We were a little worried about our neighbors down the street from the radio station.  Their blast wall was hauled away the other day. Why remove so much concrete? Was the Afghanization of security so effective that it was no longer needed? Maybe they fell behind on their rental payments.

Then, a few days back, new, higher concrete slabs arrived. It was clear that this was a renovation intended to maintain their status in the neighborhood. They had probably been intimidated by our thicker and taller walls. With these new units in place they no longer have to feel embarrassed at the next homeowners meeting or block party. Urban tourists will feel right at home in these concrete corridors. A new sense of security now pervades this little corner of Kandahar Airfield.

New barriers being lifted into place around the perimeter of the Six Flags Over KAF compound

The end result of the refurbishment project. The neighborhood never looked better.

Now that there is a separate place for items that are primarily photographic, Travelblogue.co, I will use this blog for more traditional blog entries. That includes links to material from other writers as well.

One of the highlights of my week at Kandahar Airfield is the Sunday morning service of the Kandahar Crossroads Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The “crossroads” in the name befits the short length of stay for many who are part of this group. There are four pictured in this January photo who are now back home or at their next assignment, including Chaplain Chris Antal, the Unitarian Universalist Minister who was responsible for bringing the group into existence at KAF.

[23 March update – five now back home or re-deployed from our group of eleven]

photo by US Army Sgt. Eric Skoog

In the current issue of UU World, Donald E. Skinner offers some more details about this group; In Afghanistan, UUs light chalice in new congregation

Another curative aspect of Reverend Antal’s ministry was the establishment of a Zen meditation group on Saturday morning. This has served to expose some people to the practice and to provide others with the support of a sangha, including those from other traditions.

Those who did not need to hurry off to work at 0700 following meditation were invited to take part in a Japanese tea ceremony. This was my first exposure to this tradition.

photo by Mark Rhodes

I am very happy to report that several members of the group have completed the work necessary to become Religious Service Lay Leaders so that these activities did not stop with the departure of Chaplain Antal. Robert LaVallee will be able to insure continuity of the Sunday service. David Graham has taken over leading the meditation practice. He even has begun to offer the tea ceremony at the end of zazen.

Most of the people working at Kandahar Airfield have their home thousands of miles away. The sort of activity established by Unitarian Universalist Minister Chris Antal has helped provide a spiritual home for those who will spend six months, a year, or longer here at Kandahar Airfield.

Diego Rivera could have a field day here. In fact, several thousand mural artists could have full time work for a number of years with the sheer surface area of blank, grey spaces calling out for color and design.

In the ten months I spent in Kabul I only passed two or three locations where any use was made of the city’s vast mural spaces. To be honest, there may have been many more in those areas where the artist was less likely to be observed by someone who would object to images or text on the concrete facade.

The surface area available where I am living now, at the military side of Kandahar Airfield, is much smaller than that offered in Kabul. Most of the concrete blast walls are much lower as well since they are often protecting single story buildings. But I am starting to find some evidence of the creative attraction these surfaces have for anyone artistically inclined or who wants to make a public statement of some sort. Most any sort of decorative art has more appeal than the pedestrian posting of parking regulations as shown here.

I live in a modular building that is a short walk away from some of the early experiments with concrete as canvas. The simplest and least permanent use of the space is for a birthday message. Here the wall serves as an eye level blackboard for the foot traffic through the housing area.

The next variation of work with these materials is the quick sketch of the smiley icon.

Not far from this image are walls where stencils are used extensively. A few seem to be areas where the images are posted to help in later selection of color and composition.

The “Tag You’re It” stencil would seem to suggest the option of agitprop but the other designs are more typical of an image you might find in a college dorm room.

The next example started as “Beware of Zombies” and the eyelashes and “Females” text were added by way of commentary a few weeks later. This appears just outside a female housing unit.

This last one is the closest example to mural art that I have come across at KAF. I don’t know how long this has been up but there is some weathering noted. This is located a few spaces away from the ” . . . Zombies” image.