Richard in Afghanistan Part 3

I know I shouldn't complain but although the room has air conditioning it only seems to have an off or an on setting. On is paralysingly cold and off is suffocatingly hot and is in turn much better than 25,000,000 Afghans have, never the less it doesn't help me get any sleep. I have to turn the air conditioning off/on during the night depending on whether I am paralysingly cold or suffocatingly hot. The paralysingly cold option is apparently unusual in Kabul city power is having an uncharacteristically long run of continuity, 12 hours in 24 is more like par for the course.

Hot water for a shower is brilliant, it thaws me out after I pass out and sleep for a full two hours on cold mode with a single sheet.

A very good visit to our processing partner Bagram Fruit's factory in Charicar (90 mins north of Kabul), the plant renovation plan is progressing well, I was able to advise on a few cost savings and alterations which make product and people separation and process flow best practice more attainable, and have good discussions with Humayoon. It's also good to spend more time with the whole Mercy Corps GDA team which includes the wonderful Amanullah, who I previously knew as a manager at Bagram Fruit.

There is a glitch at one of the raisin collection sites in that a neighbour who lives next to a piece of land which Mercy Corps have permission to build on, objects to the small structure although he can't actually see it from his walled compound. Apparently the traffic of a few farmers occasionally dropping off raisins will be a major inconvenience. Afghan NIMBYS somehow you don't expect it...

John asks me to attend a meeting with USAID who are Mercy Corps' donor on the GDA program. We pick up Mike, a Scottish Mercy Corps staffer and head to the USAID office is opposite the US embassy. The security is unbelievable, I am probably not allowed to even describe it since cars are not allowed within 200m of the actual compound and cameras are confiscated and locked away. A bag, you've got a bag, are you havin' a laugh. Jut say a lot of check points even more gentlemen with guns. The closer to the meting we got the more armed men there are. The US embassy must have more guards than staff. One of the ladies in our meeting is initially more intimidating than the guards but soon thaws when we have answers to her quite probing questions. In the end she seems a full on convert to fair trade and asks about other possibilities for Afghanistan. Although John and Mike would have also earned awards for their significant supporting parts modesty prevents etc.

I have an hour to comment on walnut and packaging problems back home by e-mail and have a shave before going out for dinner to meet Kelly, John's wife.