#2 Pakistan.... Where'd That Day Go? I Want It Back!!

Dear Fellow Travelers,

I had been fascinated by watching the monitor on the airplane that showed our route.... we fly over Ireland, England, Copenhagen, then bend southward, over Istanbul, the Tigris river, then comes Mosel, Kirkuk, Mesopotamia, now Bagdad., Fallujah and Najaf we continue along the

Tigris river...we're 865 miles from Dubai where we will change planes and on to Lahore, Pakistan....flying further southwest towards Kuwait and across the Persian Gulf....where we find Dubai perched along the shore...

This Emirates airline is kind of fascinating... we're flying on a super jumbo plane - an AirBus 300 I think it's called.... two stories on the inside. We're down in coach class but I've been told that upstairs in first class there are tiny little individual bedrooms! But even down in the belly of this beast, it's a beautifully appointed airplane! I'm particularly fascinated with the star lit ceiling.... it is lit with tiny pin point star lights that gently changes from sunrise to evening sky using a wash of lights.. .... In the morning, the tiny points of star light in the ceiling are washed with sunrise soft pinks and lavenders and the side interior walls are washed with golden light... as if the sun has risen..Then as evening falls, the colors gradually fade to deep evening blues then to inky black with the tiny pinpoint stars shining through. The uphoslstry on the seats is the softest soothing wavy patterns of dove gray, coral, lavender, sage...

We arrive in Lahore about 2 am and are met with a HUGE line to get through customs, people crowded- their fronts touching your back - their luggage bumping your feet; jockeying for position to get in front of you.... we're all pretty loopy by this point... a suitcase is lost.. we leave the airport and are met by Cheryl (Dean of Students at Forman Christian College) with a big smile and two vans to carry us and our luggage.. We drive to Forman Christian College and are stopped once at a check point - guards with guns, the guards crane their necks to look inside at us.. when they see we are westerners, they wave us through and we arrive at FCC about 4:30 am..... bleary eyed and ready to drop! It's dark and misty can't see anything but we stumble into our house and drop on the bed and to sleep!!!

Blissful sleep and then up again at 9 am... so about four hours of sleep. This morning we took a walking tour of the Forman Christian College. The students look like students everywhere except they're wearing uniforms with the boys wearing ties. Some of the girls wear the traditional and beautiful Shalwar Kameeze. They glance our way shyly and we say Good Morning! They smile and answer politely in English.

Next went for a formal visit with Dr. Peter Armacost who is the Rector (President) of the college... He was formerly the President of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg! So we feel a Florida connection with him. It was a good discussion of the current conditions here at Forman. I think I already mentioned that this college was founded in the 1800's by Presbyterians but as part of a political turmoil, it was taken over by the government about 1972. It was under government control until around 2003 when it was returned to the Pesbyterian Church.. During the time of government control the buildings and grounds were taken over by squatters and the educational program was in shambles. Dr. Armacost was the person (along with many members of the faculty and staff) who led the charge to return the campus to a place of top quality education.

After lunch outside with students, we attended a beautiful regular Friday chapel service. After the worship service, we had a unique opportunity to have some quiet conversation with a group of Christian students.... what an experience that was! The young people spoke so eloquently of the challenges of being a minority in Pakistan. Most Muslims had never known Christians as intelligent, educated people... only as serving people of a lower class. Forman College provides an opportunity for Muslims and Christians to learn side by side.... and also women and men to learn side by side.... both are very unusual in Pakistan. It was delightful to hear of the friendships between the two faiths that have developed. Christian's made up only 2% of the population.

You may have noticed that you haven't heard from me since that first email.... I've had quite a hard time with my Outlook Express and have just now figured out an alternate way to send emails! So now I should be back in cyberspace! I've spent so much time trying to get reconnected that I'd neglected my journaling for two days! Now I'm going to get back into the swing!!

The Pakistani people are incredibly welcoming and hospitable! We are safe and happy!

We've had a very full day today and it's now almost 11 pm here.. so I've got to get to sleep and be ready for tomorrow's adventure!

Godspeed to each of you and many thanks for your prayers and your love that is being sent to us!

jean

By the way.... food is wonderful and tea (chai) is outstanding!