas popped up. One idea was to negotiate with the Plaza Hotel to get a better prize and to stay for a while until I have a solution, where to be. Also I thought of starting a funding, because money is running out…..  Next idea was to engage more with this people at the hotel, they are nice, and making in the evening peace birds with them. Then a bought a sponge and a soap to continue cleaning the room…. One of the employees is studying, so there could be a connection with the University?… And so on…..

Coming back to the Plaza Hotel I had to sit down at the reception first. Situation changed. The police showed up. I am not allowed to stay there anymore, because it’s a privat hotel. I have to move to another Hotel, which is owned by the government and what is more expensiv. My complanes, that I don’t want to change the place, also because of money reasons…. it did not help. So now I have to pay, instead of 15$, 17$. The new Hotel (Spinzar) is not far away. They want to have the Tel no of Kabul Ali, but I refuse. The goverment is making to much trouble to my friends (mainly calling all the time and put my friends into responsibilities, they are not responsible for) I feel more again in a prison, and I have even to pay for it.

I have one more option to hopefully find a free place to stay. Its through another Ali from Iran/ Fariman, who has a friend, Mahmad, also Iranian, who lives in Kabul, works her at a TV station. So in the night we try to connect with him, first the no is not clear, we sent messages, no answer yet. But Fariman Ali is also connecting to Mahmads brother, so step by step we come closer.

The next morning Kabul Ali shows up. I very much appreciate that he is coming. Sometimes in this culture people don’t show up, if they can’t fulfill the needs of a ‚guest‘ or a problem they can’t solve. They want to make people happy and take care of them. If they can’t, they feel ashamed and it’s so embarrasing to them, that they can’t handle the situation. So they dont come. I express my appeciation. Kabul Ali wanted to solve the money problem with again paying my hotel for the last night. But I have to refuse. It does not feel right to missuse this freshly friendship. Sure, in general I accept donations whereever they come from, but in this situation, even though my money runs out very soon, I can’t accept. I think it’s because he is also misused by the Plaza Hotel yesterday by calling him without asking me, to solve my problems.

So Kabul Ali is again the translater in the new Hotel for another issue. Spinzar Hotel was giving me yesterday a reduces price, the 17$, and during the night the manager of this Hotel complained towards the employees…. The real price, which I have to pay now is 25$!!!! Wonderful. I get really angry. I am not allowed to stay, where I can effort it, have to be like in a prison now (not free to choose) and have to pay a overprices Hotel. Brrrr. To Ali, I say, I maid stay outside in the street, then, is that more safe? In a country, where 42% of the people have less than 1$ a day for living, this does not feel right.

Also I don’t find a place at couchsurfing, because hosts will be called and controlled all the time, I try to understand the non-reaction….., and couchsurfing have proparbly experienced with hosting foreigners, and I think loud….. towards Ali.

It’s all for the safety reason. I understand the idea behind. But I know, which the last kidnapping happend in Kabul (after 2 years of no incident in the city) there was also a armed security guard killed, who tried to protect the hostel guest. Then the government complaned, that the members of a help organisation did not have any personal security guard. But there was security in front of the building. I don’t know, if this is the right strategy. And what makes me angry and very sad, is, that there is a total separation now between foreigners and citizens. And with every action the gap gets bigger. It seems that there is no trust between citizens and government security. Anyone is to be misstrusted, needs to be investigated, controlled and is suspicious. Any hospitality of the Afghanis gets poisioned by this strategy. Very dangerous in my understanding.

So for now I do not have a solution. I will stay another day in this Hotel. Ali gave me in the morning the adress of two German help oranisations in the city. I should have gone there immediately, but also I have to take care of my peace inside, I had to write this down. Friday, his free day, today is Monday,  he likes to spent more time with me. Inshallah. And looking forward to it. Thank you Ali.