Day 9- Shukrya Pakistan!

Finally, we presented the review findings to the management team of our Pakistan office, along with our recommendations.  After some discussions, arguments, clarifications, we came to some agreements. 

And! Hospitable as they are, we were given some gifts: lovely Pakistani jars.

And our review was finally concluded.

Since our flight is not until almost midnight, we had time to do a few more shopping. I went back to the nuts shop and got half kilo walnut and half kilo raisins  (Yep- I am nuts with nuts!) and a few more wood decors. We had quick dinner then we went back to the guest house to pack- which, as you could guess, turned out to be very challenging.

The office driver came for us at 8 and dropped us at the airport. It was not very pleasant at the airport- with a police officer’s failed attempt to con us and tried to get our passports (he had to return it when we did not budge and we told him we had our visas).

Aside from that not so pleasant experience at the airport, it turned out to be a nice trip. It was a good learning and sharing experience.  The people I met were very friendly and hospitable. And I loved the places I have been to.

Shukrya, Pakistan, for the good experience. 

Day 8- Pakistan Visit: At Margalla Hills. Yay!

13 April 2014. On Sunday, we were back in the office to do the reports and presentation for Monday.  We were slave-driven, and allowed to take our lunch only at 4! Unlike! L

Shazia, however, saved the day.  She came at 3:30 , picked us up, brought us to lunch and took us to some shopping, again, at Jinna market.  13I got 1.5 kilos almonds and half kilo pistachio nuts, a Pakistani shawl and some Pakistani wood decors. Too bad the carpets are heavy! I wanted one.

Shopping time...finally.

After the quick shopping, we went to Margalla Hills.  It is a 20 to 30 minutes drive from Jinna market. On our way to the top, we passed by a memorial for the victims of an airplane that crashed in that site some years back.

At the top is the very nice Monat Restaurant, which gives a good view of the entire Islamabad City.  We got there just in time for the sunset. We had a nice Pakistani dinner (mutton and chicken barbecue, nan bread, salad) and then we called it a day.

At the Monat Restaurant

Top of Margalla Hills

Moon at Margalla

Memories of Margalla Hills

Day 7- Pakistan Visit: All work and no play…..

It was a Saturday, yet we had to do our reports.  All the members of the review team came and the whole day was spent analyzing data from the review. 

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Tired.

Day 6- Pakistan Visit: Fulfilled

April 11, 2014. Our police escorts were again with us the next day when we went to the other community.  The second community was closer to our Chakwal office than the one we went to the day before- we reached the place in 45 minutes. Another convoy joined us- the local police.

In this other village, we met with the members of the community based organization (CBO) and the beneficiaries of the Girls Power Project.

After 15 years of working in this community, the CBO is finally ready to mobilize their own community, and  have learned how to link with other institutions to generate funds to continue their projects and start new projects. They have learned how to come together to discuss their and also to listen to the voices of children and to get them involved. This just shows that we are indeed ready to phase out in 2 years and move on to other communities who would need Plan assistance.

Listening to the presentation of the community leaders

Me during the meeting with the leaders

Given the context of Pakistan, especially in a remote area such as the village we visited, the Girls Power Project is a breakthrough. The Girls Power Project, a Plan-supported project, is for the girls who are unable to continue to high school because of extreme poverty or because the parents only allow the boys to go to school or because the school is far from the village. Through the Girls Power Project,  a teacher comes to the village to teach them high school subjects.  After they completed the modules, they will be able to apply to colleges and universities.

At present, 30 girls are in participating in the Girls Power project. I particularly liked the discussion with the beneficiaries of said projects.  The young girls were very eager to share their experiences.  They shared with us what they are learning and how their lives have been changed because of the project.  One of the girls the girls shared that initially, her father did not want her to be part of Girls Power.  The other girls shared that they even had to go to her house to convince the father.  It was, however, when she asked for her brother’s help and her brother helped convinced her father, that he allowed her to attend the classes (which also show how much influence the boys have in the household, as compared to the girls). Now, her father wants her to go to college after she completes the modules.  The other girls confirmed that one of the changes brought about by the project is that the parents are now aware of the importance and now value girls’ education. All the girls want to be able to go to college. Hurray to Girls Power!

During the meeting with Girls Power Project beneficiaries.

Photo ops with the girls after the meeting

It is stories like these that keeps me going. This is all worth it. Yes!

Photo session with the village leaders after the visit.

Day 5- Pakistan Visit: Chakwal Mountains

April 10, 2014. Day 5. One of the rules for visiting Chakwal province is to get a military permit a month prior to the visit, which was what our security officer, a former military officer, did. The reason for that is so that they could coordinate the police escort wherever we go in Chakwal. For the same reason, we also needed to give them our itinerary. 

Garbed in our Pakistani costume (we were advised to wear one), we started early for Chakwal, where another of our Program Office is situated. 

