criplomats

This week was pretty quiet and routine. I made it to the gym most every day after work, which is a big accomplishment for me! Most nights John and I watched an episode of “Justified,” which was a lot of fun. It’s chilly here, although many days are sunny enough to sit outside for lunch. Our house is cold, though – tile floors and high ceilings, so we’ve pulled out the electric blanket. Like in the summer when we can’t run the air conditioner all over the house, we only heat the rooms we are in – which is fine, but just a difference from the luxury of central heat!

Last Sunday John and I went to the office to get caught up on some things. The week pretty much just rolled along as usual until Friday – John and I went to happy hour at the club, then he and Rick and I tried a new restaurant, Majjliss. The food was pretty good – the only downside is that people were smoking like crazy inside. It’s so weird, after so many years of smoke-free restaurants in the U.S.

Saturday was a lot of fun. I worked in the morning, so a high-level guy could fly out, and I also got a student’s visa out the door – he was very happy. At noon, John, Rick and I left to go to the Polo Lounge for lunch with Laura, Scott and Michael. Although it was chilly and had been raining, it cleared up and we were cozy in our tent with outdoor heaters. We had a great lunch, then everyone came over to play board games all afternoon. It was so much fun just to hang out around the dining room table and yak and have fun. We had some more snacks, and Michael made homemade bread pudding that was delicious!

Happy birthday to Ginger this week! Someone just posted this old newspaper clipping showing the delegates to Boys’ State – check out John on the front row.

John in high school (front row left)

NY Day with co-hosts Kellee and Jim

We’ve been busy wrapping up 2012 and getting started on 2013!

Last Sunday night, our friend Christy hosted us for a delicious Tex-Mex dinner party – I don’t know where she found all of the ingredients, but we had great chicken enchiladas, refried beans, rice, chips and dip, etc. It was delicious food and good company.

Monday was back to work. The weather has still been sunny enough that we can sit outside for lunch, which is nice, considering we don’t really have any windows in our offices. Michael was absent, as he was spending the holidays with his family – good for him! Monday evening was spent preparing for our New Year’s Day brunch that we co-hosted at our house with Jim and Kellee.

We had a great group on New Year’s Day. We got started around 11 AM and the last folks didn’t leave til 5:30 PM or so. We had blackeyed peas, cornbread, baked purple cabbage (thanks, Muffy!), potato soup, and Kellee’s famous homemade mac-n-cheese. Oh, and ham and John’s delicious smoked chickens! It was a feast, and remarkably, most everything was eaten at the end of the day. We had lots of fun and I think everyone had a good time – a great way to start the new year! Here are a couple more photos:

NY Day with Howie and Petit

NY Day with Carla and Mike

We went back to work on Wednesday  –  I don’t know what it is about short weeks, but they often seem like longer weeks! I was glad to see Friday roll around – it was just “one of those days” on the visa line. A bunch of us ended up at the Club for happy hour after work – a great way to unwind.

The good news is that I got back on the horse and was back on the treadmill this week! I’m trying to get to the gym for a short jog after work. John and I were so good during R&R, then it was hard to get back into the swing of things when we returned to Post.

Saturday was a big day. I met Carla and Kellee at a local Asian restaurant for lunch, then we started a marathon shopping day. We hit our favorite spots, plus we went to the house of a woman who does beautiful (and expensive) marble/lapiz inlay work. It was typically Pakistani – we showed up at her house while she and her family were eating lunch and watching TV, but she graciously showed us to a back room where she keeps her samples. Beautiful work. The lapiz here is amazing.

That evening, my co-worker Antonio had several folks over for an authentic Italian meal – recipes from his grandmother – it was probably the best food I’ve had here. Homemade bruschetta, pasta with homemade sauce, steak, rosemary potatoes, and the piece de resistance – from-scratch tiramisu. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! It was a really nice evening with good company. And I was very proud of myself for eventually finding my way home in an intense fog that rolled in!

While I was out shopping and to dinner, John was enjoying the company of our good friends Scott and Laura, who were teaching him a new board game. I got to visit with them for a while and they seemed to be having a good time:

Laura, Scott and John

In our free time, John and I finished the current episodes of “Homeland,” and have started the series, “Justified.” We were pleasantly surprised to see our college friend Bill Ragsdale in a recurring role!

