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5 Hearing From Lois

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Buses were usually full, so people hung on wherever they could. 5 We Hear From Lois Rich and I were excited to be going to Pakistan for two years. I loved that Rich shared my sense of adventure, and together we would have the opportunity to live and travel in the subcontinent. We expected new experiences, and we were not disappointed. Pakistan was mind expanding, colorful, fascinating, and exotic. It was also overwhelming. We saw and experienced many things that were entirely new to us. At first, the constant novelty was exciting. But the longer we stayed, the more difficult it became to relax. Little by little, stress accumulated. One of the hardest things for me was living in the midst of so much visible suffering. Suffering is part of life, but most of the time our lives are carefully constructed so that we are not aware of it. We choose comfort, beauty, familiarity, and people who make us feel safe. In Pakistan, suffering was not hidden away. It was everywhere. In the late 1970s, P...
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4 Fall 1976

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 4 Fall 1976 Mount Ararat The Pakistan Air Force College (PAFCAE) is on the trimester system. We arrived late for the Fall trimester due to problems getting a visa. Rich dove in and started teaching almost immediately, and got his stride quickly, since the courses he was teaching at PAFCAE are the same as he taught at the Air Force Academy.  We find that the pouch mail system through the US Consulate that brings letters and needed items from the States takes about 14 days to get to Pakistan. So, we need lots of planning, and waiting for items that we need. As for phoning home, it costs about $30 for a short call, so we write letters to give our loved ones the news. It’s isolating, as our friends and family don’t realize that we feel cut off from them. And the phone system is not reliable anyway. We get several calls a day, and when we pick up, we hear “kuan bol hai?” which means “who is speaking?”. So, someone calls us and asks us who we are? Huh? In the Western world it’s the...
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3 Rich's Job

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 3 Rich’s Job Rich’s job at the Pakistan Air Force College of Aeronautical Engineering (PAFCAE) is undefined. It has been for years. Rich assumes that his mission entails teaching the Pakistani cadets to the best of his ability, fostering strong relationships between the USAF and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), and helping the Aeronautical Engineering department function efficiently.  Rich’s boss in the department is Wing Commander S. T. Ali, the department chair. S. T. is a superb leader and colleague. He consults with the Pakistani officers who make up the faculty, as well as asking Rich for advice on occasion. Rich is commander of the small unit of two Air Force officers at PAFCAE. He wants to get some things in writing so we can take leave, and do our own administrative work without sending it all up-country to the Colonel who is the Defense representative in Islamabad (Iz lom uh bod), the capital city. These are not big concerns, but they make a very pleasant assignment jus...
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2 Servants

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Market Servants, like children, can bring joy and sorrow. After we settled into our huge house for a few days, we had to choose which servants we wanted. Both of us wanted none, as we liked to do things ourselves, but we both knew that was highly impractical. So we eliminated a cook, as Lois wanted to provide most of the meals. We eliminated an indoor sweeper too, as it seemed like the house would become a zoo. We decided on a bearer, a laundry man (dhobi), (pronounced dough bee), and an outside sweeper. Of course we have our “limo” drivers, but we share them with the other USAF couple, (the Madsen’s) who live a mile or two away. Mohammed Usman (Oos mon) Khan drives one car, mainly driving the men back and forth to work at Korangi (Core ang ghee) Creek. Usman is very devout, and loves his time being at PAFCAE, as he can read the Koran. Mohammed Akram Butt drives the other car, and mainly serves the two ladies. Butt is more fun loving, and delights in taking the ladies shopping, or buyi...
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1 Getting There

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Adventures in the Sub-Continent How could a newly-wed couple living in almost-paradise in Colorado Springs end up in Karachi, Pakistan a few months later? Rich was an Air Force captain teaching Aeronautical Engineering at the Air Force Academy. Lois was using her Med Tech degree working in a local hospital. We went skiing every winter and camped in the mountains when the weather got warmer. Shirley, the emeritus secretary who really ran the Aeronautical Engineering Department, came into the prof’s cubicles in May 1976 and asked if anyone wanted to teach at the Pakistan Air Force College of Aeronautical Engineering (PAFCAE). Many of us professors knew that the Department Head, Col. Daley, had started PAFCAE about 10 years previously, and that Academy Aero professors volunteered to go there on a 2-year assignment.  Rich told Shirley he was interested, but needed to talk with Lois. When we talked that evening, Lois said it sounded like an exciting adventure. This is one reason why we ...
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