Life in IUP land, Indiana, PA

Good to be back, attending MARTI at IUP, for Addictions, drugs and alcohol. Refugee Group was formed since 2015, and Marching for Families, immigrants to be kept together. Life in the US began at IUP, back in 1982, when I was an undergraduate student.

Pindi and Srinigar Memories 74-76

Pindi life 74-76
My story begins and ends in Rawalpindi. My Dad was stationed with UNMOGIP, out of the UN Security Council. It was the mission observer group in India and Pakistan. So, we were 6 months in Srinigar, Kashmir for summers, on the magical, beautiful Dal lakes, and 6 in Pindi. We kids stayed in Pindi attending ISI, in Islamabad. We ended up renting a place near the Mards and Marnells and Van Der Oords, fellow UN families in Pindi. I remember bb guns, fascinating ki...lls of various frogs and birds. My older brother and Rogier let me tag along. I was 10 that summer, leading into fall, when school would start. Bus rides to school with Tarbala Dam kids. One American stayed with us, long brown hair, nice smile, he loved my Moms apple pie! We had a dog, Kalu, only dog we ever had. He was a loyal dog. We had 2 servants quarters, one on the roof, another behind the house. My brother and I would climb to the top and jump down into the servants quarters. We had a mali, gardener and a servant in Kashmir, where my Mom would play Canasta or Bridge in the summer. These were the years I learned, Jeve, jeve Pakistan, Pakistan, Pakistan, jeve Pakistan. I remember Iqbal, who always called me little memsahib Poom. He rewove our beds with the white thick cotton cloths. He ended up in Florida, as he was learning English as he was serving as servant/nanny to my brother and I. He'd take the whole family trout fishing in Srinagar, along the ice cold streams, along the foothills of the Himalayan mountains in the summer. Trout has never tasted better that what he caught that summer! A magical Shangrila, that Kashmir! The houseboats, chikara rides, etched in my mind forevermore.

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  Poom: Isn't Kashmir reputed to be Shangrila?

   
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  Alex: We lived in New Lalazar across from Attock oil refinery and Ayub Hill where UNMIGIP was located. If you were playing with Roger you might have been on the other side of town with the Toluopis' Lazaro's and Santo's.

   
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  Alex: The Shalimar gardens were in Srinigar. I always considered those gardens as a shangrilla

   
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  Rick: I liked the wallahs who'd row their wares to the houseboat selling everything one could imagine. I even got a Kashmiri "poncho" tailor-made: the kind under which they'd put heated coals to warm themselves in winter. Still have it, too! Do you know the name of those coats?

Alex graduates in 2014

Alex graduates in December from UTexas. Time flies. We go back to Texas in Dec. Woo hoo!!!

Fireflies, gleaming in the night...

Back in Pittsburgh, PA, after 26 years, graduated from IUP, and here we are, back in PA! Love the spring, and summer should be nice, as the Taylor Reunion, the Walkers, all of Jim's family~ and.. as we march into spring, pass the summer solstice, and I love watching the fireflies, gleaming in the night, flickering their signs to each other, into the night, magical. Miss Alex, at UT, in Texas, but, Galveston calls, so heading back to the sea, in July!! Life is good, chai yo, la chaim, to life!

Marching into spring!

Pittsburgh is getting fun! Meeting wonderful new friends at the YMCA, and connecting with CAC and AIS friends in DC and New York. Alex is in UT and a junior!! Jim is happy with Baker Inc, and I am happily and slowly job hunting. My family are fine, in Florida and NJ, along with my Thai family, back home. As for Taylors, Grandpa Floyd holds strong in early onstage Alz. Has progressed really slowly, so, we are happy that he is doing well. 2013 is turning out to be great, went to see the groundhog, and he predicted Spring is around the corner!! That it is! It was cold in Punxy, and ... once was enough. Maybe one more time, but, 10 degrees is really cold!! Way below freezing!

2012 Year of the Black Water Dragon!

From the Wood Dragon, good times to come! Sad year, Nan died in 2011. But, got to meet more CAC-ers in Galveston at beachhouse!

Upcoming reunion, Alex in second year at Tech, made Dean's List, and we are all in good health, the Sun-Taylor family!

Looking forward to a great 2012!

CAC 2011 Galveston Beach House Fun in Galveston

Mark came to town, we all got together, and ended up at Bermuda Beach in Galveston. Fun 3 days, with Linda D., Elena, Bill, Venecia, Hamdi and lots of CAC visitors! Barbara, Karen, Carol and Lisa stopped by from my library peeps! Jim cooked for us, and was a great host!

Found coquina clams, bicuspid valves and all, see Facebook for pictures!