And i gotta agree...romanticizing the countries problems (lack of basic necessities, for example) doesn't help fix the problem, or make it easier for others. I'm sure the guy/girl that wrote the article came from at least a middle class family. The vast majority of Pakistan is now sliding into lower class/poverty and when you're faced with paying bills or filling your childrens stomachs...i doubt there's any fun left to see in the situation.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
i can give you hundreds of examples of lower class community struggling to fulfil their needs and still are Alhumdulillah very happy and thankful to Allah!
i agree there is a major energy crisis going on in pakistan but whats the point of not going or living there because of this?
you cant live without bijli kya???lol
you cant judge pakistan and paki people unless you live there forever NOT for some months…same is the case with ABCDs…
anyways nice article!
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
You guys seriously need to chill. Do you have an ABCD complex?
The op is just saying to stop looking down on Pakistan all the time. Everyone that visits Pakistan always complains. While the situation in Pakistan does suck, I know I wouldn't be able to live there, the people there have made their own fun of the situation. The experiences that you get in Pakistan you won't get here, and the experiences you get abroad you won't get in Pakistan.
What about the frustrations of living abroad? If you can make a con list for Pakistan, you can do the same for every country.
I think minorities/Blacks/Latinos/Asians in the US would say that they are labeled and treated bases on their race which they have no role in choosing.
At least an Asian isn't discriminated/hated/picked on because he was born in a remote village in South Korea and his last name is something that isn't the same as theirs, or his eyes aren't as big/small as that Japanese guy. And FYI, that discrimination is nothing like the discrimination that is given by one's own people.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
ERM, what?! .. You’re missing those calls?! This is just the weirdest part of your entire blog/post. 
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
Its not relevant here how Blacks and Latinos are treated in the US. What is relevant is how our own supposed Pakistanis treat us. Apparently, we’re to be pitied and that is not nice.
I don’t think people look down on Pakistan…they look down upon mentalities like the OP’s. Where she tries to deliberately emphasize differences and make ABCDs seem like they missed out. Trust me, no one here feels they missed out.
It gets annoying after a while…“bicharay abcd’s ko kya pata ke pakistan kya hai” and all that. No one here feels like a bichara and I haven’t ever heard any complaints like “oh i wish i was born in pakistan where i could experience washing my hair with nestle water bottles”
This is what I mean. If you get snobby, you shouldn’t be surprised when that attitude is reciprocated. Its normal.
I agree with you…you cannot judge unless you walk in their shoes. But the same is true for people abroad. You cannot judge unless you were born and raised in the West. People in Pak have a limited view and are always looking down on us…I guess it makes them eel better about Pakistan’s problems.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
isn’t the article writer ABCD itself?? 
i can give you hundreds of examples of lower class community struggling to fulfil their needs and still are Alhumdulillah very happy and thankful to Allah!
i agree there is a major energy crisis going on in pakistan but whats the point of not going or living there because of this?
you cant live without bijli kya???lol
you cant judge pakistan and paki people unless you live there forever NOT for some months…same is the case with ABCDs…
anyways nice article!
[/quote]
I’m not saying one shouldn’t go there. No one is. However, rarely do countries regress in a way that Pakistan is. I’ve lived without bijli every year in the summer cos that’s how often i visit, for 3-4 months at a time. No one is claiming to be high-maintenance abt living without bijli. It’s when ur workers clean 10 houses to pay an electricity bill that takes 75% of their income. Yet bijli is available for 2-3 hrs max. Being thankful is fine and great…but does that mean we should romanticize their plight? Just be “meh” abt it cos all those ppl are thankful? Just as long as Pakistan isn’t the worst, all is great? We could be 99 in worst conditions but hey, its not 100 so be happy? That mentality has stalled Pakistan for years now. People make statements cos they go there, often and for long enough periods of time to see the despair. And the fact is, the rich are happy and the rest of the country is in the pits.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
All this article says is that Pakistanis are happy with the state of affairs(that suck big time) over here. And who’s writing it? Probably some upper middle class snob whose dad had the money to send her to an American college. Boo frickin hoo.
Of course she loved it over here, she had the money to buy bottled water to wash her hair, whereas some kids in the country die in their infancy due to unavailability of clean drinking water. She probably had an generator and her dad handled the corrupt bureaucracy, so probably never had to visit a government office by herself. Try being an adult over here, an adult who has to fend for himself without family money or connection. And if you still love this place, you deserve a frickin medal.
I live in Pak and I love the bijli. When it goes out, all I do is to curse anyone high up i can think of. So yeah Pakistan isn’t the greatest place in the world. Pakistan ain’t a tourist hot-spot, it’s a place where you go to count your blessings. Feeling ungrateful in life, visit Pakistan. Think you deserve more, visit Pakistan. It can cure a lot of things.
My brain is so crafty, it just doesn’t let me remember the ****ty childhood I had over here. So I won’t miss anything when/if I leave.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
Yayyyyyyyyy! What a fun a day. No public transportation, no petrol for my motorbike, yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I'm having so much fun.
