A twisting story

This last Saturday, at about 10:00am, I was waken by a phone call from a friend (Pakistani) who wanted to invite me for lunch at his place. I had previously been able to go on previous calls as I had always found something else to do. However, this time, I decided that it was the right time for me to go there, and live something different. The culture here, and the way people leave is very discreet to the outsiders, and unless you really know someone to go in their so close home, you will not get to know or see what is really happening inside these closed houses.

I decided to go there, and got ready to jump in a cab to head towards his place. This friend of mine (Chokot) lives in a place called Rawilpindi. It is right next to Islamabad, through, its a completely different standard of living there. Islamabad is gathering most of the richest people in Pakistan, and sparkle huge signs of upper class town. When I arrived, he was there in the street waiting for us (me & taxi) to arrive and show us where to precisly go to reach his very hidden place. Through some very narrow street where you could certanly fit at most two donkeys side by side, we found a metal green gate to a main building coridor. He was happy to have me on that special day off. On the week end, in this country and most of the muslim countries I have been to before, the mans like to enjoy relaxing all day and doing nothing but chatting with friends, sleeping and eating. I was here to have a more accurate sample of this saying, and check this out by myself. What is exactly happening in those closed houses on the week ends. First of tho, I was there to enjoy being with this friend, and try spend some great time chilling and tasting the locally made food. His "House" looked more like an old appartement on the ground floor. It was separated from the corridor by a thin metal door, that was not even reaching the selling, leaving some space for looks from people going up the stairs across his main door. Once you passed this door, it was then a rectangle type of entrance hall in his appartement. All around the rectangle shaped hall, there was doors. In the middle, it was the water tank with its top opening in the middle of that room. For security purpose, it was covered with a ciment cap. He lead me to his room on the left end side. He didnt show me the other rooms, or anything else, straight as I walk in his home, we took me there. It was his own room in all these doors. All the other rooms, were just for each other members of his family living there. His brother lived next door, his father was also living in that place, and so did everyone from his family! The womens were also here that day, but I did not get much to see of them, ill come back on this later.

In his room, was a bed, a cupboard, 4 chairs including two made out of plastic bucket. He invited me to seat there and have some rest while he was going to look for a friend to join us. He left me with his only child: "Abdoullah"! Very soon, I was surrounded by all the childrens of the house! There was Saad, Abdoullah, Oussama, Soha (girl), and probably an other 4 childrens around me. They were entertained by my look, and talks. It's not everyday that they have a guest looking like me. White, looking strange and sounding funny! While I was sitting on the bed, and having fun with the kids, I noticed how much the women were hidding from me. They were in the kitchen, right across the rectangle hall. On the Room door of where I was, the Sheet was pulling on and off to hide away the kitchen. Everytime a children was passing by, the sheet was carefully put back so that it hides the vision of the kitchen. The childrens were beautiful, they all had their particular charms but all looked awesome! The ages were from 4 months to 10 years old! The 4 months little daugther of Chokot's brother (my friend) was brought to me by one of the 4 years old kids. It was incredible to see that these kids just get so self managed so quickly without the attention of any adults! Through, soon I was about to learn the drawback of letting kids by their own! First, my friend returned, he was accompained of his good old friend which was a women beauty hairdresser. He came in the room, and sat down opposite of me whom was on the bed. Chokot sat next to me, and we started talking a little. The problem was that I cannot speak much Urdu at all, and he cannot speak much English neither! This meant that we shared a lots of silence together during all this time! I arrived there at about 1200 but only eat something much later at around 1600. All the time we were in his room, we were saying not much, entertain the kids, and hear the womens working very hard in the kitchen.

As we were sitting in the room still, he came up with a terrible story! Something I didnt expect to hear, or even less to see! At some points, he started telling me about his daughter. She was probably a year old when this happened. He pointed out to me the main corridor (the same one I came in the first time) and told me: "It's there Fabrice, Its there that she died!" He wasnt displaying a particular emotion on his head at this time, but certainly wasn't talking about something good that happen. He explain to me that he did not only have this kid I had met (Abdoullah), but that he also had a little girl before that! When he told me about her being dead there, and seeing that he looked confortable about it, I asked him: " What happened, how could it happen?".
Chokot: "She was there, found in the water".
I: "What you mean in the water?"
Chokot: "Yes, let me show you picture".
He looked into his drawers from the cupboard and searched for a photo. He showed me a photo of his daughter, she looked beautiful! Abdoullah, who was with us, screamed out the name of his sister! saying, she is not here, no more.. not here! He wasnt crying or anything, but just shouting out loud her name and saying that she was not here no more.

I was a little worried about asking him more about it, cause I Could not understand this water thing, and why she was dead! So I asked him to tell me more if he could.

Chokot said: "Come with me, I will show you".
I followed him to the main corridor which he was pointing out to previously. We arrived there, and he pointed out to me an humble metal made door. Openened it, and unvealed a Turkish type toilet little room.
Chokot: " She is dead here, right here". He pointed out the bucket that was behind the door!
Just there, there was a blue standard bucket, which you would use for any cleaning purpose in the house. Certainly the Blue bucket was 40Cm high, and just below a water tape emerging from the wall above.
Chokot:" She was washing her hands here, and the soap felt in the bucket...then..".
At this stage I didnt need no more explanation, I was astonished by the aweful accident! Their little daughter of a year old, drawn in a 40cm high bucket filled half way with wather! I stopped him from talking more, and simply and spontanously took him in my arms! I could only feel a fraction of the pain he must have been through, but it was absolutely terrible! This bucket I was seeing there, was the one in which his 1 year old daughter died! I could do nothing, but to give him a big hug, and drop a tear!

