Happy Muzaffarabad New Year! Email sent December 31

Happy New Year!

I have just come back from my first ever solo field trip! Nearly a week into our stay here in Muzaffarabad and we have all found ourselves projects to run and have joined the rest of the UNICEF staff in working form 8:30am to any time after 10:30pm! There really isn't that much to do at night as all UN Staff (which now includes us!) must be in the compound by 6pm and aren't to leave. So everyone works.

Life is very much like watching back to back re runs of M*A*S*H! We live and work in tents and get around in UN Land cruisers instead of jeeps, but we WFP cookies that are apparently high in protein and which refuse to digest - ever! Consequently the four toilets on site are sufficient for the hundred or so people living here!

My Trip to the field today took me to Mera Tonalian Camp, which has about 900 families staying in it. It is one of four or so planned camps meaning that there is some sort of order in the way the camp is structured. I have taken on the task of training teachers to work in the tent schools in the camps. Most of the teachers were students before the earthquake and have no idea how to control a tent full to bursting of 50 five and six year olds in it! Not sure I do either...

We are having a special party for new years tonight with a surprise menu! Who know what that means! Very exciting!

Hope that you are all well and having a great time, with the time gap it probably means that you are out at the moment! Hope not too many hangovers when you read this!

Just incase you want to know more about what is happening here in Pakistani Administered Kashmir, have a look at www.unicef.org/pakistan/index.html

Love to you all!

Dion