These past months have been a swirl of colour and confusion. Stress and love and sadness, all wrapped into a whirlwind. I finished my internship with Pakistan's largest natural gas supplier, and decided, that after 6 months, I needed the salty taste of pork, a glass of wine from my father's cellar, and a motherly hug. As such, I found myself on the other side of the world, prepared for a whole different kind of adventure. On the North American continent we enjoyed the following flavours:

• The wedding of a fabulous friend.
• Shopping (for everything).
• An almost calamitous single engine airplane experience- piloted by my father.
• Lunch at the World's first Chicken Wings restaurant in NY State.
• Continuing on to a fantastic time spent in the Niagara Falls.
• Meeting a class comrade in Toronto for Canadian Beer and Poutine.
• One day, hardly enough, spent in Manhattan with my favorite Austrian (male).
  

In continuation, we headed to Europe. Once in the EU, the whirlwind became stronger, pulling us in deeper, as it was more and more difficult to escape its grasp, we knew we could only fight it by dousing our selves in beer, cheese, wurst, and all around happiness:

• A day in Brussels, meeting with a happy (not flying) Dutchman.
• 3 days in Amsterdam, succumbing to our hangovers, and laying around, par usual with the love of my life, M.
• What was supposed to be a 4 day trip to Berlin, ended up being a 4 + 6 day trip, as my grandfather planned his demise perfectly in accordance with my schedule...
• This left only 3 days in London. Three. Days. Is. Not. Enough.

The morning of our departure, S. and I had a slight feeling of illness...by the time we got off the Tube at Heathrow airport, we were full on ill. Trying, of course, to hide the fact from any airline official, due to what we assumed would be threats of H1N1, we got into the Pakistan International Air (PIA) que. We were determined to introduce swine flu to Pakistani's, as their love for swines left much up to the imagination. When we entered PIA's area, we were asked about eight times whether we were in fact in the right que, and if we in fact knew where Lahore is, and in which country. As terrorist activities in Pakistan had increase substantially in the past month, we were as of yet still slightly unsure of our imminent return. We decided that if we were asked a ninth time, whether we 'shouldn't be in the que for a different airline', we would run across the hall where we had already spotted a Japanese Airlines flight boarding for Tokyo.

Alas, no other inquiry was made into our proposed destination, and here we are, back in Pakistan. I have been in this country for one month now. I have left the house only twice. Now, I know what you're thinking; bomb blasts and militant fighting in front of my door, sweltering heat, mosquitoes and death at ever corner, oh the horror. (Un)Fortunately this is not the case. I broke my foot. I am going to implement the famous 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy here, and just continue on with my story. Well, actually, sitting at home for a month is fairly boring, and there really isn't much to tell...

Friends have been extremely supportive, and S. has been taking care of me like my mum would. Amazing, really.

On Tuesday (The World celebrates Eid this weekend) I will go to my first day of work. I am nervous, as most are on their first day, I am also nervous, because it will be my first time leaving the comforts of my home with crutches, and with the hope that, on this particular day, the elevator at work will be functional, both in the morning and in the evening.

Wish me luck.
I will update after the weekend, as Goats, Sheep, Cows and Camels will be slaughtered for Eid throughout the Muslim world, and I reckon, this could be fairly interesting....