Me in Pakistani clothes

After 1.5 hours of travel, we reached the toll gate at Chakwal, and our police escort showed up.  We were in a convoy with the police car, with its blinkers and siren and four policemen with long high powered guns.  Yay!

Our police escorts

We reached the office, had meeting, workshop, document and system review and some snacks.  By now, I have realized that Pakistani cuisine is mostly of chicken. Even the snacks. Everything seems to come with chicken- unless you specify something else.

After lunch, we headed to one of the villages, which was another good 1.5 hours of travel.  And travel up and deeper in the mountains we did.  And those were beautiful stone mountains.

Chakwal mountains

And wheat fields

We were again welcomed with rose petals when we reached the community.  We had our meetings, and visits of families with our police escorts tailing us.

Me and Neeta with the 2 kids

The houses in Chakwal are different than those in Islamabad.  They looked like from the olden times described in the bible. Their houses are compounds, with several separate rooms.  In one part of the compound are their goats and cattle.

One of the houses/compounds

While making my way back to the car, I also saw a girl carrying water jar.

Just like the olden times

Time travel. That’s what it felt like- the remoteness of the place, the dresses, the houses, and that water jar.

By 4 pm, we were so hungry, we rushed back to the "real world".

Happy after the late, late lunch.

Day 4- Pakistan Visit: Saidpur Village

9 April 2014. Day 4 did not quite start right. We were supposed to go to another slum community at 9AM.  Earlier, however, there was a bomb blast in one of the markets close to that community. The Security Officer called up and asked us to wait at the office for another hour, and then he will give us another advice.

We decided to just continue with our system and document review.  After an hour or so, we were given the clearance to go.

On the way to the community...beautiful park turned into clothes drying area :)

We went to another Christian community and had the meetings in another small church. It felt good to be able to talk to some project beneficiaries- it does validate the work that we do. We talked with some youth volunteer health educators  and I was amazed to find out how much they are learning and how their involvement are helping them develop themselves.

Meeting with children and community

 After the meeting, we headed to Saidpur Village for lunch. On the way, I cannot help but notice the lovely roses lining the major streets. Wish we have this too in Manila- but then that might not be possible due to the terrible air pollution.

Aren't they lovely

 Situated at the foot of a hill, Saidpur Village is a heritage place.  It is an old village and the government are taking pains to maintain it and they are not anymore allowed to build more houses there.  The hill, flowers, blue skies and good weather all together made it the lovely place that it is.  

We enjoyed  a good Pakistani lunch and then headed back to the Program Unit office for a quick presentation of our findings and recommendations.

Day 3- Pakistan Visit: Hospitality

8 April, 2014. Days 3 and 4 were for the review of our other office in Islamabad.  In our lingo, their office  is called the Program Unit. A Program Unit is directly responsible for implementing projects in the communities we are working with. Their office is a block away from our Pakistan office.

After meetings, workshops and review of their system and documents, we had lunch at the office. And after lunch, we headed to one of the communities.

We went to a Christian community, obviously the minority in a country like Pakistan. And true to the South Asian culture, the children showered us with rose petals as we were ushered to the meeting place, which is a small Christian church. Not to mention the drum roll (literally). After the introductions, the children presented us with flower bouquets (such hospitality! :).

Lovely roses. They grow in abundance in Islamabad.

 The series of meetings with various groups followed. We also visited some of the families who are participating in our programs. I am happy to hear how our projects are helping them have paved roads, health check-ups, and trainings, among the many others. It is fulfilling to hear that the community have been organized and are now learning how to run projects in their community.

After the meetings, we were asked to go to the community event place, for a simple Easter celebration with the community. Easter celebration meant a prayer, simple cake, some local pastries and bottles of coca cola products.

A simple Easter celebration with a Christian community in Islamabad

It  was a good day.

Day 2- Pakistan Trip: And the work begins

7 April, 2014.  It was a Monday and we were to go to the Pakistan office for some meetings and to do the review.

It was a gloomy morning- and it looked like it will rain.  I waited for my colleagues by the garden of the guest house where I chanced upon a solitary bird, perched on one of the trees. It did look like a black and white picture- pretty much how I saw my life that morning (I was missing home bad!).

How i felt that day....solitary.

We walked to the office.  After saying hello to some, we were asked to join the weekly staff meeting.  We introduced ourselves and the purpose of the visit. We then had meetings with some point persons before lunch.    After lunch, we started with the review.  It was a long day.

On our way back to the hotel after work, I noticed the flowers in the neighborhood . They were lovely and they lift the spirit, in an otherwise gloomy day.

And, having learned our lessons from the day before, we had dinner at the hotel. 

Day 1- Pakistan Trip: Lost

I just got back from a 9 day trip to Pakistan, where we did a review of our Pakistan office.

