At the going down of the sun we will remember them...

We drove out of Alexs for about 2 hours today to visit the memorials to those who died during the North Africa campaign in the second word war. We saw the German, Italian and Commonwealth monuments and it was a moving experience.

I found it particularly poignent being there with Thomas and Will who are 20 and 17 respectively. As i looked at the ages of the dead they were the same age and not much older, than these 'boys'. I wondered what the world might have been if they had lived. I accept that the 2nd WW was a necessary war, but still it strikes me that we have learnt so little from it. Whilst looking at some of the graves of the nearly 20,000 who died on all sides, my mind wanders to Pakistan, Iraq and any number of other places where fighting continues, 63 years on have we really progressed that far. The only way we can settle our differences is with a gun! It's it a good job we are the civilised ones!

We are of out to the Fish restuarant tonight and then tommorrow a bit sight seeing before a concert in the evening and then back to thehotel for drinks and see in the New Year, 3 hours after Pakistan but two hours before the UK, my mind just about copes with the time differences. We have successfully booked hotels both in Cairo and Sharm, just got to find one at teh airport for the wayhome and then we will be sorted. Anyway, there are some king prawns calling my name so its of to eat we go...

Actually it's Michael in Egpyt

I left Karachi in the early hours of the 27th heading for Abu Dabhi, and then onward to Cairo, with Ethihad airlines. Everything went to plan and I not only arrived safely in Cairo, but obtained my visa and met the driver that Thomas had arranged for me outside the airport.

The drive from Cairo to Alexandria took three hours but as I had been up all night I spent teh journey sleeping on and off. The driving hereis just as bad as in Karachi, but far faster, which makes it more scary!!

It's been great to spend time with Thomas and the rest of the family and we have spent the last two days being tourists around Alex. This includes lots of cab rides which are an hair raisng exploit (yes I know not that difficult when you have as little hair as me), the worse one being the one Thomas and Ihave just got out of which only just avoided hitting another car!! We ended up side on to the flow of traffic, it was fairly scary!

Thomas has neither internet nor a reliable cable service in the flat and so I have only received sketchy reports of the situation Karachi since the assasination of Benazir. The message I have had tell be its calm, but tense. Please pray for the whole country that in the midst of this tradgedy, people will remain calm.

We are off to El Alamain tomorrow and have tickets for a Strauss concert on New Year's Eve. Then up to Cairo on Tuesday, where the rest of the Trews will head of to the UK and Thomas and I will go to the Red Sea for a few days break.

So may I wish you a Happy New Year and pray for a peaceful one especially in Pakistan.

Bara Dyn Mubarak

A very Happy Christmas to all my readers.

I do hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas, because I have had a great day.

Christmas started for me yesterday after my Urdu lesson, (I am now up to the future tense) when I went to get my haircut and this was then extended to a head massage and a facial, which was wonderful. I must have been in the chair for over an hour and I had a face as soft as a baby bottom afterwards! (and thank you that is where the comparisons should stop!!)

After that I had an evening meal of home made carrot soup and sandwiches, the carrots don’t look much in the shop but they taste delicious. Then I set off for church at 9.30pm.

The plan as published was as follows 10pm Carols by Candlelight, 10.30pm Communion (English) and then 11.30pm Communion (Urdu). Now dear reader, I am sure that you know enough about life here that Pakistani time keeping means that this didn’t quite go to plan. The Carols actually started at 10.20pm and we (the English Congregation) didn’t leave church until 12.20am so I have no idea what time the Urdu Congregation actually got started and then finished!

Then this morning the 9.30am service didn’t start until quarter to ten! It’s just not worth worrying about; you just have to go with the flow.

After church I began my ‘Vicar of Dibley’ Day. I went home with Jeremy and Kate Ellis, and their three children, Faith, Joel and Serene for coffee and a mince pie. From there I headed of to Kathy and Zulfi’s for a few more nibbles and a glass of mulled wine.

After that I moved on to Judith and Bunny’s house for Christmas Dinner. The original plan was that there would be a group of us there for lunch. However, when I arrived Judith told that everyone else had called to say they might not make it. So at 3pm the three of use sat down to dinner. As we were making our way through the Tiramsu, Ilena and her two children arrived, so they then started on the Turkey as we looked to the cheese and biscuits. A few minutes later Karen and here husband arrived and they started at the beginning at the Turkey as we moved on to the liqueurs and everyone else moved on one course! The final addition to this was when Gill turned up and she started on the turkey as the coffee and chocolates arrived for us!! It sounds crazy but it actually worked out really well, by the time everyone arrived we had 2 Scots, 1 Englishman, 1 American, 1 Russian, 2 Pakistanis and 2 half Russian half Pakistani! I was a lovely day and great to spend it in such international company.

I may have already mentioned this, but I love my life here in Karachi!

May the Lord bless you all richly this Christmastime

Khuda hafiz

'Tis the season to be jolly...

The Christmas season has begun in earnest here in Karachi.

School finished on Tuesday after a very successful Inter house Bowling competition, the winner being the Green house, which is something of a departure from the norm, as apparently Red win everything and green always lose!

I spent Wednesday and Thursday at home and doing bits and pieces of shopping, including buying Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Still arriving here I have read all the Harry Potter novels in order and am half way through The Order of the Phoenix. I am also watching the films as I complete each of the novels. I am thoroughly enjoying the novels and find them hard to put down. I will be taking one of them to Egypt with me when I go, but of course we are now are the ‘thick’ end of the series which will make it very heavy to carry!!

Friday was Eid-uk-Ahza, which is also know as Bakra Eid here in Pakistan. This commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son and God’s provision of a lamb to replace him. It is celebrated by the sacrificing of a ‘bakra’ (Urdu for goat) or cow or camel, if you are very rich. Here, people are allowed to do this for themselves and so I placed myself under house arrest on Friday and remained inside, as the streets can literally flow with blood! Also there is the messy issue of ‘intestines’ which are left out ready for collection and apparently a camel contains a lot of inards!

Saturday was also a holiday, more in line with Boxing Day, so a few of the smaller shops were open, but all the big ones were closed and people were out on the beach. Now a word about the beach-it should be a definite bonus that we live 5 minutes drive form the beach and I would be wonderful to be able to walk on the sands and swim in the sea. Unfortunately, the beach at Clifton is not very clean, in fact it is very dirty and the advice is not to go into the water, which is a really shame. When we want to go to the beach we have to drive up the coast to Hawksbay or French Beach where the water is much much cleaner and the sands clear of rubbish.

I ended up driving alone the sea front yesterday because I had a problem starting my car. When I came to start it yesterday the battery was flat and it would not start. Thankfully, Farouk was able to give me a push and he knows how to ‘bump start’ the car. He really must despair of me and the car, because I never quite get the parking right on the drive. This is a matter of military precision as we have to get three cars into a very small space. This is perfectly possible but for the fact that yours truly is fairly useless when it comes to parking! After about 6 weeks of trying to get me to park in one spot, Farouk gave up and has come up with a different way of arranging things. Also apparently you can’t bump start a car in neutral!! Well how on earth was I supposed to know that, that’s why I am a member of Green Flag in the UK! I did at least know that I had to take it on a long drive to charge the battery up, so I’m not completely useless. (oi less of that I can hear you chuckling from here!)

Last night it was open house at Neil and Maroon’s (Neil is from the UK and Maroon is from Tanzania). We were there to celebrate Christmas and part of this was singing carols in the garden. Unfortunately, the keyboard wouldn’t work and someone was required to lead the singing!! Yep and you’ve guessed it dear reader the lot fell on me! Despite my protestations, Maroon was very insistent and so off we went. So if you are looking for surreal, you now should now have the image of me (lover of Christmas that I am) leading the singing of ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’, by candlelight, in the garden of a house in Pakistan and then to my surprise I received three separate compliments on my singing!

Last night also saw the rain I have experienced here in Pakistan and boy did it rain. There was also somewhere in the garden a metal tank or something that turned into a rather noisy drum. So at 5am I was wide awake and totally unable to get back to sleep because of the constant drumming. I really struggle to block out a noise, and something as simple as a dripping tap can get inside my head and stop me from sleeping. The rain has also returned this afternoon which means that the roads will become even more exciting to drive on, not only do we have the loony drivers and the potholes and demon road bumps, we now have flooding and concealed potholes to deal with as well!! All the fun of the fair!

