Day 1 Week 2 -- Albania -- Languages, Afghanistan Final

I want to first of all publish one last website for Afghanistan.  This latest journey to the world countries started when I realized how many "Occupy" sites there were.  So in the process of searching them down, I found this  for Afghanistan:


Occupy the Afghan Airwaves


and now for Albania

Map of Albania
Public Domain
wpclipart.com

Albanian flag
Public domain

Languages
I had a hard time finding language courses for Albanian, but in the meantime I did find the following regarding the language itself:
Albanian language, alphabets
And the following from UTexas, gives some background and basic pronunciation notes.
Albanian Online: Series Introduction
A couple of the usual websites also had at least initial language learning with in some cases also audio:
Albanian World
The above seems a bit unfinished, but does have lessons and provides pronunciation through written explanation.
The one below from the BBC, is from their Quick Fix series, primarily it is for basic phrases, enough to get around:
BBC - Languages - Quick Fix - Albanian
And I found this great site that does have many languages listed.  It is a commercial site, so I wasn't going to list it at first until I saw that they do have initial lessons for free:
Learn Albanian Free - Byki Language Learning Software Download
That's all I've got for languages for now.  Tomorrow I'll update you on the news sources.
And is Occupy here in Albania?   I found a facebook page, with 15 members listed.  The info is in Albanian, so you can give the translate bar a try, but generally it doesn't always translate well.
Occupy Albania - Facebook

Day 7 Week 1 -- Afghanistan -- Religion and Culture, Follow-up

Today is the final installment on Afghanistan.  Tomorrow our tour takes us to Albania.  But before ending here, I want to touch very briefly on religion.  I know that a lot is known about the afghan religion, but at the same time so much is misunderstood.  Afghanistan is a Muslim country for the most part.  But what does that mean exactly?  What is the difference between the Islam of the Taliban and the Islam of Kabul?  I'm not going to answer that, but ask visitors from any country to consider what the religion is of their own country.  Is it kept separate from politics, or is it very much a part of government?  Is there just one unified religion for the whole country are there many different sects and belief systems?  In the United States for example, we try to keep our religion separate from our politics.  It doesn't happen like that of course, but that is the intent.  Primarily though probably a majority of people are Christian, but there are also people from many different religions throughout the United States, buddhists and hindu, jewish and yes even muslim.  But even among the Christians there is a wide variety of beliefs ranging from Orthodox Catholics to Fundamentalist Protestants.  The differences can seem so broad sometimes as to be several totally different belief systems.  Rather than discuss the following links specifically, I have merely listed a few which give some of the basics:


Afghanistan's Web Site - Afghanistan religion


Afghanistan Culture


Afghanistan Religion


I post those three as starters, there is much good information in each of them.

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Follow up:

Afghan Market
Public Domain Photo

Just thought I'd mention that the photo to the left is from the Fish and Wildlife service of the United States.  It is worth mentioning that if you should go to Afghanistan it is illegal to bring back certain items.  The Fish and Wildlife Service lists products made from endangered species from a number of different countries.


I was also looking at Kindle books today and noticed an Afghan cookbook being sold for only 99 cents, so if you own a Kindle and want to know more about
Afghan cooking, now's the time to head over to the Amazon Kindle page and look around.
And a more sobering find, also at Netflix, was a documentary on The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan, a Frontline documentary about the practice of bacha bereesh.  

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Finally, this is my first week of travels and as on any journey, I'm learning what to pack in my bags and what can be left behind.  And after visiting a virtual Afghanistan, I know it's not likely I'll ever visit in reality.  Although there is much that is terrible, there is also much to be seen, the place of the Buddhas which were destroyed by the Taliban, the mosques, the beautiful mountain terrain.  In looking for more photographs with which to end this, I found this site, a great site for information from Afghanistan.  The photographs are wonderful, but are copyright, so I won't post them here.  I encourage the reader to follow the link:
Nasim Fekrat - Afghanistan Through My Eyes


More photos:

Kabul, Afghanistan
Author: Christopher Killalea (public domain)

An unknown woman who covered her face, except her pretty eyes

Source: I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide

Title :- Bamyan Valley, Afghanistan. Giant ancient Buddha statues, after destroyed by Taliban in 2001
Author :- AfghanistanMatters, CC 2.0
Download high resolution photo

Day 6 Week 1 -- Afghanistan -- Health and Education

 DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class William A. Jones, U.S. Army. (Released)
Date: September 19, 2010
Afghan children line up to enter the Rukhshana School in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 11, 2002. Children, especially girls, are now openly attending the school that was nearly destroyed during the Afghan civil war. The Rukhshana School will become the first Coalition Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force project funded in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Freedom Construction Company, an Afghan company, was contracted to remove the war debris in preparation for rebuilding the school.

