Pakistan; A wonderland of nature, art and humility
Certainly the moment arrived!!! Time when I had to say good bye to my beloved people, and strike out a new beginning in life. Yes am talking about Friday 7th March 2008.
Misery was bidding farewell to my beloved people and beyond misery was heading to a country seen as a morass of conflict in the world.
Here I was, very determined and thinking through how I will go about the whole idea of starting life in solititude in a foreign country, not knowing what life will bring forth.
Alas! Here I was marching in the airport lounge with my head high destined to the unknown………………...lending credence to a casual joke, “Just like a tortoise every man must stick out his neck into the unknown if he’s to move forward”.
A feeling of nostalgia hits me as I stroll through toward the waiting room. Time check 16:20, last call for emirates passengers flight number E 724 through Addisababa to Dubai. My happiness hit heavens.
Saying goodbye like they say is the hardest thing one can do especially to people you have confided in and have been dear to. Indeed I was more than ready to hit the road to Pakistan which some of my own buddies had labelled a place of no return! Strongly I drew my inspirations from what Churchill once said “if you are going through hell, just continue going one day you will get to heaven”.
At first my farewells to friends and family was remorseful. Yes. Saying goodbye was a heartbreaker here especially to my dear mother. in the sense that all my people were certainly sure that it was going to be a tough and challenging experience especially those that had known me as a typical introvert; reserved, quiet, above all fiercely independent and quietly forceful.
This is my first time to do voluntary work outside my country- a very exciting and challenging moment as well.
Yet. I had learnt about my Pakistan trip 5 months prior to my departure, but none of my people had an idea of what I had in mind. Having done my preparation for change course (PFC) in November 28th to 5th December 2007, in Nairobi Kenya I had been preparing for this since then and I had kept it to myself not even my parents knew about it. It was a great surprise indeed when I broke the news of leaving for Pakistan, barely three days to my departure. It was my deliberate attempt not to inform them earlier. Knowing what Pakistan is and the amount of negative press it attracts the world over. I was a little apprehensive to tell anybody as they would discourage me from going. Yet I had made a commitment with VSO
PFC made me make a decision with confidence, opening my eyes to a whole new world. The trainings were delivered in such a professional and efficacious way and was confident all of us Kenyans and Ugandan’s (15 participants) alike would live to our commitments. Asante saana madam Hellen Zainga, Beatrice, John Njoka (the team of Isore-code) and of-course not forgetting the whole jitolee staff for their relentless effort in making this happen.
This was the advent of the beauty of volunteering. We quickly made friends with our fellow Kenyan counterparts, once in a while discussing politics (remember this was a few weeks to elections……….27th December 2007 to be precise; Mwaura Isaac always took the lead championing ODM policies, convincing all of us the magic behind the kingmaker…Raila Odinga!) the discussions truly reflected the beauty of diversity.
At the airport my mother craned her neck to make sure all is well with my clearance into the departure lounge and I noticed my absence was going to affect her greatly. Meanwhile I had travelled with my father as well but he was minding his business and not as keen as my mother. “Surely you can never measure a mother’s love for her children”. I thought out loud!
All was well with the customs at the airport verifying whether the small piece of paper called visa was the right one and what reason was taking me to Pakistan………there was a sigh of relief, quickly I had to link up with my other two colleagues, Wilson and Jane frank with whom I had been called to serve.
The sad story about this is that one of the volunteers missed to go along with us, he had problems with his visa.
“Last call for Passengers of flight number 724 emirates destined for Dubai through Addisababa……...
We couldn’t wait any longer; we quickly dashed to take our flight.
It was a very exciting and appealing journey through the highlands of Addis Ababa (stopping here for an hour for other passengers to Dubai to embark on the plane) before connecting to the golden Dubai airport where we had to change over to another flight to Lahore.
Lahore. Yes. I had not been to this busy and noisy place before but I had news all over from BBC and CNN, as one of the centres of conflict in Pakistan. Also when you hear people talk about Pakistan, especially back home, they do so with reverence that borders, I would say on fear.
