Last week I bid a fond farewell to the hostel in Chakwal and moved to back Islamabad. I was really sorry to leave (except the ants, but I have an inkling that problem isn’t just restricted to Chakwal). Life in the hostel had been interesting and fun, and the people there so friendly. But I am happy to be back in Islamabad again - I'm not living in the guest house as I did before, and now MIED has their head office here. And I can walk to work – the freedom!!
The last few weeks in Chakwal were very interesting. As I mentioned before, I was helping out in an evaluation of one of their projects, which was great. I really enjoyed doing the field work and seeing some of the work that MIED had achieved – particularly new school buildings, running water and toilets are available in nearly all of the schools now. And talking to the communities was great – some of them were so motivated and had raised thousands of rupees for their school’s development. In one community until recently the only water they had was from rain and natural pools. The animals drank and swam in it, and the community used it for drinking. But 3 months ago the government built a pipeline to the village. And in May the community organised themselves to build a link from the pipeline to the school 3 km away. It took them a week to achieve this! Completely brilliant. Who says development is all about dependency and handouts?
Then after the data collection we started work on data analysis and writing up the report, which we achieved in mega quick time because of the need to move to Islamabad. I don’t think an evaluation report has ever been written so quickly (but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t of very high quality!). I and the guy I did it with enjoyed doing it so much that we are now on the hunt for more evaluations….
Unfortunately Plan has decided to pull out of Mansehra completely, which leaves us with a major funding crisis. We will try to find new donors for our projects, but it is all pretty stressful. We are working with over 20,000 children in Mansehra so it will be gutting if we have to close all the projects. It seems that many INGOs are coming to the final stages of their support in the earthquake-affected regions, so I don’t think it is going to be easy. But there is still huge need in those areas – most schools in Balakot are still operating out of tents. And we are running 100 ECCD centres for the very young children in two valleys – we can’t just leave them.
This is going to be a completely new phase for MIED, as with all the previous projects it was the donor who approached us, rather than the other way around. The only slightly relevant experience I have is writing the funding rejection letters for Tearfund – so I know exactly how to approach donors to ensure that they WON’T give money, but how to do it so they will….?! Though I had a networking opportunity the other day – someone from the Northern Areas was on our balcony and noticed someone else on a neighbouring balcony also from the Northern Areas. They established through a loud conversation that both offices had Europeans working there, so we were invited around for cold drinks. It was an INGO and they knew all about MIED and our work, and even said that they would have been happy to work with us, but they are leaving the country next month. Grrrr.
So life is kinda interesting. I’m going to the Northern Areas next week with some friends who I haven’t seen for ages, and their baby, which is v exciting!! I can’t wait. But on Friday we got a security email from VSO saying not to arrange any travel early next week as we might have to hibernate. Hmmm. Also I’ve left ALL my cold weather clothes in Chakwal and I don’t think the temperature at 3000m is going to be exactly the same as Islamabad. Talking of which, it has been so hot that the front of my Ipod has melted. Anyway, I’m trying to develop the Pakistani attitude: kya masle hai? Ye Pakistan hai, sab chalte hai. What problem? This is Pakistan, everything is possible.
Monday, 9 June 2008
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Daily life in Chakwal continued....
I realised I might have come across as slightly cynical in my last blog entry (probably a result of the heat), but I am really enjoying my time in Chakwal. Things have been very interesting recently as we are doing an evaluation of the impact that MIED has had in 30 schools here.
And I am really enjoying living in the hostel as well. We make our own entertainment in the evenings, which involves quite a lot of singing, and some dancing. Group singing is slightly problematic as the only song I have in common with the others is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But I’ve also been able to conclude that VSO have had a lasting impact in Pakistan – a lady currently at MIED used to work with VSOs in the Northern Areas several years ago. And the other night she came out with ‘Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers’ that she remembered from them!! Pretty good. And the other people in the hostel were so helpful and good to me when I was ill – running around and getting mineral water and things. It is a really lovely aspect of Pakistani culture that when someone is ill everyone really helps and puts themselves out.
And I’ve been slowly getting to know different areas of Chakwal. There is an old train station quite near our office – a legacy from the Raj. It is used for cricket matches now. Shopping for basic food items is interesting – there are many many tiny shops scattered around – some of which just sell a few vegetables, but others of which have quite a variety of things. And a woman owns a small shop very near the hostel.
