Bill Price

I nearly missed this one, because the tickets and visas didn’t come till the last minute. The Emirates e-ticket was fine; the UNHAS e-ticket was stuck in someone’s inbox (not mine!); the real problem was the visa. In order to get a new visa I had to have an invitation letter from Kabul, and this time one from the British Council as well. The internet in the British Embassy in Kabul was down, and then I would be in Thailand and Dhaka. So I had to use the old passport for Thailand, and get photos and forms posted to the caring arms of the British Council in Manchester, and hope everyone worked out - which it did.
Everything came through with about two days to spare, so I quickly booked a chauffeur and a window seat with Emirates, and started packing.

On 11th February I was picked up at 4.45pm, and whisked through the permanent M60 roadworks to check-in. I had a big argument with the staff, because they wouldn’t put the usual “Short Transfer” labels on my cases, to ensure they got over to Terminal 2 at Dubai. While I pursued the Manchester with the Emirates rep, the check-in dragons went before her and my backs to give their side of the story to her boss, and had her overruled.

Up to the Executive Lounge for a coffee and a paper, and before long I was standing in the cattle pen that masquerades as Gate 26. Luckily I knew the ropes, and pushed my way forward to get on board at the same time as people in wheelchairs and families with small children. The cabin crew soon had my jacket hung up and champagne poured, so not too bad really.

No sleep again, but never mind. Once in Terminal 1 at Dubai I had a few hours to kill, and as I was not waiting for another Dubai flight, my Silver Skywards flight didn’t work enough magic to get me into the Business Lounge - bring on the Gold Card! So I went and priced up booze for Barry and Alan, and various other duty free for family members. Then I bought half a dozen postcards and scrawled on them while I had a coffee.
10am is the time to go over to Terminal 2, but they had a surprise for me - the system had changed yet again. Instead of getting a boarding card at the door, we were to get proper tickets with seat numbers, and were led upstairs like a troop of boy scouts, to queue up for special cards - only to be led down again for them to be distributed.

Into the grotty minibus for the unpleasant trip to Terminal 2, which has all the glamour of Blackpool Airport. Everyone was just sat around reading their books, or in some cases smoking directly under the No Smoking signs - but no-one did anything about it.

The plane was an hour late arriving (i.e. it had left Kabul late) so we didn’t get into Kabul until nearly four o’clock. By the time the British Embassy guy had got my luggage, it was getting quite late, and we left without my passport - with the words “Don’t worry” ringing in my ears.
Rahim (the Embassy driver) took me straight to the Guesthouse, and I was allocated the same ground-floor room I had in December - home from home!

Clive and Anthony soon returned from work, and we quickly opened a few cans of Becks for a double celebration- to mark my return, and drown our sorrows at the state of the project.

Monday 13th
First up was a meeting with with my old friends Messrs Baizayee and Rahimi, the Appintments Board Secretary, Clive, and Major Rob Hart from the Canadian Strategic mission, who had been allocated to work with us. The meeting was to agree proposals for non-PRR Ministries (don’t worry about it). Afterwards I met with Rob to see how best we could work together.
In the afternoon I sat down with the Secretary and senior specialists form the Board to find our how much progress had been achieved since December. Not much, but some wondewrful and varied reasons why!
That was followed by a meeting with the Chasirman of the Civil Service Commission Dr Mushahed, a former Mujahadeen commander, to get some strategic direction.

Tuesday 14th
I agreed to train the Commission HR “experts” in Criteria Based Assessment, so started writing four workshops for them - poor buggers.

Draft Assessment test for Graduate Potential
2pm Meeting Clive Rob & me with 5 Commissioners on lack of progress
3.30pm Meeting Dr Mushahed, Clive, Anthony, Rob

Wednesday 15th
11.30am Meeting Saddiky re LEP
Lunchtime was the highlight of the week. As Afghanistan is a ‘dry’ country, the only way we can get booze is to visit the ISAF PX, nicknamed the ‘Supreme Supermarket’- all sorts of drink, plus a full range of food, clothing and military-type purchases. Because this place is in a dicey area off the airport road, we have to be kitted out in flak jackets and keflar helmets, INSIDE an armoured car. What a sight - three old men looking like something out of Dad’s Army - good job there were no photos! Guess who forgot his passport - two minutes later we were off, and only 2 minutes away at the edge of time we drove through the checkpoints into the compound. Passing notices to check our guns, we grabbed our trolleys and started loading up cases of Carlsberg, Becks and wine, along with various t-shirts and snacks. Everything in US$, so nice and easy. We went back to the Guesthouse to dump our contraband, and drove back to the office as if nothing had happened.
2.15pm Meeting with 3 Commissioners to agree use of new interview forms

Thursday 16th
9am Meeting with Mr. Baizayee on Major Rob’s work with Elyas. They had developed a prposal for staff training - an example of traveling hopefully.

Friday 17th

The day off, so instead of prayers at tge Mosque, we went to the American Market at Camp Eggars, where I bought CDs and a Blackadder DVD. ISAF Market. After lunch I had another go in the Gym!