Public Domain

blog.usaid.gov
public domain

 I'm including both education and health together in this post.  Statistics show that Afghanistan has the highest maternal death rate of all the countries in the world and approximately 18% of infants won't reach their first birthday, giving it the dubious honor of being the most dangerous country in the world to give birth.  Another poll also labeled it as the country most dangerous to women, between domestic violence, childbirth and all other data it is just not the place to be if you are female.


I'm bringing this up under health and education, because the number one health problem brought up whenever health problems are mentioned in Afghanistan is childbirth mortality rates.  One source suggests that educating women is the best way to overcome this problem.  I just finished watching Motherland Afghanistan (links to Netflix, but originally shown on Independent Lens on PBS).  Although about a doctor who continues to return to Afghanistan to give aid to women, it does a very good job at illuminating the problem over all.


I'm going to provide a brief list of other links to check out:


Speech by Dr. Massouda Jalal at Bonn Conference 12/13/11

Dr Massouda Jalal was the Minister for Women's Affairs  at one time in Afghanistan.


----------------------------------------------------
It was at this point I stopped my listing.  I found a number of articles through a "real-time" search engine, Topsy -- afghanistan.  This search engine looks through the  most recent social media listings and comes up with information which is topical.  The most current information has to do with Taliban attacks on the schools.  There was apparently some secret deal where Taliban would stop attacking schools if the government agreed to include Taliban religious education.  The government later denied this "rumor".  It has been said that the
Taliban have even agreed to let girls attend school.


There are many worries that once the US leaves, much of the aid that Afghanistan has used to help rebuild will end and that includes the strides they've made in health care and education over all.


It began to be depressing, watching and reading about the lives of real people.  So I needed to stop at that point.  I hope this provides enough for any one interested in continuing with their own information gathering.

Day 5 Week 1 -- Afghanistan -- Food

Today I'm serving up four links to the food of Afghanistan.  I have always thought that one way to know a country is through smell, the kind of spices that are sold in the markets, the flavors carried in the air.  It isn't enough to view from afar.  One must also savor the country's foods.  So, without further ado.


Afghanistan Online: Cooking


I've mentioned this site before and it's definitely worth a mention.  Besides this page that provides a few recipes and a brief discourse on the hospitality of the Afghan people, there are pages for almost everything, including a store where you can purchase t-shirts and ball caps.  One clothing logo proclaims "Football is for wimps! [insert sketch of man on horse] Play Buzkashi".  And you can even buy an apron in the store to use in your cooking.  As well as mousepads, baby clothes, etc etc.


Although not related to food, thought I'd also include the following links box from the site:

• A New Year For Afghanistan's Traditional Carpets
• Agreement signed to safeguard Bamiyan's archaeological site
• Afghanistan's 'Hidden' Art Treasures on Exhibit
• Museum Director Applauds Return Of Historical Objects
• Archeologist Hunts For Third Bamiyan Buddha
• Musicians Struggling To Revive Classical Heritage After Taliban

And in the news section, there's a link to good news.  In fact if you didn't want to read this blog you could find everything you would want to know about Afghanistan at this site.

Okay, back to food.

Afghanistan food recipes and cultural information 


This site provides a very good sampling of recipes for meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, sauce and dessert recipes.  There is also a box that provides links to information on the culture including "Afghani Riddles" and "Afghanistan Superstitions".


Food in Afghanistan


A child site of SAARC tourism, a guide to Saarc countries and tourism in Saarc countries, this provides an overview of Afghan cooking.  And if you do want to visit, despite all the warnings, the parent site will help you to travel there.


Afghan Cooking Unveiled


I'll finish with this site, which seems the most comprehensive of all the sites I visited.  It is a collaborative blog between two friends, one a transplanted Afghan woman living in the US and the other a food editor.  In addition to the recipes are memories of childhood when these dishes were served.  There was also this quote by Rumi on one of the pages:

Christian, Jew, Muslim, Shaman, Zoroastrain, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being wtih the mysterey, unique and not to be judged.

                                                                                        ---Rumi

That's all for today.  I have to say that I haven't tested the recipes on these pages, not being much of a cook, so I leave it to you my reader to do so and enjoy.

Day 4 Week 1 -- Afghanistan - Warnings, More Arts

As previously promised, I'm including some links to sites that provide warnings and alerts about travel in country.