My perception to this point of touching base in Lahore airport about Pakistan had not changed. My thinking was, Pakistan is an utterly cluttered country and there seems no space left for clarity following the death of Benazir Bhutto. (RIP), BB as she’s fondly remembered here
My instinct was am coming to a country full of nothing but chaos, grim picture here, muffled and confused discourse evolving around the most dreaded man in the land President. Perves Musharaf, who had earlier declared a state of emergency in Pakistan and had thrown out the judiciary in this country. By the way up to date, it’s the new government under PM Guilani that is still pressing for the restoration of the deposed judges. (Am however 200% sure that Rtd; Gen, Musharaf will not retain the presidency following last February elections with only the opposition having the numbers in MNA. (This is a story for another day as events unfold)
The flight was only 50 minutes from Lahore to the mighty Islamabad. Time check 11:50 am. We are in the capital of Pakistan. My immediate neighbour on the plane retorts. Sure? I said. Yes Pakistan! This am told means “the land free of sin”. Obviously this is mind boggling to any one who has keenly been following events in Pakistan- it would be naïve for me to believe in this for now. Warmly received by our host VSO we snake through Islamabad to our place of aboard- a guest house which we later learnt was just a stone throw away from the program office.
My thoughts still lingered on for fear of a bomb blast here, bombing there, suicide attacks here as well as militant operations by the suicide bombers. From the international press news you may think no people leave in Pakistan for fear of their life.
Three days into my stay in Pakistan the blurred image I had tends to fade slowly. We settle in for the in country training and orientation program (ICTOP) and all seems to go well by allaying all our fears about the security situation in the country. Meanwhile we flexibly and comfortably mix freely with each other, colleagues from the Holland, UK, Canada and the Philippines like we had known each other ages past.
As part of the acclamatisation process of the country, the VSO Country Director Mr. Phil Hudson informs us of a play in the auditorium in sector F- 6……..(not so sure about this sector) most of us are enthusiastic to go. The play was in commemoration of women’s day celebrations a day celebrated the world over, with the theme “Burqavaganza” - Is an outrages musical extravaganza written to challenge the mindsets, provoke the audience to rethink and break the chains of prejudice and outdated values.
Simply put, the play was challenging the current status quo where people especially the youth are denied the very natural rights of loving each other. Oh yes, this was it for me. I come from a society that truly appreciates beauty, a natural thing in life. Here I was, in a culture suppresses women and reducing them to nothing, women, for instance must cover everything on their body including their faces, not shaking hands, not allowed to move alone, and above all they hardly make any decisions in society etc. Clearly at this point I was in a state of ambivalence!
It was very classic theatre of things that badly lack in the Pakistan society because the systems have prevented them from developing.
What really surprised me was that I hadn’t known that we where special people to be reserved seats labelled VIPs. I wondered aloud how special we where. Here we where, comfortably seated adduced to the saying “special people need special attention.” Second thoughts about this remind me of the role we as volunteers play in communities that automatically grants us this reciprocity. It’s a great feeling to be recognised because it makes you feel confident that community places a value on the contribution we make in society.
I later discovered that this kind of attitude is engrained in most of the Pakistanis. Their conduct to foreigners is supreme and they value any foreigner in their country- a clear test to humility that lacks in most of us.
Pakistan also has lovely history and there’s no other way you can learn of this other than the museum. Our visit to the museum in Lor vista put my doubts to rest.
Lorvista museum’s fully accomplished setting tells much more about Pakistan than what meets the eye.
In the compound of the museum is a well garnished truck, lit with ornaments. In-fact these trucks first caught my attention the when I touched base in Pakistan. I later discovered that in this country like religion, art influences every aspect of life.
Additionally Pakistan’s popularity also rotates around the unique local tradition and culture; the embroidery for instance reflects local traditions, culture and the physical environment of the people and places where it developed.
Each area of the country has for instance, evolved its own distinct style of needle work as I later came to discover.
A little more saunter into the museum leads you to finely woven and ornate baskets that are made by women all over Pakistan for utilitarian and decorative purposes from locally available materials such as palm leaves, mzari, wheat straw and wild grasses.
By now we have developed stronger bonds with fellow volunteers hardly a week into our stay in Pakistan. Vibrant discussions go on at every slight break of the trainings (ICTOP) we get as volunteers.
Dinner time is the right time. We have enough uninterrupted time to our selves to discuss the day’s events including any upcoming events as well as setting the agenda for our selves if we don’t have any lessons to take.
Eating out I discovered is a hobby all volunteers cherished dearly and I thought nothing would stop volunteers from having there fun in Islamabad whenever they needed it. To further confirm this all of us had made a confident decision to come to Pakistan well aware of the “troubles” herewith.
