Crazy Week: Welcome to Pakistan

Its been an absolutely crazy week… last week that is. Let me guide you to the world of projects in Pakistan.

Tuesday 29th May 2007: 630am. Got up, went to Peshawar site. 2 ½ hours away. No problem. Reached site at 12pm because car tyre punctured halfway through. Site inspection at 40°C, a bit of issues and problems but given go ahead only at 7pm. No lunch coz was busy handling customers and their requests.

830pm. Thought can rest a bit and go home. Again, drill bit got stuck with boulders… all civil issues. Tension mounts. I had to deliver first pile. Cleared the bit and gravel, and it was all systems ‘go’ again.

Wednesday 30th May 2007: 3am. I couldn’t believe it. We finished our first concrete pile and there was an air of satisfaction.

630am. Got home, bathed, and slept. A 24 hour rotation on site. Damn…

930am. Got up after 3 hours of sleep, GOD… I was late for meeting. Rushed back to office.

1030am. Meeting with customers started.

Thursday 31st May 2007: 230am. Nope. You didn’t see it wrongly. YES. 16 hour meeting on the table until the following day. By this time, I was too tired to even have anything to eat. Bollocks! Life is miserable after all. I don’t know how I managed to scrape through this horrendous period of time… it was pure mental torture. When you are deprived of a good sleep and customers are on at you asking you questions, it was purely and truly the worst nightmare of my life.

Therefore, from Tuesday morning till Thursday morning, I only had a good 5 hour sleep in 48 hours.

Today , Monday 4th June 2007. Went for an early meeting at 10am and finished at 1230pm. Then another meeting beckoned from 3pm till about 5pm. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I tried staying a bit longer till 7pm. Two phones. 1 phone with 2 batteries (both batteries went dead after non stop calls and sms-es), the other halfway through. On average, I get about 80-100 emails a day (in the circa of 60Mb), 100-200 sms-es on projects alone (meaning, 5 sms-es every 10 minutes or so), uncountable phone calls,… I think I have had it at this point. It’s crazy.


At this point at 10pm, I am still getting calls from team members urging me to bail them out of the meeting which is on going from 3pm just now. I am not hiding. I think they deserve it for not doing their work. I have been bailing them out for many many times. Cant do it anymore. guys… fend for yourselves… you chicken shit!

Another 18 more days to go…. Cant wait to get the fuck out of this country! as they always say time and time again... Welcome to Pakistan!... for fuck's sake!....