Summer in Pakistan

2006-07-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

We left Islamabad yesterday to travel to Ghari Dupatta. The bus was comfortable, the ride was not. The roads are extremely treacherous, particularly when we get into Azad Kashmir. We were riding along the Jhelum river through a few different provinces. The exciting part was when we came to a pass where three different regions of Pakistan. Behind us was Punjab, ahead of us was Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and across the river was Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). Azad Kashmir is the free part of the Jammu/Kashmir region that belongs to Pakistan. It is only a small portion of the entire Jammu/Kashmir region, most of which is disputed. Once we crossed over the river into AJK, the devastation due to the earthquake became apparent. Pieces of the road had broken off and fell into the river. Remnants of land slides were still on the road and driving through or over them was interesting, to say the least. The road we traveled on has the river on one side and the mountains on the other. One surprising thing was that there were some big buildings along the river-side of the road and were built on pillars which were still intact. However, there is an overwhelming fear amongst the people of buildings and using them as shelters. There is so much to experience and such colorful people who are merely trying to survive at this point.

As the journey continued, we experienced small towns that run on either side of the road and disappear as soon as they appear. Adults and children alike carry small baskets with pieces of coconut and roasted corn to sell to travelers passing through to make a living. Older women with disabilities approach cars to beg for change. One is almost forced to have a heavy heart and say no to beggars because if one beggar gets change, three others will also flock to you for handouts.

The next stop we made was in Muzzafarabad, the capital of AJK. We had lunch at a river-side hotel with was under reconstruction. Of the four-stories, most of the two bottom stories and the veranda overlooking the valley has broken away and fell into the river. It was an interesting experience to see this sort of construction effort compared to what I would see later on that day. As we arrived in Ghari Dupatta an hour later, we began to see a lot more piles of rubbles where buildings once stood. Across the valley, we began to see where people had established their homes across the steep slopes. We began to hear anecdotes of the relief efforts and what factors made this one of the tougher, if not the toughest relief efforts in civilized human history. International relief organizations, recon and medical teams from developed nations and the locals explain that due to the vastness of the region, lack of quick, real-time information, and the mountainous areas made this a very difficult area to provide relief to. However, the efficiency and quickness with which relief and supplies were distributed to the people is surpassed by none other. One American gentleman, who served as the chief of operations for Operation Heartbeat since October 16 th, commented that after his experiences in NYC after 9/11 and New Orleans after Katrina, the relief efforts in Pakistan were the best executed out of all these disasters. He is still working in this area and has started his own relief organization, CDRS, based out of Chikar, which is the next big town north of Ghari Dupatta along the only highway that runs through Jhelum valley towards Srinagar, India. Another example is the effort by Pakistani Army Engineers. They were able to clear the debris on the highway which was blocked due to landslides in three weeks when the estimated timeframe was seven weeks. Quickness in clearing the roadway proved to be instrumental in getting the required aid and supplies to the earthquake affected regions.

Ghari Dupatta, although a very small town of approx. 1300 people, became the base of operations for the relief efforts. Two factors that led to this decision were that this was the first town north of Muzzafarabad and the first one that supplies were delivered to and secondly, the largest open, flat area in AJK is in Ghari Dupatta where helicopters could land to deliver goods and pick up critical patients that needed to be airlifted to hospitals in Islamabad. Our base camp is right on the edge of this field. Chinooks have since left, now the children congregate there to play cricket, volleyball and soccer. Even though they are disconnected from the events at the World Cup, the enthusiasm with which the children play soccer is unwavering!

Our base camp has a building that has been transformed into a clinic and pharmacy. The staff members and volunteers live in tents around the compound. Although our accommodations are extremely basic, they are adequate and quite comfortable. My heart warms due to the hospitality with which the locals of AJK treat us guests and have opened their hearts and homes to accept us as one of them. There are anecdotes about their hospitality and my personal anecdotes that I will share the next time around. Cell phone networks are not very accessible here and the closest internet café is forty minutes away. I will try to post pictures and share some of my experiences with the locals soon!

2006-06-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Adventures in Islamabad!

My first tourist experience in Islamabad started off at the Serena hotel. It is the premier hotel in Islamabad. Please view the pictures, because I can't do the place justice with words.

From Serena, my friend and I walked along Constitution Avenue where the diplomatic enclave is located. The first oddity was that two people were walking around in 43 degree (celcius) weather in Islamabad in the middle of the day. The guard in front of the diplomatic enclave asked if we needed to go in. Eager to see the buildings, we said, "Of course, can we go in as tourists and take pictures?" The expression on his faced changed from welcoming to "did you really ask me that stupid question." Long story short, we were not allowed in by the half-dozen guards with M-16s.

