End of term...

It is with much rejoicing that we have reached the end of term! Yesterday was a fun one in school. It was party day in the Primary school they had Santa as their guest of honour. He was not played by me! I pointed out during my first year here, that my natural bonhomie should not be mistaken as festive spirit!

In the Secondary school we had an inter House competition with a variety of events including a quiz, football, table tennis, badminton, chess and bridge. The Vikings were the victors (no pun intended as all our houses are named after warriors) and we passed a very pleasant morning. Sadly, in all the business of the week I forgot to ask anyone to order the doughnuts, so we had to go without!

Last night, I went to Pompeii, not the city in Italy, but the fantastic Italian restaurant here in Karachi. They really do serve the most delicious food and the world's best creme brulee. I went with Andrew, as he was wifeless, Tamkeen having left for Dubai on Monday to spend a few days with her parents. Andrew will collect her on his way through today so they can spend the winter break in England. They are also making plans for next year, and sadly it doesn't include staying in Karachi! Whilst I will miss them dreadfully on a day to day basis, the bonus is that I will hopefully, have a new country to visit, during my far too infrequent holidays!

This next week will see me celebrating my third Christmas in Karachi and I am really looking forward to it. What I love most about being here is that I miss all the materialistic build up that is experienced in the UK.

We have our Carol Service on Sunday evening which is conducted in both English and Urdu and is a great experience. We follow that with a bonfire and barbeque in the cathedral compound, which is a lovely way to spend a Sunday in December! Given the weather reports I suspect there won't be many barbeques back in Blighty this weekend.

Monday and Tuesday will involve washing and ironing and getting ready to leave on Sunday, and probably some preparation for next term. I will also try and squeeze in some Urdu lessons, as I have been very lax over the last few weeks and I really do need to start putting in a little more effort. If I, like the secondary students, had received an Effort and Attainment report from Akhtar on Friday I suspect it would have been D4, and that would have been generous!

Wednesday is Road Trip day! The Keirle-Ali's and various others are boarding a Coaster and driving off towards the horizon. We are heading to Hyderabad and some other places, but at teh moment have no idea where! I will give you more details when I get back.

Christmas Eve will involve, my now traditional, trip to Clippers for a hair cut, facial and massage. This will be followed by a steaming bowl of Sweetcorn Chowder and The Service of Nine Lessons and Carol's from King's College, Cambridge. Then dinner with the Keirle-Ali's and Midnight Communion at the Cathedral. Christmas Day will start with a service at the Cathedral and then I will be joining friends for a meal and celebrations.

Boxing Day will be final preparations for my trip and then drinks and nibbles round at Gill's.

Then early Sunday morning, the wonderful Methab will collect me long before the sun has risen and take me to the airport and Oman Air willing I should arrive in Cairo around 3pm local time. Thomas will leave Manchester that afternoon and Turkish Airways willing should arrive in the early hours of Monday morning. After an evening in Cairo we shall fly down to Luxor and have three nights by the Nile which will include the 'complusory' (it really does say that on our reservation!) New Year Buffet at our hotel. Then back to Karachi in time for school on the 4th January!

Last Thursday, after school, I wandered out of my office onto the playing field and found the secondary boys in the middle of their football practice with Mr Turner the PE teacher. As I stood there, in my short sleeved shirt, on the 17th December with the temperature a very pleasant 20 degrees, a smile came to my lips and I thought once again how much I love being here. I am well aware that Pakistan is by no means perfect!! But at the moment there is no where else on earth I'd rather be...