NOT
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
I think the gist of the article is that you do miss out on some of the cultural things while living abroad. The extended family is one thing my mother really misses, she gets slightly bummed out whenever she hears about the family coming back from some wedding, or vacationing together. As I always tell her, if the family where here, she would probably miss Pakistan a lot less.
On the other hand, I don't think the lack of basic necessities should be romanticized. Personally, I think the political situation has, or is close to reaching a turning point. Once that happens, a country with almost 200 million people, a workforce that speaks English (at least the literate portion of the population), and plenty of natural resources, is going to undergo a tremendous economic boom. Hopefully things are close to turning around. It's just the damn politicians.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
I think the gist of the article is that you do miss out on some of the cultural things while living abroad. The extended family is one thing** my mother really misses**, she gets slightly bummed out whenever she hears about the family coming back from some wedding, or vacationing together. As I always tell her, if the family where here, she would probably miss Pakistan a lot less.
On the other hand, I don't think the lack of basic necessities should be romanticized. Personally, I think the political situation has, or is close to reaching a turning point. Once that happens, a country with almost 200 million people, a workforce that speaks English (at least the literate portion of the population), and plenty of natural resources, is going to undergo a tremendous economic boom. Hopefully things are close to turning around. It's just the damn politicians.
So it's not something you miss. So you don't miss out on anything. See.
And having an extended family isn't all awesome for everyone. I for one could do without all the drama and two-facedness.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
Its all about balance. I personally love living in Pakistan. Even with the lack of water, power, gas and other basic facilities. Now yes they are annoying but there are elements which I really do enjoy. I enjoy the fact that I can to walk into any of my friends offices and demand chai and a 2 hour bull**** fest and nobody has a cow. In the modern western world of business and work the fact that me and a friend did that would be frowned upon and he most likely would be questioned by his boss. Not in Pakistan. Hell in some cases the boss has shown up to shoot the breeze.
Some people enjoy that others don't. The simple point is that even if you don't agree with the point of view it should be at a most basic level be respected. It is the person's views and they believe it so good for them. There is nothing wrong in it.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
come on guys everyone love their homeland dont you?
whether its pakistan or some other country....
why taking article so negatively?:)
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
come on guys everyone love their homeland dont you? whether its pakistan or some other country....
why taking article so negatively?:)
Why?
Because, if nothing else it insults those suffering over here. It belittles their miseries, by glorifying them. Not having electricity or water is NOT fun. The frickin runaway should have some respect for the country she left. If nothing she could fake some empathy.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
^ok calm down:)
its just HER (op's) point of view....not everyone think the same......if she(op) likes something,its not necessary that you like the same thing too.....
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
Why?
Because, if nothing else it insults those suffering over here. It belittles their miseries, by glorifying them. Not having electricity or water is NOT fun. The frickin runaway should have some respect for the country she left. If nothing she could fake some empathy.
So in other words you are feeling insulted on behalf of some faceless unknown person?
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
So in other words you are feeling insulted on behalf of some faceless unknown person?
No, I am among those affected by the power crisis, albeit on a much smaller scale than those living in Punjab(I've heard as bad as it is over here in Karachi, it's worse up North).
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
If you can make a con list for Pakistan, you can do the same for every country.
.
point u wont get is that it's not a pro con list. its reality.and making light of it for those who are suffering with the effects isn't funny. so chill and think about it from someone whose life isnt a couple of days vacation worth of collected "experiences" and stories for back home.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
come on guys everyone love their homeland dont you? whether its pakistan or some other country....
why taking article so negatively?:)
We all love our homeland...yes. But its kind of silly to love your homeland while putting down others and ignoring the fact that you lived a privileged lifestyle others cannot afford. She isn't the majority. She can recount her memories all she wants but don't feel sorry for people abroad and don't make the harsh realities seem as if they're not there for most of the people in Pakistan.
Re: Expat Bhai/Baji, Pakistan is Pakistan yaar!
Its all about balance. I personally love living in Pakistan. Even with the lack of water, power, gas and other basic facilities. Now yes they are annoying but there are elements which I really do enjoy. I enjoy the fact that I can to walk into any of my friends offices and demand chai and a 2 hour bull**** fest and nobody has a cow. In the modern western world of business and work the fact that me and a friend did that would be frowned upon and he most likely would be questioned by his boss. Not in Pakistan. Hell in some cases the boss has shown up to shoot the breeze.
Some people enjoy that others don't. The simple point is that even if you don't agree with the point of view it should be at a most basic level be respected. It is the person's views and they believe it so good for them. There is nothing wrong in it.
I understand you find the whole playing hooky at work thing fun and sometimes it can be. But two hours of it would make me feel like an idiot...do I come to work for this or do I have an actual job? The kind people take a check for you know? Boss or no boss...Pakistan or not...its weird.