Chakwal...

It is exactly six months to the day that I came to Pakistan! And life is still full of surprises, especially life in Chakwal.... I am living at the MIED hostel with one other girl, and the guys’ hostel is next door. Let me tell you about the meal I cooked for myself this evening to celebrate my six months anniversary. It was the first meal I have cooked in our kitchen, and first I had to clean (well, completely sterilise) the place. Here is a photo of my kitchen pre sterilisation (as you can see it is a bit short on the appliances side of things).

Among other pleasant things I found a dead hornet in the sink, and the place was black with grime. But I enjoyed it (something very satisfying about cleaning.)

MIED have kindly managed to bring for me some of the things I had in my kitchen in Mansehra, so I had saucepans and plates and things. But unfortunately the ants had found them before me, so they required thorough cleaning before use as well. There is only one fridge, and that is in the boys’ hostel, so every time I needed butter etc that was a trek around to the other house. I needed butter cos earlier one of the drivers had bought some cooking oil, but it is in a plastic bag! So now I need to find a bottle to pour the oil into. Anyway, I made a really good meal of fried potatoes with a tomato sauce, and thoroughly enjoyed eating it. But then when I came back to do the washing up there were hundreds of ants (maybe a slight exaggeration). So I went on the warpath – it wasn’t a pleasant sight. And then, finally, I had to go and ask one of the guys what to do with the rubbish, and imagine my complete horror when he chucked it over the wall. I have to say that I didn’t react particularly well - I couldn’t quite articulate my feelings in Urdu and the guy didn't speak much English. I can’t believe that they just throw all their rubbish onto the empty ground next door. But there is no rubbish collection here so there is nothing else they can do. The rubbish situation was bad in Mansehra, but at least they had bins that were emptied sometimes. What can I do????? Any suggestions gratefully received. (The photo is of the rubbish outside our house with a friendly next door neighbour.)

As I have been here six months now I thought I was getting used to Pakistani society. But things still have the power to completely shock me. For example, the other day I was talking with some girls and we walked past a building that used to be a cinema. I started to get excited and asked whether there was a working cinema in Chakwal now. Imagine my excitement when I heard that there was! But that excitement was short lived – apparently it is completely culturally inappropriate for women to go to the cinema, even accompanied by men. One of the girls said that she would like to go to the cinema just once in her life. So girls, next time you do such a normal thing as going to the cinema just think how lucky you are.

The attack on Plan has affected many things in Chakwal. The other day I went to a meeting with all the Plan partners and it was about working with communities and how to behave appropriately and deal with cultural norms. But then when we got back to the office we had to wait for someone to come with the keys. The girl I was with said I should wait in the boiling hot car because of cultural norms. Hmm. I have to say I refused, even though we had just been in an 8 hour session about how to behave appropriately. I’m finding it quite difficult to figure out how much to adapt, and when to draw a line. I am finding things quite culturally restrictive at the moment, more so than when I was in Mansehra. I can’t quite work out why as I’m not in the North West Frontier any more. I think it might partly be to do with having been at home in the UK for a short while. And also people are worried about my security so they are being more careful. The attack on Plan has changed things – the girls say that they are more careful with the way that they deal with the men they work with now. Some people here think it is not acceptable for women to work in NGOs.

So, all in all it is an experience. I went to Islamabad this weekend, and went up to Abbottabad on Saturday to collect my things. But unfortunately Corry and I had so much combined stuff between us that my things didn’t fit in the car, and so they are still in Abbottabad! So my possessions are scattered there, a few in Islamabad, and the rest here in Chakwal. I don’t know where I am going to end up – things are still very uncertain. It could be any of those three places. But anyway, I was able to see Corry’s new place in Islamabad (she is based there now, and working at VSO and another NGO). It is amazing! I was going to put up a photo of her living room and compare it to mine, but I have decided against it because I have just about got over my jealousy. When I volunteered, I didn’t expect to have every luxury, and so it shouldn’t be an issue that things in Chakwal are more on the basic side. And the people I am living with are really lovely and so helpful and welcoming, it makes things a lot easier. So anyway, here are a few photos of where I am living now:…

The spectacularly placed open drain centrally underneath our front door. Visions of dropping keys and laptops down there......

The living room at the girls hostel. OK, can I let my jealousy show through slightly and say that Corry (and two other VSOs) have TEN sofas between them.

The roof of our house, right next to the roof of the Mosque. Notice the loudspeakers - the first call to prayer is at 4.30 am. But also notice the lovely sunset and gorgeous view from our roof...