Should I...?

Society Travel & Tourism
1

The university where my mother teaches and younger brother studies is going for their annual tour of Northern Pakistan in the last week of July, till second week of August. Its going to be students and some professors.

Mummy and my younger brother are planning to go, they went three years ago as well and they had a really superb time. I didn’t go then coz I was in Pakistan from the US on college summer holidays and wanted to stay home to spend time with the rest of my family.

I’ve never been to the Northern Areas and have always really reallllyyyyy like realllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy wanted to go :frowning: like more than any place in the world I wanna go there :frowning: Plus the train ride across Sindh and Punjab in the summer when you can see the crops ready for harvest in the fields and the flowers in blossom sigh I’ve been once before and its sooooo beautiful, experience of a lifetime… :love:

But I don’t know if I should go coz:

  • On the tour the professors usually remain aloof in a separate group and the students in their own little groups which hang around each other. I’m going to be a kabab mein haddi if I hang out with the students coz then my brother and his friends will all naturally have to behave and act tameezdaar :smiley: That’s gona spoil it for them so to avoid that I’ll have to hang out with the Professors group and even if mummy is there, hanging out with Professors doesn’t sound too appealing :smiley:

  • I’ll have to take all that time off from work, almost three weeks to a month. We only get 15 holidays in a year, I’ve already taken 5 :smiley: This is not a big deal as such, but still that would mean it would look bad if I took time off for any other reason later in the year which I might have to.

  • I could always go later, with a group I enjoy more, like family, cousins etc.

  • I’m going to miss my daddy ji bery much :confused:

  • Last but not least, I’m going to miss guppies and prolly not be able to come on Gupshup! horror How will I be able to bardaasht this judaai gasp :smiley:

Sigh…so please help me out everyone :frowning: I’m leaning towards not going but I always wanted to go to the northern areas and feel like this is a good chance but I dono somehow I’m not getting that green signal from my heart abt going :frowning:

2

I think you should go. Work is not a problem as you said. I don't think you'll be out of place considering it will be teachers and students. You seem to be the type of person who can fit in anywhere. :p Even if by chance you don't have much company, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself anyway. Definitely go.

3

Irem,

yaar if i were you, i’d be making my daily itinerary right now - day one main kia karna hai, kaun sai sights dekhnay hain, kitni mastiyaan karni hain :~D i’d start packing right now! In other words, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Northern Pakistan, from what i have heard, is beautiful. Imagine the different languages - dialects you will be hearing, imagine the different sights. i’ve been to Karachi, and just like the Cdn city i am currently in, i think Karachi is a very bustling city. Shahar kai hangamay sai thora sa sakoon milay ga tumhai, imagine the peace and quiet. Buy tonnes of camera rolls and click away to your heart’s content.

Re: the vacations - it means you can’t take any days off once you come back. Matlab no more sustiyaan :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley:

Yes you could always go later, but you know how these things usually work out, we never end up going later :crying: (Someone is speaking from personal experience).

Your Abbu ji will understand, i am certain. It’s only for three weeks, right. You’ll have access to phones, if not e-mail, keep in touch and buy lots of gifts for him. To see you happy, he’ll be happy.

As for Gupshup - goli maaro. Remember how you went to Pindi and you didn’t want to come back? Uss waqt you were able to separate yourself from Gupshup. Why not this time. When you come back, i’ll fill you in on all the details :~D Gupshup will still be here once you return. You should go yaar… once-in-a-lifetime opportunities don’t manifest themselves again and again. GOOOOO! Have fun, take a break, relax, rest, find your smile again. There is nothing like travelling for a person to discover themselves.

Anyways, whatever you decide, i hope it’s the right decision for you Insha’Allah.

4

Take a friend or three with you and hang out with them instead of mum or bro. Remember to keep a photo-journal to share with gupshup when you return. As long you don't have any major stuff coming up at work and can cover it when you return, you shouldn't have a problem. You can also use the same photos to produce a corporate calendar or poster thing, if you are into that kind of stuff.

5

for god sake gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

i wanted to to in the first week of august but something has come up and all my uni friends r going :( . the worest thing is this opportunity will not come again for me any way.

6

you MUST go if you can. You dont get chacnes like these so often. Regarding kabab mai haddi thing, on trips like these you befriend people more often than not just to enjoy and i m sure you will.

I, myself am going to Rakaposhi with university trip next month and though i dont know any of the people i m going apart from one, i m sure iw ill enjoy it to the fullest, insha'allah!! So as most of the people have suggested here, you shuold go..

7

Irem,
just put everything aside and tag along!
believe you me, youll have the time of your life!
you'll be surprised how beautiful our country is.
it's just amazing!
it'll be a very refreshing time and plus, youll get vip treatment all the way for being the professors daughter ;)

8

thanks everyone for replies :)

i made my decision...not to go :o

coz...i wana stay back with my dad rather than go to the trip...otherwise he'll be spending the three weeks alone at home and i dont wana let that happen :D

northern areas ne inshallah kaheen nahee jana zindagi rahi to baad mein ho jayein ge meri serein :D

9

Irem, I have another easy solution to this. You’ve already made not to go decision and staying with your Daddy jee...
When your mother and brother come back...go there with your daddy.:)

You must see Northern Pakistan, it's beautiful.

10

thanks Amir bhai :) khwahish to hae, dekhein kab moqa milta hae :D

11

When you go, go with a digital camera.. You can take hundreds of pictures which you can burn on a Cd and they will stay with you for a lifetime. Even if t is later, do go, inshaAllah you would really like it.

12

thanks, will do :k:

13

Is taking daddy along an option? That would give you a way out from having to tag along with the profs, or students.

You 2 can return sooner, on your own....after 7-8 days........this way you wont eat up all your vacations, and still be able to join your mom and brother for a few days.

14

Akif, aap kitne aqalmand hain! :)

15

Akif bhai, great idea, but papa will be busy with his work those days, that's a crucial time of the year for him :)

16

GO ! GO ! GO !!!!!!

Allez, allez, allez !!!!

Opportunity of a lifetime ! :)

17

well visiting Northern areas is really something like a life time experience … but end of july and start of august means monsoon season… and there can be a possibility of heavy land slides in between Balakot and Naran. I have been to these areas so many times and its my personal experience … same problem is with swat valley… the slides starts after you cross Madyan and Bahrain heading towards Kalam and Ma’o Dand. Visiting Chitral in those days doesnt have any problem of land slides atleast .

Anyways… the bottom line is … these risks are a part of touring hilly areas… and cant make any difference to the morale of a real tourist. so just give it a try and you will definitely enjoy your stay there.

Best of luck … take carezzzz… sada khush raho :k: