Titanic and Traffic

**Driving around Kabul: Check out the Kabul-style skyscraper outside.

It's hard to truly understand the waves of influence of James Cameron's "Titanic" (ok...bad joke.) It could be the Leonardo DiCaprio hair swoop (officially banned under the Taliban after the fad swept through the country) or Afghans' dedicated love of Celine Dion, but for whatever reason the love for Titanic in this country will go on. (Alright...I'm now officially done with the poor jokes.) The newest effect comes in the form of an ice-cream truck. The small carts which stroll around the city selling ice-cream used to play a mix of "Fur Elise" and "Happy Birthday", but have since converted to "My heart will go on."! It took a few versus and a smattering of choruses before I was convinced, but yes the old and hunched Afghan passes his work day to the tune of Celine Dion.

A first in Kabul:
I was STOPPED at a traffic light today. I saw not one, but FIVE traffic lights in the 4-way stop (you do the math), three of which were functioning. It was nearly as if time stopped; there was a moment of order on the roads. This, of course, was followed by my driver opting out of the U-turn option after seeing the bank was on the other side of the road, and making a b-line in the wrong lane of traffic for the remaining 1.5 blocks or so. So much for order...


**The first traffic light I saw in Kabul. 4+ have been added within the last month or so (that I'm aware of).



**Around the block from my house. Oh the lovely walls and razor wire of Kabul.



**Just in case you wanted to know where you can buy fried chicken and burgers in Kabul. This shop is just a few blocks away from my house (though for many reasons I haven't tried its cuisine.)