Eiszeit and Christmas Ball

Overnight the temperatures dropped, letting the leaves on the ground now glitter with a rim of white frost in the early morning hours. The guards put on their gloves and woolen hats and try to stay warm during the night with small fires, that give a cozy light, but a strong smell of burning wood throughout the Enclave.

And along with the quick and dramatic drop of temperatures plunges also the crucial relationship of Pakistan to a new freezing level. The boycott by Pakistan of the Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, followed by an attack of Pakistani terrorists on Afghanistan soil, claiming more than fifty victims, does not help to secure the solidarity of the international community.  The closing of all NATO supply routes through Pakistan in the aftermath of the tragic Mohmand incident leaves the port of Karachi clogged not only with supplies for NATO, but with commercial goods meant to be delivered throughout the country as well, many of them perishable.
The government calls back more than twenty of its Ambassadors for consultations over the current crises. According to the media, they urge the government to immediately reopen the supply routes, arguing that the country's foreign policy should be based on strategy, not sentiments.

A coffee with friends last Friday, still warm enough to sit outside at Kohsar Market, and a young Senator passes by with pale face and serious look in a hurry, on the way to the Assembly, "trying to safe Democracy", as she says. It is the same place where Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was murdered a year ago, and politicians like her still represent the resilience and hope for the country.

Better not to rely on the political situation for a festive and peaceful atmosphere in this time of the year, the holiday season. My plan to organize a Christmas Ball - originating for a dance - takes shape and is met to my big surprise by enthusiasm not only among diplomatic friends, but particularly among the Pakistani invitees as well.
The challenge of finding the right accessories for creating a Christmas atmosphere in a country that calls itself "Islamic Republic" is luckily met by great support from the local staff helping me find solutions for whatever idea I come up with! Large twigs of conifers, pines, boxwood, every greenery that I find in the garden and Margallah hills are brought and tied into impressive garlands and wreaths, tirelessly, by the gardeners enjoying the last warming sun rays in the courtyard. A mountain of pine cones is distributed in every room of the house.

A browse through the romantic tiny ribbon shops with their endless choice of ribbons in every shape, size and colour, but just not in plain red and required size, let me finally buy twenty meters of red fabric and cut it into stripes - voila, the decoration for the garlands! In a garden furniture shop I find rustic lanterns and rent their whole stock - only to find out later that finding candles will be the next challenge.

It takes a whole day trip to Rawalpindi through the markets to find the candle manufacturer - unfortunately too late to have them made to order (that can be done!) we take whatever suits best in size and have them carried back through all the angles and corners of the closely crowded shops to the car.

My friends from the Wild Gang help tying lady garlands with greenery and red roses for the ball, drinking hot chocolate with Kirsch and tasting and commenting politely each others Christmas cookies - we are still friends!

The chefs heat the ovens and start their work, all candles lit, musicians on their pillows tune their instruments and only snow is missing...

                                                         Merry Christmas!

Bazaars, Bazaars of Many Kind...

December is bazaar season - here in Islamabad as in other parts of the world. Women are baking cookies and cakes for the German bazaar, glühwein and beer is being served, along with Thüringer Schweinsbratwurst. Dresdner Weihnachtsstollen is also very much in demand. A cardboard snowmen, a cardboard Christmas tree, a wreath bring a certain reminder of Christmas mood in Germany at this time of the year.

The British "Mela" gives us the opportunity to buy lemon curd, orange marmalade and Christmas pudding, again made by women, now by the British community, and lots of local artworks and handycraft - with an additional charge on the price for a good cause and for having foreigners buy all those products.

The women of the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) give another interesting perspective of possible bazaar activities. No cell phones or photo cameras allowed (since the event takes place on the premises of the ISI), we are directed into a big room with curtains that don't allow either a view out- or inside and are waiting for the dignitary women to be greeted, who arrive an  hour later and signal the opening of the tea buffet of samosas and well, tea. Then we are guided into another big hall with many elaborate handycrafts by Pakistani women to be sold. Some very driven buyers won't wait out the suggested round to have a view for everyone on all the bed covers, pillows and place mats and reserve immediately what their eyes spot as an object to be bought.

Swiss Food Day brings chocolates, cheese in all varieties, cakes, muffins and Bündner Nusstorte, surprisingly baked by Swiss women this time, Swiss wine and beer that delight not only the few local Swiss and expatriates from western countries, but many Pakistanis alike! A gathering of different generations and various nationalities, all spread out and sitting in the garden and on the grass: a late summer day, so peaceful the atmosphere.

Many, many in need of support. The only challenge is which one to choose among the institutions to help with donations.


Then there is another kind of Bazaar taking place - leading the country on an increasingly difficult ground with little hope for a change for the better. An eye on upcoming election campaigns by involved parties bring an additional element of unpredictability and bold statements that are difficult to evaluate in their meaning. The surprising appearance of  a "memo", written and handed over to the then Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chief of Staffs, Admiral Mike Mullen, right after the OBL raid in Abottabad in May of this year, leaves still everyone in wonder about its origin, intention, meaning and consequences. One of the consequences is the appointment of a new Ambassador to the USA, Sherry Rehman, one of Pakistan's most recognised female politicians, known for her courage to stand up for human rights, media freedom and against honor killings... besides apparently being very glamorous!

Last week's NATO Air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers by mistake dominates the headlines and discussions these days - still much remains unclear by now, but leading the country into an ever more confrontational mood. The boycott of the Afghanistan Conference in Bonn this week is only one of the resulting decisions of the government, renegotiation of all existing anti-terror cooperation agreements with the United States another one.



And I take up running again - in the Diplomatic Enclave - the temperatures allowing long sleeves now! Running in the early crisp hours of the day I got used to the security and military posts along the way - and they to me. Kind nods greet me when passing them by now.
The Enclave has an interesting mix of architecture representing many different countries and security systems - walls in all varieties and heights. The next residence soon to be finished is the Moroccan one in a Moorish style with walls in a new record height.
Behind the barbed wire fence I see a few local houses bundled together and a bunch of boys happily playing, waving at me and shouting: "Hi, how are you?" The American Embassy is close by.
The view so focused on the constant flow of news in newspapers, in talks and on TV (the only English spoken Pakistani News channel shut down this week) now gazing into the distance and wandering with the mind freely. The softly filtered sunlight of autumn shines over the Margallah hills and on the morning dew on the open fields, giving them a silvery shimmer.

Hearing the muezzin calling for prayer at a nearby Mosque I pass a small house "Diplomatic Protection Department", abandoned and from a different era that speaks of how much  has changed here...