Chakwal district is very varied and beautiful – there are the plains where crops are grown, particularly wheat. And there are also the mountains which are very dry – you can easily see the sandstone which is all different colours from deep red to yellow. Driving around to the different schools during the evaluation has meant I have seen a lot more of the area. Some photos of Chakwal:
And I am really enjoying living in the hostel as well. We make our own entertainment in the evenings, which involves quite a lot of singing, and some dancing. Group singing is slightly problematic as the only song I have in common with the others is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But I’ve also been able to conclude that VSO have had a lasting impact in Pakistan – a lady currently at MIED used to work with VSOs in the Northern Areas several years ago. And the other night she came out with ‘Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers’ that she remembered from them!! Pretty good. And the other people in the hostel were so helpful and good to me when I was ill – running around and getting mineral water and things. It is a really lovely aspect of Pakistani culture that when someone is ill everyone really helps and puts themselves out.
And I’ve been slowly getting to know different areas of Chakwal. There is an old train station quite near our office – a legacy from the Raj. It is used for cricket matches now. Shopping for basic food items is interesting – there are many many tiny shops scattered around – some of which just sell a few vegetables, but others of which have quite a variety of things. And a woman owns a small shop very near the hostel.
Chakwal district is very varied and beautiful – there are the plains where crops are grown, particularly wheat. And there are also the mountains which are very dry – you can easily see the sandstone which is all different colours from deep red to yellow. Driving around to the different schools during the evaluation has meant I have seen a lot more of the area. Some photos of Chakwal:
Cricket at the old railway station.
Having a few problems getting up the hill. I was very sorry that it was completely culturally inappropriate for me to help push.
They managed the hill fine though!
Walking to a school through a town in Chakwal district (I can't remember its name!)
Rain!!
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Pakistan for the uninitiated:
Causes of confusion between Pakistan and the UK:
In the UK when you flash your lights to another car it (usually) means please come on. Whereas in Pakistan people flash their lights when they want to say ‘everyone, out of my way, coming through at high speed’. So when a car overtakes it flashes its lights at any oncoming cars expecting them to swerve onto the side of the road, never mind any passing pedestrians, cyclists, donkeys or fruit stalls.
When people say you are looking smart, it means you are looking thin. On the other hand, if someone says you are looking healthy, the ultimate compliment in the UK, here it is a polite way of saying you are fat.
When making a phone call the ringing tone in Pakistan is EXACTLY the same as the engaged tone in the UK. When I first came I put the phone down a fair few times before I twigged.
And at Chakwal’s main traffic junction there are four roads and ONE set of traffic lights. That is not one set of lights for each road, but just one set of lights. But life continues and people manage to travel in an out of Chakwal daily. Ye Pakistan hai. Sab chalte hai. This is Pakistan. Everything is possible.
Let me now up date you as to my culinary efforts. The war against the ants continues. I put down huge amounts of ant powder so now my cooking is complicated by that, the ants, the fact that the surface is a lovely mottled grey colour so I can’t see where either the ants or the ant power are, and several more dead hornets in the sink. I’m seriously considering admitting defeat and eating with the others. Don't get me wrong - I really like Pakistani food, but they eat at 9.30 every evening which is too late. And I have to say eating chappattis three times a day sometimes gets a bit much. And I’m actually trying to be vegetarian again as when we were travelling down the motorway the other week I saw a travelling cage with many chickens in, and it was truly horrible. The chickens were hanging out of their cages which were so small they couldn’t move, and some of them were already dead.
