For all you Pakistanis living in the West

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

being going to pakistan from a young age and ive always loved my trips each time, my mum’s family r all in pak i have alot of cousens over there now that they r all married :slight_smile: but when we were all single they always made trips to see me and used come stay over keep me company used to do alot of masti together go shopping, sight seeing alot of memories :slight_smile:

now that im married my inlaws r from pak islamabad my hubby and my sis in laws have shown me all of islamabad,

margalla hills, dam n koh, lok virsa, muree, burban, centuras, playland, jungle kingdom, lahore zoo, fortress in lahore, alot of food places both islamabad and rawalpindi

lol was in pak for the elections this year so got to see the hype :slight_smile: i have family living in jhelem, some family from my mum’s side in mirpur my experiences have mashallah always been good lots of memories to cherish :):k:

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

  1. Every few years… last time i went was back in March/April time. Gaps between each visit has become longer because of studies and exams etc.
  2. My mothers family are mostly there and quite a lot of my dads too. Cousin got married so went for that, otherwise its normally just to see my (maternal) grandparents and the rest of the fam.
  3. Normally split my time between my (maternal grandparents house) and the house my (Paternal) granddad has built there. Also, visit and stay over at other family’s house too to spend more time with the cousins.
  4. spent time between family and doing touristy things.
  5. Seeing my family and catching up with the cousins, sightseeing in Lahore and Karachi, cousins wedding, the whole khaandaan being together…
  6. the staring! being x-rayed by the dudes eyes, a guy shoving his number in my hand as he walked past and almost being touched the wrong way by a random guy. Also getting sick obviously and not being able to take the heat…it wasnt even that hot there tbh but i was dying lol. Also the electricity problems.
  7. The really obvious split of the social classes… not like UK where everyone is more or less on the same level. The guys attitudes towards women, but how friendly and hospitable everyone is generally - especially in the villages. Also the split between the cities and villages: everyone is so laid back and relaxed in the villages but the other way round in the cities. Also its probably not a new thing but it did make me amused. Literally everyone in the village i visited (every inhabitant in the village is related more or less anyway) were in love/dating/going to marry/or had married their cousins from said village or the next village.

I like Pakistan on the whole though and would love to go back again and again.

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

Last went to Pakistan in '95/96, didn’t really like it much.

Don’t see myself going again anytime soon.

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

  1. Well..i and my siblings haven’t been to Pak since 1996. Never had a chance to go..may be coz..my mamo come to visit us from Pakistan..for family reunion and all that..but other than didn’t feel need. However..i would love to go pay visit now!. I think time has come!. Insha’Allah when i go for umrah..will pay visit to Pakistan as well. I grew up in Saudia..before coming here..so we used to visit very often.

  2. Reason?..well family of course. My cousins are all kids…but my khala and momani are my best buddies!. Aside from Lahore, hoping to go Gujranwala and mom’s hometown of bahawalpur to see old haweeli.

  3. Yes that would be Lahore!

  4. Family gatherings, eating out, and of course..anything fun to go visit or attend. Like i said, it has been a while since i have been there..but i do remember going to Parks, community events, or even cultural as well.

  5. Ah!..that would be landing in Pakistan and coming out of airport to see mamo and momani waving like crazy..

  6. That would be leaving!..

7)Family get together and basically you’re served breakfast of your choice. It’s like bed and breakfast..haha! amazing i tell you. Wahan per..abba ke nahi chaltii..so it’s all cool!

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

  1. My parents are from Panjeri, Azad Kashmir. I was Born in England, at 2 years of age we emigrated to Azad Kashmir as our parents made a joint decision that it was better for us 3 siblings to be raised back ‘home’. For 8 years, moi, my elder brother, younger sister and our mam lived in Mirpur and spent our holidays in Panjeri. Since coming back to England, i have been back 3 times in the last 20 years!

  2. Went back once to spend time with relatives, on second occassion for my brother’s engagement and recently to attend wedding of my brother and sister.

  3. We have a house in Mirpur where we stay and we have other relatives who live in the same street.

  4. On one trip we took a road trip around Azad Kashmir which was quite memorable. Other than that visit landmarks and laze about.

  5. Became an A- lister for a few days and hit all the top spots of Islamabad which was fun. I genuinely miss the care free childhood i had in the early 90s Mirpur and Panjeri. School… friends… mischief… spending Eid with family and not worrying how the bills were paid and how we were fed and clothed which in hindsight was very ignorant but those were really good times.

  6. Coming back to England after first visit back was very tough, not knowing if i’ll see certain people again. That was the last time i had a good cry.

  7. Apart from the hassle by Pakistani custom officials and coolie’s who ask for bribes before letting you leave the airport. During my brother and sister’s wedding it hit home how tough it is now to live in present day Mirpur. Just like Pakistan, Azad Kashmir is infested with corruption, greed, lack of discipline, no law and order and respect for one another. I have always wanted to take a road trip around Pakistan and really explore but that is something i won’t be able to do now. A lot of my family is still there but i can’t see myself going back on casual trips other than for important events like close family weddings or bereavements. Things are not same anymore especially since the whole world went mad with terrorism.

