All roads led here

One of the things most people don’t know about me is that I minored in Women’s Studies in college. The other part of that story is well publicized – I was an English major. But the part I talk about less is going to my Women’s Studies classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, wearing a military uniform, and feeling as out of place as you might imagine.

I never imagined myself still wearing that uniform ten years later. I certainly never imagined wearing that uniform in Afghanistan. And of all unlikely circumstances, the thought of using my education, military uniform and life experiences to help shape the future of a country in turmoil was never even a passing thought. Until now.

So here I am, sitting in Starbucks, and thinking about my future in Afghanistan. There are a lot of things I won’t post for the world (where I am, with whom I am meeting, and any other details which I think might cast unnecessary attention on my new temporary life.) But I can tell stories. And I will.

Here is what I am willing to tell you about the next few months of my life. I will be an advisor to the Afghan National Army (ANA), and specifically to the personnel function of the ANA. I will be assigned a female interpreter (one of the few females who fill that role in Afghanistan) and I will be working women’s integration issues. It is no secret that one of the major goals of both the Afghan government and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is to integrate women into at least 10 percent of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police by 2014.

That doesn’t sound like a lofty goal until you truly appreciate the role of women in Afghan society. The way I’ve best heard it described is like this: “Afghan culture is at least 300 years behind ours, and they have no aspirations of catching up.” And no, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that Afghanistan may never mirror western culture. I think it’s incredible, and absolutely fascinating. Women traditionally manage families in Afghanistan. Burkas cover their bodies from head to toe and they do not leave the family compound. A little different from America’s female Secretary of State (or the 20 or so percent of women who serve in the American armed forces).

Another well known fact about Afghanistan is that the literacy rate is below 25 percent – that’s another of my big projects while I’m there.  But before we as Americans look at that statistic critically, consider the cultural landscape of Afghanistan, which in my eyes mirrors much of what I’ve seen in other far places in the world.

Afghanistan is comprised of several large cities connected by a single somewhat paved road. Yes, one single somewhat paved road in the entire country. They are a population that is incredibly smart culturally – seeped in tradition, adept at reading social situations, and brave enough to survive more suffering than you and I could ever imagine.

I’m not ready to talk about the bad guys in Afghanistan yet. For right now, my best advice is to take every news story with a grain of salt. While there is surely an ounce of truth in much of what is reported, my job is to help Afghan women develop skills like reading, writing and leadership…and by doing that, I’ll be doing my part to shape the future of a country, its military, and most important to me the women who live there. Yes, there are bad guys and bad situations…which might be more pronounced in Afghanistan than in other places, but let’s be serious...evil is not restricted to this one country.

All roads led me here. And if anyone can think of a better job for me, I’d like to hear it.