A Walk in the Woods

I walked into Murree this weekend with some friends, and we took the forest trail, rather than the road we've walked on before. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was, and hardly put my camera away. Here are some glimpses of the trail, and some of Murree. We went on the tourist-y chairlift, which takes you down the mountain to a little snack/picnic area, then you hop back on and go back up. It was a really fun day, and the weather was great!

Animals!

One little monkey, sitting on the security wall outside the elementary school building.






A tiny baby monkey with it's mom (or somebody), walking around the basketball court outside my classroom window.






I think that, if Fort Worth really wants to take the title of "Cow Town" seriously, they need to take some pointers from Pakistan!






No, I'm not calling my students animals, but this is the view from my classroom while the kids were outside at PE...


and this was taken 3 minutes after they came inside. When the kids are away, the monkeys will play!

I took my love and I took it down...

This past weekend was pretty full. On Friday night, a lodge nearby hosted a dance lesson in Hebrew dancing, which was very, very fun! They have several more dances planned in the upcoming weeks, and I am really looking forward to them.




I went down to Islamabad on Saturday for some shopping, and had a very productive day! The road down is technically 4 lanes across - 2 each way. With the monsoon season, though, it's been really rainy, and, therefore, very muddy: Here, the mud is spilling over the retaining wall into a gutter on the side of the road.




Here, the mud has broken through the retaining wall and completely covered the closest 2 lanes of traffic, but was stopped by the divider. Traffic here is pushed into 2 lanes - one each way.







Once in Islamabad, we got a lot of shopping done. You have to go to at least 5 different shopping centers to pick up whatever you need, and one had canaries for sale. In the cage with the canaries, though, were a few birds that looked like pheasants (like this one on the left).




And this bird here, which is very colorful, but I'm not sure what it is. Any ideas?








It was a very busy weekend, and it was difficult to get up on Monday, but the week is off to a good start, and I'm looking forward to settling into a routine!

Pictures!

My laptop got connected to the internet here yesterday, which makes me feel a bit more at home - using my own computer and programs rather than the school's (especially because the filter on the school's internet wouldn't let me get to facebook! it was horrible!).
This means that I'm now able to upload some pictures I've taken to give you a better idea of where I am.


This is my bedroom. The bathroom is to the left and a short hall with lots of closet space that I don't need! There's also a nice big window seat just on the other side of the lamp.









This is the living room. My bedroom is through a door to the right, and the stove and sink are on the other side of the island to the left. That's the fridge that freezes my milk back in the corner by the window. It's all very cozy :)




I took this from a place where we had dinner last night. The school and where I'm living are just to the left of the saddle in the mountain. The saddle itself is the little town where we can do basic grocery shopping. Down to the right are homes - at night, when their lights are on, the whole mountain just glitters!







This is the sunset.













The first day of school is tomorrow! I met most of my students and their parents today. They're mostly Korean or German, with one Irish and one American; I have 9 total now. My classroom was basically already decorated and set up; I've just made some adjustments and additions. Our first 2 days are planned out, so I'll be busy until Monday working on the actual lesson plans for the rest of the term. They're on the quarter system here, so first term ends in October. It's nice to have it broken up that way - makes it easier to plan.

I never experienced jet lag, which was great - I didn't have time for it! I can't believe I still haven't been here 1 week. It feels like a lot longer than just 5 days!


Please pray that I'll be confident in my lesson plans, that I'll get and stay organized, and for positive working relationships with the rest of the faculty.

Here I Am!

Well, it's 9:00am on Saturday in Pakistan. I arrived yesterday morning at 7:00am and waited around for my luggage for about an hour. When I walked out of the airport, a woman from the school called out my name (I wonder how she knew who I was? Maybe I just stand out that much...) We hopped in a van-type thing and headed up, around Islamabad, into the Himalayan foothills to the school. It was hot and humid, very much like Texas in August, and I'd soaked through my salwar kameez before I ever even got my luggage.

I have my own "flat" in a gorgeous complex with most of the other staff. It's about a 5 minute drive from where we live to the school, so you have to hitch a ride and time it right to be able to get to and from the school with whoever has a car. During the school year, there's a bus that goes back and forth a few times a day.

I was wide awake when I arrived yesterday, having slept very well on both my flight from LA to London and from London to Islamabad, so I was able to stay awake all day and go to sleep at night after dinner like a normal person, which was my plan. So yesterday I got tours of the school, the housing complex, and the little down you can walk to down the road.

We went to a store there where I picked up a few essentials - Lays potato chips, Honey Nut Cheerios, and apple juice. Down the street, you can buy chicken. Live chicken. Which they will kill, clean, and gut for you right there, then you take it home and boil all the meat off the bones to eat. I hear in Islamabad, and maybe Murree proper, you can buy frozen, meatless chicken. I think I'll hold out for that. At least for now. One day I'll experience picking out my own chicken to have killed, but I'm not quite ready for that yet. Accross the street from the chicken place, they have goats tied up for the same purpose, or they have pre-prepared goats - their skinless, gutless bodies hanging by their hairy tails for you to choose from... I'm sure I'll get used to it.

This morning I got a ride over to the school to use the internet (which is where I am now, obviously), and saw my first monkeys! We saw 3 playing in the baptismal oustide by the basketball courts. They are so fun to watch! Though I've been told they are annoying, can be dangerous, and can be rabid. I'm up in the computer room now, and can see the baptismal and basketball court out the window. When I looked out a few minutes ago, there were then at least 6 more monkeys playing in the baptismal and on the court. One monkey climbed up the hoop, sat on the rim, and then climbed in and hung onto the inside of the net. I have a feeling I won't get tired of watching them any time soon.

The school grounds used to be a retreat area for the British Army, so not only is it old, it's also beautiful. It's very foggy up here, very green, and very lush. Walking around, I can't help but think that I'm somewhere between Hogwarts and "Gorillas in the Mist." I've had all the formal tours, but I can't wait to explore more!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the official business - orientation. The students will also start arriving this week. I've met most all of the staff at least once, and everyone is very friendly. The school secretary is from Oregon, but it seems that most everyone else is from New Zealand or the UK.

We're driving into Murree today to do some more shopping. I'm sure I'll have more stories to tell, and will certainly keep you posted!

It was very, very difficult for me to leave San Jose, and almost more so during my layover in LA, because I knew it was the last time I'd be close to anything familiar. Once the plane took off for London, though, I started looking ahead. I haven't felt homesick or lonely at all yet, but please pray that some good friends will come along and relationships will develop with people I can trust and relate to.

Alright. The monkeys are gone and this post is long enough. More to come soon, I'm sure!