Life in the Land of the Pure

The young couple.* One of the great things about living — not just traveling — overseas is to have visitors.  An excuse  to try new things and see familiar places through new eyes, to recall the thrill of discovery and share places you love with people you love.  I just had the pleasure of hosting harrison and Tasha for what you may be surprised to learn was their first visit to Pakistan.  Lots of firsts for us — we explored a lot!—and for them— first conversation with an ambassador! (Heather and Ruth are here with me now so you know there will be a part two to this story).  And, because my last post was light on photos, this post will seek to rebalance.   Our bar, the SafeHaven, is the second best bar in Pakistan  A tutorial on rugs  Dinner at the New Kabul … a must for visitors  Top secret Santa … stocking stuffers for our marine security detachment  Yes most embassy holiday parties come with polar bears standard  Lots of natur...

  Wow my last post was over six weeks ago!       Yikes! so many things since then: After taking over the garden club, we. Have almost all    the plots “adopted.” My basil is doing well, my pumpkins are flowering (still) but no fruit, my sunflowers are nonexistent … but the collard green plant I inherited is doing well, I harvested it and cooked it up some for snacking.    Not too bad.  We had a Halloween party and more importantly the Marine Corps Ball (or as heather and I put it, prom for old people). DCM natalie, USAID director Kate, and I finally got together for a photograph.  Book club has done two books, The Center ( a sort of Pakistani horror thriller) and There There (a novel about the Native experience in Oakland). Next up is James, a retelling of Huck Finn from the perspective of Jim, the runaway slave. I’ve been volunteering with People Actively Working for Strays (PAWS), the group that supports and cares for the dogs in the d...