Home leave was exhausting! Don’t get me wrong. I was happy to see everyone. People hosted me, massively rearranged their schedules to make time for me, and/or worked with my last minute availability. I am so appreciative. But all the bouncing around (Seattle, Minnesota and Michigan, California, D.C., Connecticut) was a LOT.
Questionable Food and Beverage Choices in the Midwest
Cabin time in the upper peninsula of Michigan
Add lost luggage and cancelled flights to the mix, and I have to figure out something different for my next home leave. My preference would be to chill out in/near Seattle. If I rented a house with spare bedrooms would people visit? Seattle’s amazing in the summer!
The mountain is out!
Anyway, I have two years to figure that out.
During my time in D.C. I took a short class at FSI (Foreign Service Institute), which is back to in-person classes. When I started in 2018, I learned the FSI cafeteria was the place to witness reunions among people who had served together at one post or another but hadn’t seen each other in awhile. “Will that be me someday?” I wondered. Yep. Literally day one, five minutes in.
I also saw my sister, got in some final meals, and managed one bit of sightseeing with a visit to Arlington House, home of traitor to his country Robert E. Lee.
Then it was off to Islamabad, with a one-night rest stop in Doha where I wondered about the wisdom of scheduling said rest stop in a city where August temps reach 115°during the day. I did venture out, but only by night.
The old market, Souq Waqif, was a short but sweaty (at least it’s a dry heat!) walk from my hotel and I loved it. It was like Disneyland Morocco. While it was one hundred percent an Arab souk, and therefore familiar and comforting, it had none of the catcalling or the hygiene concerns that I expect from a visit to Marrakech or Fes. I got enough of a taste of Doha to want to return (in the winter), which is great because it’s an easy long weekend away from Islamabad.
Remember how when I was in China I was basically locked inside the country for 18 months (because of Chinese policies) and couldn’t do leisure travel anywhere else? Here in Pakistan I have very restricted movements within the country (because of U.S. policies) and can only do leisure travel somewhere else. Who wants to meet me in Istanbul, Doha, or Muscat (Oman)?
Speaking of freedom of movement, I need to dispel some misconceptions. Yes, I live on compound here. And with three restaurants, a bar, and a commissary on embassy grounds, I don’t necessarily need to leave. But I am not confined to compound.
I can stray, with some caveats. We have a curfew (1:00 am – 5:00 am, as if I’ve been out during those hours any time in the last decade).There are areas of the city we are not allowed to visit or may only visit with permission. I can freely walk around the diplomatic enclave (the area surrounding the U.S. embassy), but have been told that after dark I may encounter wild boars. I am not allowed to use local transport, but am allowed to use government cars and drivers as my own personal taxi service.
In my first two weeks I have left compound to visit my colleague’s favorite bookstore, two of her favorite carpet and textiles vendors, three of her favorite restaurants (Thai, Pakistani, Afghan), and her tailor. I see bespoke linen dresses in my future. (A-line to hide the food baby I’ll be growing with all these samosas and chapati and kebabs.)
These were all within the area I am allowed to roam, but on another day we went to my colleague’s favorite furniture maker, in a “with permission only” section of the city, requiring a bit more advance planning.
This furniture maker uses reclaimed wood from abandoned buildings to fashion into new pieces
Some “special incentive posts” allow you to save money not just because of the extra pay, but because you can’t really leave your house and there is nothing to spend your money on. That is clearly not going to be the case in Pakistan.
I could really use some new pieces to spice up my bland apartment! But the apartment is fine, if not as fancy as what I had in China. There’s definitely no robot bringing me takeout orders. I can hire a housekeeper, but there’s also no in-house cleaning service providing light vacuuming and twice a week sheets/towels/toilet paper refresh for a mere $600 a year. I am longing for my HHE (household effects) to arrive with my precious robovac! Once I get my stuff and I purchase the inevitable rugs and custom made furniture, I hope to be pretty comfortable here for the next year.
In Foreign Places 