In my last blog I omitted to explain anything about Chakwal and where it is. Well, it is a town about the same size as Mansehra in the northern Punjab, two hours south of Islamabad. In other respects it is completely different to Mansehra though. It is much more of an agricultural town – you can always see farmers coming in with their donkeys and crops and things. And there is a lot of ‘urban agriculture’ – behind the hostel there are fields that previously were used solely as rubbish dumps, but have recently been ploughed. And I think I am the only foreigner here – people stare a lot, whereas in Mansehra because of the earthquake they were used to foreigners. And finally, Chakwal is HOT. It is so hot, the kind of heat I haven’t experienced before. The hostel attracts heat like a greenhouse – it is one level with a flat roof, so the sun beats down on the roof all day and then radiates the heat all night so my room is like an oven the whole time. The fans are very good at moving around hot air. But it is even worse when the power goes off (at least 4 times a day) because of the energy crisis. I thought it was bad in Mansehra when I was reduced to sitting in the dark staring at a gas fire in the evenings, but it is infinitely worse here when the fans go off. The other night I was so baked that I went out on the roof and tried to sleep. Sleep escaped me but the stars were amazing. But I decided not to do that again cos I counted 43 mosquito bites the next day. And now, amazing people in the hostel have got a water cooler working in my room which is the best invention known to man.
And yesterday there was rain! I tell you, I have never felt that happy about rain before in my life. We were walking home from work and I got completely soaked. The rain drops were so big, and the bizarrest thing – some of it was hail!! And at the same time the puddles were hot because of the heat from the pavement. And also, I now have the foolproof way how to get rid of colds…. I caught a cold on Friday (don’t know how in 40 degrees of heat, but I still managed it). So all day yesterday I was snivelling away, and then got completely soaked in the rain, and then had to sit for half an hour in soaking clothes waiting for someone who had run away with our keys. (I was steaming in more sense than one!!) But then my cold went!! Don’t get it (probably this is a case of don’t try this back home - might not work so well….)
On Sunday I was able to get to a local Catholic church. It was good though I didn’t understand a word. The church was held in a room which was brightly decorated with streamers and things. The music was great - two women sat at the front and sang and there was a harmonium and drums, and the church was really full. There is also a Protestant church in Chakwal so I’ll give that a go soon (not that the language problem will be solved at all by doing that). Re language, I’ve decided heat affects the brain so it is impossible to learn a new language when it is over 40 degrees.
In the UK when you flash your lights to another car it (usually) means please come on. Whereas in Pakistan people flash their lights when they want to say ‘everyone, out of my way, coming through at high speed’. So when a car overtakes it flashes its lights at any oncoming cars expecting them to swerve onto the side of the road, never mind any passing pedestrians, cyclists, donkeys or fruit stalls.
When people say you are looking smart, it means you are looking thin. On the other hand, if someone says you are looking healthy, the ultimate compliment in the UK, here it is a polite way of saying you are fat.
When making a phone call the ringing tone in Pakistan is EXACTLY the same as the engaged tone in the UK. When I first came I put the phone down a fair few times before I twigged.
And at Chakwal’s main traffic junction there are four roads and ONE set of traffic lights. That is not one set of lights for each road, but just one set of lights. But life continues and people manage to travel in an out of Chakwal daily. Ye Pakistan hai. Sab chalte hai. This is Pakistan. Everything is possible.
Let me now up date you as to my culinary efforts. The war against the ants continues. I put down huge amounts of ant powder so now my cooking is complicated by that, the ants, the fact that the surface is a lovely mottled grey colour so I can’t see where either the ants or the ant power are, and several more dead hornets in the sink. I’m seriously considering admitting defeat and eating with the others. Don't get me wrong - I really like Pakistani food, but they eat at 9.30 every evening which is too late. And I have to say eating chappattis three times a day sometimes gets a bit much. And I’m actually trying to be vegetarian again as when we were travelling down the motorway the other week I saw a travelling cage with many chickens in, and it was truly horrible. The chickens were hanging out of their cages which were so small they couldn’t move, and some of them were already dead.
In my last blog I omitted to explain anything about Chakwal and where it is. Well, it is a town about the same size as Mansehra in the northern Punjab, two hours south of Islamabad. In other respects it is completely different to Mansehra though. It is much more of an agricultural town – you can always see farmers coming in with their donkeys and crops and things. And there is a lot of ‘urban agriculture’ – behind the hostel there are fields that previously were used solely as rubbish dumps, but have recently been ploughed. And I think I am the only foreigner here – people stare a lot, whereas in Mansehra because of the earthquake they were used to foreigners. And finally, Chakwal is HOT. It is so hot, the kind of heat I haven’t experienced before. The hostel attracts heat like a greenhouse – it is one level with a flat roof, so the sun beats down on the roof all day and then radiates the heat all night so my room is like an oven the whole time. The fans are very good at moving around hot air. But it is even worse when the power goes off (at least 4 times a day) because of the energy crisis. I thought it was bad in Mansehra when I was reduced to sitting in the dark staring at a gas fire in the evenings, but it is infinitely worse here when the fans go off. The other night I was so baked that I went out on the roof and tried to sleep. Sleep escaped me but the stars were amazing. But I decided not to do that again cos I counted 43 mosquito bites the next day. And now, amazing people in the hostel have got a water cooler working in my room which is the best invention known to man.