With Christy, John, Amy, Rick, Carla and Mike Christmas Day

We spent Christmas with a few good friends from John’s section at work. We took the lazy way out and went to the Serena Hotel for their brunch, complete with Pakistani Santa ho-ho-o-ing around. Mike and Carla hosted us for before and after cocktails, and along with Rick, Amy and Christy, we formed our own little family to celebrate. It was a great day!

On Christmas Eve, we were officially off work, but we went in for a while anyway to get some things done. In the afternoon, we watched a few episodes of “Homeland,” then we got dressed and went to a couple of parties.

First, we stopped by the Ambassador’s residence for a bit, then we went to Frank and Lita’s for one of their famous fire pit parties – lots of lawn chairs in the front yard, gathered around their fire pit. They’re great cooks as well – shrimp bisque, chili, and a yummy turkey stew, all served up with cornbread. Couldn’t get much better! Afterward we went to Rick’s for after dinner drinks with him and Amy – a  good day!

Sunday was also fun – Konstantin had us over for a rooftop party. We were in A-100 with his wonderful wife Carolyn. We met a lot of new folks and enjoyed food good and drink sitting on his rooftop.

Wednesday, it was back to work and a crazy day – well, pretty crazy the rest of the week, just trying to get caught up. Thursday after work I had drinks at the Club with my old friend Jason from Juarez days – so fun to yak with him. He was in Consular but now is in another section, and he’s always a hoot to visit with.

Thursday I had lunch with Jim and Kellee at the French Club, across the street from our Embassy. Friday it turned chilly and rainy. John has now moved from Housing into Procurement, and his team took us out to dinner Friday night for a traditional Pakistani meal at a neat restaurant.

Yesterday, we worked in the morning. My visa section was trying very hard to get some Pakistani students to the U.S. in time to start their January semester, so I went in to the office to get some visas out the door. After that, we tried a new spa – “Madame X,” as my friend Luke would say. It’s new, still in growing pains. The generator wasn’t being cooperative while we were there (now we are in rolling blackouts because of electric heating) – but finally the lights and heat came on. We’ll give it another shot, but they have a ways to go!

Saturday night, Rick and Amy came over for drinks, then we went to the Polo Lounge for a nice meal. It’s basically an outdoor restaurant, but in the winter they set up tents and heaters and it’s quite pleasant.

This morning, I ventured out on my own to the market – I was quite proud of myself, although there was no traffic and nothing to be afraid of, but I haven’t really driven around much outside of the Diplomatic Enclave by myself.  John got his meat smoker, and is enjoying being outside this afternoon smoking up three chickens for New Year’s Day – he’s back in his element and having fun!

It’s gotten chilly here, and Flavia is quite happy that we’ve turned on the electric blanket at night. In the mornings, she normally runs to her food bowl when I get up, knowing that breakfast is on the way. But with the cold weather, she’s been jumping instead on her favorite chair, because I turn on the heat in that room while I am getting dressed and the blower blows directly on her sleeping spot. With the scarcity of electricity, we only turn on the heat while we are in a room (no central heat or air) – I guess she’s decided that being warm is more important than eating!

Mr. Khan has cut back all of the roses, and is preparing to put in pansies and petunias, so our garden will look different soon. Right now it looks a little sad because he’s also dug up all of the marigolds (they are big here, about 3″ across).

We hope all of our friends and family had a great holiday – it’s tough being this far away, but we’ve made such good friends that it makes being away a lot easier. I’ve enjoyed my Christmas present from Aunt Bonnie this year – necklace and earrings from Uncle Vince’s rockhound collection, and I’ve loved wearing my hand-loomed wool scarves from John’s great aunt Leanah – memories that money just can’t buy.

Rick and Santa

Brewery workers with stacks of beer in background

The highlight of the week was a fun trip to Murree Brewery that our Community Liaison Office (CLO) put together. It’s the only brewery in Pakistan – they make beer and whiskey, among other things. We got to sample their wares and tour the brewery. They were great hosts, and we had a fun time. We had Jim, Kellee, Rick and his girlfriend Amy (visiting from Jerusalem) and John and me in our van going out there – it’s also just fun to get out and see different parts of the city.