However I was proven wrong as days went by. Prior to our planned dinner in the affluent restaurants, our plans where completely shattered by the bomb blast that exploded in Sector F 6, in the Italian restaurant.
This place in Islamabad is well known for the diplomatic community, thud under tight security alert, and selling alcohol which is illegal in Pakistan.
The intention of the attack had not been established to date. This was happening in a long time as previous events had never targeted foreigners. I began casting doubts. Retorting thus; Pakistanis have resorted to what they are widely for- extremism!
Oooh goodness me!!!!. You should have seen all the volunteers. The usual noise makers had gotten silent and scared stiff and to near half death, like chicken soaked in rain!!!!!
Le Caprese restaurant had been attacked and that’s where one of the volunteers had recommended us to go for dinner the following day. One person was killed and many others injured. You cant imagine the devastation we were all in.
All of us received calls from the Mr.Afaq Ali to cancel our plans of hanging out the following day. Trust VSO Pakistan program office on this. Kudos!
The trip to the salt mines and the Hindu temples was a memorable one and energised all of us from the devastation.
The salt range is an area of great natural beauty that lies between the the jhelum and Indus rivers in Punjab (am impeccably informed Punjab means the land of five rivers) a province of Pakistan, Chakwal district 100 kilometres from islamabad. its a low mountain range, rich in salt and other minerals, teeming with wild life. It’s also called “the museum of geology” where rocks from pre - Cambrian period (million years old) to the present times are found. The area contains some stunning places with a number of specific attractions including the largest salt mines in Asia and some of old Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites.
And to crown ICTOP was a well planned partner’s day, on 25th March 2008 that ended with a cocktail in the lawns of the VSO program office in Islamabad
By this time, all of us are eager to go to our placements after spending two rigorous weeks in Islamabad. We dinned with great minds and people from all over the INGO sector in Pakistan as well as other VSO partner organisations. And yes in a show of solidarity and togetherness all the volunteers contributed to the surprise presents for the VSO program office and our Urdu teacher Mr Naseem. (Who had earlier served us a sumptuous meal at his country home, approximately 40 kilometres out of Islamabad) No body would have passed on our vote of thanks better than our very own fellow volunteer Gabriella who thanked the VSO staff with all the superlatives you can think of. Words alone aren’t enough to express our gratitude! Once again many many thanks VSO Program staff.
By this time all were free to leave at leisure to catch with sleep especially some of us who had more than 500 kilometres of travel, the following morning.
Emotions again filled us as we had to part ways from each other. As expected it was me and my colleague Amelia from Philippines, heading for Multan, who had to leave first. At this point we had no option but to depart, thereby heading for Pindi to catch the 9am o’clock bus to Layyah.
However a certain vivid picture of Pakistan emerges at yet another threshold as you move away from the crowded, polluted and unmanageable mega cities into the heart of the country. The fabulous pretentious buildings of Islamabad and Lahore give a promising future to the development of the country.
Here you find a different kind of life, different society living in a different rhythm of daily life governed by forces as old as human existence; hunger, fear, servitude, poverty and diseases of all kinds.
With such situations, you are inspired to re echo what former South African president Nelson Mandela once said; “recognise that the world is hungry for action not words act with courage and vision”.
Indeed all VSO volunteers act with courage and vision, the world over, to try and make a difference in people’s lives. This vindicates our decision to come to Pakistan.
Amidst all this melodrama, most people here are profoundly sociable, gregarious, jovial and outgoing and likeable Pakistanis. You clearly notice this as you traverse the rest of the country side.
Once in a while my conscious hits me not to trust every body in Pakistan.
I later put my doubts to rest because in every society you will find friends and foes alike.
Absolutely! This gives me courage to carry on with my work as an agent of change during my entire stay here in Pakistan. As a volunteer am here to adhere to VSO principles and guidelines to promote volunteering to fight global poverty and disadvantage in the world
As I get down to work, I am privileged to be in Pakistan at this moment…..to see events for my self as they unfold; in a country seen the world over as , caught in both of the worlds clashes; the threat of Talibanisation and Balkanisation- becoming the most “dangerous place in the world”- so they say.
I could continue on and on about my reflections, but like they say in Urdu; mujhe jάnά hάi- loosely translated as I have to go. Duty has called in the south Punjab district of Layyah, Chowk Azam to be specific.