And yesterday there was rain! I tell you, I have never felt that happy about rain before in my life. We were walking home from work and I got completely soaked. The rain drops were so big, and the bizarrest thing – some of it was hail!! And at the same time the puddles were hot because of the heat from the pavement. And also, I now have the foolproof way how to get rid of colds…. I caught a cold on Friday (don’t know how in 40 degrees of heat, but I still managed it). So all day yesterday I was snivelling away, and then got completely soaked in the rain, and then had to sit for half an hour in soaking clothes waiting for someone who had run away with our keys. (I was steaming in more sense than one!!) But then my cold went!! Don’t get it (probably this is a case of don’t try this back home - might not work so well….)
On Sunday I was able to get to a local Catholic church. It was good though I didn’t understand a word. The church was held in a room which was brightly decorated with streamers and things. The music was great - two women sat at the front and sang and there was a harmonium and drums, and the church was really full. There is also a Protestant church in Chakwal so I’ll give that a go soon (not that the language problem will be solved at all by doing that). Re language, I’ve decided heat affects the brain so it is impossible to learn a new language when it is over 40 degrees.
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Monday, 28 April 2008
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.)
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 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...
Thursday, 17 April 2008
back home!
It was incredible how quickly I slotted back into my life in the UK – I remember sitting on the plane and daydreaming about what things I would buy when I finally entered Waitrose again (humous, coleslaw and cheese). But when I did get there, I had already turned into a usual shopper, trying to get round as fast as I could to leave as quickly as possible.
I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me when I sat on a south-west trains service at Epsom station again, as it used to be my second home. Let me tell you, that did not last very long – just until someone started talking very loudly on their mobile in an otherwise silent carriage, and I rediscovered my commuter persona and exceedingly low annoyance threshold.
My first day back was slightly surreal – the sense of freedom when I went for a run was amazing! (But don’t ask how far I was actually able to run after 5 months of no exercise. My excuse was that I couldn’t actually run on the common as it was so muddy). And it was great to go to church without a sense of fear, even slight, that I could be blown up. Needless to say it was great seeing my family and friends again. And I experienced all types of English weather possible – howling wind, hail, snow, rain and even a little bit of sun.
I did face a few problems that I didn’t foresee. For example, what to say when people asked ‘how is Pakistan?’ Should I go with the truth: attack on an NGO near where I worked, evacuation, more threats, uncertainty, fear…? I tried that a couple of times but given that it was the ultimate conversation stopper I switched to the vague: ‘good, the weather in Islamabad is nice at this time of year..’ with a weak smile. Needless to say, this didn’t apply to all you lovely people who already read my blog. Re that, another VSO volunteer has put on her blog a list of people who obviously don’t read it because they keep asking her how it is going. I won’t resort to such a list of shame yet, as it would be topped with a member of my own family (my parents asked me yesterday to make clear that it wasn't them. So that leaves......?!).
Anyway, so now I am back in Islamabad again, with mixed feelings. It was almost worse saying goodbye to people this time round than before. My brother managed to avoid a tearful goodbye by threatening mum with a snowball (who cowered behind the wheelie bin), chucking it, and then making a quick exit on his bike. That’s the way to go.
I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me when I sat on a south-west trains service at Epsom station again, as it used to be my second home. Let me tell you, that did not last very long – just until someone started talking very loudly on their mobile in an otherwise silent carriage, and I rediscovered my commuter persona and exceedingly low annoyance threshold.
