Settling In

I have been assigned to the counter narcotics (CN) team; everything has to be known by an acronym, it’s the rules. One of the main programmes is known as the ‘Food Zone’ programme. It is concerned with persuading the farmers to grow wheat instead of opium poppies. The programme has many strands and it is my job to bring together all the financial elements and ensure UK plc gets the best value for its investment. It should be pointed out that both the Afghans themselves and other partner countries are also contributing.

So I’ve been drawing up cash flow forecasts and dissecting the financial elements of various contracts as well as carrying out that good old task of counting bank notes! These are Afghan notes. There are rather a lot of them and many are in less than perfect condition rendering automatic counters useless. In an environment with a constant security risk, I have also had to review the methodology for payments being made and received.

I managed to get out of camp for the first time this weekend. We went to visit a local contactor to discuss one of our projects. Always a bit nervy on your first time out, I put on the body armour and helmet, had a quick brief from the close protection team and then we were off through the gates. Having seen so much on the TV and in books, I had a good idea what it would be like but it’s nothing like seeing it for yourself. The town itself gives a half finished appearance with rubble and broken down walls every where. Most houses are in walled enclosures so you can’t see much. There were quite a few street vendors selling everything from pop to motorbike spares. The youngsters all seemed happy - as children do in most places - but most of the adults would avoid eye contact. It was very hard to judge what they might be thinking as we rolled past their rundown homes in our big armoured 4x4s. Although we only travelled a few miles it was good to get out. There are a number of people who have been here 6 months and never got out the camp gates, so I am quite fortunate to have been out so early in my deployment.

To be honest, life in Lashkar Gah is comfortable compared to those out in the patrol bases but we still moan when the electricity goes off or the water doesn’t come out of the taps (or won’t stop coming out) or we miss a meal because we’ve been held up in a meeting.

My accommodation is a small room about 7 foot by 14 foot with a bunk bed, desk and a couple of chairs, My room-mate arrived a week after me and there’s not much space for two big blokes but as the first incumbent I got the bottom bunk and the big cupboard; to be fair the accommodation is more than adequate for a couple of months.

We eat in the camp mess hall where the food is excellent and keeping the weight off could be a serious problem. There is a gym which is a bit rudimentary considering how many people it serves but is adequate none the less. However an hour of beach volleyball in 40°C is enough exercise for me. No sea but plenty of sand!

We tend to work until about 10pm most evenings as there’s not much else to do. On a Thursday evening we all gather at the ‘club house’ and chew the fat about what’s been going on. It’s good to get a chance to meet people from other bits of the PRT and to relax and socialise. Most other nights I get to my cabin just after 10 and read for a bit or surf the net- I have a connection it’s a bit slow but workable - before turning in for the night. Mind you getting a good night’s sleep is interesting with helicopters passing 25 feet over head regularly during the night. It’s all part of the experience!

There’s more money counting as we do a check on the payments for last year’s programme. This is followed by a meeting with one of our main contractors. It’s quite a change for me to be discussing the financial implications of a contract before it’s signed. Normally I am dissecting contracts years after the event but that in itself makes the job interesting. After wondering in the first few days if I was going to be able to make a real contribution, I have now settled into the task and I feel I am adding some valuable insights into the financial management of large contracts.

Well I suppose I’m settled in now as today I found myself briefing newcomers on the delights Lashkar Gah camp has to offer. I sound like I’ve been here years! Due out on a visit tomorrow so that should be good to break up the routine but that’s about it as week two draws to a close.