Brad met the Shah family through the 13 y/o son, Aftab, a few months ago. Brad had landed at the Booni polo ground, exhausted after 6+ hour flight, and Aftab invited him home for food and to rest. Brad went, more than once, and they invited him back whenever he was around. We stop in a little before dinner. They are a family of 5 girls, one boy, and the parents. Most speak good English.
Aftab is away at school in Gilgit. Sahib, the father, and Shahida, 20 y/o daughter, take us to
the guest house. The main room is about the same as Inayat’s, but with a table in the corner, a few family pictures and a picture of the Aga Khan, the Imam of the Ismailis. We five sit on the floor and chat. Sahib works for a health agency in Chitral town and is gone from Monday morning to Sat. He provides education of some kind to clinics in the region. Brad shows him paragliding pictures, and I talk with Shahida.She just finished her exams and expects to get her degree (like a US associate degree) in chemistry, but says she’s not a good student. She makes good eye contact, and is very comfortable to talk with. She’s bright, pretty, and has a nice, firm handshake. She wants to be a health worker like her 23 y/o sister who works in a village several hours away. We talk for a while, then she leaves.
A few minutes later she’s back with a pitcher, a basin and a towel. The basin catches the warm water she pours over my hands. As we wash our hands two other daughters bring in the food. As at Inayat’s, we sit around the tablecloth on the floor and eat meat, veggies, rice, chipotti and bread. It’s tasty and ample. Sahib and Shahida stay and eat with us; the rest of the family are eating elsewhere. After dinner we say goodbye to Sahib and Shahida, then to the rest of the family, including an extra aunt and a few cousins. I don’t think the mother speaks English, but she smiles. It’s been a fine evening, and the first of numerous gracious visits to the household.
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