Two National Staff - Naveed and Johar 

Hockey Morning In Pakistan

Although working on a Sunday morning is usually kind of a drag, I have found one silver lining. When I arrive at my desk at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning, back in Vancouver it’s 7 in the evening on Saturday night. Every well-bred Canadian male knows that for much of the year this is the time for the second game of Hockey Night in Canada. Thanks to the internet its also time for me to enjoy hockey in Pakistan.

By tuning into NHL.com – Radio, I can listen live to any game that I want. I can even choose between listening to the broadcast crew from any city playing. It is a bit surreal to be at my desk with a hot coffee on a Sunday morning listening to the Canucks versus Phoenix game. So far I’m only listening on weekends before any office-mates arrive. However, I may not be so conservative come playoff time.

On a different topic, I’ve been asked by some of my blog viewers (the few of you who know how to write) what it’s like to live in Pakistan. So far I have very little idea. Islamabad is a modern and relatively wealthy city and is certainly not representative of the country. The joke is that the great thing about Islamabad is that its any 15 km from Pakistan. Last week, however, I made an over-night trip west to our office in Peshawar, which is situated in the North West Frontier Province. Peshawar is just 50 km east of the Afghanistan border and Khyber Pass is situated in-between. It was dusty, loud and chaotic and I can’t wait to go back for a longer visit.

Night Security Guard outside my house in Islamabad 

Hiking in Margalla Hills with Alexander, Emma and Maria. 

Week 3

A good indication that what I’m writing is less than inspiring is reflected by my getting so bored with it that I put it aside to wait for new inspiration. As that hasn’t happened yet I’ll just quickly publish this and post a few photos.

While I may be stuck in an office routine right now I know that more new experiences aren’t far away. Even before I left Amsterdam for Pakistan MSF-Holland recognized that additional help would be needed. Last Thursday morning Simone from Holland and Emma from Ireland arrived to provide short-term support with the financial management of the Kashmir relief effort. Although their flight got in just before 6:00 am, I was more than happy to meet them at the airport.

I did take my first day off last Sunday. I slept in, went for a run, went for a hike at Margalla Hills National Park with Emma and the happy Swedes Maria and Alexander, and watched a couple of DVDs at home in the evening. It felt like many a day off spent in Canada except that there weren’t any decent sports on TV. Thankfully, Canada is one Commonwealth country that is not cursed with a passion for cricket. The same is not true for Pakistan.

I’m getting a pretty good handle on the financial aspect of my job. The human resources side is still a bit of a mystery. I still haven’t gotten outside of Islamabad except for my helicopter ride in the Chinook. This will be changing in the near future as I’ll be traveling to Muzaffarabad in Kashmir at the end of next week to meet with Simone and Emma. I also hope to get out to one of our Afghani refugee projects. Therefore, I’m optimistic that more adventure and better blog stories are upcoming.

Unloading the tents in Kashmir 

Supply drop-off in Kashmir 

A meeting of two diverse forms of transport. Loading-up the Chinook helicopter with tents from one of our trucking contractors 

My first trip to Kashmir

In the mafia, when they say “Let’s take Johnny for a drive” you pretty much know that you’re not going to see Johnny again. Recently, I had reason to wonder if I was being set-up for a similar fate when I was asked if I wanted to go for a helicopter ride. It sounded great, but perhaps this was just the MSF way of getting rid of accountants. “Hey, how would you like to get off on this mountain to take a picture?”

My trip to Kashmir was on a R.A.F. Chinook (that’s the British Royal Air Force; if you want more specifics you can ask my Father) transport helicopter. MSF was sending one helicopter load of tents and another of cooking pots and dishes. Steve, our Logistics Coordinator, and I got to tag along for the ride. Not surprisingly, I decided that this would be more fun than reconciling bank accounts.

The airbase was a hive of activity. Steve told me that this was the largest gathering of helicopters in history, in terms of pure carrying capacity. There was an odd mix of people, as military personnel were joined by NGO-types and their transport crew. Also, providing a striking contrast were an assortment of Pakistanis who had been flown-in from Kashmir.

We were advised by the land-crew that there had been some minor mechanical problems with one of the Chinooks, but not to worry as it was only small pieces that were falling off. When we were boarding to take-off we were asked to confirm our names just incase the dental records proved inconclusive. A barrel of laughs those British.

It took only 40 minutes to fly to the village of Umian, but we quickly found ourselves in a very different world. It’s a small and remote place, made even more isolated by the destruction of its only road. Looking at the road’s remains on the side of the steep valley it was evident that there would be no quick fix to their isolation. The snowline wasn’t far above and I wondered how I would make-out if I had to camp for the winter. It took only about ten minutes to unload the helicopters and then we were on our way back to the warmth and comfort of Islamabad.

My First Week in Pakistan

During my time living in Kenya my only real complaint was that I had virtually no work to do. I have been in Pakistan for just over one week now and its certain that I won’t have the same issue here.

I have literally spent more than half of my time at work. This was due partly to having only five days to spend with the previous financial controller on hand-over matters. Also, not surprisingly, there is a huge volume of work resulting from the disaster relief effort. Fortunately, it has been really interesting and both the expatriate and national staff have been great to work with. I’m still settling into my new duties, but I feel like I’m in the right place.

I can’t say that I’ve seen anything of Pakistan or even Islamabad. My office is about one kilometer from my house and I’ve gotten to know that stretch of road fairly well. Otherwise, besides the initial ride in from the airport and a trip to the bank I’ve pretty much spent my time either working, sleeping or socializing at a local Chinese restaurant. It’s easy to forget that I’m even in Pakistan. Except that is when I hear the prayers from the local mosque and one morning when I bed shook slightly from an after-shock tremor.

The MSF office is a busy place. There are new arrivals almost every day and they are quickly shipped out to Kashmir. There are also others coming the other way as those who were involved with the initial response are on their way home. There are probably more people working for MSF in logistics than in any other area as purchasing, receiving and shipping and are a major endeavor. There is a buzz of activity, no two days are alike and it’s definitely a whole lot better being busy.

From my Sunday bike ride in Holland on October 30th

Dutch Treat

It almost feels like my assignment with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been one big European vacation. Following an enjoyable 9 days in Germany I’m spending an even more enjoyable 10 days in Amsterdam. I had no idea that relief work would be like this.

I don’t know where the name Amsterdam comes from, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it translates into “Land of the Super Models.” The more time I spend here the more I like it. The canals, architecture, narrow cobblestone roads, and ubiquitous bicycles make it a great city to wander around and get lost in. Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather I rented a 3-speed bike last Sunday and rode north to the small towns of Edam and Volendam. The Netherlands has to be the most bicycle friendly country in the world.

Its been nice spending time at the MSF Holland office, getting to know more about the organization and some of the people who work here. It’s a fairly laid-back place with many of the staff dressed as though they’re ready to go out to the field on a minute’s notice. All of the people I’ve met with have been pleasant, helpful and professional. Especially those two charming fellows from the Communications department who have taken a special interest (or is it concern?) in what I’m writing in my Blog (welcome to my site Bart and Diderik).

Although I’ve enjoyed my time in Europe, I’m anxious to finally get to my placement. I still find it hard to believe that I’ll be leaving tomorrow for Islamabad, Pakistan. I’ve heard quite a few good things about where I’ll be going and the people I’ll be working with, but I know that for the first time in a long time I’m going to be very busy.