Living in a bubble

Once again filled with foreign food, although this time Mexican, I begin to realize that the hardship of life in Kabul is not at all what I thought it would be. While living is more than decent, much because safety regulations forces us to eat and stay in places where we pay ten times the regular Afghan prices, the hardship is a result of the just mentioned safety regulations. Not being able to walk in the streets, always minding your speech, being checked in safety zones all the time and seeing the world mostly through glass windows is actually what really makes this place worthy of the hardship label. It has been said that the western countries can offer western freedom but not security. However, it sure seems like the situation for us temporary expats is just the opposite.