Thursday night is party night

Thursday night in Kabul... Somehow the phase, 'thank god it's Thursday', doesn't have the same ring, no matter how long you work with the Islamic week. And then when somebody suggests an official meeting on a Sunday - the first thought is, no, are you crazy... on a Sunday?

How does the international aid-worker unwind after a hard week's work in an officially 'dry' city with security restrictions? Well, there are a number of options:

First you can choose from a large number restaurants that are geared to taking lots of US$ from the internationals. From the outside they don't look anything special, but once inside you can imagine yourself elsewhere and definitely not in Kabul. The bar stocks a wide variety of alcohol (now at an increased price, since alcohol is less-freely available), the menu borrows from European or Oriental cuisines (with much of the food air-freighted from Dubai), the prices though not as high as London are not cheap, a dinner for two, with wine can cost up to US$100 - and Afghans are not allowed. And there is one that has wireless internet, so people come not only to eat and drink, but to surf as well.

However, if you look closely there are some things which make you realise that you are not in a European bar. Many people have VHF radios strapped to their belt, and it seems that everyone knows each other and at about 10.30pm the place empties as those constrained by UN security restrictions have to make it home before the UN curfew (11.00pm).

Then there is the private party... last Thursday there were three that I knew about. The reason? It could be someone's birthday or a house-warming, but often it's just because it is Thursday... The word gets around quickly, and the guest list expands... I ended up at a house-warming in a large house and part of the living room had been turned into a dance floor (with seriously large speakers). The music was provided by a DJ who for a large part of the evening played hits from the '80s - and I was temporarily transported back to my teenage years, via Soft Cell, Duran Duran, Kim Wilde, Blondie, Wham! and Madonna.

And if you want a quiet night in, you can choose from many satellite tv channels or watch the latest film on DVD, sometimes even before it's released on DVD in Europe or the US and only US$2 a disk - though if it is too new, watch out for the blurry picture and people getting up and walking in front of the screen... If you're lucky there will be 'city power' so you won't need to turn up the volume on the tv to drown out the hum of the generator.

Should we be spending so much money on socialising in such a poor country, is it a decadent life? This "revelry and debauchery" has been reported in the western media a little bit. Those that live and work in post-war environments have a very personal perspective on this issue. The first thing to note is that most of our jobs directly relate to one programme or another that assists the country. We live under difficult conditions away from our family and friends, which takes its toll. We are restricted in what we can do - very little! We are bombarded with security information and told to be aware of the dangers in all situations (more on this another time). There are no weekend trips to see the former Buddhas of Bamyan or walking in the mountains around Kabul. There are many people who do nothing but work, despite warnings about getting overstressed and burned out. So actually a bit of good food, a glass of wine or a party with dancing on a Thursday night is a small pleasure, which in Europe is routine (and one option among many), but in Kabul becomes a necessary part of de-stressing.