KTC (Kabul Training Center)

After arriving in Kabul, I was driven to the KTC which is the Kabul Training Center.  This is where the majority of the working dogs are "stationed" that provide services to the surrounding areas.  The KTC compound is a small area.   I don't know the square footage but not big - AT ALL.

When you arrive there are three security gates you have to go through. The first one is just one of those red and white poles on a lever.  There is a guard there that will open it.  The next two gates are ECP (Entry Control Point) gates.  They are the large steel gates that slide open. Again, there are guards there to open the gates manually.  Yes, all the guards have AK47s.  A bit disconcerting.  Not sure how you ever get used to that.  Once you go in the first ECP you park the car and get out.  The guards check the vehicle and then you walk through the second gate (also an ECP).  You can also drive through the second gate depending on the situation (ie: transporting a dog).  In between the two gates off to the right side is a living area for the guards and the drivers.  Also, the laundry room is located there.

Staff housing is bascially converted shipping containers.  Sounds weird but they are actually pretty nice inside although the view is not the best - LOL. Think college dorm room.  They have A/C, a mini fridge, a bed, a desk, an armoir and my room has a bathroom that is shared with an adjoining room.  The adjoining room is the vet's room that I am covering for.  When she gets back we will be sharing it.  It looks like I may be here a while since my Iraqi visa has not come through yet and most people here don't think it will come through any time soon........

Bathroom

My view outside windown 1

My view outside window 2

Arnel, who is the lead administration person in the compound, had a nice silk scarf waiting for me on my bed.  He also got me some "American" type snacks for my room and some nice toiletries in a welcome basket.  It was so nice!

The are some shipping container rooms just outside the main building which is where some of the dog handlers live.  Next to and behind their rooms is a grassy area with a BBQ grill and some chairs where we can sit outside and hang out.   There area actually a few rose bushes out there too.  I guess every once in a while they will have an actual BBQ.  They also will let the dogs out there occassionally to run around and play.  One at a time.  The dogs are not allowed to socialize with each other.  There will be fighting.

BBQ area

My room is "inside" the main building.  When you walk into the main building there are stairs going up to the left or you can go by those stairs and into the training area. Upstairs is the conference room and some offfices.  Just beyond the stairs before you go into the training area there is an office to the left which is where Arnel is and some of the other admin staff have their office.  If you go to the right immediately after you walk into the training area there is the kitchen and our dining room.

The training area is like a large indoor arena.  It has six old delapidated vehicles parked there off to one side and then there are training boxes and holes along the side walls (for the dogs to train on).  The gym is in this area opposite the side where the cars are parked.  Then there are four small training rooms.  The handlers bring the dogs in here daily to work looking for explosives, narcotics, etc.  They use inert training devices.  Along the far wall is the housing unit where I live and some of the main compond people (those that stay here all the time).  There are two levels with 4 rooms on each side.  Each room has an NFL team or a rugby team plaquered on the door.  I got Tampa Bay Buccaneers which I thought was funny since I used to live in Tampa.  If I have to be here a while I may change it to the Denver Broncos :)  The "safe room" is about 2 doors down from me.

Training Vehicles

Training wall with holes for stashing narcotics, etc

Gym

Outside the training area is the vet clinic.  It is two shipping containers side by side so it's a long, narrow space.  There is actually a small surgery suite inside, a pharmacy area, a scale and lots of storage.  We do not have a blood machine so I am not able to run bloodwork but there is apparently the capability to do that on the army base with the vet that is stationed there.  I guess the base is about a 15 minute drive away.  I haven't been there yet but I am supposed to go there to meet the vet soon.

Front of the clinic

Across from the clinic is the kennel area.  They are broken up into blocks. They try to keep dogs that are used for the same contracts together. There are 72 dogs here at the moment but there is the capability of having up to 90 dogs here.

Small portion of the kennels

And......that's it.  Not much to it but I don't feel as cramped as I thought I would.  The people here are over the top nice which is amazing. They have all made me feel comfortable and welcome.  I am the only female here right now.  When the other vet comes back that will make two of us and there is one admin person that is female but she is on vacation right now. When she gets back that will make three.  Probably the most they've had here at once ever! lol The guys are from all over the world so it will be nice to get to know them and thier different cultures.  I am looking forward to this :)

Dubai to Kabul, Afghanistan

I arrived in Dubai at about 8:00pm.  It was a 14 hour and 40 minute flight from Atlanta.  The flight itself was smooth however, the guy sitting next to me was trying my patience!  He was an elderly man of Middle Eastern descent and did not speak English. That did not stop him from waking me up every 2 hours, poking me saying "ma'am", so he could get up to go to the bathroom.  Seriously, I was ready to strangle him!

When I arrived at Dubai International Airport my handler was there to meet me as I deplaned.  She was very nice but honestly, I didn't need her.  I had been to that airport before and could have found my way without her.  The best thing about having her though was the fact that I didn't have to wait in the enormous immigration line.  This "handling" company had it's own line which was empty.  Totally worth it just for that.  Once out of baggage claim Anthony, a member of the AMK9 team, met me and provided me with a ride to the Avenue Hotel where I was staying.  Anthony is from the Phillipines and had been working in Dubai for AMK9 for about 4 years.  Very nice guy.   As soon as we walked outside I was hit with a wall of heat/humidity.  It was about 108 degrees that late in the evening....UGH!

