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A Diary from Kabul |
On the 29th May,
my journey to Afghanistan started out eventful, as I departed JHQ on the day of
the worst riots seen in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban – this forced a
decision by my organisation, the International Medical Corps (IMC) to defer my
flight into Kabul, so I was held up in Dubai until the next UN flight in a
couple of days. In a way, after starting my journey I just wanted to get to
Kabul as soon as possible, but a couple of days of sun and shopping never did
any woman harm! Finally, however, the day had arrived that I was to board the UN
flight into Kabul and to say that I was nervous was an understatement – my
stomach was officially the world’s greatest gymnast, completing numerous flips
and somersaults for most of the morning. However, as I was flying over
Afghanistan and into Kabul, a strange sort of calm hovered over me and as I saw
the breathtaking mountains and sandy landscape grow bigger, I was just happy to
be finally arriving into a country that until then was almost a fairytale
existence, that was only obtainable through books and photographs.
Day 1 - 1 June
After a brief reunion with my husband Philip who had managed to get to the
airport to greet me, I was collected by one of our security officers and taken
to our headquarters. The journey through Kabul city was remarkable and filled
with bustling markets and people going about their daily business. After our
security briefing I was taken to our accommodation, which is a beautiful,
spacious house, only about ½ km away from ISAF Headquarters. Once there I
finally met my expatriate colleagues and housemates and I immediately felt at
home. The people living here all have a different story to tell and we have been
sharing different experiences yet at the same time we all have a common
denominator which is sharing our skills with the people of Afghanistan.
2 June
It is Friday and the start of our weekend, so I went to the ISAF market this
morning and met up with Philip – it was lovely to be able to just spend time
with each other and browse the bazaar stalls – Afghanistan certainly has a
wonderful array of goods from jewellery to carpets and the salesmen also try
hard to drum up business. I have a feeling I will be hearing a lot of ‘Madam,
come to my stall – looking is free!’ during these next 8 months!
4 June
Started my first day at the Rabia Balkhi hospital. The hospital is only a 10-15
mins drive away but it is through the centre of Kabul and there is always lots
of chaotic traffic to tackle – Khaled, my driver is very experienced and
although there have been many near misses with other cars, people and cyclists,
there never seems to be any accidents! Having worked in a developing country
before I was prepared for a third world hospital, however sometimes it is still
difficult to see a place lacking in such basic commodities that we take for
granted. Trying to teach midwives about infection control when there is no
running water in the ward and flies everywhere is a challenge in itself however
it is important to remain upbeat. One thing is for certain the women here are
some of the most positive women I have met – the last decades of war have not
eroded their spirit and their smiles are very infectious. In Dari there is an
expression ‘awal salAm bAz kalAm’, which means ‘first greetings then talking’ –
it is important to affectionately greet every person first; one thing this does
do is set a positive mood and a friendly atmosphere. It is funny how something
so simple can be so powerful.
14 June
Today is Mother’s day in Afghanistan. During the daily morning midwife’s report
the hospital director came in to wish all of the midwives a Happy Mother’s day.
At the end of the day, probably more than 40 Afghan women will became mothers
once again at the Rabia Balkhi hospital. They are averaging between 40 and 60
births per day, and I have not seen as many multiple pregnancies before. Many
women are on their 8th and higher pregnancies and therefore there are a lot of
complications to look out for…one woman today had her 5th child yet did not
provide any joyous reaction as I am accustomed to seeing in the Western world –
this baby was a girl and she had no boys yet so after all her hard work she felt
that she had failed. While there is a lot of cheerfulness in Afghanistan, many
of the women who come to the Rabia Balkhi hospital to give birth are from
outlying areas and have limited or no education, and it is sometimes difficult
to find any happiness in their faces. The eyes of Afghan women are normally a
lovely deep brown or dark green colour and they hold so much life and
aspiration. However, in some of the patient’s eyes all hope seems to be lost and
there is no expression; only a blank, irreparable numbness that penetrates so
deeply yet there is nothing one can do.
15 June
In Afghanistan, it is customary for visitors to bring presents or food as a
welcoming gift – so, myself and two expatriate doctors from the States provided
a huge lunch for all of the staff at IMC (approximately 25 national staff). It
was our way to say thank you for such a wonderful welcoming and also to come
together as a team. The local employees are amazing people and have been
extremely hospitable since arriving here. Also, any excuse to eat traditional
Afghan food is a good one – so much for the diet here in Kabul!
18 June
It has now been just over two weeks since I arrived in Kabul and needless to say
it feels like a lot more time has passed since my daily routine at JHQ. Life in
Kabul is certainly not dull and more importantly the decision to come here is
reinforced daily as one of the best. I look forward to many more exciting
experiences and stories to share in the upcoming months.
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