We met in Missisippi in 2000, a year after I quit my PR job in Cebu, Philippines to become a teacher. Brian had been teaching at Magnolia Junior High in Moss Point as band director for one semester when I joined the school as technology teacher. My time in the US was short-lived, as I got a job in Thailand. Before I left for Bangkok Brian took me on our first adventure together, a four-week roadtrip to his hometown of Chelan, Washington.
From 2001-2002 we stayed in touch by chatting thru Yahoo and MSN messenger. I told him about my wonderful experiences teaching at Thai-Chinese International School, and fun adventures in Bangkok. When he came to visit for Christmas we traveled to Cambodia and visited the Angkor temples. He joined me the following school year, and we were fortunate that TCIS hired him as well. We traveled to Vietnam during winter break and he proposed on a junk boat in Halong Bay. Sixty people including our parents and fellow teachers, plus three monks and a 6-month old elephant participated in our wedding in Phuket on Jan. 21, 2004.
We loved Thailand and the Thai people. We enjoyed all our trips to the islands of Samet, Phi Phi, Phuket, Krabi; the River Kwai at Kanchanaburi, floating market of Damnoen Saduak; ruins and temples in Ayuttaya, Chinagmai, and Sukhothai. and the malls , cineplexes, and restaurants — not least of all the street food — of Bangkok. During our three-year stay in Thailand (four for me) we also traveled to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, Germany, and of course, the Philippines and United States. Then we moved to Islamabad in 2005 and have been here since.
Life in Pakistan is a lot more interesting and less dangerous than most people think. This beautiful country is blessed with a rich history and amazing sceneries. We visited the Mughal temples in Lahore, toured Buddhist and Hindu ruins, hiked to Fairy Meadow to se Nanga Parbat, traveled along the Karakoram Highway all the way to the Khunjerab Pass and border to China, and went in one of the world’s largest salt mines. We vowed to visit Swat Valley and Hunza again if we could, and Skardu, too.
In November 2007 I gave birth to a baby boy six weeks before his due date. He was delivered right here in Islamabad. I just turned 41 and everyday with James has been a day of wonder and discovery since.
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