It's good to be reminded of the realities of life on the ground elsewhere. Mie Ahmt is a Dane working on reconstruction in Kabul -- and she's blogging the experience. Her tips for recognizing suicide bombers disturbed me, but not nearly as much as the chipper tone in her post detailing the contents of her "kidnapping kit":

As a consequence of the kidnapping of the Italian woman I have now changed my smaller purse into a bigger purse (maybe it’s fairer to actually call this a bag). I call it my kidnapping kit - this is what I always carry around with me these days: A book (without pictures of course! Taliban doesn't like pictures); Toothbrush + Toothpaste; Soap; Glasses (imagine being kidnapped AND half blind); A knife; Maze; Lip balm; Body lotion; Clean panties; Miscellaneous ID-cards and my passport; Imodium; Chewing gum; Water; Cash.

She also has an awesome photoset on Flckr. Mie's giving us a great window on life in Kabul, from a very human and light-hearted perspective.

(via Global Voices)