for anyone thinking of the big-bucks and adventure of working in the world's most dangerous country, here's a letter I received from a friend of mine...
Frankly, Afghanistan absolutely sucks. I suppose I've done much better here than most, but life here is hard in the extreme.
You live in a room that is very small for one person. The company has you share that room with another controller. Two guys in a small room made for one person. The toilets and showers are all down the hall.
You drive to and from work twice a day. That's four trips in a minivan that is being held together with duct tape. You drive through an Afghan town wearing your armored vest and at any moment a suicide bomber could send you to paradise.
The food is plentiful and heavy, but not very good and you tire of it quickly.
Everyone here is in a very, very bad mood. As a trainee they treat you like crap. I have often been yelled at, yes, actually, yelled at in the control room many times for making the mistakes trainees make.
The guys here are all miserable because they hate it, but they really need the money.
Out of seven guys in my class, only two of us remain. Two of the seven left for home the very day they arrived here. They took one look around and quit. This is a foul place that has way too many flies.
That all being said, I love foul places. I have often vacationed in third world countries. I think it's interesting.That's the only reason I'm still here. I think it's interesting.
Oh yes, the traffic here is off the charts. This is not the FAA. They don't care how busy you get - you just deal with it. The traffic is insane and I only recommend it to people who have an overabundance of self-confidence.
If I were you, I'd stay away. If you want an adventure so you can tell stories later on, then come on out. It sucks, but I was here when they killed Osama bin Laden. I can say I worked in a war zone. What the hell. 