Going to Pakistan

July 28, 2006 at 9:15 pm (Pakistan, Personal, South Asia)

I am going to be in Pakistan for about two weeks. I don’t really want to go, but my parents made an executive decision. Rather than annoy them any more, I’m going along with my father.

I don’t really like being in Pakistan for a number of reasons. Some of them are:
1. The heat. No matter what time of the year it is, it’s too hot for me. I prefer the cold. Even in the winter I need a fan or air conditioner.

2. Brownouts and blackouts. A brownout is when electricity fluctuates or comes in less-than-optimal amounts, dimming light and, more importantly, shutting down air conditioners and slowing down fans. A blackout is when electricity goes out completely. In Urdu when we say that the electricity is out (referring to a blackout) we say بتی چلی گئ; बत्ती चली गई; battī chalī ga’ī; “the light has gone away,” or بجلی چلی گئ; बिज्ली चली गई; bijlī chalī ga’ī; “the electricity has gone away.”

Both بتی / बत्ती / battī (“light”) and بجلی / बिज्ली / bijlī (“electricity”) are feminine. Don’t know if this says anything about feminine nature. 😉

3. Dirt. Pakistan is very dirty and messy. Yech. So dusty, so much pollution. Very unpleasant.

4. Idiotic people. Let us just say that some people can make one doubt how humans ever got to be intelligent and capable of progress.

5. Water. When in Pakistan, I can only drink bottled water. Not even boiled water will do. Carrying around bottles of bottled water becomes tedious after a while.

In an unrelated issue, tt times there is a shortage of running water. Where we are located, this is not so much the case, but if it happens I get very irritable. I need my daily shower. Water issues complicate this.

6. Need for caution. One has to be careful what one says and does in Pakistan. What I can get away with here in the United States I cannot get away with in Pakistan. I usually don’t do anythign stupid, but it gets annoying knowing I am not free and having to put up with Pakistani society’s restrictions.

7. Food. I love the food, no question about it. Problem is that I cannot eat everything, even what I’d like to eat. I have to be careful or else I might get sick. I cannot eat anything that has not been cooked. Even good food from certain restaurants cannot be had because they (the restaurants and their cooking facilities) are unsanitary.

I could go on and on. But I’m going anyway, so I hope to entertain you all with more tales of Pakistan.