Faisal Mosque - one of the largest mosques in the world is one of Islamabad's few distinguishing landmarks 

European Vacation

At first it was only just a possibility so I didn’t allow myself to get too excited. However, a month ago it was finally confirmed. In mid-March MSF Holland will be hosting their first ever Financial Controller’s workshop. This one-week gathering is to be held in the seaside town of Egmond, which is close to Amsterdam and is apparently the Dutch version of Parksville. I’ve never been so excited about going to a gathering with a bunch of financial types. I’m going to Europe!

To get the most out of my trip I’ve decided to combine a week of holidays. Therefore, on March 5th I will be arriving in Paris for a little rest and relaxation. I haven’t been there for close to twenty years so it will be a bit of a rediscovery. I’m not quite sure what I’ll do once there and to me this is half the fun. I may or may not spend my full week-off in Paris and will ultimately make my way to the Netherlands by March 12th.

I’m definitely ready for a bit of a break. I’ve noticed that despite having to take extra safety precautions due to the Danish cartoon backlash that it really hasn’t had much of an impact on my activities. However, my theory regarding my quiet lifestyle here is that it’s not only because I’m boring, but that there isn’t a whole lot to do in Islamabad. I read a telling quote in the International Herald Tribune recently where it was said that Islamabad is half the size of Arlington National Cemetery, but twice as dead. I’m pretty sure that the same can’t be said of Paris.

Hopefully, while I’m away I won’t miss any visits by important politicians and celebrities. George W is coming through in a couple weeks, although apparently not for a sleep-over. Other recent visitors have included Bill Clinton, George Sr., and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, to name just a few. The King of Saudi Arabia was here a few weeks ago and on my way to the bank I unintentionally drove along his parade route, just minutes before his arrival. School children were waving flags and cheered words of welcome. I smiled and waved at them. A military band was ready to play and horses and camels were in full decoration. Apparently, sand had also been brought in so that in combination with the camels the King would feel more at home. I wouldn’t surprised if the King was wishing that he too could go to Europe.

Squirrel helicopter preparing to depart from Muzaffarabad. 

Laying Low

I was expecting to write about cricket this week. Last Saturday the plan was to join a group of Swedes, Dutch, Germans and Pakistanis to attend a one-day test match between Pakistan and India at neighboring Rawalpindi. I wasn’t actually that fussed about watching cricket, but I thought that it would be really interesting to attend a live event that would combine Pakistani’s passion for cricket with their intense rivalry with India.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. The Danish cartoon backlash is being felt in Pakistan and as a result the theme is to keep a lower profile. Obviously, attending a cricket match wouldn’t be the wisest thing to do, especially with a bunch of people who look Danish. Therefore, in an attempt to keep the interest of my remaining readers I will make a few random comments and then hope for new adventure in the near future:

- The pace at the office continues to become more normal and I’m faced for the first time with the issue of what exactly I’m going to do with my spare time.

- About ten days ago I made another day-trip to Muzaffarabad in Kashmir via our rented Squirrel helicopter. As we prepared for our return take-off my pilot, a former member of the South African Air Force, asked if I minded if he did a few maneuvers. Sure I said, thinking what can he do in a helicopter except spin around a bit. Wow!!! I now have a new respect for helicopters and the South African Air Force.

- The Olympics have started and as our time zone is four hours ahead of Italy this means that my evenings will likely mostly be spent watching live events on EuroSport TV. I think I’m going to have a good Olympics.

- The weather is getting warmer which is great except that some of the locals say that this may mean an even longer and hotter summer than normal.

- In some ways it’s hard to believe that I have been in Pakistan for over three months already. In other ways it seems longer because of the many new and intense experiences. It is apparent that my time here will have two distinct phases: emergency and post-emergency/regular mission.

Steffi from Germany at the MSF office in Muzaffarabad 

Here is Maria settling her final purchasing advance (I have since gotten my hair cut). She went from studying with Physicists who select the Nobel Prize winner to being the MSF shopping queen extraordinaire. 

Going, Going, Gone

I arrived in Pakistan three months ago today when the earthquake relief operation was still ramping-up. On my flight from Europe were seven MSF expatriates coming to assist. As time has passed many people have come and gone. Of the seven on my flight now only Steffi from Germany and I remain.

Even the happy Swedes have left. Maria and Alex had also arrived on my flight and after a lot of work and a “nice” (Alex’s favorite word) experience they left “precisely” (Maria’s favorite word) one month ago. Apparently, they live in the boring part of Sweden, which is really saying something. I enjoyed teasing them about their accents (despite their denials, they do sound like the chef on the Muppet Show) and Swedish hockey players being wimps (fortunately for me, if Alex wasn’t so good natured he would have crushed me). I had an email from Maria telling me that she has already found a job in Sweden with Vattenfall, a Swedish power company. I advised her that I have extensive experience in the electricity industry, with specialization in hassling engineers to complete their expense claims. Maria hasn’t started work yet but is already plotting taking her first leave in order to go on another MSF assignment.

Alex and Maria were just 2 out of approximately 115 Expats that MSF Holland has sent to Pakistan for the earthquake relief since October 8th. In addition, to the emergency team there has been another 10 to 12 Expats in-country as part of the regular mission (including me). At its peak there were probably around 75 Expats in Pakistan. Currently there are less than 40 Expats in Kashmir and by April there are expected to be 10 to 15. The staffing predictions are always made with caution because it is difficult to know what the conditions and needs will be in the months to come. So far the reports have been quite positive as Kashmir is having its mildest and driest winter in recent memory. I suppose that they were due for a bit of luck.

Fabio was the most recent of my seven flight-mates to depart. A counselor from Italy he had a challenging, but satisfying experience in Kashmir and also lost at least 20 pounds in weight. I originally met Fabio on the airport shuttle bus leaving my hotel in Amsterdam. A few hours after our arrival in Islamabad he was shuttled off to Kashmir and I didn’t see him again until just prior to his departure for Italy. Although we didn’t work together, only met a few times, and had very different experiences here we will always be connected by the fact that we were among the many who worked for MSF as part of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake relief effort.

There are certainly drawbacks to being overseas. As Theo's godfather I'm supposed to watch-out for his interests. Just look at the humiliation his parents caused him during my absence.