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

Why isn’t there a thread for people who’ve left Pakistan recently. People who are not visiting but have just moved out.

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

They don’t fit into any crowd…neither the pakistanis nor the ABCDs…you my brother, are all alone in these wars… a betraying bhagoRa to some and stupid FOB to others…:smiley:

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

If somebody moved out recently or just few years ago doesn’t means he/she lost his identity. Doesn’t matter whatever passport I possess, I’ll remain Pakistani forever and it’s just me.

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

I should have asked also whether you were born/raised in Pakistan.

**Born/raised in Pakistan. Came to Canada when I was in grade 9.
**

  1. How often, if at all, do you visit Pakistan? Has the frequency changed over the course of the years? What are your reasons for visiting? Is it more about the family? business? to attend specific events? regular trips? etc?

Really not as much as I would like. I have only been back twice. First visit was 5 years after coming here. Main purpose was to attend my youngest khala’s wedding. My whole family went for two weeks because that’s all the time we could get off from University in December. Second visit was after another 6 years. This time to visit family and meet potential rishtas. Unfortunately, I went for only three weeks (2 weeks paid vacation from work and 1 week unpaid) and it was not enough time to get to know the families or go sight seeing anywhere.

  1. Also which cities you go to?

Sialkot (hometown), Lahore, Murree, and Islamabad

  1. Do you have a place you call home in Pakistan? Do you have one place you stay, or many?

**My parents have a house, but someone else (a relative) moved in when we left. So we usually stay at my grandfather’s (naana) house.
**
4. During your stay, how do your spend your time? Family gatherings? Visiting tourist attractions? Attending cultural/religious/sporting/political/business events, etc?

Family gatherings/weddings/shopping/eating out

  1. What is your favorite moment in Pakistan?

I love the face time with close family. The whole family gathers at night, sitting in lihaaf or around the heaters. We have a round of chalghozay, mong phali, reoriyan, or kashmiri chai. We talk for hours, sharing anecdotes and catching up on each others’ lives. It’s memorable.

  1. What is your least favorite moment?

**I don’t like the financial toll every trip takes on my family. Everyone there expects us to pay for everything wherever we go. People don’t appreciate the presents; they rather take it for granted and sometimes bluntly ask for expensive things. People assume that our lifestyle here is very easy; money grows on trees and we have no worries in our life.
Other than that, I don’t like the staring and cheap tactics used by guys in bazaars. They don’t care if you’re with your family and they are not scared of anyone.
I also don’t like the system, widespread poverty, lack of basic necessities of life, and safety issues, among other things. **My least favourite moment is when I have to shower with cold water because there is no electricity or gas. I got sick both times due to this.

  1. What stands out to you during your visits?

**The stark contrast between the rich and poor. How the rich like to showoff, mock others, and pretend like they’re from out of this world. On the other hand, the lower/middle class are struggling to make ends meet, yet their generosity and **simplicity is heart warming.
**
Also, the kaam wali having a cell phone was like omg! **

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Re: For all you Pakistanis living in the West

1. How often, if at all, do you visit Pakistan? Has the frequency changed over the course of the years?

  • Growing up, we used to go to Pak every summer. After my brother and I got to high school, the only time we went was if there was a shaadi going on. Then we didn’t go for about 7 years. And I finally went this year for a nice long 3 month stay!

2. What are your reasons for visiting?

  • Here and there, there are weddings. But mostly to spend time with extended family and to catch up with them.

3. Do you have a place you call home in Pakistan?

  • Yes. Lahore is my home! <3
    We have a have a house in Lahore, but when we go, we rarely stay there. We mostly stay with my Khaala or Mammu in Lahore. We also visit other family members in Lahore and Islamabad, but growing up we only stayed at my Nanni Ammi’s house. So it feels odd staying anywhere but there.

*4. During your stay, how do your spend your time? *

  • There are always the dawats I can’t seem to escape! The second anyone hears we’re coming, the entire extended family needs to set dawat dates lol. Other than that, this most recent trip, I made it a point to visit as many tourist/ historic attractions as I could, and attended a cultural fair. I guess because I’m older, I really appreciate my culture more than I did when I was younger.

5. What is your favorite moment in Pakistan?

  • Any time with my cousins and Aunts & Uncles. I can do almost everything here that I do there (shopping, going out, dining, etc), but I can’t spend time with my family like I do when I’m there.

*6. What is your least favorite moment? *

  • Being stuck in Lahore traffic :frusty:

7. What stands out to you during your visits?

  • The food :blush:
    I can’t get over the feeling when I go out and don’t have to worry about trying to find halal options in the menu!! Not to mention, food just tastes better back home!

And the “Mummy-Daddy” type people :rolleyes: