I guess today is the day I can stop complaining to my husband that we have so little contact with the local culture. The school annually marks Nigeria’s independence day with a culture day. For the entire day classes are suspended, so the school community can enjoy the exhibits and performances not only by students but also by local artists, performers, and vendors.

We joined other teachers in scrambling to buy fabrics and getting tailors to suit us up. As it turns out, this is the one day when the school is transformed from the red, white, blue, and khaki colors of the uniform to a dazzling variety of prints and patterns. Families wore matching outfits, but the women with the most elaborate headdresses were the real head turners.

I particularly enjoyed the bazaar, naturally. The organizers had the foresight to set a price limit on vendors, so the students will be able to afford the items sold. Vendors who sold beads, earrings, bangles; music instruments; carved canes; kalabash art and baskets probably made a killing in spite of the price ceiling. They quickly ran out of drums and basket bags from Ghana.

The food was also great. I know I wanted to go back for more joloff rice and suya (barbecued beef). And there was enough to feed the students, parents, staff as well as the participating artists who shared with students their skills on henna painting, hair tying, storytelling, and beading.

This year’s celebration focused on the state of Edo, and we had representatives from the capital of Benin joining in the festivities. The students performed a royal dance and a fashion show. This video clip features a dance troupe doing the “real thing.”

We all wore shalwar kameezes yesterday to join the school celebration of Pakistan Day. This was both a fun and a sad day for me. The Pakistan Day fair at school has always been my favorite school activity, so I became a little sentimental towards the end when I realized this was our last opportunity to celebrate it.

It was hard to say if there were more or better items on sale at the mela, but I was pleased to see some familiar faces among the vendors. I’ve been looking forward to this day, more so than the previous years, because I wanted to get a few more souvenirs of Pakistan before we leave the country for good in June. But James had to be entertained first. We picked a basketball, cricket ball, and cricket hat for him. Well, I made an executive decision on the hat, because James hates hats. I also got him a balloon and quickly pushed the stroller away in the opposite direction while he kept gesturing and making uh-uh noises at more balls and balloons.

We made our way to his dad’s music room, and right outside were the camels, ox cart, and horse cart for children to ride on. That got his attention. Brian finally showed up, munching a paratha roll. We decided to go to the cafeteria so James could have his favorite chapati. Then while Brian looked after James, I did my rounds with the vendors and bought some kurtas, pashmina scarves, bangles, rugs, etc. And of course I didn’t have enough cash. But one vendor graciously told me to just come by his shop whenever I could to pay. And still I didn’t have enough to buy a piece of truck art to add to my collection. Unfortunately the guy doesn’t have a shop in Islamabad either. I was disappointed, while Brian’s reaction can only be described as relieved.

The highlight of the day was of course the assembly program. I was so proud and happy for Brian when the All-Girls Choir sand the Pakistan national anthem acapella and in 3-part harmony. They sang so beautifully, and with just a few hours of practice. It has always been Brian’s goal for years to have his choir perform the national anthem. Now we’re thinking about recording it so it can be played over and over again.

The school hired a coordinator to handle everything, and he brought dancers and musicians to perform traditional dances. I was also looking forward to the Khattak dance, which is a military dance performed with swords. There were also impressive performances by Punjabi dancers and musicians.

A mela is a fair, and it’s one of my favorite events in Islamabad, especially when gift items, handicrafts, and souvenirs are going to be the items for sale. Besides carpets, Pakistan has a fun variety of handicraft items worth collecting or buying as presents for family and friends. That is why the annual Pakistan Day mela organized by our school is one of the events I look forward to all year. It is held every March, giving me a rich opportunity to shop for presents to bring home during our summer break. Not only that, our Pakistan Day celebration also features camel rides, performances by bhangra drummers and dancers, and yummy Pakistani food like somozas and pakoras.

This year’s celebration was different in two ways. First of all, my husband was out of the country with 20 students to attend the festival of choirs in Muscat, Oman. Second, I’ve been on sick leave for two weeks due to my tree pollen allergy and not having an ayah to look after our baby. But I still went to school, bringing baby J with me, who was dressed in his first shalwar kameez. I also signed him up for the fashion show, and had him wear a shirwani, the Pakistani wedding outfit. But poor baby got overstimulated and fell asleep when the fashion show started.