Boy with pick working on the brewery grounds

When we got back, we all went over to Jim and Kellee’s and sat on their rooftop for pizza and drinks, bundling up in blankets and listening to the call for prayer from the nearby mosque.

Tuesday night I ventured out on my own to attend a slide show presentation by a woman who had climbed Everest in 2009. I’ve always been fascinated by Everest since I read Jon Krakauer’s book, “Into Thin Air.” She was very interesting and had some great photos – I was glad I went, not that I ever plan to climb Everest!

Wednesday after work, John and I met Rick, Petit and Howard at the Club and had a fun happy hour together – it’s so nice to have them here.

We went back to the club on Friday for happy hour – it was quite festive. Some of the Mission employees have formed a band and they played. Lots of folks were there, and it was a great way to end the week.

Here are a couple more photos from the brewery trip. Click to see more photos.

John in the whiskey cellar

Rick with cigar during our whiskey tasting

John and Tariq in their traditional garb

The highlight of the week was the staff party that John hosted for his staff in Housing. He is soon rotating to another management position, so to say goodbye, he hosted everyone at a local restaurant. They surprised him with some traditional Pakistani clothing: a pair of sandals, a topi (hat), and a wool man shawl – it was great! The ladies on the local staff dressed up in beautiful shalwar chemises and just looked stunning! It was a fun evening. Click to see all the photos from the dinner.

Sana, Lubna, Nayaab

Another highlight was seeing our good friends Howie and Petit again! You may remember that we first met Petit in Mexico, then she married Howie and came to Tel Aviv…and now they are here in Islamabad! The Foreign Service is a small world indeed! They joined us at brunch on Sunday with my co-worker Kelly from Karachi – along with my good friend Scott, John (of course), and Howie’s fellow RSOs Mike and Justin (we also worked with Mike in Tel Aviv). Follow all that? Simply put, it was wonderful to have a table full of friends, old and new!

Monday night, Scott, Michael and I took Kelly to dinner at a local Asian restaurant – quite nice. The next day, Kelly headed back to Karachi. It was interesting to hear about her life there. The officers all live on the Consulate compound, so she basically eats, sleeps and works with her co-workers. Forays into the city have to be carefully coordinated, so her movements are  pretty limited. Makes me glad we have the freedom we do here in Islamabad – fingers crossed that our security situation will remain stable. I just heard on the news that there were problems again in Peshawar, with reported Taliban attacks at the airport there. It’s a few hours from us and is a completely different world, but we do have staff there, so I hope they are keeping safe.

I’m so lucky to work with my good friends Scott and Michael (I also knew Michael from Juarez.) They never cease to have fun and tease – it seems this week they were in full force. We usually have lunch together, but one day I needed to have lunch with another girl to talk about some specific things. Mike and Scott acted devastated that I would forsake them, and sat at a nearby table. All through lunch, they sent me text messages saying “I miss you” “Why do you hate us” etc., while casting exaggerated sad looks in my direction.

The next day at lunch, the manager of the restaurant came over to my table (where I was sitting with Scott and Michael) to inquire about two pie pans I had neglected to return to the Club. I explained that I would bring them back the next day. Then he came back to the table as I was trying to eat my lunch to keep talking about it. I got a little irritated with him, but explained I would bring them this week. I stopped on the way out to talk to the manager again. When I returned to my desk there was a phone message for me, inquiring about the pie pans! (Obviously the manager had sent it before he saw me at lunch.) I told Scott and Michael about it, and we were all laughing about these darn pie pans. (Honestly, in retrospect, maybe it was Scott or Michael who left the message…I’ll have to check into that!)

The next day, I stayed home sick (the down part of the week) and John took the pie pans to the restaurant manager to deliver them personally.

Well, at the end of the day, I got an email from Michael on my Blackberry. He forwarded a note with the sender shown as the restaurant and the subject was “Mrs. Crippen’s Pie Pans.” The note basically said the restaurant had been trying to reach me about the missing pie pans, and could Michael and Scott please ask me about them.

I hit the ceiling! I immediately dialed the restaurant to complain about the harassment about these pie pans! As the phone was ringing, another message came in on my Blackberry. “Just kidding,” it said.

Touché!