Precerpt from In with the East Wind: A Mary Poppins Kind of Life (Leaver) - Afghanistan: Kabul
Kabul differed tremendously from Camp Julien. After all, Camp Julien was an Army post, a small one, in the desert. Kabul was a capital with all the accouterments of a big city, in spite of an on-going ravaging war.
In Kabul, I left the Quonset hut of Camp Julien behind, and was assigned to a barracks with about 40 bunk beds. All the beds were filled when I arrived, except for one top bunk. All four-foot-eleven inches of me shimmied up over the tall femalel soldier sleeping below -- always seems to work out that way, the mismatch. It was comfortable enough, though. After all, I can sleep anywhere; I really can.
I also left behind the near-nightly mortar attacks, but Kabul was not without evidence of struggles. The barracks had an unexploded round half-buried into one wall. It was a dud. I could sleep soundly -- and would have, anyway.
One of the advantages of being assigned to Kabul was actual time off after the work day was done. The major and I were lucky. We had arrived just as the restrictions on foot travel through Kabul was lifted. So, one day, we decided to check out the SIAF Souk (bazaar) a couple of miles away the Kabul green zone, a highly fortified and protected area, which housed US and international installations, including Camp Phoenix, the Army post where we were living and working. The souk was not in the green zone, but was considered safe. The condition of being able to be out and about was an all-ee-all-ee-in-free by sunset. At sunset, the gates locked, and everyone had to be accounted for.
The major and I were accompanied by a LTC and COL with whom we had developed friendly working relations. We were fortunate that they wanted to go to the souk, too, since they knew the terrain -- not only the map, but also the cultural and battle context. That kept us all safe.
On that fine day, blessed by balmy weather, we set out in a line, the COL leading, with her gun strapped on, the LTC next, with his gun strapped on, the MAJ who had traveled with me (weaponless), and me, a civilian of hobbit size, pulling up the rear. We strolled along the Kabul streets, which at that time in 2010 seemed peaceful enough. One little boy leaned out the window of a passing car and hollered in pretty decent English, "Hi, soldiers." "Hi, little boy," we called back.
I am not a shopper. I take little interest in buying things and prefer natural souvenirs (a brick from a mosque being repaired, a stone from a river, or a culturally marked gift from a friend -- the latter I truly treasured). I went to the souk not to buy (and indeed bought nothing), but to learn more about the Afghan culture and to experience a bit of the life outside the military compound.
My colleagues, however, loved to shop and very much enjoyed rummaging through the wonders displayed at the souk. They loved it so much that none of us paid much attention to the waning of the day until the colonel looked outside and exclaimed, "Oh, no! It is getting dark. The gate to the compound will be closed. Run!"
Run we did. In the same order we came. The taller officers in front, able to take longer steps than the civilian elf in the back, weighed down by a too-large lead vest that weighed, it seemed, almost as much as I did, and annoyed by a too-large pot helmet that bobbed up and down on my head and, at times, over my eyes. The distance achieved from the strides of the reindeer versus the fast-bunny footwork of the little civilian soon had as stretched out fairly far apart. No one looked back. Everyone, including this little hobbit with bouncy headgear, had one goal in mind: that compound gate. One vision: getting through it before or as it closed.
The latter became the reality. The colonel, who had become a speck in the distance, reached the gate just as the guards started to close it. She had them hold it as the other three of us came speeding through it--in intervals. But we made it! The gate closed behind us, and I dropped to the ground. I had to catch my breath. I had not run that far nor that fast since my Army days -- and those were decades behind me. At that point, though, I was very thankful I had had those days because I had learned how to run as if my life depended upon it. And in this case, it did. Muscle memory to the rescue!
Book Description:
From the barefoot freedom of rural Maine to the diplomatic halls of Central Asia, from rescuing a dying child in Siberia to training astronauts in Houston and Star City, In with the East Wind traces an extraordinary life lived in service, not strategy.
Unlike those who chase opportunity, the author responded to it—boarding planes, crossing borders, and stepping into urgent roles she never sought but never declined. Over 75 years and 26 countries, she worked as a teacher, soldier, linguist, professor, diplomat, and cultural ambassador. Whether guiding Turkmen diplomats, mentoring Russian scholars, or founding academic programs in unlikely places, her journey unfolded through a steady stream of voices asking: Can you come help us?
Told through an alphabetical journey across places that shaped her—from Acton, Maine to Uzbekistan—this memoir is rich with insight, adventure, and deep humanity. At its heart lies the quiet power of answering the call to serve, wherever it may lead.
Like Mary Poppins, she drifted in with the East Wind—bringing what was needed, staying just long enough, and leaving behind transformation. Then she returned home, until the next wind called.
by Dr. Betty Lou Leaver
For more posts about and from this book, click HERE.
For more posts by and about Betty Lou Leaver, click HERE.
To purchase copies of any MSI Press book at 25% discount,
use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore.
Want to read an MSI Press book and not have to buy for it?
(1) Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.
(2) Ask us for a review copy; we love to have our books reviewed.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR AUTHORS AND TITLES.
(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)Check out recent issues.
Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?
Turn your manuscript into a book!
Check out information on how to submit a proposal.
We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us?
Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help.
Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process.
Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.
Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment