Day 17 - Final full day

Well, it’s sad to think that today is my final full day in Kabul, and I can’t believe it’s flown by so fast. It was a day where I tried to wrap things up, but got frustrated by the vagaries of Windows networking wizard. Now I know why networking people get the big bucks – though the truth is probably more that I don’t know the technical ins and outs of XPs network handling, and a short conversation with somebody who knows will sort me out – it’s a project I’m going to do at home and then write a simple guide for the guys here – well, if it is simple, anyway. At least I know what the setup is though. It’s a shame they don’t have the bandwidth to PC anywhere here – they already pay $250 / month for a slightly flaky microwave connection – and doubling it, even for a month, is unjustifiable.

Much of the morning was spent virus fighting – I thought I had it all under control, but one computer had slipped though the net (so to speak, although the computer itself doesn’t even have a network card driver, and ended up re-infecting another three computers die to USB stick usage. Makes me think that my gift of a bunch of USB sticks (which I’m going to give out tomorrow) may cause trouble. Lets hope not, hey?

The guys went down to Malali Hospital this morning whilst I was trying to sort out my final things – as I haven’t ever been down, I haven’t mentioned it in the blog, which is a shame as it’s one the major projects that ****** Afghanistan. It’s a Women’s hospital (OB/GYN), which handles over 150 deliveries a day. Pretty busy. ****** is involved in building a new emergency room – and Anthony, as a big wheel in an Australian ER, has been assisting. Like me, he’s not done what he expected to do – he was hoping to be far more hands-on, but the governmental / hospital regulations and bureaucracy have meant that he can only act in an advisory capacity – and he’s been getting used to doing lecturing, a fairly new experience (with it’s fair share of frustrations). I suppose on one level it’s understandable – after all, we’d hardly countenance some foreign doctor waltzing in and taking over a department for a very limited time, without much introduction in our own countries, but, on the other hand, these hospitals are in desperate need for some good quality help. Which, I suppose, leads back to a training rather than hands on role. What Anthony has really had issue with is the level of authority that this kind of role requires, and if it’s something you weren’t prepared for, and haven’t had need for before, it can make life hard.

Still, the doctors have seemed to appreciate what he’s been able to do, on the balance of the reports I’ve heard. We’re also hoping to build and train staff for an outpatients department at the hospital, although anything beyond just construction with restricted funding becomes a very complicated proposition – although these difficulties serve as just another challenge amongst the general operational juggling that the guys have to deal with here.

S**** was also busy today – he had his first final (exam) to qualify as a lab technician – his first of 15 continuous (weekends excepted, I think) days of exams. He came back to the compound (which is more than what I would have done in the same circumstances) in good spirits – his first exam had gone well, which was great to hear. He spent most of the afternoon in one of the cars, in a little private study space. It’s amazing that he’s been here (i.e., with HOPE) for about 6 years, and he started when he was in his teenage years.

This evening we had a treat – we went out for a triple celebration – my departure, D**** Birthday (on the 8th) and P**** Birthday (yesterday) – we went to the ever so slightly surreal “Popa Lano’s” an Italian restaurant run by Afghans, with a menu about three times as large as the actual availability. Although I did discover something I’m definitely going to take back home with me – spite with lime juice. Yum. And I have to say that the food, when it did come, was actually very good – us newcomers (Kelly, myself, and to a lesser extent Jason, although he has an iron stomach to rival Anthonys’) were pleasantly surprised that the food surpassed our sadly low expectations. I had quite a lot of meat – some beef and chicken dish which advertised itself as a steak dish, but seemed to have been pounded for quite a while with a blunt instrument before it had been cooked. Still, it was very nice for it.

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Me, Dan and Mary, looking authentic

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Asif, me and Abid. I look a little less authentic here, In fact, I look positively pensive

We drove back through Kabul in the dark – We’d driven there in an amazing dusk, which really painted the town in a new, subtler light. I always enjoy the dark, with the drama and slight sense of unease that comes from a combination of false fog from the dust on the roads and the appalling (and practically non-existent) street lighting . To add to the drama, we got stopped by the police – well, they peered through the window when we came to one of the chouks in the centre of town, but waved us straight on.

The evening was rounded off by a game of lie dice – it’s good to know that even if I haven’t achieved all the things I wanted to in this trip, at least I brought a game which everybody has got instantly addicted to. I’ll have to re-stock on dice when I get back home though!

As I’m going to be overnighting in Dubai tomorrow, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to post – though this will not be my last post about Kabul. Oh, and I should probably say that, much to my surprise, I got my ticket from Ariana this morning without any drama. Well, H**** got it for me, so maybe there was, though Hezbullah seems to be related, or at least know, most of the people in the city. At least that’s how it seems!