My Afghan 15 Minutes of Fame

So, without my flak jacket, I was whisked around town in the front passenger seat for a 90-minute tour with three enthusiastic and gracious hosts. We first when to a “safe house’ to see the Buzkashi horses (the Afghan national sport, often likened to polo). We then drove out to the city park and various other spots around this beautiful, pastoral town where there was no visual evidence of a war that was already 8 years old and ongoing. Everywhere we went, my hosts eagerly took photos—me with each of them and then group photos in all combinations, each time snapped into memory with all four of our cameras—mine, and each of theirs.