This morning was also our Carol Service, which I was leading and which was recorded by Radio Pakistan, and will be broadcast at 12 noon on Christmas Eve to the nation. We were also due to have a Bonfire this evening with a meal, unfortunately, due to the rain it has had to be cancelled, and will now happen in the New Year.

Tomorrow we have Carols by Candlelight followed by Communion, and then on Christmas Day we have Communion at 9.30am. I then have two invitations for coffee and one for lunch (popular aren’t I). Each day I am here, I feel more and more at home here. Everything about my life here is wonderful, and I can’t get over it. I really do feel like the luckiest man alive and for the first time in a long time I do feel that this is the season to be jolly.

P.S. On a completely different note, if you haven't discovered Boston Legal or House yet give them a go. William Shatner in Boston Legal is hilarious and Hugh Laurie is great in House.

In the Bleak Mid Winter

You would think by the way some of colleagues were carrying on that Karachi had plunged into an Artic Winter. Whereas, what has actually happened is that the temperature has dropped to a very pleasant 20 degrees Celsius! Granted that first thing in the morning it is a little chilly before the sun has risen properly, but I still need the fan on in my office and the AC on in the car during the day. I am still wandering round in short sleeves and haven’t broken out the woolly jumpers just yet!!

Term finishes for us tomorrow and after an assembly and a couple of lessons we are of to ‘Area 51’ (yes. I know it sounds like a place that has aliens in it) to enjoy an Inter House Bowling Competition. This has replaced the usually Beach Day, which is a good really as the temperature has dropped to such a dangerous low level, I suspect there would have been great concern over the health of our little darlings!

Last Tuesday I had a very pleasant evening at the BDHC at their Carol’s Evening. It was very enjoyable and I have never sung Carols by AC before! We had a variety of items including an item billed ‘for the children’ which turned out to be a rather confused telling of the Christmas Story as recounted in the Gospels. I did remember my manners and didn’t go for the guy! I did later think how nice it was to be in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and be free to tell the Christmas story without fear of offending the Muslims present. Maybe some of the local authorities in the UK could learn a thing or two about cross cultural relations!

It was really weird last Sunday singing the above Carol in church when it is anything but the Bleak Mid Winter! We are having our Carol Service this Sunday at 9.15 am, and I am leading the service. I also found out on Saturday that the service has in the past been recorded by Radio Pakistan and then broadcast on Christmas Day to the whole of Pakistan!! So it looks as if Pakistan is going to be treated to my ruminations on Christmas!!! Are they ready for this we ask ourselves?

Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briney sea

We had a great day on Sunday on our first open water dive. We drove up the coast to Hawksbay, just a little further on from the Beach House, Andrew and I visited in October.

We arrived on the beach and found lots of little boats bobbing about on the Arabian Sea. Yousuf, our instructor, had hired one of these and after we had stowed all our gear we set sail (or in actual fact started our engine).

When we had gone out a fair way we kitted up and prepared to dive. This was not as easy as it sounds on land it’s not a straight forward maneuver; in a small boat it’s even more difficult. Once I had finally managed to put on weight belt, Buoyancy Control Device (BCD), SCUBA, mask, fins and snorkel I was some what cumbersome and moving around the boat was difficult. I finally manage to perch on the sill of the boat and then on command I rolled backwards into the water.

At first all was well and the water was warmer than the pool we used on Friday. Once we were all in the water we started our controlled descent following the anchor line. I had got down about 6 or 8 feet and was struggling to equalize the pressure in my ears. This meant I couldn’t go any further as the water pressure continues to build and would eventually burst my eardrums!! I made several attempts but couldn’t manage it. I have never had a problem in the pool; I think I may have a bit of an infection which caused the blockage.

When the others had finished their dive, we had some lunch and sailed a bit further up the coast to an area of reef and coral. We kitted up again and we had another go. This time I managed to equalize pressure and had a proper dive. There was some marine life and coral to see, but far less than you see in the Red Sea. It was really strange being able to stay underwater for all that time and still be able to breathe, but it was something I got used to very quickly.

We had a great day but unfortunately I had forgotten my hat, so I had to adapt my clothing as shown in the photo to cover my head, it may not look very classy but it served the purpose!

mere pas ek choti kali murgi hey

Translation for those who need it - I have one small black chicken!!! This is not a statement of fact but it is something I can say in Urdu. I can say lots of other more useful stuff and really enjoying my Urdu lessons. I now know lots of vocabulary can say hundreds of sentences - this is a reassurance Akhtar keeps giving me.

I have also started my diving lessons, so that's another new skill I am adding to my repertoire. We have had one pool session and it went well. I used to snorkel when I was teenager and I was pleased that many of the things I could do when I was 13, I can still do 24 years later!! We are off up the coast on Sunday for our first open water dive. If we rush we could complete the course before Christmas, but we have decided to take our time and finish it in January.

Rehearsals are still on going, and the new cast members are starting to shape up. There is still a lot of work to do but Lubna and I are confident that we have a winner!

I am down to lead the Carol Service at church on 23rd Decemeber, and then I will be there for Midnight Communion ( well it will be 10.30p..m. as the Urdu service happens at Midnight and my Urdu is not quite up to that yet!) on Christmas Eve and then for the Family Service on Christmas Day. At the moment I have no plans for Christmas Day, but I have seen that one of the channels is showing all six Star Wars films in order one after the other!!!

On the 27th I am off to Egypt for 10 days to see Thomas and his family. Angela, Phil, William and Lucy are arriving on 20th and will be there for Christmas. They go back to the UK on 1st January and then Thomas and I are of to the Red Sea for a few days. I am really looking forward to seeing him as I have missed spending time with him. We speak every week but the last couple of weeks the connection has been a bit ropey and we have had difficulty hearing one another, it will be great to be in the same place at the same time,

The Christmas Tree has gone up at school, and thankfully I have manged to dodge the role of Santa! Apparently some of my colleagues mistook my charm, sense of humour and general bon homie to be the same as "Christmas spirit'! I quickly disabused them of that, and have thankfully, regained my 'Grinch' reputation!

It's not just me that thinks Pakistan is great!

How to take a holiday in Pakistan By Hugh Sykes, BBC NewsPublished on November 18, 2007 in Pakistan

Suicide bombs, battles in tribal areas, and states of emergency tend to put off casual tourists. But the impression such events convey can often be misleading and unrepresentative of a country as a whole.

A few days ago I was sitting in a cafe sipping best Italian espresso and reading a news magazine. The front page was full of furious faces and clenched fists under the headline, The Most Dangerous Nation in the World isn’t Iraq, it’s Pakistan.

Hugh Sykes journey took him to the Chitral Valley in north west Pakistan. The cafe was in a smart bookshop in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. I sighed and turned to the article inside.

It was a revealing analysis of some penetration of a few places in Pakistan by the Taleban and al-Qaeda. I pondered the magnifying-glass effect of dramatic news coverage. The suicide bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming parade in Karachi in October, which killed an estimated 140 people, and the assault on a Taleban pocket in the Swat valley, a tourist destination, took place while I was in Pakistan.

But neither event had a noticeable effect on the general sense of security and stability where I was in Islamabad or on the road. The notion that Pakistan is more dangerous than Iraq is absurd. Until recently suicide bombs, murder, and kidnapping were routine in Iraq. And there is no way I would do there what I have just done in Pakistan: take a holiday.

Never alone I hired a car in Islamabad and headed out onto the partially completed M2 motorway that will eventually connect Lahore (near the Indian border) with Peshawar (the last city on the road to the Khyber Pass and Afghanistan). But motorways are boring, so I left the M2 and re-joined the ancient Grand Trunk Road, which links most of the main towns of northern Pakistan.

For much of the route it is lined with eucalyptus trees, their almost-autumn leaves and silvery bark shining in the clear October sun as I drove along. Driving in Pakistan is fast and sometimes chaotic, but not competitive. They even hoot politely. And one great danger at home you hardly ever have to contend with in Pakistan is drunk drivers and people with concentration blurred by hangovers.

My destinations were Chitral, an isolated valley in the far-north-west on the Afghan border and Gilgit, close to China and Tajikistan. The round-trip was more than 1,200 miles (nearly 2,000km) and included mountain passes almost half as high as Everest. And although I was driving alone, I was hardly ever on my own.

There is public transport but not a lot. So, people walk long distances along these high stony roads and if a car passes, they hold out a hand hoping for a lift.

