The Final Year Trip

I was so scared I wouldn't be able to go, especially because very few girls were going, and I knew my parents would have a problem about it. But this trip is like the final glaze on the fantastic four years spent at uni, and there was no way I was ready to miss it, even if I was the only female going. The six days we spent touring the northern areas of Pakistan were well worth all the begging, cajoling and anxiety that went before! 

I swear, those six days, it felt like we were in a movie. You know, Dil Chahta Hai type. Or even Rang De Basanti but without the bloodshed. Driving around country lanes with friends, breath taking scenic beauty all around... life was spectacular.   

We spent hours and hours (and hours) in our buses and, later, in our jeeps, singing songs, playing countless hands of bluff, snacking randomly and sleeping [those of us who could].

Zain, asleep on  the poor drivers shoulder on the jeep ride to Astore

The driver finally made him sit in the back!

I could, obviously, sleep.

There were trekking and hiking trips...

 

Hiking to Rama Lake

...and splashing about in nearly frozen lakes...

We had this competition about who could stay in the freezing water longest and I WON I swear

 My shocking pink slipperssss <3

And then there was the trip to the Deosai Plains, to see the spectacular frozen lake. We were the first tourists after the thaw, and locals by the road side cheered up on as we passed through the fantastic vistas in our open jeep. A small pack of wild horses crossed our path, manes flying in the winds, to disappear over a small hillock. The snow, the patches of greenery... even the clouds were amazingly beautiful.

Astore Valley

Astore Valley

A view of The Killer Mountain (NangaParbat) from Raikot

The Deosai Plains

The lake itself just took our breath away. Cradled in the midst of mountains on one side and plains on the others, the lake was absolutely still. It seemed, standing there, as if Time had frozen in that valley. The water of the lake had frozen in waves, each crest and trough easily discernible. We could only stare at it in awe and wonder at the beauty of God and His creations.

The spectacular Deosai Lake

On the way back, we had another amazing experience:

Yes, we peed here.

Yes, the rest of the thirteen vehicles [and some seventy guys] waited =D

The trip would not have been this awesome but for my friends, who stood by me through all my fights with the ignorant faculty supervisor, shared their food with me, got me countless cups of coffee, put up with my bossy ways.... the list goes on and on. =)

Our fugly snow-weirdo in Deosai

Our Rama attempt, Astore

 There was so much dust on the road!

In front of the frozen Deosai Lake

Photography by: Usman Zahid, Najeen, Rehan Tariq, Fahad Raza, Fatema Ahmed

Little Artists!

It's been so long since I last posted, and such a lot of life I've lived in these months! I promise, I've thought about blogging at least every other day, but I don't know why I just wouldn't make the move.

But yes, about my life since May. Well, remember that Sunday in when I had that break down I talked about? Let's take it from there.

I am happy to report that every SINGLE issue I highlighted in that post resolved to the best possible results. That is the beauty of analysis in hindsight. It allows you to see the patterns so clearly - how God had it all planned out from the get-go, and you were just wasting energy hyperventilating about things you cannot control. I am, in no way, against the occasional mellow dramatic breakdown. In fact, I quite enjoy mine, and I have great faith in their contribution to a healthier, happier life. But hindsight makes you feel foolish about it. Some times.

Anyway, I digress. To get back on track, let me tell you about the Little Artists' Competitiiioooonnnn! Eeeeeeks! I get so excited just thinking back about those days! SO much stress - I ACTUALLY cried (with tears and all) when I did not get my designated venue empty and clean in time from the Creative department [who were using it as their work place], the night before the competition! But the excitement, the drama, the thrill of bringing together an event, ensuring everything runs smoothly, last minute issues, dealing with crisis situations [there were many!] and then playing with the children... It was LOVELY! I'm very results oriented, and it was out of this world to get the direct feedback from teachers and parents, as well as see the excitement of the children and know they were able to have FUN!

We had face painting, mask making, macaroni jewellery making, pottery painting, even dancing [waka waka ftw!] along with the actual competitions! My team was one of the largest in the whole of NASCON, and we definitely had the largest number of participants [MORE that eighty kids under the age of twelve and even a couple of babies! <3] compared to any other event! I have to add that every single member of my team pulled their weight. We had the best security, who ensured no kids could run out of our camp area unless escorted by their own parent, teacher, or our team members, even to go to the loo! It is a credit to my fantastic team that, in those two hectic full days, with more than eighty children and at least fifty rotating adults, there was not a single case where a child wandered off or was lost!

The event did not go off without a hitch -there were, in fact, some serious glitches due to miscommunications between participating schools and parents' of participating children [actually nothing to do with us, but we got caught in the cross fire]. Right before the start of the event, the parents assumed it was our mistake and, as the person in charge, I got a fantastic scolding from a few of the more aggressive individuals!

  They do look formidable, don't they?

It makes me happier, today, knowing that we were able to deal successfully with what could have turned out to be the deal breaker issues for our event! There was not a SINGLE parent or teacher who went away unhappy, and the kids just did not want to leave! =D

I was SO in my element rushing around bossing people! =D