It is getting cold here. It still hasn’t rained, and it is sunny a lot during the day and gets up into the 60s or even a bit higher during the day. But at an altitude over 5,000 feet, it is getting down into the low 30s/high 20s at night, which makes it damn cold.
I was having lunch with one of our staff today, who got to lunch late because she was reconciling something-or-other. She was married less than 6 years ago, and is now widowed—with 3 kids. She is truly wonderful to know, and is incredibly diligent. She lost the keys to the safe a few weeks ago and she was so distraught that I had to talk her out of sitting on the safe all night, just in case someone found the keys and took the $12 that was inside. I told her I was afraid it might hatch if she sat on it, and told her to go home.
Her 3 kids are all 6 and under. Of course, with the change of seasons, that means colds and snotty noses for the kids, and it means she spends a good amount of time watching the them, making sure that it doesn’t turn into something worse. But it isn’t your average mom worrying kind of stuff, for most moms don’t have to deal with the fact that she hasn’t had electricity for 3 days—well, almost 3 days— she did have electric from 7-9 last night, but that’s it. And most moms don’t have to worry about the fact that they don’t have any wood yet, so as of November 4, she has not yet had any heat in the house. As you might imagine, the onset of winter has a very ominous feel when you have young children, no electric, and have to rely on finding wood to keep warm.
All of this was the result of a conversation that began when I asked how her weekend was. Of course, all talk turns to kids, and she said her weekend was spent worrying about her children.
When I said jokingly that kids were good for worrying, and they had caused my gray hair, she said that I was lucky—that I had grown gray, and gotten to see my children grow. She worries that maybe she won’t live to see her children as adults. Sadly, in a country where the average life expectancy is 43.5 years for a woman, and life is very fragile, it’s a very real possibility she won’t.
Sometimes, the place really is hard.
***
The Facts:
Child Mortality (0-5):
I was having lunch with one of our staff today, who got to lunch late because she was reconciling something-or-other. She was married less than 6 years ago, and is now widowed—with 3 kids. She is truly wonderful to know, and is incredibly diligent. She lost the keys to the safe a few weeks ago and she was so distraught that I had to talk her out of sitting on the safe all night, just in case someone found the keys and took the $12 that was inside. I told her I was afraid it might hatch if she sat on it, and told her to go home.
Her 3 kids are all 6 and under. Of course, with the change of seasons, that means colds and snotty noses for the kids, and it means she spends a good amount of time watching the them, making sure that it doesn’t turn into something worse. But it isn’t your average mom worrying kind of stuff, for most moms don’t have to deal with the fact that she hasn’t had electricity for 3 days—well, almost 3 days— she did have electric from 7-9 last night, but that’s it. And most moms don’t have to worry about the fact that they don’t have any wood yet, so as of November 4, she has not yet had any heat in the house. As you might imagine, the onset of winter has a very ominous feel when you have young children, no electric, and have to rely on finding wood to keep warm.
All of this was the result of a conversation that began when I asked how her weekend was. Of course, all talk turns to kids, and she said her weekend was spent worrying about her children.
When I said jokingly that kids were good for worrying, and they had caused my gray hair, she said that I was lucky—that I had grown gray, and gotten to see my children grow. She worries that maybe she won’t live to see her children as adults. Sadly, in a country where the average life expectancy is 43.5 years for a woman, and life is very fragile, it’s a very real possibility she won’t.
Sometimes, the place really is hard.
***
The Facts:
Child Mortality (0-5):
- Afghanistan (2001)--257/1000
- Afghanistan (2006)--191/1000
- Pakistan--99/1000
- Iran--33/1000
- US--7/1000
- Scandinavian Countries (the best): 4/1000
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