Kabul Warnings or Dangers

This one is on the Virtual Tourist web site which I mentioned previously.  You can also go to forums where you can speak with people who have either been to the country or live there.  The last post I found in the Afghanistan forum was dated 8/10/11.  And if you're a total travel buff, it's a great place to talk to people all over the world about their country or the countries they've been to.

New York Times article

Dangers at the northern border.

US State Dept Travel Warning

UK Travel Advice

Australian Government Travel Advice

The links above are all related to Afghanistan, but each of those web sites give travel advice for their respective citizens on all the countries.


World Travel Advice


Above is not just about Afghanistan but does provide links to various countries' advice to travelers.

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The Arts


And now for a little bit broader perspective on the arts.  


Literature --


UCLA article


This is an excellent article providing a different perspective to the arts in Afghanistan.  It's about a conference held at UCLA for Afghan writers in exile.  A professor from UC Berkeley makes an interesting point about speech in Afghanistan and the rights of people to speak freely.  Good read.  It was written almost two years ago, though, so things might have changed greatly.


Afghan Women's Writing


A collection of modern day Afghan writing.  From the site:

The folklorist Margaret Mills called Afghanistan, “The most literary illiterate society.”  While the majority of our grandmothers could not read or write, they learned classical and modern Dari poetry through the rich oral tradition and passed it down to their children.

About Rumi 


One really can't talk about literature in Afghanistan without mentioning Rumi.




Music -- 


Virtual Afghans


Yesterday's post spoke a bit about the popular music scene in Afghanistan, but this site appears to embody it.  You can even "Like" the website on Facebook.


Afghanistan Music


This is a list of links to what appears to be every Afghanistan music site available (both inside and outside the country).  


Afghan Music Project


This site describes what has happened to Afghan music and the project is working to restore the traditional music to the people.


Movies --


Links to a couple more movies from Afghanistan(and yes they're both on Netflix):


Osama


This doesn't, interestingly enough, have anything to do with Osama Bin Laden.  It is, instead, about a little girl being made to look like a boy so she can support the family of women.


The Kite Runner


Art --




In pictures: Afghan Contemporary Art


This site is from the BBC, but represents 6 pieces of art from Afghan's contemporary art scene.


National Gallery of Art-Afghanistan


The ancient art of Afghanistan.


Afghan Woman Artist


There is one painting here with the artist standing next to it and a bit about the place of woman in Afghan society.  It mentions that the art here would never have been allowed under the Taliban.


I feel like I've been on a whirlwind tour in the art section, there really is so much out there and just by searching for afghan art online, or literature, or music.  I found no time to list the links to theater and dance although some of the sites above also lead to theater and dance information.


That's it for today.  Tomorrow we move on to edible delights.

Day 3 Week 1 Afghanistan - The Arts

I've collected a number of links to literature, music, art and theater in Afghanistan, but this evening instead of posting these links and making my usual commentary, I decided to watch a documentary instead.  While searching for movies on Netflix, I found Afghan Star, a documentary about a television show in Afghanistan.  What makes this tv show noteworthy is that it's based on American Idol, only in this case looking for the Afghan Star.  There are even scenes of singers who don't sing very well with the judges' reactions.  The other thing noteworthy is that this was filmed just a few short years after the Taliban regime ended, a regime that had made it a crime to play music or dance.


I noted in one scene of Afghans watching the show, the face of a young girl, her eyes filled with both sadness and hope.  Sadness because she knew that couldn't be her?  Hope because she dreamed that maybe one day it could be?  It's easy enough to put my own reality into her eyes, but it may be that it was just a sad sweet song.


The other thing I enjoyed about the documentary is the scenery of Afghanistan, the dust, the bombed buildings, the buildings rebuilt, the people in the streets, the men with guns, the smiling children.  And people just went about their business, business as usual, paying no attention to the building skeletons or the army tanks.  For all this wandering around I've been doing looking for information, nothing has given me more a sense of the country than this film.  I think it's the first Afghan film I've seen but it's whetted my appetite for seeing more.


It also made me aware of how many cultures and groups there are in Afghanistan.  I've been all over the United States and don't think I've ever seen so many different kinds of people in one place, except maybe in New York City.  It seems that if Afghanistan can get it together, then any country in the world should be able to do so.


So, okay, now for some links.  My recommendation is to watch the movie before looking at the other links.  Especially the YouTube videos because after seeing what it was like for the singer, it makes those videos even more impactful.


Netflix - Afghan Star
This is a link to the documentary for those of you who have Netflix.  It's viewable online, so no need to wait for the DVD.


Afghan's star's new refrain is a call for freedom
An article about the lives of the show's stars after the documentary aired.