One morning, 12-year-old Kashif sat with me for a while. He had been expecting to walk for more than an hour to the nearest town, to buy a new pair of shoes. He showed me the pair he was wearing. The right shoe’s upper was half split away from the sole. Kashif spoke almost perfect English, good enough to warn me as we turned a tight bend, “Be careful, uncle, road badly damaged round next corner from earthquake.” Earthquake damage from 2005, still unrepaired.

I spent the night at a hotel next to the old fort at Mastuj, near the snowy Hindu Kush peak Tirich Mir which is 7,690m high (25,200 feet). The hotel consists of small timber and stone cabins set in a wood of walnut trees and poplars and a plane tree reputed to be 200 years old. I woke to autumn colours every bit as wondrous as anything I have seen in Kew Gardens or New England.

My next hitch-hiking companion was Mohammed, an English Literature student at Peshawar University.
“So you study Shakespeare?” I asked.
Mohammed, an English Literature student at Peshawar University
“Yes, and Wordsworth.”
And John Donne, I wondered?
“Ah, John Donne,” he raptured.
“John Donne… the poetry of love.”

I do not know any Donne by heart but when I attempted Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man from As You Like It, Mohammed completed every line as we bumped along the dusty road.

Parts of Pakistan are deeply conservative, devoutly Muslim places, and I was not signalled for lifts by many women. But there were some. A mother and grandmother, sitting in the back, their heads covered but not their faces and one-year-old Anis and his father Samir in the front with me. He protested when I took a photograph of the two women but they did not object and posed happily as they waited for the flash.

When I delivered them to the Gilgit hospital where the little boy had an appointment with a heart specialist, his father was so pleased and grateful he gave me a bear hug, and a massive smile that erased his earlier stern objections to taking a picture.

I gave lifts to more than 20 people, learned how to say “no problem” in Urdu (Koi Batnahi), and had to hold back tears when two children said thank you for their lift and offered me money to help pay for the petrol.

Whatever the rest of the press are telling you this is a side to Pakistan that have seen. Lovely people who are trying to live their lives just like anyone else in any country of the world. And all I know 13 weeks in that I feel very much at home here and that as my Urdu improves that can only increase as I am able to comunicate better with everyone.

I have started my PADI course and we have our first pool session next Friday, and then off to open water the following Sunday. I have also bought my gear so am raring to go.

Rehearsals continue for 'An Inspector Calls' which nearly came of the rails when a couple of the cast left us on Tuesday siting too much work to continue. After some serious persuasion from a couple of the Year 11 girls, a couple of Year 11 boys have been 'encouraged' to take parts an save the production.

Tuesday also saw me getting somewhat lost whilst heading to a meeting in Sadar. I knew exactly where I was going, but unfortunately, one bridge and a road were closed and I got hopelessly lost. I did find Empress Market and Jinnah's Tomb (neither of which I was looking forward) and thankfully also found my way to where I was going. Though it was a close run thing at points!!

Tuesday also saw Lubna and me going to a Performance of Don Quixote, and if I tell you that we left at the interval, it will give you some idea of the standard of performance.

To finish this post a little bit of humour sent to me by one of my Year 11 boys, I am starting to see many of this things in me...

You know you're from Karachi when...

1. You get shocked when someone stops at a yellow light

2. You never really know what to say when someone asks you what there is to see in Karachi

3. You've never really seen a tourist

4. You've met a Parsi

5. You feel you never have to wait in line if you are with "lay-diss" (ladies)

6. You've bought a dvd of a movie that hasn't even been released yet

7. You actually go "out for coffee"

8. You say that you really like that restaurant/shop and someone says "oh yea, my family owns that"

9. You roll down your car window and you can actually touch the car next to you

10. You go by landmarks not street names

11. Your only argument in the Lahore/Karachi debate is "well we have a beach"

12. You own either a Corolla or a Civic

13. You've always wondered what "khayaban" meant

14. You blame everything on K.E.S.C

15. Your school gets closed when it rains

16. You know your city is a hole but you love it anyways

It is, but I do!!

Aik, dooe, teen,

char, paanch, chae, saat, aath, no, dus, or 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.

Urdu lessons are going well and I am starting to learn some of the grammar and vocabulary necessary to gain a understanding of the language. I am practicing on the staff at school and they are impressed with the efforts that I am making.

I have also been dinner with the Bavingtons, to celebrate the fact that for the first time in 22 years, Dan, and his brother and sister were together in Pakistan. They were all born here and did part of their growing up here and then in the UK. dan returned here on Boxing Day 1960 and his brother remained in the Uk and his sister finally moved to New Zealand. They were together for the rededication of the renovated chapel at their old school up in Murree. The college is now a Muslim college, but the Principal wanted the chapel renovated and dedicated as a Christian place of worship. Dan is a structural engineer and his company was responsible for the work and he was then involved in the service of dedication.

Rehearsals for 'An Inspector Calls' continue a pace and the first Act is coming together. We have set the performance dates for the first weekend in March which seems ages away at the moment, but will be here before you know it.

The situation here continues to be calm and lets hope that Mr Sharif's return doesn't make this worse. There have been some terrorist attacks up in the north on military targets. The elections are set for 8th January and so far all is on course, it remains to be seen what the President will do about the state of emergency.

Last night the Warden and Deputy Wardens were invited to the British Deputy High Commission, for a State of the Nation talk from the Deputy High Commissioner. He didn't tell us anything that we didn't know before and just reassured that if the worst happens and we have to be got out of here in an emergency then there is a plan and tickets will be on sale (and I do mean that literally, the dear old British Government will charge us for getting us out) and they will get us out of Pakistan and then its our responsiblity to get ourselves back to the UK. I doubt very very much that it will every get to that, as I will have left the country long before that. I am not in the slightest bit worried that the situation will get that bad, its just nice to know the British Government have our backs, even if there is a price tag attached!

mai urdu janta hoon...

My declaration above might be a little ambitious. For those who don't speak Urdu, the translation is ' I know Urdu'. Which is one of the phrases I now know after my first two lessons of Urdu. Mr Ahktar Hussain is now coming three times a week to teach me Urdu, for the princely sum of Rs500/- per hour, approx 4GBP. The lessons have gone really well so far and I now have a lot of homework, and vocabulary to learn. I really want to get to grips with the language and hope that soon I will be able to communicate with some of my colleagues in their own language.

I have also arranged to learn another skill this week. Stewart (Head of Sixth Form) and I have signed up to do the PADI Open Water Scuba Diving course. This will include theory, pool diving and 4 open water dives, which will take us further up the coast to dive off an island in the Arabian Sea. Again we are benefitting from the cheaper costs here in Pakistan, as the PADI costs is about a quarter the cost in the UK. All being well I will be qualified by the time we finish for Christmas and I may get the chance to dive in the Red Sea when I am Egypt at New Year to see Thomas.

Today has also seen more rehearsals for the school production of 'An Inspector Calls'. The cast. Although they haven't quite got their lines yet, they are starting to come together. I think that we could be putting on a great show next March, ticket Rs500/- each, available from the school office, how many shall I put you down for?

Kuwaiti Weekend Part 2

All day Friday was spent by the kids in rehearsals and practices. Whilst this was happening I had to sort out the missing Passport. We had managed to get the girl in to Kuwait with her British Passport, but we couldn't get her back to Pakistan with out either a new passport or a visa.

I talked to the Vice-Principal who made a phone call, and told me we had an appointment at the Pakistani Embassy at 1pm. This being Friday the Embassy was closed, but it was being opened especially for us!! So after a 20 minute at the Embassy we had the necessary paper work in place. It pays to have connections.

The rest of the day went well and the kids really really enjoyed themselves and worked extremely hard, their behaviour was fantastic and I was so proud of each of them.

On Saturday after another couple of hours rehearsal, the whole group, roughly 300 kids put on a show containing dramatic preformances, dances and songs. It really was amazing what they had pulled together in about 10 hours of practices.

After lunch we had about 6 hours before we needed to be at the airport, so we were taken to the Kuwait Towers, which Kuwait's most famous landmark.

During the Iraqi invasion a lot of damage was done to the Towers, as it was such a symbol of Kuwait. All the damage has since been repaired and they look really impressive and the view from the large Observation ball. Also the outside of the ball moves whilst the inner part is stationary. So in half an hour you stand still and be shown the full 360 degrees view of the bay and the city.

And here we have my wonderful students inside the ball

After the Kuwait Towers we went to the Avenues, which is a huge shopping mall (I know that's an Americanism, but that's what they call it). It was actually quite a weird feeling inside the Mall as I felt really strange. I have only been here 10 weeks or so, but I was really struck by the extreme affluence in Kuwait compared to the poverty here.

