After an incredibly hectic day, I was greeted at our hotel with some great news. Two threats have been made towards our hotel this week (not the great news) because of the 1st ever Islamic Police Women’s Conference being held here (great news)!

Imagine this: dozens of women pouring into to our hotel, many covered from head to toe in burqas and police badges on their sleeves. It is pretty awe-inspiring to realize that these women are risking their lives to have these jobs….literally. I mentioned the two bomb threats made to our hotel because of their mere existence…

I was also pleasantly surprised to realize that I knew people coming to the conference due to the stories we’ve been doing. My police, military, translator friends and even the Afghan general I interviewed was here. We all greeted each other like old friends as I held my breath waiting for a suicide bomber to interrupt our little reunion.

On another note, what an impressive day. We went to the women’s business center and saw women training to become entrepreneurs. We then went to a clothing factory and saw how they hand stitch all the clothes. The best part, however, was convincing our security drivers to finally take us around the city and let us get out of the car to shoot video and witness Kabul as it is.

And, what it is - is out of control. You’re walking down the streets and you’ll see a taxi with 10 or more people..the babies crammed on top wedged between those sitting down and the ceiling. Behind the taxi will be a donkey led cart with a guy selling rotten bananas. Then an amputee will come out of nowhere, sometimes dragging himself along the ground because he has no crutches or wheelchair. Plants are all dead, the river couldn’t even be called a stream and the only crop surviving the lack of water/irrigation is poppy (which is the reason Afghanistan produces 93% of the world’s heroin). Oh, and many of the people here are addicted to the drug as well because its so cheap and their lives are so miserable.

The bright side? There are also dozens of little girls with backpacks coming out of school, something unheard of not too long ago. Many women don’t cover their face anymore, even though the ones that do all wear the same color burqa for some reason (baby blue). And, believe it or not there is construction, which means as long as another country doesn’t bomb them for a few years, there may actually be businesses with roofs soon.

Another thing I’ve noticed and I’m already becoming accustomed to—there is a constant state of paranoia for everyone who lives here. Whether they be Afghans, U.S. contractors, military members: everyone watches your move and is very aware of the fact this day may be their last. Eyes are on you all the time. In fact, if you’re driving a car and the Afghan police tell you to slow down and you don’t-they shoot and kill you. It happened to a French ISAF worker today.

Being here is like being on an emotional roller coaster. As a journalist, you try to see everything objectively, as a human you can’t help but become emotionally involved. Every day feels like a week here and every night I fall into bed exhausted.

I posted another YouTube video of us at Camp Eggers.