"I have lived"

I have lived…or so they tell me. I have been to Lahore, Pakistan. According to everyone here,” You’ve never lived until you’ve been to Lahore.” Sorry everyone, I guess you need to take a trip out here. I’ve been telling you all year to come visit….well, you’re running out of time if you plan on doing it while I’m still here.

Anyways….Lahore…shopping and eating galore!

I spent last weekend there with some friends from the church. It was wonderful. We shopped till we dropped, ate till we could’ve popped, and then we stopped. Like my rhyme?

Lahore is the second oldest city in Pakistan, and what used to be the capital before they planned out Islamabad. Because it is so hot there most of the year the city really doesn’t come alive until after dark. Then….it’s mass chaos! Cars, trucks, donkey carts, motor bikes, bicycles, camels…any mode of transportation crowd the streets.

Lahore is located about 30 km from the Indian border. Every night they put on a show just before sundown. It is basically a yelling match between India and Pakistan as they see who can cheer the loudest for their country while the soldiers go through the routine of lowering the flags. It is a prerequisite for Punjabi’s in the Army at the border to be at least 6 feet tall so as to tower over the Indian Army. They spend about 15 minutes marching and doing all kinds of fancy salutes acting like horses to impress and intimidate the Indian Army. My favorite part of it all was watching this little old man carrying the Pakistan flag yelling non-stop to lead the cheers. He had non teeth and a long white beard. I just wanted to pick him up and put him in my pocket.

We ate dinner one night over-looking a huge mosque/temple/fort. It’s amazing to me that there were built so close to each other. We ate in this place called “Cocoo’s Den and Café” in the red light district of the city. It was started by an artist who is trying to bring attention and something good to that part of the city. He has paintings all through it of prostitutes and up on the roof (about 5 stories up) you can eat dinner with an amazing view of the mosque all lit up.

Lahore is a city I would love to go back to visit again. But, living there I think I would go insane.

What color would you like? 

Cloth shopping/designing my own clothes has become my new favorite thing. Can I just have one of these shops imported to my house, please? 

Me at Cocoo's in front of the Mosque with one semi invisible arm. 

Lowering the flag. 

Onward Punjabi Soldier... 

Little Pakistan. 

My 1st Architectural Accomplishment

The Climbing wall is near completion. Yeah, I know, it’s about time. Things here take much longer and are always ten times harder than you think/plan it to be.

It’s a small little wall. But, to the kids it will make a world of difference…especially in the cold winter months when there is little else to do inside but watch movies and huddle around heaters to keep warm.

We have a few kids already that have that natural balance for climbing, and some with the drive and passion to make up for their lack of skill. My dream is to return a few years down the road and see to ‘Phase 2’ which will traverse to another wall and extend another 20-30 feet. For now, the kids will have to be happy with this.

Jr. High PE on the climbing wall...a bouldering game known as 'moves' back in my days in Canada 

Jr. High Formal

Yesterday was the big day for dressing up. The Sr. High Banquet and the Jr. High Formal. I was invited to the Jr. High Formal.

After 3 hours of hair, make up, and nail polish I quickly wrapped my sorry (very poorly done, I was so embarassed!) over 30 Jr. Highers and a few random teachers and dorm parents made their way to the PC (Pearl Continental) for an amazing dinner followed by games and a slide show of the past year of school activities. It was so much fun and all the girls looked so BEAUTIFUL!!

Me with my 9th Graders (minus 1). 

Aren't they BEAUTIFUL?!?! 

I'm really gonna miss these kids....sniff sniff. 

The Jr. High Girls plus their dorm parents. 

Heaven on Earth.

So, now for my trip up north. WOW. Words are so confining when it comes to drescribing the feel, smell, awesomeness and beauty of the place I went to on April Holiday. I think I will just have to resort to Spicer's method of blogging...top ten, and some pictures. For a bit of background info. I went up north near the Chinese border for a week of break. It took two days of driving to get there and a 1 hour flight to get back. I went with 5 other staffers and one student.

Hunza Top Ten

10 – Eating breakfast in a Chai shop over-looking the Indus River.

9 – Standing on the spot where the Himalayan, Hindu Kush, and Karakoram Mountain Ranges meet.

8 – Hunza Tea (Tomoru Tea)…the best in the world.

7 – Our nightly Skip-bo sessions.

6 – Waking up every morning to some of the highest mountains in the world!

5 – The near-death experience of riding on the KKH (Karakoram Highway) and dragging our gas tank for about two miles till the driver figured out that it wasn’t a flat tire!

4 – Picking up Garnets beside the road….yes, that’s real semi-precious stones…by the handful!

3 – Being invited in to a village house for lunch and a lesson on how to make chapatti’s

2 – Doing a day trek up to a glacier meadow then walking across a water channel carved into a sheer rock face 400 ft. high! An architectural phenomenon built over 200 year ago!

1 – Going across and Indiana Jones style suspension bridge!! Whoohoo!!

Ultar Basecamp - with Lady Finger and Ultar 1  

More Village people.... 

Waterfall on the KKH. 

Breakfast overlooking the Indus River. 

Tomura Tea (Hunza Tea)...the best in the world! 

Junction Point of the three mightiest mountain ranges in the world! The Karakoram, the Himalayas, and the Hindu Kush. 

Nanga Parbat - 8,125 meters (26,656 ft.) Pakistan's Second highest mountain and the worlds 9th highest mountain! 

Tying the gas tank up with an old ragged rope.  

Lunch and a lesson in how to make Chapatti's at a village family's house. 

At Ultar Basecamp (roughly 10,000 ft.). 

Just call me Mrs. Indiana Jones. 

Track and Field

According to Molly it's about time I blogged again. I don't know how far back you've read Molly, but it's really hard to blog from this side of the world! The site is banned which means it's a very long and frustrating process to get onto the site and actually blog, not to mention the unrealiable internet! BUT, for you Molly - ANYTHING! haha.

I have been waiting on pictures from my Holiday up north before I posted anything new, but now that I have them I also need to write about our awesome track and field team!

So, first things first.

TRACK AND FIELD!

We kicked butt...to put it lightly. Seriously! After training for over a month we went down to I'bad for two days of competition against three other International schools. Let me stress that last fact. International schools. These kids are 'rich kids.' The schools they go to are 'top-notch.' Lots of money going on there...nice fancy equipment, well paid coaches. Against our piddly little school. Equipment from about a century ago...and some equipment that is even non-existant (Long jump pit). Just goes to show that you can have everything going for you but if you don't have the commitment and perseverance you won't get anywhere.

The Stats.

Boys and Girls 11 & 12 years old - 3rd place (I think)

Boys and Girls 13 & 14 years old - 1st place (these were my kids....they did awesome!)

Boys and Girls 15 - 18 Years old - 1st place

Overall school - 1st place.

We double the points of the second place team!

Yeah....my kids are awesome...they even broke a few school records.

I'm proud.

One of our Senior guys bringing up the rear on the 4x400 relay. Another win....

My Girls after the 4x400 relay. YEAH....we won.