The Tea Party

Lisa from Paris, organized a staff tea party for all of the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) staff from Kabul, in honor of my arrival to Afghanistan. It had been 7 months without a WASH Coordinator and my presence here is most welcomed. Here I introduced myself (via a translator) and got to meet the many other people; Engineers, Sanitation, Home Workers, Health, etc. The welcome and generosity of these people was most special. Several of the men, took turns to welcome me and to give thanks for my arrival. They spoke with true feelings of appreciation and gratitude, knowing how difficult the conditions are in their country and how hard it is to find international staff to come here and help them. I was given a hand made wool hat, scarf and gloves, while everyone stood up and clapped for me. I was really blown away by this honest and compassionate gesture. Afghan people are very sincere and incredibly friendly. Upon arrival at work, everyone (men) shake hands and hugs each other, with a big smiles and conversation, like they had not seen each other for weeks, even though it was only yesterday when they worked side by side. A far cry from my office life in Canada, where people tend to say nothing in the morning and hide in their office….with a don’t bother me mentality. The culture and customs of the people are so rich here and I like it very much. Despite the lack of basic services, poverty, cold, and incredible struggles of the conflict these people can find moments of happiness.