Ok I've been here almost 6 months now and I'm still awe struck at times by the oddities of the culture and economy here. Example; The people here have attained and damn near mastered the technology of the pay-as-you-go cell phone and the toyota corolla (Thats the only brand of car in the whole damn country). But as of yet no has proposed the idea of a septic system, or even a fucking outhouse. People just shit in the street and on the sides of the road. There's no running water, only wellls. And power is generaly non-existent with the exception that every town, city, village, and hub has a powered loudspeaker to broadcast prayer call. Although women were aloud in the workplace and even in schools before the rise and fall of the Taliban, it has since not been reinstated as it goes against the principals of Fundamentalist Islam. So the vast majority of women are not allowed to be seen in public or with their faces uncovered much less their entire body. This country has not seen long term peace in almost a millenia, and in modern times I doubt it ever will due the violent clash of western ideals and Islamic tradition. This truely is the great crossroads of the world. 