He was so calm, and self controlled when talking about it. He did see the horror on my face, and we went back into his room in silent. Soon after this he showed me the hand of one of the other children, he was missing a finger, he had put it in a water pump properller. It showed how much the children are at risks sometimes. They may seem very advance in a lots of things, like walking and sorting themselves out, but it also arent that easy sometimes for them to live so free and close to dangers.

As were cruised along the afternoon relaxing, and doing nothing in the room, the womens of the house where cooking all this time and had at no point been allowed to really spend any presence in the same room than the mans. I have bearly seen them, and I have not had the chance even to actually meet his wife at all. I know that she was one of the women that were cooking there, but didnt know which...

The whole experience of spending a day, at this place was an amazing discovery of what lies behind these close door, which arent very open to strangers. The food was delicious, and despite the terrible story, it was a great afternoon! I enjoyed all of it, bits by bits, and will never forget such a day! If you get the chance, spend a day in a house with these beauiful people!

House of the World (II)

Here we are, second edition for "House of the World". Last was a Sudanese typical house, here is a typical low class, but very popular type of setup when entering the nothern area! Here this picture was taken in the area of Pattan! Earthquake proof house aren't an option for the people with low income, unfortunately, most of the population lives in theses onditions. conditions.

Chinese prints

One, of the many, Chineses prints on the KKH.

Local Clothes

Yes, sometimes its also good to adopt the local culture, and enjoy fully being in Pakistan as a local rather than a humanitarian worker! I like to embrasse culture fully when I travel, its part of the travel itself, and generate so much more! its a step forward to understand better, and be better understood with the place you are in!

Friends

(Priit, Marko, Vladim, Myself)

Waterfall on the way to Dassu

KKH to Dassu

Sunday, we decided to have a day off and to head north for a ride. "we" is the Estonian and Finnish guys who I hang with since I have arrived in Battagram last week. Being here for a little while has allowed me to have some time to socialize a minimum. Anyway, off we go! We decided to go there with two cars as some more people wanted to join the amazing ride.

Our destination, "Dassu", also known as Dusso or Dussu depending on the language, is located 73Km north of Besham, itself located 35 Km from Battagram. Through distances gives a rough idea of the time it should take, here its a completely different story. In time, it takes 3 hours from Battagram to Besham, and count another 2h15 to do Besham - Dassu! a total of 5 h 15 to do 108Km! Nevertheless, it feels like a 2 hours journey! The road is simply the most amazing one I have ever seen! 4 of us in this Toyota buffalo 4wd watching the scenary with speechless thoughts! Pakistan by far, ahead of any place I can think of, is the most stunning, suprising, powerful and fullfilling nature country! During this journey, we came across 7 water falls, including at least 3 of them with more than 1000m falls of water straight out from the source!

Numerous marks of the chinese work are visible on the way, and particulary the bridges! Along the road there is a very strong presence of the China/Pakistan friendship which took place to build this road!

(to be continued...)

on the fly

Pakistan experience is such a different experience to the previous one, sudan. Here it is such different emotions I go through. I arrived here on the 5th of Febulary 2006. It may appear as a small amount of time till now, but in fact it is a gradualy increasing experience of stress, and what it can really do. In the meantime, I am at a crossing of where rational becomes an option rather than an obvious essential thing. But when it has been 3 month under some extreme cultural and social frustration without a week to recover from it somewhere esle, it becomes an obsession to return to reality! Reality in this sense is the life you use to have, the confortable mind where your use to know! At this stage, you loose motivation and you think that maybe its all enough.,, After all, you dont have to do this, you dont have to take all that shit, and live this life for that.

Here you are, at the crossing of your options, you choose to take it, and accept all the understanding and fundamental behavior changes it inccur. Or you just decide to leave and restore a balance that you though up to know to be right. You then choose to forget what you just discovered to get yourself confortable with who you've become!

I have choose to go for it, and understand what this stress is generating in me, and what are the other sides I am not looking at while being under this constant pressure from stress. Stress is unattended, and it just pops up without clear warnings. And when you do find out it is here, you then also realise that it's very late in the process to counter strike! Through this was for me a huge challenge, the more I stay here, the more I realise why I am here, and what makes this job and experience the most amazing I've ever had! It took just a trip to the field again this week, to do some work. Going there by car was again an other amazing piece of beautiful feelings! Meeting with these people of Pakistan and knowing that you are here to try and help them as much as you can is such an amazing moment! I love to be here with these people, and share a tea with them, In the end, what matters is what's the most reliable for you, sorrows and wounds arent good to have, and when you are with these people you don't get disapointed. It always a simple and straight thing, its just so easy. Being there and also someway sharing your time with these people is one of the most saticefying and rewarding feeling of all. This, is enough for me to know that I am a privilegier, and that I should be thanksful at all time about this gift of discovering something else, some other part of myself I had never been aware of before. The Nature here is amazing, just as full of emotion as the whole experience itself! In the end, it make you wonder and probably understand that so many people on this planet have to beleive there is a god. I have no religions, but I do see the concept of religion beleif, This nature we are living in, and being part of, is so beautiful and powerful, that it offer no other explanation than magie! Even if science one day demonstrate the A+B of everything, they will, in the meantime demonstrate how uncredible this all is!

Everything's cool! looking forward to home, but not before its all done here! I'l make it... inshallah! :)