The Other Side of the World

Wow English land I have heard so much about it, the land of free, where what ever you say will always be heard and you are never alone, place where YOU are important.

Man!!! this is the place to be and strangely to make you comfortable they also make you feel like you are at home.

I am not joking, if you want to see English people act as Pakistani you should stay up late and wonder around on Friday nights they are trying hard to be someone that they are not, occasionally throwing bottles on the glass windows (in other words breaking things), shouting and calling names to people different then themselves (I was victim of that one night coming back to my place a car passes by and a guy heavily drunk called me Bloody W)*&^%s), people throwing rubbish on the streets. The difference is they need alcohol to act like Pakistani and we are by default Pakistani so no alcohol needed. Ahh!! Just like my country.

Seriously whenever I see this I always get flash back of people throwing stones on KFC, breaking signal lights, calling one and other outcast... it all makes me more close to home, bravo English people, thanks for making me comfortable. But this illusion fades away in the morning when I see every thing is clean and tidy, people welcoming you every where with a big smile and to top that asking you how can they help you, queuing up for bus ride, waiting for the signal to show green for walk and then cross the road, waiting patiently in the queue even for buying things. The thing that struck me the most is that people talk freely on cell phones while walking on the street man!! Aren’t they sacred that at some point two guys on motor bike will stop them and show them TT and ask them politely “can we have your mobile phone and your wallet please” strange? Well this all makes me home sick.

Talking about protest and destroying things, our nation is just like the sardar jee joke “when a sardar sees a banana skin on the street he will say oh now I have to slip”.

"Why the hell did you leave your country if you loved it so much?" you might ask this question. Well my answer is I am just following our ancestor’s footsteps. This is how it works -- basic education in homeland (Pakistan), higher studies abroad and stay on there. It worked for them, made their life better and on retirement come back home and start working in your homeland and die with peace and harmony. Great formula. You enjoy life to its full and when coming to an end go back and do some thing for your home country and die. People will say he was a nice guy with vision unfortunately he didn't get enough time and he died soon. They will remember you forever.

The other good thing about living in a foreign country, it makes a Muslim a true Muslim at least for 3 months. One month of Ramadan and 2 for Moharram. Don't get me wrong, its not about the flair inside or exuberance of youth or whatever, its about free food (I was punctual in Ramadan going to mosque every day).