My Pakistani Family

Airport

As promised, I hugged him at the airport, not caring tt All Pakistanis might raise their eyebrows.


I was actually quite nervous to meet the in-laws. So i dilly dallied... went to the toilet first... oh well the Q at the customs was still there. I noticed they have 3 types of counter: for Foreigners, for Pakistanis and family. Now i've heard of concerts being divided into male, female n family sections, but at the airport also?


When it was my turn, the officer (female) asked me where's your card? i asked her back er.. what card? and she gave me the white card. Damn! there wasnt any announcement on the plane to prepare this card like they always do! Not fair! Now not only do i look foreign, i look stupid too!


I then had to pass another barricade guarded by a bale of police who checked my passport n visa. Then i was greeted by a brown-uniformed young man. he asked, "you're going for your luggage?" I said yes n he went to show me the way w a trolley in stow. Thank god, i thought, cos i certainly cant lift those 2 on my own!


Just before we were going out, we stopped at this small station n was given a coupon. I was to pay for his services! Dang! i should hv known they wldnt work for free. i said i had no small change n he showed me to the money changer n i gave him PKR100. Then he went to that station to give the money n wheeled my trolley out.


After the hug n a few sobs, i was whisked away to meet the dear Ammi ji. But i was caught off guard when i saw she was accompanied by a lady covered in Niqab (only eyes showing). I looked at Zubair apprehensively and he said, "dont worry thats not M ok. That's Sumaira. ammi's student." yeah ok whatever.

Shumail drove

We went to the car. Luckily, 1 bag can fit in the boot. the other, we had to carry on our laps. it was kinda awkward in the 20min journey in the car. cos i dont know what to say yet even if i do, i dont know HOW.

So i just looked out at the window. And my, was i the City bumpkin! Everything looked so different and i was trying to grasp it all. i dont really know how to describe it but i can say it looks something like M'sia streets x 10 + a lot of dusty sands!

One thing will stick to their mind though. i announced that the donkey is cute! And they all laughed at me. I suppose bcos its such a normal sight for them they didnt even think of those animals. For me, its very very rare! I dont even mind the smell! I was just loving it.

After some minutes on Ghazi Road, we went on a dirt road... n small streets... it was so small it can only fit one car. I asked, "Is this a one way road?" Shumail the witty replied, "Its an ALL way road." Boy is that true or what. and i learnt just how true it was over the next 2 weeks.

At last, HOME!

This is my room!

Believe it or not, this bedsheet is Ammi's wedding bedsheet! So that must have been like 28yrs old!!

His house is only half ready but the two bedrooms are ready equipped w attached bathroom. Ours was very newly erected upon hearing that i was coming. So sweet that he fixed a shower, a SITTING toilet (instead of squatting) and a sink just for me. The brothers were also hard at work on the geyser(?) / water heater that they just acquired.

It was around 5pm when i finally finished unpacking what i can, and almost maghrib.

Then we had dinner of CHAPPATI and black pepper Chix Pak style. There was no dining room. (nor do other houses have, for that matter). We ate in the next room on the cot on the floor.

Afterwards, the guests started pouring in. At that point of time, i was still very blur who was who except for mamoo ajmal. But now i know already. Mamoo Ijaz, wife (Kiran) and their youngest son Tazee came along with mamoo Ilyas. Mamoo Ajmal's wife's name is Aunty shazia. Mamoo Akram's in Saudia but his wife was there, her name is Mami Nargis. She's the mother of Khyyam and Ehtesham whom i've seen online and on Orkut. Aunty Shazia's parents were also there, as were her sis-in-law and the cutest happiest baby on earth, Lareb!

We spent the whole night "catching up" till midnight although i didnt "catch" 80% of wat they were talking about cos mostly they were conversing in Punjabi, a dialect. I just relied on gestures and some English words n guessed what they were saying.

did i mention we entertained them in our room? Prolly bcos the heater was fixed in there. But it felt weird with me n Z on the bed snuggled under the blanket and the guests (ok they are hardly guests, they're family!) sitting on the sofa opp us and some on the floor. I was to discover over the next 2 weeks, that its quite the norm lah actually.

We finally went to bed at 1am Pak time, Spore 3am.