New afghan songs - Sitara
The documentary shows her beginnings.  And this is what happened after.


Sitara - Chera Tu Noorani
Another music video.


That's all for today.  Tomorrow I'll provide links to some of the other arts and maybe also links to movies actually made by Afghani directors in Afghanistan.

Day 2, Week 1 -- Afghanistan -- News, Women and Children, Violence/Warnings

Today I am posting links to news about and from Afghanistan.  Then, if time, there will be information about the condition of women and children and also about violence and travel warnings.

 

Landscape in Paktia Province
by Fred W Baker III, US D.O.D.
Public Domain

The News of Afghanistan


Afghan Daily
The news I've found about Afghanistan comes from sources inside the country and those outside the country.  This particular news source is a compilation of news about the country from a variety of sources.  It is part of the World News Network.


Bakhtar News Agency
This is a news site published in country.  The headlines talk of the US withdrawal, the signing of a gas agreement, explosions and suicide bombers, and the homecoming of the Afghan team of Power-Lifters who received 6 medals in The Asian PowerLifting Championship held in Japan.  As is the case with news especially in a war-torn country, much of it was bad, but there was also that which was good.  


The Daily Outlook Afghanistan, The Leading Independent Newspaper
The writing isn't the most grammatical, but it does offer some interesting takes on the news.  There was an editorial about a recent bombing in Kabul:


"The deadly Ashura (10th Muharram) attack in Kabul that killed about 80 people and injured more than 100 was one of the most tragic attacks in Afghanistan. Kabul city is still echoing with the shrieking sound of the attack and the saddening screams of the victims. The attack was totally unexpected and authorities were totally unprepared for such an attack." 

It goes on to talk about suspected groups who might be responsible.  It seems primarily focused on the upcoming US departure and whether or not Afghanistan will be prepared.


Kabul Press, Afghanistan Press, News, Discussion and Criticism
From the entry page: 
 "Kabul Press (Afghanistan Press) is the most read news and discussion website from Afghanistan. Our sources provide breaking news stories and images focusing on human rights, freedom of speech and good government issues. We aspire to honest, factual coverage that promotes criticism and informed discourse from our readers, without censorship. Kabul Press is an important on-line Afghanistan media outlet with sections in Dari and English updated daily."  


Unfortunately there was also some annoying advertising telling me I'd won something.


But of the news sites this one did seem to lean away from the standard copy.


Pajhwok Afghan News, Reflecting the Truth
And the news continues to be about the bombings and the US withdrawal and so on.  But there was another headline about truckers on strike, stopped at the Iranian borders.  Apparently the Iranian border guards have not been treating them fairly.  Under health the life expectancy in Afghanistan rises above 60 years.  Pakistan wants to maintain ties.  Under education, Badakhshan University students want their chancellor fired.  Under culture a Russian engineer converts to Islam and there is a total lunar eclipse to be expected.


This is the only news site I looked at that is subscription with some articles available to the public.


And that's all for the news in Afghanistan.  While searching I did find a number of different sources for the news, but these are the ones I stopped at to look around for awhile.

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Women and Children


I think most of you who would come to this site are aware that things aren't great for women in Afghanistan.  What I found though is that in spite of that, women are standing up to speak for themselves and against the plight of women in the country.


Especially look at this site:


Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
They aren't really happy about the US here and I found as an American woman a little taken aback by that, but then I realized, this is their reality, this is what they have experienced.  Some of the photos on the website are pretty horrific, so be warned, or try for a text only version.  They seem to have listed every news item they could find of the condition of women in this country.  


Campaign for Afghan Women
This is a site of the Feminist Majority Foundation and although  not Afghan based it does give a good overview of the situation.


Afghan Women's Writing Project
I'll finish with this site for now.  It's a bit late and again I do not do all that I had planned.  (Travel warnings)
Anyway, the following is a statement from the site:


Welcome to the Afghan Women’s Writing Project (AWWP). AWWP’s mission is to empower Afghan women to share their voices with the world. 


And this it does quite well.


Violence/Warnings


I was going to provide some links to travel warning websites, but that will need to wait for another day.  Here is a quote though: 


"If you are in Afghanistan, you should consider leaving." from Australian travel advisory.


It is a violent country.  The current warnings have to do with the kidnapping of foreign nationals especially near the Afghan border.  Another warning I've found has to do with the number of landmines still scattered throughout the countryside.  If you go off the beaten path, travel with caution.  And even in Kabul, be careful of going out after dark.  Many of the  people don't like the foreigners there.


But is that so different from some of our own countries?