Journal: Aid Worker in Iran

Robert Kellett in Iran. Photo: Mercy Corps.

Robert Kellett arrived to Iran on Sunday, January 18th. This young aid worker's assignment is to provide a firsthand account about Mercy Corps relief work in quake-battered Bam. What follows is Robert's personal journal. Check back every weekday for updates.

January 24, 2004

"My Final Day in Iran"

Tomorrow is my final day working in Bam before I set off on a two-day journey that will take me back to Portland via the airports in Kerman, Tehran, Amsterdam and Minneapolis. Undoubtedly, the trip home will feel much longer than the week I have spent working here. Time has proverbially flown. How can I even begin to summarize this experience?

Working in a disaster environment is not easy. You are far from home, living in a culture that isn’t always simple to understand and there will never be enough hours in a day for the amount of work that needs to get done. You are surrounded by suffering and all too often feel helpless to do anything about it.

Yet, as difficult as relief work may be, it is nowhere near as difficult as the lives of the people we are here to help. Whenever I met with people in Bam, regardless of their age and background, the one thing that never ceased to amaze me was how brave and strong human beings can be when they face overwhelming adversary. It is really quite humbling because if put in their situation I don’t know how I would be able hold up. I don’t know if I could move forward knowing that so much has been lost. I don’t know if I would be able to smile and to offer kindness to a complete stranger while deep inside feeling a constant pain and anguish.

They say that time heals. I sincerely hope that is the case in Bam.

I hope that in time the children who have been left without parents will receive the love that they will need in life. I hope that in time the small businessman and businesswoman will be able to return to work and to provide for their families. I hope that in time the schools will be rebuilt and the hospitals repaired. I hope that in time the delicious dates will be exported to countries around the world and people will flock to see the Arg-e-Bam. I hope that in time the wonderful work that Mercy Corps is doing here will play a role in restoring the economy and helping individuals to restore their dignity. I hope in time that the Iranian staff that is working for Mercy Corps will use the skills they have learned to make this world of ours a more humane and just place.

I hope that in time, and under better circumstances, I will have an opportunity to come to Bam to once again experience the warmth of its people and the brilliance of its culture.