One of the best things for me here is the ever-present Indian entertainment in the media. Some people find this the worst thing in their Afghan experience but not me - it is a treat. The drivers play the latest Hindi hits (Afghan and Iranian too), my regular stress release is to blast the Hindi radio channel while in the gym, and my TV has about eight channels of Indian dance, songs, news, gameshows like Indian Idol (fantastic, especially with Asha Bhosle as a judge!) and dramas (normally about people getting married).
I thought my liking for Bollywood would wear off after my gap year but it never did, and I have gone from thinking it's ridiculous and funny to actually (worryingly) liking it for real. However there are, as I recently discovered, limits. This dance and song number "Catch me if you can" from the film Sapoot (1996) is truly unbelievable in its awfulness. It has tested my love of the Hindi film industry to its limits. Brace yourselves...
I have also come across this Indian Pole Gymnastics (called Mallakhamb, apparently), something I have never, ever seen before. It is completely awe-inspiring. The second contestant is especially impressive as he has a physique that suggests 'give me another chapati' as opposed to 'give me a pole to hop up'. As one comment on YouTube said, "why they don't send these people to Olympic?". The answer is nothing as bizarre as this has made it to the Olympics yet, but these people deserve gold medals without a doubt. Brace yourselves again...
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