From the Mall we went to the airport and after a wait, we finally boarded the plane to Dubai. We arrived there at 1.30am in the morning with a 6 and halfhour wait before our flight to Karachi. During this time I had to go and report the lost passport to the police and then after a look around the shops, yet more affluence, I nodded off for a little while, and apparently there is photographic evidence of this.

Thankfully the flight was on time and we arrived in Karachi at 11am, and our adventures were over, or so I thought! When the last of my girls got to the immigration desk, it turned out that what we thought was an extention to her visa, was in fact only permission to stay so by leaving the country she now did not have the right to enter the country. Thankfully, her parents are both Pakistani and once we had their Natioanl Identity Cards, we were able to enter the country! Oh the joys of international travel.

On Monday, I was driving from school to Park Towers, our more humble shopping centre, and I was thinking to myself, how much I love being here. I love the chaotic roads, the donkey carts and bus drivers who don't seem to notice any other traffic on the roads. I love the people, I love the kids I teach, I love my apartment and the people that look after me there. I love the fact that someone, somewhere thinks that rush hour is a good time to turn off the traffic lights!! And despite the dust and the dirt, the power cuts and the State of Emergency, I love being here!!!

And I thought Junior Doctors worked a long week...

When I added up my total working hours this week, I came to the grand total of 80 hours, which included, teaching, parents' evenings, and escorting a school trip to Kuwait.

The Parents' Evenings went well and it was good to meet all the parents and to hear some very nice comments from them about what the children have been saying about me, which is very gratifying.

We left from school at 8.30am on Thursday, 18 young people and 2 staff and arrived in good time at the airport, unfortunately, the aircraft wasn't so co-operative! It arrived late from Dubai and so we were delayed in our departure for 2 hours. This meant that we only had an hour on the ground in Dubai and so were met of the plane and rushed through to our connection. You would imagine that being on the ground for less than 45 minutes would mean that nothing could go wrong! If you think that then you have never travelled with a group of teenagers. We arrived at the gate for the Kuwait flight and one of my 12 year old girls told me she had lost her Pakistani Passport! Thankfully, she is a dual national and was entering Kuwait on her British Passport, there was however, a problem to overcome as she needed her Pakistani Passport to re-enter Pakistan! More on this later.

So after the race through Dubai and the missing papers we arrrived in Kuwait and then had a two hour wait in immigration whilst the non Pakistanis had their visas processed, there really is no rushing goverment officials.

We were meet by British School of Kuwait's (the host school) staff and taken to a reception at the British Embassy, where we meet HE The British Ambassador to Kuwait, and enjoyed food and a couple of presentations from some of the BSK students. After that we went to the school and and the students were assigned to their host families. All my students ended up staying with Madame Vera (the school's founder) or one of her children. When my lot returned on Friday morning they were full of all the things their hosts had done for them, it sounds as if they were being spolt rotten!!

Well its nearly 10.30pm and I have been up for over 36 hours with only a few nods on the plane, and I have school in the morning, so I will tell you more tomorrow. And just to whet your appetite, there are more problems with passports to come...

All quiet on the Pakistani Front

I have to admit that its not complete quiet, but as long as you are not a judge or a lawyer, the State of Emergency seems to have little effect on life here.

There have been some demonstrations around the High Courts here in Karachi, and up in Lahore and Islamabad, but no where else. The city here is very quiet and at the moment there appears nothing to worry about.

After a day indoors on Sunday, we went to school as normal on Monday, after which I went to the market and bought my bread and fizzy pop. Then across the road to Musizca to pick up Frasier Series 7 for Rs400/- (just over 3 GBP). Then home to make tea and do some marking.

Today has been similar apart from the 12 hour day!! I arrived at school just before 7am and left just before 7pm after Year 7 and half of Year 8's Parents Evening. Tomorrow is a similar story for the rest of Year 8 and Year 9!!

Then on Thursday I am off to Kuwait with the Music Teacher and 19 students. I think everything is in place, the visas and air tickets arrived today, and the bus is booked to take us to the airport. Emirates have cancelled a flight so instead of arriving back at 4.30am on Sunday morning now we arrive back at 11am. This does mean however that I have had to let teh Commonwealth Ex-Serviceman's Association as I won't be back in time to take their service of remembrance.

Thank you to all those who have been in touch to check that I am alright, and thank you for all those who are praying for me and for Pakistan, it is much apppreciated.

It's been a funny old week...

It really has been a strange week.

I started the week with a cold and cough which got progressively worse, though I am nearly over it now. This meant that I missed house group on Monday, though I managed to make it through school all week, I really am such a trooper!

Wednesday I had a meeting with Col Iqbal and Sqr Ldr Hasan, who are the committee for the Commonwealth Ex-Service Association, for whom I am leading the Act of Remembrance next Sunday. They really were two retired military gentleman, awfully well spoken and proper! I have got a slight problem witht he service next weet as I arrive back from Kuwait at 4.30am on Sunday morning and the service starts at 9am!! We are hoping that the flight is not late.

Thursday night took me to the Opera with Dan and Ruth from church. A group of French opera Singers were here to perform excerpts from Mozarts Operas. They were very good and I enjoyed the evening, even though I didn't really know what was going on as it was all in Italian and German. I travelled over to Dan and Ruth's before the concert for supper, which involved crossing the centre of the city at rush hour. Add to this that all the traffic lights were out, so it was the usual chaos of driving here, times ten!!

Saturday, took me into the safe hands of Prof Ambreen whilst she fitted my crown to complete my current dental work. I am now the proud wearer of a new porcelain crown for the cost of 64 GBP.

I spent the afternoon lounging around and made a couple of calls to the UK, spending most of the time telling Katey and then Meg how much I was enjoying life here and how happy I am here. And that is still true, life here is great and I am loving it.

Later of course I realised that the President had declared Emergency Powers and that we are now living in a State of Emergency. The immeadiate effect is limited at the moment, all news channels have been switched off, so I can only find out what is going on by checking with teh BBC website. We were also advised by the BDHC that we should stay inside today, which I have done. I have had a message to say that school is running as normal tomorrow, so we will have to wait and see what else happens.

At the moment Karachi is very quiet and the information I can get on line is that most of the country is quiet. What happens next is anyone's guess, we can only pray that people remain calm and don't become violent.

Next week I am supposed to be taking 19 pupils to Kuwait, whether this goes ahead I won't know until tomorrow, but if we have to cancel the President will have more than the politicians to worry about, he will have 19 very dischuffed teenagers to deal with, far more scary in my opinion!!!

I really do have a loud voice

I was preaching this morning at the Cathedral.


I set of for the Cathedral and when I got to the bridge, I found it closed. So I turned right and found a second bridge closed. At this point I was thinking that I might not make it in time. I turn round and thankfully found the third bridge open. I am not sure what's going on but there is a large police presence in the city, lets hope its just precautionary.


When I finally arrived, just before 8am to find that there was just myself, the Rector and the lady reading the lesson in the congregation! By the time we reached the communion two more people had joined us.

There more people there for the 9.15 am service which was being led my Viranga who is from Sri Lanka. The Bishop and Rector were away at another church taking a Confirmation service which left us in charge. The sermon was well received even thoough the power went off in the middle and I had to keep going, apparantly everyone could still hear me!!! Strange that!! Normally, Dixon the Verger would switch on the generator, this took a little longer than normally as he had dropped off in the porch!! Viranga had to nip out and wake him up.

I have spent the rest of the day napping to catch up on my sleep, as I am a very tired little bunny after my busy week...

I am loving my life here and I know this is the the best thing that I have ever done. I am happy in my home and my work, I am starting to make new friends and experience all sorts of new things. I also think about the UK and apart from all my friends and family there, there is nothing I miss. I think about it getting darker and colder over there and the fact that things are so expensive, the kids in so many schools that don't want to be there and don't want to be taught and then I look at life here and you know, I may never come back...

No rest for the wicked

It's been another busy week here in Karachi.

After the bombings last week the city has been very quiet and thankfully there has been no more trouble. We still have the elections in January to come, and there is ever chance that there will be more trouble. All that being said, I still feel very much at home and hope and pray that the situation doesn't become so difficult that I will have to leave.

There has been much to do this week, I was leading the house group Bible study on Monday, we were looking at the character of Hannah from 1 Samuel. We had a very interesting discussion, including at one point where or not polygamy is part of God's plan!!(Answers on a postcard).

