Becoming Un-Mad

Becoming Un-Mad

 

Yesterday (mon. 12/20) Surkhab and Zamurad took me to the local tailor so I could get measured for my dress shalwar kameez.  Surkhab had given me one to work in but I needed another I could keep clean so I could be presentable.  I told him I'd never been measured for anything in the U.S and that, being an old hippie (I had to explain that word to him) I tended to worry little about my outward appearance (concentrating instead on my inner beauty, or lack of).  He said that in Pakistan folks do consider appearance important and that folks who look like I did when I first showed up (before the haircut and beard trim) looked…..(he searched for a word)…."mad".

 

Well, I certainly don't want my hosts embarrassed so I went along with the upgrade without protest.  Heck, I might even get used to looking "distinguished".

 

I also got re-acquainted with my luggage which Zamurad picked up for me in Islamabad (6 hour round trip).

 

We then went back to the job site where I tried again to get the hang of putting up the earthen plaster (the origin, I assume, of the term "mud" used by drywall finishers).  I'm pretty bad at it but at least I know what it's supposed to look like (nice and smooth).  Haddi and Sarfaraz do this quite well and have an interesting technique.  They start by taking a spatula-like trowel and "flipping" the mud onto the wall with a twist of the wrist.  Once on the wall it gets spread out using a standard metal trowel that a concrete finisher would use.  They continue to work with it until the wall is flat and the texture quite smooth.  And, because we are NOT building a McMansion, it only took about 1 day to do the entire inside of the house.  This house is 24' x 24' on the outside, with 2 equal rooms of 10' 9" x 13' 9" and a covered veranda of 22' x 8'.

 

Yesterday's highlight came after work.  Haddi brought his brother-in-law (Manzoor) with him back to my place (Haddi has been cooking for me).  Manzoor speaks some English, enough that, along with some pantomime, some repetition and a lot of patience, we could talk some.  Later on the Paksbab carpenter, Zuficar, stopped by and the 4 of us had a jolly good time.  They explained, for example, that Islam allows a man to have 4 wives, but that is usually reserved for the wealthy.  Haddi and Tabrez have only 1 each and Manzoor is not married.  I expressed the chauvinist opinion that 1 wife would be quite enough for most folks and, laughing, they all agreed.

 

Later on we delved into the political realm (surprise, surprise) and the existence, or lack thereof, of the Taliban, Al Quaeda and Osama Bin Laden was discussed.  I think Haddi put it best when he waved his hand and blew a puff of air from his mouth in response to all 3.  Clearly he, as the others, do not consider them real, much less a threat.  I will pursue this topic with Surkhab and/or Zamurad so we can do so in English.

 

The rest of the evening was spent looking at pictures on my computer, in particular the straw bale home I live in.  We also played some music (they were disappointed that I did not have any Michael Jackson).

 

I'm having the same problem I had in New York.  These guys would stay up until who knows when so I have to shoo them away so I can get some sleep.  But it's all good, I really enjoy their company.

 

Today we paint.  Onward and upward!