Saturday 18th
8.30am Chased Zarif to finish 2 documents on Workshops and 1 on Selection; then get Ashraf to pick up my dry-cleaning and something for lunch.
9am Meeting Rahimi on Internship Selection and CBA Workshops
12pm Seyar - IAB Specialist Teams doc
1.30pm Take Templates to Commissioners
2pm Meeting with Baizayee to catch up, and request date for full meeting
3.30pm Meeting with Baizayee & the Appeals Board to sort out responsibilities.

Sunday 19th
10a.m. Received CSFs for Graduate Internees from Rahimi’s Department
10a.m. Seyar - Take docs to Nazari and Noori; check with Secretary time of Mtg
Clive - Baizayee’s 2 queries
Zarif - Attendance list and 24 test papers
1.30pm CBA Workshop 1
3.30pm Meeting Adele McGorkin MOD Selection Testing

Monday 20th
8.30a.m. Zarif - postcards; Appeals Workshop; Dry Cleaning
11am Meeting LEP team on CBA
? Seyar - 14 sets of Role Play Handouts for Commissioners Meeting
2pm Appointments Board meeting on CBA. Cancelled.

Tuesday 21st
? See Baizayee with Clive about his two concerns; new meeting
Zarif HR workshop handout x 25
1.30pm CBA Workshop 2 - Min Perf Stds & Handout

Wednesday 22nd
10am Meeting Messrs Baizayee, Rahimi re President’s Office
2pm Appointments Board meeting on CBA.
Zarif - minimum performance standards document - type up
Zarif Translate Written Test for Rahimi
Pack papers and notebook for tomorrow

Thursday 23rd
Guesthouse meetings on Appointments Procedures & CS Law with Clive &Anthony
PX with Adele
Samarkand

Friay 24th
American market at Camp Eggars- went mad and bought CDs, Mont Blanc pen and TAG Heuer watch
then onto the ISAF market to get an MS Office disk

Saturday 25th
Turn Akbar’s notes into a Marking Frame for this afternoon
Seyar - New Role Play Document for HR Workshop on 25th
10am Meeting Shairzay with Clive - CSC Recruitment Panel Training; Schoolteacher assessment
1.30pm -3.30pm CBA Workshop 3 (Using Nahid exercise) (Application Forms,
Interviews, Test and Exercises)
Zarif - change $100; Tuc
(3pm Mushahed meeting)
(4pm Omar meeting)

Sunday 26th
Seyar - Appeals Workshop handouts
9.30am - 11.30am (Hotak, Wahidi & Baizayee not available) Appeals Board presentation - Take handouts, plan Ashraf, Khatera, Humayoun (Grade 3 Admin Officer)
4pm See Rahimi about Graduate Assessment test results and the written test
Give Zarif draft Baizayee report

Monday 27th
Zarif - Prepare CBA certificates
10.30am Dr Rahimi
(11am - 12.30pm Sherzai/Rahimi/Baizayee/Quan IARCSC Tashkeel)
Zarif - Reliability and Validity Handout for this afternoon
Seyar - Monitoring procedure for this afternoon
1.30pm - 3.30pm CBA Workshop 4 (Record keeping for Monitoring & Evaluation,
Reliability & Validity handout)

Tuesday 28th
Morning meeting and Lunch Guesthouse Clive/Anthony - draft Monitoring Procedure and Civil Service Law
2pm Meeting Rahimi, Baizayee, Mosawi on changes to the Appointments Procedures
4pm Meeting Ms Rahela, with Clive & Anthony
Zarif - $30
Pay Guesthouse Bill

Wednesday 1st March
9 Alawi & Rafiqi
Handouts to Rahimi, Paikan & Noori
11.30am - 1.30pm - Tank Graveyard and Supreme Supermarket
2pm Meeting Messrs Alawi & Mosawi
(3.30 - 4pm Certificate Ceremony)

Thursday 2nd
(9am Tashkeel meeting)
9am Naziri and Noori
1.30 - 2pm Mosawi
note to Noori
letter to Baizayee
3pm Zarif - Transport & UNHAS ticket

Friday 3rd
Markets - Watch, MS Windows
Pack books and toffees to give as farewell presents

Saturday 4th
Worked at the Guesthouse on revisions to the Appointments Procedures

2pm Wash-up session and submit Final Report to Baizayee
check with Yousufzai, Dr Rahimi & Paikan
Pay Guesthouse Bill
Shandiz Iranian Restaurant - eight of us - Clive Anthony and me, Zarif Seyar and Jamshid, drivers Ashraf and Rasul

Sunday 5th
Travel Day
7am Rasul took me to the Airport
Met Chris & Jalma while waiting for the UNHAS
Dubai duty free, business lounge
I sat in seat 1F on the flight home, and chatted with a guy who works around the world sorting out Foundry Ceramics
Manchester, Chauffeur home, right on time for Corrie at 7.30