Day 257: The Cleaning Crew

Today as I was driving on the ANA (Afghan National Army) base, I noticed two guys who had been given what was probably considered by them to be an undesirable job. They had been tasked to sweep the whole road...and no, not with a street cleaning vehicle, but rather with an old fashioned broom. I watched these poor guys slowly working their way up the street, creating a dust storm in their wake, only to have the dust settle right back on the road where they were trying to remove it. It seemed like a hopeless cause. How can you remove dust and dirt from a place that is 99% dust and dirt?


Watching these guys work reminded me of one of the jobs I was given...and hated...as a kid. The dreaded job to which I refer here is that of houseplant dust removal. Dusting, I know, it sounds simple, but let me explain further. The plants were not simply dusted with some kind of dusting device. There was no Swiffer plant dusting apparatus in those days (although it’s probably been invented by now). Rather, each individual leaf was thoroughly hand-wiped to remove all traces of dust using a paper towel that had been moistened in a bowl of milk. That’s right, you read correctly, milk was used instead of water in order to moisten each leaf and leave it with a brilliant and shiny finish. I remember spending hour after hour (okay, maybe in reality it was less than hours, but it sure seemed that way to my young mind) cleaning each leaf meticulously. Just when I thought I was finished, another leaf suddenly appeared. It was amazing how many “hidden” leaves could be found in a single plant. Just like sweeping the dusty roads of Afghanistan, this was a job that required patience and perseverance.

Over the past few days, my job has reminded me a lot of sweeping roads and wiping plant leaves. No, I haven’t been put on the camp cleaning crew or assigned to latrine duty...at least not yet. It has just been that my job has seemed to consist of an excessive amount of “busy work.” I have been preparing certificates for my medic students, running around trying to get paperwork signed by others, and sitting at my computer preparing random spreadsheets. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure this isn’t why I went to medical school to become a doctor. Anyway, before this post starts sounding negative or like a list of complaints, let me clarify that things really are fine. Overall, the job is rewarding. Good things are happening. Progress is being made. However, the bottom line is that sometimes in life there are jobs that must be done that aren’t very exciting or glamorous...and right now is one of those times for me. Luckily, I have a wise mother who taught me that sometimes we just have to pull up our sleeves, pull out a bottle of milk, and start cleaning. Thanks mom.