Afghanistan loomed large in my imagination long before I ever set foot there. I grew up listening to my Grandfather tell tales of serving in British India, hanging on his every word. In my mind, Afghanistan was a wild place on the border of civilization. It was a place for adventure.

So the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series. When we think about it, “Indians” is a strange nickname for a sports team. Sports teams generally use animals, symbols, or mythical figures as nicknames: the Toronto Blue Jays, the Calgary Stampeders, B.C. Lions, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Expos, etc.