Tuesday was the day that rehearsals started for BOS's Production of An Inspector Calls. We had a read through with the main cast. We are putting this on in February and there is a lot of work to do. The students have suggested that we need to rehearse more than once a week, so that is encouraging.

Wednesday involved returning to school to give a presentation to the parents regarding teh trip to Egypt. This went well and the parents were excited about the trip. Thee were one or two strange questions, including whether or not it was safe to travel to Egypt!!!! I went onto the FCO the following day and could find no specific advice on travelling to Egypt. Whereas, they were still advising against all but essential travel to Karachi!

After school on Thursday I went first to the Dentist to have a fitting for my crown, and then on to a meeting with Ivan Minhas, who is Pricipal of the YMCA Polytechnic. I have been asked to join the Board of the Polytechnic, which I have agreed to do.

Friday is our short day and as my friend Andrew said to me, it always comes as a nice surprise to finish at 12.15. In the evening one of my colleagues came round for something to eat and a game of Trivial Pursuits, which he won. Just as I was startign tot cook the power went off, not an unusual event in these parts, so I ended up cooking by torchlight. Thankfully, the power was back on by the time Stewart arrived.

Today I have been into school so that I could sort out my sermon for tomorrow and then use the printer. I have to go back there this evening for the PTA Meet and Greet, where all the parents are there to meet all the teachers. There is food and games and fun!! I can't wait!

All by myself...

After two weeks of hosting my friend Andrew, I am once again 'all by myself'. Andrew left this morning for his flight back to the UK and I was left with the washing up (Naseem has Malaria at the moment, so I am 'doing' for myself) and time to get ready for my return to active duty tomorrow!!

Having Andrew here was great, we got on really well even though we have very different views on housekeeping!! I allow things to stay where they land, whereas his OCD(!) means that he is for ever tidying and sorting. I have benefited from this as we have moved some of the furniture around and made the place a lot more 'mine'. I have even been able to put a cloth on my dining table(a gift from the Guthrie's and finally get to use my table runner, bought in Kenya in 2004).

We had a great couple of days in Lahore, if somewhat marred by watching the events unfolding back in Karachi. As my mum said when I phone her to let her know I was ok, 'why can't they just moan about it, like we do'!

Lahore was amazing and very different to Karachi. The journey didn't get off to the best start however, as the driver scheduled to collect us at 6.30am didn't arrive, and his stand in, didn't get to us until 7.15am. Our flight was due to depart at 8.00am and despite Zubair's best efforts and speeds in excess of 100kph, the flight had closed by the time we arrived which left us with the only option of transfering onto the 3pm flight and returning back to the apartment for a few hours.

When we finally arrived in Lahore we had a wonderful time looking round all the different sights there. Many of them date back to the 1630's and 40's and whilst the English were busy executing their King, the Mughals were building some of the most amazing buildings you have ever seen.

We also went out to Wagha, which is the only land border between Pakistan and India, and is were they have an elaborate flag lower ceremony every evening. There are stands on both sides of the border which fill up with more than a thousand people all there to watch the ceremony. It is very theatrical, with lots of stamping and stomping and generally posturing at the other side of the gates. We were lead in chants of 'Pakistan is the Best' on our side and I can only imagine that the shouting coming from the other side was claiming that honour for India. It was all very good natured and the guards do also shake hands at one point in the 'dance'. I have to say that the Pakistani Army is the only one that I have ever seen to stand with their hands on their hips, duing a milatary display!

I thoroughly enjoyed it and Andrew said afterwards that I had been smiling like a little school boy all the way through!!

He had done his grinning back at the hotel when he realised that we were sharing breakfast with the South African and Pakistani Cricket teams, who were in Lahore for a One Day International, I thought he was going to 'pop', when we ended up sharing a lift up to our room with Shaun Pollock, who is apparantly some big name in cricket, a fact that went straight over my head!

Andrew's sleep was somewhat disturbed on the first night by the herd of Rhino's in the room, or at least that was the simile he used to describe my snoring! I was awared that I snored but apparantly it is quite bad!!! The cotton wool from the make up kit came to his rescue the following evening!! Now those involved with SU will realise why I have a room to myself at camp, if you ask Andrew I am sure he will give you the low down.

The flight back was uneventful and we returned to a very quiet city as three days of mourning had been declared for those who died on Thursday night. The weekend has also been days of mourning and yesterday some of Benazir's party were out making sure that shops and businesses stayed shut. This following on from Eid last week means that many shops will have taken very little in the last 14 days which is an added burden for them. I am hoping that things will now calm down, but with an election coming up early next year I suspect that there is more trouble to follow. Your prayers will be much appreciated.

On a clear Day you can see Antartica!

Yesterday was one of the most pleasant and relaxing I have spent here in Karachi.


After church at 9.15, which was good as ever, Andrew and I set of to the beach to meet up with Dan and Ruth Bavington, veterans of Karachi (they have been here 42 years), Anne de Rebeykill (Scripture Union Worker plus other support type things), Dave and Jenny Watson (newly arrived from the UK, 3 months ago) and their two boys Ben 2 and Joel 1.


We combined swimming in the sea, lots to eat and a board game called Accquire with sun and a cooling sea breeze, very pleasant company and had a most enjoyable time. The drive up takes about 45-50 minutes and would be much quicker if the roads were in better condition. Andrew conceeded that although the roads in Karachi have their faults compared to the roads around Mauripur and up to Hawks Bay, the roads here are superb!


Today's title comes from a point made by Dan. As you look out into the Arabian Sea (as I am doing in the photo), the next land mass you reach is Antartica!




All in all a very pleasant day, with a very straight forward drive back into the city, even though the road surface had not improved any!!


After a rest, a shower and a slight panic as to the location of my wallet! (it was in the car, I had taken it out to pay the toll, on the beach road) we ventured out to find Cafe Flo, which is at the French Cultural Centre, Alliance Francais. We also tried to withdraw money from the Cash Machine, but HSBC was unable to contact my branch!!! Thankfully, Mastercard was ready to take the strain at the restuarant.

The problem at the bank, and my inability to find said Alliance, caused me to get a little stressed and anxious in the car, the first time in a long time.

Fortunately, Andrew was able to remain calm and we did eventually find the resturant, and we enjoyed a most delicious meal. I had Prawns in lemon and garlic, followed Creme Brulee and Andrew had a Steak, followed by Chocolate Mousse. All that was followed by coffee or green tea and it came in at around 20 pounds for us both, an expensive meal out here in Karachi!! but most definitely worth it, Bon Apetit!

It's finally here

After expecting Eid on Saturday, there was some disappointment that the Moon was not sighted Friday evening and so Ramzan continued for another day. However, at sundown on Saturday the Moon as definitely there and so many fireworks, and possibly some firearms, were set off in celebration.

We went out during the day and collected my new trousers, made to measure for under 20 pounds! Then after a final shop to ensure we survive Eid we returned to the apartment.

Andrew is an order loving creature and he can only survive my level of chaos for so long. So when I got up yesterday morning all my bits and pieces on the dining table had be tidied and the desktop on my computer has been ordered also!! He also set up the surround sound on the TV for me. This had been left in order by my other friend Andrew before he left, but had all been moved when the painters were in.

The alarm has just gone off in Andrew's room which means it must be 8am, so I need to go and get a shower so that we are ready to level in 45 minutes. We are of to church and then driving up the coast to meet some friends at their beach house, so that we can speand the day on the beach, and swimming in the clean bit of the Arabian Sea!

Aren't School Holidays great!!!

Today is the first day of our school Half Term, and so the alarm didn't go off at 6.30am as normal. However, as my body hates me, I was wide awake by 7.15 and sat at the computer catching up with emails and writing this by 7.30am. Of course my friend Andrew is still fast asleep though I have been up for nearly two hours now!!

Anyhow, great excitement was evident at the end of school yesterday, not only because of the break and Eid being sometime this weekend (Eid is the end of Ramzan, the month in which Muslims fast, and also marked by family celebrations and gifts for the children), but also because I have finally annonce the location of the school holiday for 2008. If you haven't already guessed we are off to Egypt, to spend some time in Cairo, Luxor and Hurgahda(Red Sea). The great thing as far as I am concerned is that we leave on the 14th March which is Tom's 21st birthday, so all things being equal I will get to see him then, which will be fantastic.