Avenue Hotel Dubai

By the time I arrived at the hotel it was just after 9:00pm.  I had to drop my bags off at my room and then head across the street to get some passport photos.  I would need one the next day for my Afghani visa.  It was a quick and rather painless process.  I then went to my room for a good night's sleep.

I awoke the next morning and had breakfast at the hotel.  They had some Americanized dishes but also some strange things I didn't recognize.  The important thing was coffee and they did have that.  I met Anthony and Ben (an American member of the AMK9 team) at 9:30am and they took me to the Afghanistan Consulate in Dubai so I could apply for my visa.  It was a strange experience.

The consulate is a tiny room with chairs like the DMV or something similar in the States with one guy behind a glass windown in the front of the room.  There was no taking numbers or anything.  It was free-for-all craziness.  I managed to work my way to the front of the line and hand my paperwork to the guy behind the window.  Apparently he doesn't like AMK9 very much because Ben is friends with this guy's boss and anytime he gives us a hard time Ben goes over his head.  Respect is huge for these guys so it pisses him off.  I just started talking to him and found out he is an MD from Afghanistan.  Why he is working there I have no idea.  But he also told me his brother in-law is a veterinarian in Afganistan.  So we had a little moment and then he approved my paperwork.  We then had to go to a different room and pay (about $50).  After paying we went back to the man behind the window where he took my receipt, my passport, a passport photo and my paperwork and told us to come back at 3pm to pick it up.  It was a bit unnerving to leave my passport there but I had to.

Ben and Anthony took me back to the hotel.  Ben said he would pick up my passport later and drop it at the hotel.  I decided to exchange some US dollars into AED (arab emirates dirhams) and head to the Dubai Mall about a 20 minute drive from the hotel.  I asked the hotel for a cab but it's not like the US or some other places I've been.  They don't call a cab for you.  You just stand outside and hail one.  It was pretty easy (thank God) because it was so freaking hot I didn't want to stand out there very long!

Dubai Mall

Once at the mall I just walked around.  I wasn't really up for buying anything so I people watched and went into some stores that we don't have in the States.  The mall is the 5th largest in the world.  It has an aquarium (inside the middle of the mall), an ice skating rink, a huge arcade with a bowling alley, a 22 theater movie cineplex, a hotel and it is next to the Burj Khalifa which is the world's tallest building.  They have huge fountains outside in front of the Burj that has a water show kind of like the Bellagio in Vegas.  I didn't stick around to see it though because it doesn't happen til after dark.  The mall is very Americanized with stores and restaurants that you see in most malls at home.  It was a little strange.

Aquarium in the middle of the mall

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa

Fountains outside the mall

Amazing waterfall inside the mall

Ice skating rink inside the mall

Even Arabs like Five Guys! lol

About 6pm I took another taxi back to the hotel.  Picked up my passport/visa at the front desk, showered, ordered room service, packed and went to bed.  My flight to Kabul left at 10:25am the next morning and I had to be at the airport by 8am.  Room service was weird.  I ordered spaghetti bolagnese thinking that would be safe to order but, not so much.  Why do they have to put cinnamon in EVERYTHING!  Really, who puts cinnamon in spaghetti sauce??  Not too tasty.

My Afghani visa

Ben picked me up in the morning and dropped me off at the Dubai Airport.  I got checked in, made sure I had an aisle seat, dropped off my bags and went off to wait at my gate.  I met a guy at the gate that was also heading to Kabul.  His name is Korey and he's an engineer from Texas.  He works for a firm that does contracts in the Middle East.  He had been back and forth from the States to the Middle East for the past 7 years.   He was really nice and told me to meet him at the baggage claim after the flight and he would wait with me until someone arrived to pick me up.  You don't want to be an American female standing around the Kabul airport looking like you don't know what's happening.  Once my AMK9 handlers arrived Korey took off.  I was so grateful he was there to help me.

Two AMK9 guys met me at the baggage claim.  They took my bags and helped me navigate the craziness of the airport and the parking lot.  Two more AMK9 guys were there waiting for me in the parking lot in an old Toyota Forerunner.  They threw my bags in the bed of the truck and off we went.  My driver was Zabi and the other guy was Frank.  You have not seen craziness until you have seen driving here. OMG.  I have no words other than chaos.  There are no stop signs, no traffic signals, no round-a-bouts,  no nothing.  There is traffic going every which way, there are people on bicycles and mopeds going in all directions, there are pedestrians crossing wherever they want.  I'm surprised no one got killed.  Yikes!  I absolutely will not be driving here......  Hopefully I will be able to get a video to post at some point. You have to see it to believe it.

I arrived at the compound in one piece. It was quite the experience.  More later!

"Don't let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to others, even if you don't like them."