1. When do I leave?!?

It is now no longer a matter of if, but when I am going to Afghanistan. USAID has accepted Mercy Corps’ Cash-for-Work grant proposal and the final agreement is pending signatures. I should be flying (14 March) from Portland to Dubai where I will get a visa for Afghanistan – finally arriving in Kabul 17/18 March.

2. Where will I be living?

The short answer is Mazar-i-Sharif. Mazar is the 4th largest city in Afghanistan with a population of more than 300,000 or roughly half the size of Portland.

• Map – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazar_i_Sharif
• Blue Mosque – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Hazrat_Ali
• City Map – http://www.aims.org.af/maps/urban/mazar.pdf

3. What will I be doing?

I will be one of four project managers helping to implement a Cash-for-Work program. For more information on CfW see this link on Mercy Corps’ CfW after the tsunami. http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/tsunami/1016.