My first day back was slightly surreal – the sense of freedom when I went for a run was amazing! (But don’t ask how far I was actually able to run after 5 months of no exercise. My excuse was that I couldn’t actually run on the common as it was so muddy). And it was great to go to church without a sense of fear, even slight, that I could be blown up. Needless to say it was great seeing my family and friends again. And I experienced all types of English weather possible – howling wind, hail, snow, rain and even a little bit of sun.
I did face a few problems that I didn’t foresee. For example, what to say when people asked ‘how is Pakistan?’ Should I go with the truth: attack on an NGO near where I worked, evacuation, more threats, uncertainty, fear…? I tried that a couple of times but given that it was the ultimate conversation stopper I switched to the vague: ‘good, the weather in Islamabad is nice at this time of year..’ with a weak smile. Needless to say, this didn’t apply to all you lovely people who already read my blog. Re that, another VSO volunteer has put on her blog a list of people who obviously don’t read it because they keep asking her how it is going. I won’t resort to such a list of shame yet, as it would be topped with a member of my own family (my parents asked me yesterday to make clear that it wasn't them. So that leaves......?!).
Anyway, so now I am back in Islamabad again, with mixed feelings. It was almost worse saying goodbye to people this time round than before. My brother managed to avoid a tearful goodbye by threatening mum with a snowball (who cowered behind the wheelie bin), chucking it, and then making a quick exit on his bike. That’s the way to go.
Friday, 11 April 2008
Easter!
So, I’m running slightly behind on updating my blog as have been in the UK, and had a few other things to do there than writing. So, I’ll carry on from where I left off (Easter), and fill you in on my UK travels at a later date.
Here is a question for you: how many sites from different world religions is it possible to visit over one Easter weekend in an Islamic Republic?
Answer: sites from ALL the major world religions! On Good Friday VSO arranged a trip for all the new volunteers (they came out two weeks ago) and evacuees (me and Corry) several hours south of Islamabad to the second largest salt mines in the world. We were able to go on a little train right into the middle of the mine and it was so beautiful:
Here is a question for you: how many sites from different world religions is it possible to visit over one Easter weekend in an Islamic Republic?
Answer: sites from ALL the major world religions! On Good Friday VSO arranged a trip for all the new volunteers (they came out two weeks ago) and evacuees (me and Corry) several hours south of Islamabad to the second largest salt mines in the world. We were able to go on a little train right into the middle of the mine and it was so beautiful:
So I hear you wondering what has this got to do with world religions? Well, nothing, but after that we visited a Hindu pilgrimage site – the second holiest Hindu site in Pakistan. The site is mentioned in the Mahabharata – an ancient Hindu text, written 300BC.
I know the building at the front looks slightly like a Norman fort, but I don't think it is!
The next day we visited a Muslim shrine – it was very beautifully decorated inside with piles of rose petals, tinsel and photos of Islamic holy places.
Then on Easter Sunday I managed to get to church (after much stress as High Commission advised against it). I’ve never been to a church before where I had to walk past a police cordon, armed guards and a body and bag search. Quite depressing given the meaning of the celebration of Easter.
After that VSO had arranged another trip to Taxila. This is a very famous archaeological site with remains from from the Buddhist era through the time of Greek influence when Alexander came through as well as Moghul and Hindu relics. To be honest, I got thoroughly confused as to the history as it encompassed such a long time period but I (maybe) will research it and then provide you all with an in depth and incisive analysis (!). But it was great seeing the Buddhist remains – we visited a Buddhist monastery 2000 years old, and it was really interesting seeing the tombs with Buddhist art as well as the Greek influence.
And in the same afternoon we also visited a Sikh gurudwara which is also a very important pilgrimage site as it has a copy of their holy book – the Granth Sahib. We walked through some water and past a big rock with a hand print on of Guru Nanak. Sikhs believe that he stopped part of the mountain being thrown at him with his hand. Also, they believe that by walking through the water by this rock they they can wash away their sins.
In Taxila, there was a Buddha with a hole in the stomach, and Buddhists believe if you put your finger in there and pray then it will heal your bodily ailments. I felt quite holy after such a religious day, especially on Easter Sunday.
So, I wish I could end with some pearl of wisdom all about the different religions, particularly relating the experience of walking past armed guards into church, but I can’t think of anything clever so will leave it by saying that I feel very blessed to be here and have had such experiences (except the armed guards)!
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