1.17.04
There were wolves baying at the moon and angry, I-mean-business barks and growls piercing the night. A moment of disorientation and quiet descended and then was shattered by further yips and yaps and yelps. According to the Winnie-the-Pooh clock on the wall that had been keeping time with non-synchronic beats, it was 3:30 a.m. -- there's a 3:30 in the morning now? Several thoughts occurred to me: I was in Islamabad (even if my circadian rhythms were still in the U.S.); I was now fully awake with no possibility of sinking back to sleep; and the guard dogs next door were mighty upset about something (possibly intruders, possibly wild boars, possibly a threatening leaf on a tree branch) and wanted the whole neighborhood to know it. Apparently, the whole neighborhood (my sister included) successfully managed to ignore or block out the incessant barking as I was the only one creeping around the house looking for snacks and a comfortable place to read. On her way to medical school classes, by 6 a.m., Chai found Professor Baji, in the lounge, with a candlestick. Well, replace "candlestick" with "Into Thin Air by Krakauer" and you win.

After a hearty breakfast, it was time for lunch. We went to my grandfather's house where we were wildly entertained by my mother arguing with her father over the precise events that occurred on the day umpteen years ago when the principal of her school called my grandfather in for a discussion over my mother's behavior. We lingered over lunch and pored over family photographs ranging from the early 1900s to the early 2000s.



I heard a strange buzzing coming from my bag and it wasn't until I cautiously and with great trepidation opened it that I realized the sound was from my borrowed cell phone. My uncle had lent me a cell phone to call or 'to text' (a perfectly cromulent verb nowadays) our tech-savvy family in order to make plans, call ahead, and goof off. It was our first full day in town and I was already receiving phone calls!

The call was from my cousin who, cognizant of our limited time in town, offered her services to chauffeur us to the shops at F-7's Jinnah Super, F-6's Supermarket, and F-6's Kohsar Market for some whirlwind browsing. Driving back and forth, we saw familiar friends (Mr. Books! Book Fair! I've missed you!) and hated enemies (although I can't remember if the family ban was proclaimed against United Bakery or Prince Bakers). Mentally marking the cool clothing boutique Khaadi for a return visit, we returned home for dinner and half a game of Monopoly that involved quite a bit of yelling, cheating, fining, and shady transactions. I think I won.

Stay tuned for the next episode: Freezing in the Foothills of the Himalayas.