Andrew and I are planning to do the tourist bit over the next few days. There will be some shopping today and a drive round the city. The on Sunday after Church, we have been invited up to the beach by Dan and Ruth from church. They have a beach hut up at Hawkesbay, and by beach hut, you should think, less Skegness and more Miami!! This is a three bedroom house on the beach. Not as glamourous as Miami, but very comfortable and a place to stay. I have been invited to join the group that owns it, the membership fee is Rs1000/- ( about 8 quid) and it costs Rs500/- per day to use it!!

Then on Wednesday we are off up to Lahore for two nights of luxury at the 5* Pearl Continental and some sight seeing. This will include the Wagha boarder crossing, where the Indian and Pakistani border police do there version of the Changing of the Guard every night when the crossing is closed. Both sets of guards Stamp the Retreat as an exact mirror image of each other, although they never rehearse together!

Tomorrow, In'Shallah Eid will begin and the whole city will be closed for the day. Sunday is also a holiday and then slowly over Monday and Tuesday everything will wake up again.

Andrew and I played Scrabble last night and I bet him both times!!! Not bad as he is an English Graduate, from Oxford!! When he reads this he will bleat out some excuse about his degree being totally irrelevant, which is something I have been saying fo rth elast three years!!

Eid Mubarak

Another busy week in Karachi

I have now been here 6 weeeks already and I feel very much at home. I am thoroughly enjoying myself and have got into the routine of living here very quickly. There are still some new tings to experience as most of the time I have been here it has be Ramzan so all the eateries are closed during the day until sunset. this means you can't just pop out fo rcoffee after school, which apparently is a pleasant thing to do! Well, Eid will be sometime this weekend, so all will return to normal after that.

Lots of fun things ar ekicking in at school. GCSE geography is going well, and some of the Year 11's have been giving reports to the Head about my lessons, which is very encouraging. Though, I have fallen out with one of the Year 7 parents because I shouted at her little precious bundle, but she'll get over it!!

Plans are well under way for this first Secondary School Production, in BOS's history, which is very exciting. BOS is actually 50 years old this year but the Secondary Department has only been open for 5 years, so there are still lots of new things happening. The choice of play for this year is 'An Inspector Calls' by JB Priestley. We have chosen this not only becuase it is an excellent play, but the students also study it as part of English Literature GCSE. I am particularly pleased as it is one of my most favourite plays of all time, and I have wanted to direct it for years.

All the parts are cast and we have a very keen crew to cover set design, costume, make up and front of house. The set builders were even in school on Saturday morning measuring up and making a plan of the stage.

I will also be taking a group to Kuwait in November to be part of the British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) Performing Arts convention, 300 pupils from all over the Middle East getting together for a weekend of Music, Drama and Dance. The kids are really excited about it, and it means that I get to add another country to my list!

Plans are also almost complete for the Secondary School Overseas Trip next Easter. After a false start thinking we were goign to Berlin, we have decided on another destiation, which is still confidential from the kids, for no other reason than I like winding them up!! Just a little clue, if it all comes together I might just be able to be with my older Godson on his 21st birthday, which would be fantastic!!

I also have my first visitor arriving from the UK on Monday, when Andrew Frost arrives for a two week visit. I am in school for the first three days and then we are on half term, a little earlier than normal, but it means we are off for Eid. We are planning to the sights here in Karachi, and ahve two days booked up in Lahore. Thankfully, this Andrew (unlike his namesake, who is responsible for me being here) agrees with me when it comes to travelling, proper bed, proper toilet and proper shower! And when it comes to seeing the sights, a fully air conditioned car and a knowledgable guide!!

My new Church

This is the outside of my new church building. This is Holy Trinity Cathedral, Karachi and where I worship on a Sunday.

It was built in the 1800 and is surrounded a lot of open land.

If you look under the tree, you will see a little black car which is mine, it is also parked in the prime parking place, as there is very little shade in the Cathedral Compound, finally my obsession with being early has paid off!!

The congregation is mainly Pakistani, with a smattering of ex pats from the UK, Korea, Germany and Philipines. It is great to be popart of such an international mixture of people. There are 3 services ever Sunday morning, a communion sevice at 8 am and then another at 9.15 which alternates betweeen communion and Family Service. Both these services are in English. They are followed at 11am with a Communion Service in Urdu.

It's been a fun old week...

First up, let clear one thing up! It would appear that from some of the comments left on my blog I have something of a reputation! It has been implied by my good 'friends' Catherine and Angela, that I some way am enjoying being 'waited on' hand and foot. Let me say here definitely, and catergorically that I am!

Anyway back to this week. It started on Sunday when I preached at Holy Trinity Cathedral for the first time. I preached at both the 8am Communion and The 9.15 Family Service and as only myself and the Rector were at both I used the same sermon, though slightly shortened for the early birds. This went really well and from the comments I received after was enjoyed by the congregation.

The passage was 2 Timothy 2vv1-7, where we are exalted to pray for everyone, especially our leaders. this is very apt for us in Pakistan at teh moment as President Mussharef seek re-election and there are many political movers. Much prayer for the situation would be appreciated.

Monday dawned and I decided that the toothache had now reached a point at which I needed to do something about it. So after obtaining a recommendation from Lubna, I was whisked away to seen Prof Ambreen no less. Who turns out, not only Professor of Ordodontics at Karachi Medical school, but also a teaching Fellow at New York University! Only the best for my mush! After X-ray and a little gentle probing, an infection and the need for a root canal filling was diagnosed and then the fun began.

I was prescribed anti biotics and an appointment made for the Wednesday to start the procedure. The nerve was so badly infected that copious amounts of anesthetic was needed before I couldn't feel the water from the drill, and then 2 and half hours of drilling and filing followed. The nerve was removed, and Prof Ambreen was kind enough to show it to be before she disposed of it!! I thankfully had taken my glasses off so could only see a blur.

I then had to return today for stage two, which involved another two and a half hours in the chair and more X rays and drilling and filing. Just a note on X rays, is it just me that gets a little worried when everyone, apart from me gets to leave the room before the X ray happens!!

All that is left now is a return on Tuesday for the permanant filling and then another trip in a couple of weeks to have the crown fitted. Oh what joy.

Add to all of this I am now teaching Y11 GCSE Geography! I have never done this before and have some what been thrown in at the deep end. Thankfully, my old headteacher from Trinity is a Geographer and I have been in contact with him and he is feeding me with some very helpful things. And I have to say that so far so good I have had 4 lessons this week and they have all gone very well.

The Fish and Chip Supper went well last week and although my team only came second, it has to be pointed out that the first two rounds happened whilst I was getting lost looking for the venue!

We have a neat trick here were a road can carry on even if there is a large house and a mosque built in the middle of it. Therefore finding the end of Khayaban-e-Badban, doesn't necessarily mean that you can drive all the way to the other end uninterupted by buildings! I did eventually find the venue and a pleasant evening was passed.

For those reading this and worrying about the effect that fish and chips might be having on my waist line, I can report to the food police that I have lost at least half a stone since arriving here 5 weeks ago and that the downward trend appears to be an established one.

The next job is to get my wig trimmed, the warm climate means that it is growing a little more quickly than normal and so is now starting to look unruly. Unfortunately, the warm weather is not causing hair to return to those parts of my scalp wherein it has already abandoned, which is a shame really!

It's the little things

I know I have already posted today but I just wanted to ad a postscript.

I have a cleaner here called Naseem, who comes six days a week, and restores order to the chaos I generate each day. She has here own way of doing things and in 3 years Andrew never was able to persuade her that a tea towel is for wiping pots, not cleaning the floor!!

When I first arrived I part unpacked my suitcase on the first day and put someof my clothes away. When I came home from work on the Monday I found that she had finished the unpacking. I went the wardrobe to look at everything and wondered where my underpants were!?!?!? I had obvious put them in the wrong place, they had been moved to the 'correct' drawer!

Today I came home to find not only the apartment clean and tidy, but when I opened the fridge Naseem had taken the two pomegranates that were in there and taken all the seeds out for me ready to eat. It was such a nice surprise to find and I will be enjoying them in a few minutes, once I have allowed my Cauliflower Cheese to settle!!

It is really nice to be looked after so well by Naseem and Farouk ( I never have to carry anything up the stairs to the apartment). I could get to this lifestyle very easily!

Lots of things to do...

I really am getting into the swing of life here. In the abscence of a decent road map, you just have to learnt where everything is, and if you don't live on that side of the city it all gets a bit vague. There are some road signs and so far I haven't got to badly lost, and I have always found my way home, which is good.

