March 3rd 9:00PM

Islamabad—American writer, Ursula LeGuin once said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” As I sit here in my hotel room, a place that now feels more like home than my own home, my journey to Pakistan is coming to an end. Having spent over six weeks here, it is going to be hard to go back to my life as it was. Each day here has been a new adventure, full of excitement, fear, anger, sadness, joy, worry and stress. Every second was full of the unknown. I’ve witnessed so many things during my time here. I’ve seen terrorism first hand, the tragic loss of life in a suicide bombing, the face of children who beg for money but are happier with a piece of food, the voice of democracy as protestors take to the streets seeking a new freedom, the pride in a man’s eyes as he pulls back a barbed-wire fence with his bare hands only to get to the other side to shake the hand of a policeman, the sound of police and military beating their batons and firing teargas into a crowd, the pride in a woman having the opportunity to vote, the anguish of a hope lost with the assassination of a beloved leader, tears of joy and hope. Pakistan is a country constantly evolving and unfolding before your eyes. It’s a country on the verge. With each new day, Pakistan becomes an ever more integral part of the international community, and its war, if lost, will be have grave consequences around the world. Time is the only solution, and in time its path will be revealed. I’ve been very fortunate to be a witness to such remarkable-historic times. I hope for the sake of all the great people that I’ve met, and now call my friends, that peace returns to these lands, that their hopes are not left to fade, and that democracy and freedom rise above the horizon, dawning a new day in Pakistan. While my time here is up and I must soon leave Pakistan, Pakistan won’t soon leave me. I’m proud of the work I’ve done here. I’m proud that I didn’t waste a minute, and worked each and every day—even today, my last day. I’ll continue my posts even after I return home. I have so many more photos and stories that I look forward to sharing. These are a few images of some of my great Pakistani friends that I’ve met throughout the last six weeks.