I was very anxious before the trip. Weeks before my flight, a Malaysian Airlines plane, MH370, just disappeared and until now, no one knows for sure what happened to the plane, or to the passengers. Saying that it was disconcerting is a major understatement.  I dreaded the trip.

Nonetheless, it pushed through. I literally surrendered myself to God as I boarded the plane. After 8 hours of nerve-wracking flying time, I thanked Him that the trip was un-eventful.

We arrived at Islamabad on the midnight of Saturday, April 5, on board Thai Airways, and I was surprised to see that they now have a lady immigration officer.  During my trip two years ago, they were all men. One lady out of 4 immigration officers is a good development.

The driver of our Pakistan office was already waiting for us outside of the airport and he kindly took us to the guest house where we were booked. The guest house, Capri Executive, is a big 9 bedroom house.

Capri Executive, Islamabad

The next day, Sunday, 5 members of the review team met at our Pakistan office.  Two of us came from the Philippines, and we were overseeing the peer review.  The other one came from our Nepal office, the other from our Vietnam office and the other one was from Vehari, Pakistan. We were to train them on how to do the peer review. 

We had lunch at Centaurus Mall- a very new mall which was also non-existent 2 years ago. I was surprised that there is now abundance of "western", branded clothes being sold at the mall. 

Queue to the mall

It was a long day. Security Officer came to give us a briefing in the afternoon.  One of his reminders was: to make sure we are already inside the guest house after dark or at around 6:20pm.

At 5:30 pm, we went to Jinna Market, which is 15 minute walk from our guest house, to have some of our dollars changed, and have dinner.  Our colleague from Vehari was with us and he was our “guide”. Dinner was good at Kabul Restaurant, where they serve very good barbecue and Afghan food.

Afghan naan bread

After dinner, we saw an old man selling strawberries on the streets.  It was not an extraordinary sight…but what was extra-ordinary was the weighing scale!  It was the oldest old school weighing scale I have ever seen!

The strawberry vendor and his old school weighing scale

It was not until before 7 when we decided to head back to our guest house. We were already defying the security officer’s advice. We walked back to the hotel, and after an hour, we were still walking. We knew then that we were lost! The side streets do not have street lights, and it was very dark. There were men loitering the streets- and there was not a woman to be seen.  And there we were- four foreign looking women and a man, who is not from Islamabad, looking confused and lost. A lady stopped her car - I guess it was obvious that we were lost because she asked where we are going.  She pointed to us the direction.  We walked, got to an intersection, and did not know where to turn again.  It was a good thing a taxi stopped and he knows the guest house.  We took the smallest taxi I have ever seen, even if it is only for 4 people, tops.  Our colleague from Vietnam had to sit on my lap.

After ten minutes, we reached the guest house.  Safe and in one piece.

I. Will.Never.Ever.Again.Go.Out.At.Night.In.Islamabad.

I swear.

My birthday!

I do love celebrating birthdays... No matter if it means I am another year older.  It is ,on one hand, a time for celebration, for all the blessings received- deserved or otherwise.  On the other hand, it is an excuse to re-think about where we want to be and whether we are veering in the right direction.

This year, I have the chance to celebrate with my family and friends. Unlike last year, when I spent my birthday on a long flight to London, with the Heathrow immigration officer being the first to give me a birthday greeting.

I just want to take this chance to thank the One above for looking after me, making sure I am safe when I am on travel or when I am home, for taking care of the people who are dear to me, and for giving me all the people around me.  I am also grateful for the challenges, which made me realize whether I am still on the right track or not, and which made me stronger and braver. 

Yesterday was my birthday, and I was, and am, grateful for all the countless happy moments- big or small. And well, I did love the red roses and balloons too.

Summertime!

It's officially summertime now .. no doubt. 33-35 degrees Celcius says it. What better way to start the summer than to have some water fun. And that was how I spent my birthday celebration with my family.

CME or Club Manila East  in Taytay, Rizal is a mere 15 minutes away from my place.  Despite it being around for sometime now, it is still one of the best , if not the best, resort within the greater Metro Manila. Price is just right at PHP375 , for a stay from 7AM to 9:30 PM (according to the cashier although website says until 5PM or so) , and for the many different kinds of pool.  We rented a cabana for PHP1,500, which is good for 15 persons and which has its own toilet and shower.

There are 2 wavepools: the ocean wave, with smaller but stronger waves, and beach wave, with bigger but gentler waves.  I particularly liked the beach wave pool and spent most of my time there.

The Beach Wave Pool... and theres my brother looking at my nephew in goggles .

At the ocean wave pool with my cousin

We also had fun kayaking at the kayak pool.

My brother and his girl

There is of course a kiddie pool, a shaded pool, a pool with giant slide, among others.

CME also offers surfing lessons , to those who want to learn it.  Or one can also try their zipline.

It was sheer fun...but the best thing about it is that I was with family. That is what matters most , at the end of each day.