During the height of he Cold War, Afghanistan, which borders the former Soviet Union, was an unknown or at best a vague concept to most Americans. In 1963, one courageous middle class family left the sheltered comforts and safety of Manhattan, Kansas to live in that mysterious and faraway country for four years. Exceeding all expectations, this extremely challenging experience changed them forever. This straightforward, almost naive account was originally written by the mother, Virginia Scott Fairman McEntyre, exclusively as a memoir for her family. Written in a narrative style, her manuscript is also richly illustrated with personal family photos. Virginia's unique perspective and insights take the interested reader on a fascinating journey of discovery on remote highways, over barren plains, to abandoned ruin sites, through exotic markets and around ancient cities. And all the while, the Russians, America's opponent at that time, were always nearby.