Colleagues on the ground in Kabul have reported a massive influx of refugees from the provinces.  They tell stories of families weeping outside embassy gates and passport offices, desperately seeking a way out of the country.  Many others have set up mattresses and makeshift tents in the local parks knowing they have nowhere else to run. 

Practicing law in Afghanistan is frustrating and difficult, and in my first two weeks I’ve found that a little humor goes a long way. I laugh at the little things, like the strange punctuation in memos addressed to government offices: "To Esteemed Ministry of Energy and Water!" and "To Respected Office of Bidding of Goods and Spare Parts!"

My first week in Kabul has been filled with takeout dinners at home, homemade English breakfast, all day brunches in private gardens, and bonfires at night. These are things you wouldn’t think possible in Afghanistan.

Of course I am worried about the Taliban, about the gains ISIS has made in the past few months, and about the recent targeting of Westerners in Kabul, but even the fear is theoretical; I can only project what I will feel when sheer luck and good sense are the only things between the intentions of terrorists and myself.