A little further down, past the Prime Minister's Secretariat, we came upon the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The building was breathtaking and we wanted to take pictures of it also. The gate was open, so we walked in and slowed down to wait for one of the guards to approach us. However, the guards just gave us a sidewards glance and returned to their converstations and cigarettes. So we strolled in and walked up the driveway to the main entrance. As we got our cameras out to take pictures of the entrance archway, a police guard came running up the driveway waving his hands and shaking his head that we couldn't do that. He asked who we were and we explained that we were just tourists. He seemed pretty upset and said, "you should ask if you could walk in?" We were escorted out of the compound and scolded that it was our fault for walking into a guarded government building. The interesting part was that they didn't own up to the responsibility that two random people can walk in without being asked about their business and checking for identification. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures... fortunately, we didn't get into any more trouble.

This evening's adventure was watching a 5 foot, 40 kilo armadillo that strolled up the driveway of our hotel and trotted into the courtyard and found a nice corner to roll up in. The hotel staff had a toughest time trying to get it out and fourty minutes later, they finally were able to wrap a rope around it and half drag, half push it out onto the road. This was my first armadillo sighting and it was exciting. The amazing part was that the armadillo was just chilling and it don't think all the stick prodding and pulling didn't bother it a bit!

till the next adventure in Kashmir...

2006-06-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

World cup and duty free...

Dubai International Airport, the airport that doesn't sleep! Its a little past midnight and there is just as much activity as there was when I first arrived here at 8pm. The duty-free shops are bustling with people! Candy, alcohol, cigarettes and fragrances seems to occupy most of the space in the stores. The world cup is everywhere here, people are congregating around TV's and big projection screens the size of a two-car garage. Brazil just won against Australia.

The trip form NY to Dubai wasn't bad, actually quite plush. We got 2.5 meals and very courteous service. And the planes are much more comfortable. I got morsels of sleep, a few hours at a time. Since every passenger gets their personal TV, I had to put it to good use! In addition to sleeping and eating, I watched Glory Road, The Arrangement and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey! fun times...

The most annoying part of the trip was the guy behind me kept knocking into the the back of my seat. I'm usually patient with people like that, especially since he was a young kid who grew into a "camel" after his growth spurt. At one time, when I was enjoying an extended period of sleep, he jolted me awake and I turned around a glared at him, which provided about 15 minutes of relief. Of course, I tried to explain to him that he didn't need to tap the TV screen to play games and that he could use the remote control that was provided, however, that common sense was wasted on him. Either way, it’s over now!

It's finally beginning to sink in that I'm going to Pakistan. However, the first feeling I got was slightly unexpected. It wasn't of excitement; it was more nervousness and trepidation. Although it was only for a brief moment, I was wondering if I would run into roadblocks that I can't overcome since I am in a completely new environment. Obstacles make it fun though and Inshallah, things will work out and I will arrive safely into Islamabad.

2006-06-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I was fortunate, and very excited to be accepted to a summer internship program in Kabul, Afghanistan. My work would be at the Afghani Ministry of Health to provide support for their initiatives and help develop capacity within the ministry. Unfortunately, the recent riots in Kabul ocurred a day before I was scheduled to depart from the US at the end of May, which forced the ministry to cancel the internship. Although disappointing, this was a relief to my family, my friends and me, that this happened while I was still at home rather than in Kabul. Everything happens for the best and life has a way of working out in the end :)

Since then, I have been hunting and pecking to get another summer internship or some opportunity where I would be able to fulfill the practicum requirement for my master's degree. Less than a week ago, I was accepted to a volunteer internship program in Pakistan through Impak (www.impak.org). The focus of the program this summer is providing relief and support for the earthquake victims in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Specifically, I will be working in the health sector with a US-based NGO called Operation Heartbeat (www.operationheartbeat.org) in a small town, Garhi Dupatta. They were providing medical emergency care and relief and they're moving into the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. Their projects include training medical professionals, conducting mental & physical health education sessions with the local population at the clinics and schools and establishing a permanent hospital and sustaibable medical services.

Life does have a way of working out! I am going to be working with a wonderful group of volunteers from the US, UK and Canada this summer. I am excited about being back in Pakistan (haven't been back for sixteen years) and meeting the most amazing people and hearing their stories. I would be lying if I said that I'm not nervous, however, most of that apprehension is due to thinking that something might happen which causes this internship to be cancelled also. I'm a day away from my departure for Pakistan... lets wait and see :)

Garhi Dupatta doesn't have cell phone coverage, no internet access and virtually no land-line phones. I believe the closest place to "connect" with the outside world is in Muzaffarabad which is thirty mintues away. I am going to try to maintain this blog and share pictures and stories as regularly as possible. Inshallah (god-willing), this is going to be a summer to remember.