A Whole New World

Today I want to take you on a magic carpet ride. I could have gone Christina Aguilera and titled this blog post, I’m a Genie in a Bottle You Gotta Rub me the Right Way, but I decided to be a more PC. Seriously I am going to take you on a magic carpet ride. Afghanistan, as many Middle Eastern countries, are known for their hand made carpets.

When I first got here the person I was relieving introduced me to the local on base carpet Czar, Aryan. Everything in the Afghan culture is based on relationship building as well as who you know (and sometimes who you paid, but I will not get into that today or maybe ever!). Throughout July and August I would go over to his shop almost weekly. We would look at various carpets and chat about family. It is very important to build that relationship with the locals. If you don’t you are insulting their culture. Nothing is done quickly and EVERYTHING is negotiable.

 

In early September I bought my first carpets to ship home for Christmas presents. I bought each of my babies a small carpet and a few others for special people in my children’s lives. The carpets are all hand made. Aryan has an assistant named Charlie, and his family makes many of the rugs they sell. His English is poor, but he always has a huge smile on his face and proudly shows us pictures of him hand dying the fabric used to weave the rugs.

I started bringing others with me to visit Aryan and Charlie. You have to visit many times and build a relationship before you buy anything. We were invited us for a traditional Afghan lunch. The food was delicious and I think I even digested most of it.

This is where the wind starts to pick up and the ride gets bumpy. These rugs are beautiful and of the highest quality at a price you would never dream of paying at home. My mom decides she want a large rug for her living for when they re-do the hardwood floors, paint, and buy new furniture. Aryan kindly emails me pictures of various carpets. I send them all to my mom and she picks out two, which when I go back to Aryan he has already sold. He brings the closest carpet he has to the one my mom wants, we negotiate a price, and I send it home. This rug is 10 feet by 7 feet and I ship it to my house. Upon arrival mom says that is not the rug I wanted, it’s too blue. I want something lighter.

 

So now the ride continues in pursuit of an even more perfect rug. I go back to Aryan and I show him the pictures my mom likes and he promptly says, so she wants a rug that is darker. I tell him I thought the same thing, but she keeps saying lighter. After going back and forth via email and pictures we determine the problem is the blue. So she wants the same pattern, which is Angel Fish, but no blue.

 

She thinks the rug above is the right one, but I am waiting to send until we have determined for sure this is the perfect magic carpet. We would not want this ride to end too soon. I will not send another rug until she is absolutely sure this is the one she wants. I am sending many pictures of various parts of the rug. The carpet ride is ongoing. We are waiting for my dad to look at both rugs and help make the final decision. My dad stated me wants to make sure mom is happy with the rug so when she’s sitting in her living room in her old age she will enjoy the carpet under her wrinkly feet. So if you want to look at rugs, I have a few at my house right now!

Outside of the magic carpet ride I’m on with my mom, I am learning a lot about the Afghan culture through my interactions with Aryan and Charlie. On various visits he has given me scarves for different women in my family. Last time he told me an interesting story. I bought a gorgeous rug for our piano room. When I told Aryan I was going to put it in my piano room he asked who played and I told him I play, Timothy is taking lessons, and even though Timyra takes guitar lessons she is teaching herself to play piano as well. He looked sad and said we are not allowed to learn to play instruments and listen to music because of the Taliban. He then gave me a purse to give to Timyra for her lessons. As my readers know, I could never live in a world without music. If I can’t get my booty shakin’ my mood is ruined, and my workouts are garbage.

I sent the purse to Timyra and she sent a thank you to Aryan. She needs to know she needs to be thankful for her freedom. She needs to know she is afforded these opportunities because of the freedoms we fight for every day. She needs to know why her mommy is in Afghanistan and what we are trying to give to great people like Aryan and Charlie.

 

 

 

So my magic carpet ride continues and I will be sure to let you know what the Genie in the Bottle (a.k.a Mom) decides! Either way I have an excuse to go over and talk to Aryan and Charlie and continue to foster friendships and remember not all Afghans are Insurgents. There really are great citizens of Afghanistan who want to be free!  They are looking for a Whole New World!