Off to Afghanistan!

It's happening. We are flying to Kabul today from Delhi! After months of planning, discussing, researching, we are really going. The funny thing is, everyone we've spoken to about this trip who HASN'T been to Afghanistan has warned us about how dangerous it is, while everyone we've met who has been there, worked or lived there tells us that it's the friendliest place they've EVER been, that it's not really that dangerous and that we are going to be fine.

Funny that - having lived in Los Angeles and New York City, and been warned by non-residents how dangerous THOSE cities are, I know firsthand how wide the gap can be between the perception of danger from the outside of a place and the perception from inside. In truth, not a day has gone by in the last month when I haven't felt the miracle of survival here on the streets of India, where just crossing the street is a kamikaze endeavor.

SO, all that is to say that a big part of my mission in going to Afghanistan is to experience what is happening there and bring it back to America, via words, pictures and video. We will be staying at the Turquoise Mountain Foundation (see first blog post for more detail) and working on a documentary for Prince Charles, as well as shooting as much on our own as possible.

The awful irony of our arrival there today is that we just found out yesterday morning that a young woman at TMF named Anna (whom I'd been emailing re: helping out on this project) died yesterday, falling off a horse. She was a 26-year old American, working for an NGO in Kabul, and just had this freak accident. So tragic! We will be arriving today in the midst of their mourning for her, and will try to help however we can.

We are told there is connection so hopefully we will post updates here.

PS, I am NOT planning to wear a burka, and yes, I do feel a bit like Private Benjamin (although Goldie actually made a more appropriate movie to reference here, but I think I am one of the 3 people who ever saw it, "Protocol" - don't bother, but she plays an aerobics instructor or something who accidentally saves a diplomat's life and gets a job with the State Dept, and ends up as an "ambassador" of sorts in some unnamed fictional Muslim country.)