I am starting to acquire other extra curricular activities. I went to House group on Monday, at which Dan informed me I was on the preaching rota, and I was down to preach this Sunday... So this week I have a sermon to write.

Dan then went on to ask me if I would be willing to lead the Ex- Serviceman Act of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday out at the Pakistan War Cemetry. This has always been a difficult day for me, as I have always felt uncomfortable with the services in the UK. Somehow I have felt conscious of a lack of forgiveness, whilst remembering. It may well be a problem in me rather than anyone else, but that is where I have been. This is also something I have kept to myself, because I am aware that the Day can be an emotive one for people, and I have never really had to live through anything like the Second World War. Somehow I would like to Remember whilst looking forward and not looking back. Maybe I am being naive, but that's how I felt. My feelings over the last few years have changed and I have looked at the service sheet here and I feel comfortable leading the service.

I have also been asked today if I would be willing to join the Board of the YMCA Technical School. I have said I will consider it, but I want to know more, as to what it will involve.

I have also joined UKAP this week, UKAP is THe United Kingdom Association of Pakistan, and is made up of British Ex-Pats. They provide social events and the first one is this Saturday, A FIsh and Chip Supper and Quiz!! I have been asked to join the Bavingtons team, and I have warned them that I do get a 'little' competitive!! There will be those of you that remember the Big Quiz 2003 and my ecstacy when Mike and the Mechanics finally won!! I proudly displayed the shield in my lounge all year!!! There is also a rumour that they organise Scottish Country Dancing!!! I can hear the music for the Highland Fling already!!

A Tour round my new home

I have finally bought some batteries for my new digital camera, which was a birthday present from my grandad.

So here is vitual tour of my new home...

There we have the sitting room with the wicker furniture and book shelves left by Andrew. Below the other side of the sitting room, here you find another set of furniture. I don't tend to use this end of the room.

Then we move out on to the balcony. I have some furniture out here and it is very pleasant out there in an evening. And there is plenty of space for people to get together and eat.

On we go to the Dining room. Another good sized room with a dining table. This is where I work at home as I don't have desk yet. I am going to look into getting one soon.

Now we get to the kitchen. This will be much better when my boxes arrive from the UK. They contain a lot of my kitchen goods which will make the place feel a lot more like mine.

And finally the bedrooms, mine is the one with the large wooden bed. All the bedroom furniture was made to order for Andrew and he kindly left it all for me when he left.

Both bedrooms are ensuite and the guest room bathroom is also home to the washing machine!!

As I have said to many of you before you are all more than welcome to come and visit some time.

I hope you have enjoyed looking round my new home, as much as I enjoy living here.

Technology is wonderful

I am sat typing this sitting on my bed, thanks to my laptop and newly installed wireless network! I would like to take credit for its installation, but as anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm useless when it comes to computers. We are able to do this thanks to the 'magic' hands of Ahmed the school computer technician, he is incredible. His hand really is quicker than the eye.

The AC's also seem to behaving themselves once more. The living room one has stopped its impression of the Niagra falls, thanks to the healing hands of Ali electrician and the bedroom one has started working again all of its own accord!! In fact Year 9 explained it to me today, it is to do with the phases of the electricity and when one drops out it will effect some of the sockets in the house. They finished their explanation with 'Welcome to Karachi'.

I really am enjoying school, seeing parents teaching , organising and even covering Y11 Geography was good.

Thomas is very settled in Alex and they have along weekend this weekend so they are travelling 7 hours on a bus to an Oasis in the Western Desert. All I can say is rather him than me, not my idea of fun at all. My next trip is to Lahore on an airplane, to stay in a 5* Hotel and me driven around the sights in an AC car!! That will be at half term, which is only three and half weeks away for us.

Assuming the new moon is sighted tonight, Ramadan will start tomorrow. This means that the practicing Muslims will not eat or drink anything during daylight hours. They will rise before dawn for early prayer and a good breakfast and then fast until after evening prayer, this continues until the next new moon, 28 0r 29 days later.

It's been one of those days...

The honeymoon of the first week is over and now the fun starts!!

Mrs Ahktar and I had to have 'words' with our new Year 7. By all accounts they were something of a handful last year and they are sizing up for more fun this year by the looks of it!! Unfortunately for them, I don't like 'fun'! So between us Lubna and I marked their card good and proper. It's still nothing like teaching back in Rotherham, the kids there wouldn't even let you get word in edgeways, never mind marking their card.

I was feeling tired this morning though as I had had a late night at Bible Study!! (I know, don't I know how to live it up) Though there can't be many groups that have Elvis in them. The group was made up of 8 people though a couple weren't able to join us. We are studying the Beatitudes and I really enjoyed it. The time together opens with some choruses, and before you ask, yes I have been invited back!!

There has also been one of those little annoyances I have been mentioning, and today its air conditioning units. AC is vital here as it is hot most of the year and when its not hot, its very hot! There are 3 AC units in the flat, one in the siting room and one each in each of the bedrooms. Up until today the one in the spare room has not be working, but the other two have been fine. Now I arranged to have the spare room one repaired as I have friend coming to stay in just over three weeks and I wanted him to be cool. So today Ali Electrican (Yes they do really call him that) came and did the necessary and the AC unit works perfectly. The other two have now gone on strike! The one in my room has stop working completely, and the one in the sitting room is pouring water down the inside wall. I suspect its just their way of getting some attention. Ali Electrician will come and lay hands on them tomorrow, InSh'Allah, of course...

A Lazy sunday

Well today has been a lovely one so far. I went off to the Family Service at Holy Trinity this morning, which was an interesting one as the children still went out to Sunday School during the sermon!! Family Services need some work I fear.

At church this morning, I met Dan and Ruth Bavington who have been in Karachi since 1965, although Dan was born here to Missionary parents and then educated in the UK from the age of 11. Dan is a civil engineer whose company built the Junior department of the school where I work. They are looking to retire at the moment and will be moving to the UK when they do. They have five children all married and living in the UK. There eldest son has just taken up post as Chaplain to Gigglesworth School in North Yorkshire. (it amazing what you can pick up over coffee!!)

The Bavingtons also run the church bible study group which meets on a Monday. So I shall be going for dinner at their house and then on to Bible Study with them after that, tomorrow evening.

After coffee at the Bavingtons I went off to Brunch at Marriott, which is a buffett of it seemed like hundreds of different thing to eat, which you can visit as much as you like. I had a starter of mixed salads, followed by a selection of bits and pieces, including sweet and sour king prawns, tandoori fish, and steamed vegetables, followed some chocolate mousse (not as good as Katey G's it has to be said) and two small pieces of cake type things, add to this a Pepsi and a pot of coffee for the princely sum of 970rupees, about 7.95. Not bad for a meal at a 5* Hotel.

From their home via French Bakery to buy some more fizzy pop and a bottle of Vimto!!!(Yummy).

I have reached the end of my second week and how am I feeling? Brilliant is the answer, yes there hassles living here, but as long as you roll with them, they are liveable with. School is great and I am really enjoying that. I am getting to know the city and am slowly finding my way round. All in all I think that I am going to enjoy living here.

Starting to feel at home here...

I know I have only been here 10 days but I am really starting to feel at home. It will be even better when my boxes arrive from the UK, some time in the next week, Ins'allah (if God will's it!). Then I will be able to really make the flat feel like its mine rather than a student flat.

Ins'allah, is a very important concept in this part of the world. Forget appointment times and arrangements, they just don't happen here. For instance my internet connection was definitely going to be sorted by 9pm on Saturday evening, the man finally arrived at half ten on Tuesday!!! and you have two choice you either get worked up about ti and start shouting and change absolutely nothing! or you just accept it and get on with life allowing things to happen as and when they do.

Managed to make it to church on Sunday morning, got slightly lost on the way, which included goingthe wrong way up a one way street, which had five lanes of traffic!! No one seem to mind and although I arrived 15 minutes after the published start time, and I still arrived before the clergy!! Different and yet reassuring similar, the songs were all ones I knew and the liturgy very similar to what I am used to in the UK. The difference are that the congregation congregate around the ceiling fans, instead of the heaters and the 'wardens' carry guns rather than wands!! A solution for some churches in the UK that I know!!!

Monday was the first day the children were in school and went very well. There are still some small glitches in the timetable, but we are ironing those out, hopefully by Monday all will be sorted.

After school I drove to the Cathedral again and meet John Hayward , who introduced me to Bishop Sadiq Daniel, the BIshop of Karachi. we had tea together and a very pleasant chat about many different things. At the end he inited me to help out at the Cathedral, preaching about once a month. That will probably start in October which will give me time to get to know the some of the people in the congreagation, which number about 100 and is a mixture of locals and some expats.

