John left late Saturday night for Bahrain where he spent the week in a training class, leaving me to my own devices until his return in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. He had a lot of fun and came away with some useful management tools. He said Bahrain was HOT, but he enjoyed the trip and made a lot of new friends in the class.
Last Sunday I went to a nice brunch hosted by Juan and Chesa to welcome our new NIV Zach to the section. They are wonderful hosts and had lots of good food, music, and conversation. I left there to meet Carolyn and Sunera at a fancy Pakistani dress shop where they tried on clothes for two hours – shopping for an upcoming wedding here. Then Sunera and I peeled off and shopped a bit more in the F-7 market. Fun!
I celebrated my birthday in a pretty lowkey but nice way. I got lots of nice messages from friends on Facebook and on email. I especially appreciate the donations to Out of the Woods animal rescue back in Little Rock that my mom and in-laws made for me. My friend Brad and I had drinks at the Club after work. Then I spent the evening doing what I did the other nights John was away: watching the most recent season of “Downton Abbey”!
Saturday I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the gym early as usual, then worked till around noon, taking some time out to hit the Embassy yard sale first. Then I picked up Brad and he gave me his personal tour of the F6 market – we went in several furniture stores, jewelry shops, a stationer, etc. – lots of fun and I saw some shops I had never seen before.
Wednesday I attended a brown bag lunch viewing of a documentary about Himalayan brown bears that live in the north of Pakistan. It was interesting but also depressing since their habitat is so threatened – and I don’t have high hopes that the government of Pakistan will step in to do much. It’s kind of crazy -there are still people living up in the north who basically live the same way they lived 100 years ago, both in villages and nomad tribes who move their goats around. And the weather is so harsh. The documentary was very well done, and was funded from our Ambassador’s grant fund.
My work with the Embassy cats continue this week. I had tried for days to catch a little tortie and I was finally successful on Monday morning; I ran her over the vet before lunch. Before I left the office that evening, I sent an email to the C’Attache group to let them know. One woman immediately wrote back to say, “But her kittens will starve without her!” Oops – turns out the cat had had kittens about a month earlier and I hadn’t realized it! So I had to call the vet and run back across town to get her and bring her home (the vet hadn’t gotten around to looking at her yet). She meowed loudly at me the whole way, as if to say “I tried to tell you, lady!”
I love your Blog, as always.
I particularly like your last paragraph today.
Bless your GOOD heart!