I've just had one of those surreal experiences...

I am currently in Dubai, UAE, with a group of 9 students and Miss Naveed (from the English Department) attending the BSME Performing Arts Festival.

We flew in from Karachi yesterday and teh children are busy in their workshops preparing their contributions to tomorrow's end of Festival performance. THe kids all seem to be having a ball and are throwing themselves into the activities.

I accompanied the group that went on the back stage tour to one of the local theatres, which was very interesting and great to see all the bits that you never get to see when you are front of house.

The surreal experiencene of the title was just now as I was walking around school checking up on what each of my little one was doing in their workshops. As I walked through the playground I could hear the chorus 'Hosanna, in the highest', coming loud and clear from somewhere near. Now having lived in a muslim country for over a year, I am used to hearing the azan (call to prayer) and even the Friday sermon, but I have never heard a christian song being broadcast. As I walked on I realised that we are next to St Mary's Church and that that was where the song was coming from.

Dubai is very different to Karachi. Here everything is bigger and better than the last thing. There are literally 100's of Malls, all containing the same stores and it would appear that retail is king! Naveed managed to get to IKEA last night after teh children had been despatched to their host families, and is now trying to find a child with a big enough case to fit a plate drainer in!!

I am left with strange feelings about Dubai, the compulsive shopper that lurks beneath my handsome form, thinks that it is in heaven. However, when I see the indoors ski slope, with real snow, I think of us only 2 hours away across the Arabian Sea, desparately in need of electricity for our daily life. Whilst, here all that power is being used to create snow in the desert. I don't know the answer, but it does make you think...

Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun…

Firstly, apologies for the lack of postings over the last two weeks, but I have been a busy little bunny.

As you will remember from my previous posting I finished for half term on Friday 17th October. On this evening I was invited to dinner at the home of one of the parents at school, whose father I had flown back from Manchester with, earlier in the month. This was a very pleasant evening, with most delicious fish pie created especially for me.

Saturday was another meeting of the ‘Karachi Games Club’ which this time was hosted by Kathy and Zulfi where alongside a delicious meal of potato and Leek soup, fish curry and chocolate pots we had a very funny game of Articulate.

Early Sunday morning, Meg and Dot arrived from the UK for a 10 day stay and after the first of about a 1000 cups of tea, we headed of to church and then on from there to the Bread People to collect breakfast and some other food shopping. The rest of the day was spent resting and planning the rest of the week, concluding the crowning culinary achievement, cauliflower cheese and mashed potatoes!

Monday we headed out to see the sights here in Karachi, starting with Quiad-e-Azam’s Mazar (Quiad-e-Azam is the founder of Pakistan), unfortunately this is closed on a Monday! So we headed of to Empress Market for the experience, though we didn’t go in. The cow’s head I saw on my last visit still haunts me! We then set out to see the Mohatta Palace; unfortunately, this is also closed on a Monday! So I resorted to some retail therapy at Park Towers. In the evening we set of to collect Laurie and go to Bible Study, unfortunately, we ran into my first demonstration, where some of the locals were burning their electricity bills in the street! No given that electricity has gone up by 70% in the last couple of months and some areas are experiencing power cuts of up to 12 hours a day, you can understand the frustration. I nearly got out and gave them mine to burn as well!

Tuesday to Thursday was spent in Lahore, following a very similar tour to my previous trips, but I still managed to see some new sights and thankfully this trip was ‘sans’ puppets!! (Please see my posting on 28th March for explanantion).

Friday was spent relaxing, reading and listening to music and then out to Maria and Barney’s for dinner. Saturday was a beach day and we had a fantastic time, it really is wonderful to sit in the sun (or shade in my case, or else I end up looking like a lobster!) on the last Saturday in October and then spend 45 minutes playing the waves of the Arabian Sea. Dinner was provided take away from BBQ Tonight (there menu available on www.karachisnob.com).

After church on Sunday we a farewell get together to say goodbye to Dan and Ruth Bavington who will be leaving Karachi after 43 years. On from here we finally managed to see the Mohatta Palace and then some more retail therapy in Park Tower. Dinner that evening was courtesy of Mr and Mrs Ryan and was delicious.

Monday had me returning to school and after the obligatory tour, Meg and Dot ventured of to the market with Zubair. They had a great time and we had a wonderful round of show and tell when I got in. Dinner was take away again but this time provided by Chairman Mao! (Menu available on line as above).

Meg and Dot departed on Tuesday from the warm shores of Karachi back to the cold, rain and I believe snow of the UK.

On Wednesday the school diving course started and I took our three students for there first theory lesson, which was a good refresher for me and means that I get the chance to get some more diving in.

Yesterday, I started the school swimming club again at a new location, which is better suited to swimming teaching and although its outside it is also covered which makes it better for me also.

This morning I was preaching so was at church for just before 8am and had preached twice by 10.30am. Just as I was about to begin preaching a message was received on my mobile phone, which was ok as it was on silent. However, my phone keeps vibrating until the message is checked so all through the sermon, my shirt pocket was vibrating which was a little distracting. The message was to invite me to brunch at the Marriott which we duly had, and was as always delicious.

The week ahead is another busy, as I am taking 10 students to Dubai on Thursday for 2 nights. We are going to the British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) (and I know that Pakistan is not in the Middle East, but we are members nonetheless) Performing Arts Festival. We went last year when the Festival was in Kuwait, and we are looking forward to a fun filled weekend.

I have calculated that by the time I get back from Dubai I will have flown over 30000 miles this year, which just seems mad!! Sadly, they weren’t all with the same airline and so the airmile are not racking up.

There have also been further upheavals with the domestic staff!! Sadly, Tariq has not worked out and he was given his cards on Friday and Habib has promised that I will have a replacement on Monday, hopefully, this one will work out better.

One other bonus to Meg and Dot’s visit is that my store of Angel Delight has been increased, and when I started typing this I had 29 packets in the cupboard, I now have only 28 and the other one is inside me…