Tuesday saw some explosions in Rawlpindi which is several hundred miles north of here and the home of the Pakistani military. Polictically things are very much up in the air at the moment, with the Presidents future very uncertain, and what that will mean for Benizir Bhutto and Anwar Sharif who are both former prime minister that have been exiled from Pakistan. They are both talking about coming back and what that will mean no one is really sure. Some top official was heard to say 'this is the most important time in Pakistani history since Partition' This should make the next few months rather interesting!!

All that said, I really do feel that coming here was a good decision. I feel really upbeat and on top for the first time in along while. There are many many frustations living here but I seem to be able to rise above them (at the moment!). I am sure a time will come when the power cuts (we are an hour into one at the moment) and the other little niggles start to annoy me, but at the moment I am a very content little bunny.

Well i would go and make something to eat at this point, but the kitchen is pitch black so that will have to wait, so what with that and the 'free flowing' bowel movements, I should be losing weight at a reasonable rate!!!

So much to do and so little time...

So much has happened in the last week.

I finally arrived in Karachi last Saturday afternoon, after a very pleasant flight with Emirates. The aircraft are comfortable and modern and the crew very helpful and chatty.

Saturday allowed me to catch my breath and then on Sunday, Lubna who is head of Student Welfare, had arranged a trip out for the new staff who were around. We went to the Sunday Market where normally we would have been able to buy household items and food etc. Unfortunately due to the flooding, it was off!!!

There has been no rain since I arrived but there is still a lot of standing water left over from the last couple of weeks rain. When I arrived the school field was under a foot of water, that has subsided but it will stilll take a couple of weeks for it to dry out. Then it will need reseeding!

Sunday also saw my first go at driving in the city, and its wan't as scary as I thought it would be. Traffic is much slower here than in the UK, but also far less disciplined. You have to remember a few basic rules:

1. Don't assume anything - just because he is indicating right doesn't mean he won't turn left, go straight on, stop suddenly or turn right!

2. If it's bigger than you then it has right of way!

3. Possession is ten tenths of the law - ie if you have the road then you keep the road!

All in all I am enjoying driving and it means that I have the freedom to come and go as I please rather than having to rely on school drivers which is great. I am also slowly working out where everything is, no easy feat, as the only road map available, only has some of the street names on!

The rest of the week has been taken up with meetings and timetabling. When I arrived I had a timetable that worked, but it has ungone several revision as people have given me more accurate information than I had from the head.

I am getting on very well with the Head, Andrew and the other two members of the Senior Management Team(SMT), which are Lubna, Head of Student Welfare and Maria, Deputy Head(Primary). I think we will have a very good and sometimes silly working relationship.

Thomas has arrived safely in Cairo and heads off to Alexandria today. It has been good to hear his voice and know that his travels are going well. I will definitely be seeing him at New Year but we might get together before that.

Last week also saw my 37th birthday, and I know I don't look a day over 45 but I am only 37! For the first time in my life I was actually in school on my birthday which was a bit weird but I managed a quiet birthday tea for one, which was lovely!

Also the flat is being painted this week! It has been empty for two months but the landlady has chosen this week to start painting all rooms!!! I have been told, this is just part of life in Pakistan.

My thoughts and feelings as I come to the end of week one are all positive ones, I am really looking forward to life here, there will be challenges, including the roads, the slow pace at which somethings move, the constant power cuts, but all in all, I like my new home.

So let the adventure begin and lets pray that all the timetables are tyoed up in time for MOnday morning, or else chaos will ensue...

Time marches on...

We have reached the one week left stage!

I am currently in the middle of The Great Adventure, which is a Scripture Union Holiday for 11-14, held at St Martin's Ampleforth. There are 54 young people and 27 leaders and I am Chief Caterer. Today is the outing day and they have all gone to Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby and I had a couple of hours in bed! The potatoes are in the oven and the chilli made, teh cheesecake is chilling and so there is only the beans to open and that will be tea ready.

I was getting a little concerned that I wouldn't be ready to leave on teh 24th and so I did the only thing a man can do in this position... I sent for my mother! She and Barbara are coming over on Tuesday to help with the 'last push' on the packing and tidying, this means it will all be done in time, they are great slave drivers those two!

It is finally sinkin gin that I am leaving the country and won't be back for a long time. So much willl happen here that I won't be a part of and that saddens me. The team from One UP are meeting and I won't be there because I will be in the air on the way to Karachi. BUt I know that there will be lots of exciting things for me to do when I get there as well.

My friend Andrew is coming out to see in mid October as part of his travels in his Gap year after finishing at Oxford, and it will be fun to be able to play the host to him. Others have also said that they will be coming to see me which will be great.

So I return to Great Houghton on Saturday, and then Sunday I am at Holy Trinity, Stalybridge to preach and attend a bun fight in my honour. Monday more sorting and a trip to Darlington to drop of One UP stuff at Meg's and say goodbye to here and her sister Dot. Tuesday is the last push and a meal with Dave and Jayne, Gary and Jane, Joy and all the kids. Wednesday move out of the house in Great Houghton, move in to Bill and Gwen's. Thursday last minute preparation and then Friday the same, dropp car of at Andrew's get him to drop me of at David and Michelle's and get them to drop me off at the airport and then the adventure really begins... to be continued!

There's just two weeks until I go!!

The last few days have been busy ones. I have managed to get some mor epaking done, but there is still alot left to do!! I find it really hard to know where to start and also to get motivated, I am after all a bit on the bone idle side...

I spent yesterday in London visiting my godson Thomas, who is on a four week placement with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO). He is reading Spanish and Arabic at Manchester University and leaves for his third year of studies at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, six days after I leave for Karachi. So this will be the last time we get to spend together for a while. He is coming up to Stalybridge for my leaving do, but its not like being on our own.

Thomas is a great young man of whom I inordinately proud. Not only is he a gifted linguist he is also a gifted musician and all round nice guy!! It is highly unlikely that I will ever have children of my own, but I have been very fortunate that I have had Thomas in my life and if I had ever had a son and he had been half the man Thomas is, then I would have been so very proud. I will really miss not seeing him regularly, but in this modern world we should be able to remain in contact...assuming he sticks to his end of the bargain...which I doubt, as he would say of himself that he is useless at keeping in touch!!

We will be seeing each other at New Year when I go to Egypt and we were talking yesterday of a weekend in Dubai before that.

I still have loads to do before I leave in terms of packing and sorting and cleaning the house. I also have 7 days at another SU holiday called The Great Adventure which is being held at Ampleforth College and I will be chief caterere. This means that I will be responsoible for providing 90 meals three times a day! Thats a doddle! I really enjoyed it last year and I found it far easier to be in charge of the kitchen rather than the programme as I am at One UP. It does mean that I only have five days left once the holiday is over!!!

Well tomorrow is the day for sorting out and throwing out so I had better get a good nights sleep and it already neary 11pm...

23 Days to go

Last week was a very busy one. I was away with Scripture Union, on the One Up Holiday, which involves 48 11-14 year olds, one boarding school, lots of hard work and and very little sleep!! It was a great week as ever and a great blessing to see so many young people meeting with God.

Sunday saw my last day in the Parish, I preached twice and a 'bun fight' was held in my honour after the evening service, where i was presented with a new wallet, containing £120. This has been turned into a portable hard drive, to download all the details on my desk top. I also plan to buy a new suitcase with remaining money. Leaving the Parish gives me mixed emotions, but on the whole I am looking forward and not back.

Since returning I have just about caught up on my sleep and have been visited by 'Whirlwind Linda', otherwise known as my mother! She and her friend Barbara were here yesterday, to help with the paking and sorting out. The kitchen is now clear of most things and I have homes for most of the things I can't take with me.

The next 23 days involve a variety of things, including a funeral, visiting friends, collecting my visa, a trip to London, another Scripture Union holiday, this time as chief cook, a farewell BBQ with family and a farewell service and party at my home church in Stalybridge! Oh and I need to finish packing and sorting here in Yorkshire!

The move is becoming more real to me now. It struck me particularly when I return hime asfter the SU holiday and found the house partly packed, I really am moving 4 and half thousand miles in just over 3 weeks...

My feelings remain ones of excitment tinged with apprehension, I know that this is the right thing for me but I am still a little apprehensive about what the future holds...but God knows and where he leads I will follow.