I had forgotten I had this little site to display stories
etc and realise I never wrote anything about my time in Pakistan.....which was
sad as the country had quite a profound impact on my beliefs.
In total I visited Karachi 4 times for work. Travelling
there is something I will always be grateful for as it allowed me to develop my
own thoughts on the parts of the City I saw, rather than what the media
portrays.
The first thing that struck me when driving from the airport
was the number of people simply wandering around, crossing main roads with
little regard for the cars and the dryness of the land. Back home when the
grass browns in summer we feel unhappy, yet where I was driving there is just
dirt on the ground, no signs of vegetation that would green up upon receipt of
water.
The hotels I stayed in were comfortable enough. We relied
heavily on eating in them and I even got quite used to their gyms :) In the gym
I was often the only woman which on my first couple of visits was amusing as I
tried to ignore being watched as I huffed and puffed on the treadmill.
Venturing out for Korean food and sipping upon Fosters beer
was another amusing experience. The typing mistakes on the menu made us giggle,
clearly some odd English translations. The food was reasonable and we had many
a laugh....albeit a surreal experience.
On one visit I visited an amusement park. Again the dryness
of the land struck me, not something I am used to. Here I saw a stronger
presence of women covered up and more staring of me than in other areas. Kids
were smiling and laughing with their parents on rides, it felt like being at a
Royal Show back home, just on a smaller scale and with far less consumerism
involved.
At some point an albino young girl and her mother came up
and asked if she could shake my hand. I guess she felt that we were
similar in terms of colouring! Her eyes lit up and she seemed so happy to have
been able to be acknowledged by me, it was quite a touching moment for me.
On another visit I went along with a friend of a friend
whose photography skills impress me J
He took me along to the beach close to sunset and gave me tips on capturing
photos. We both wandered along the beach capturing our own moments with
cameras. I felt quite safe and infact
calm walking along the beach, I remember it being windy though and the humidity
turning my once straight hair into a windblown frizz J The sand was a black colour and wearing
wedges and jeans was not the most ideal scenario! *Note to self, plan better
next time!
There were young guys playing cricket, of course –and a
group of them ran up to ask if they could have their photo taken with me, on
their camera’s, so who knows where those photo’s are now. Other people would
look and stare at me, clearly not many white, western women strolling along the
beach in Karachi J
Something that struck me whilst driving around in Karachi
was the levels of poverty and living conditions that I saw. Not what we are
used to seeing in Australia in any way. However, I came to realise that I also
look at some scenarios obviously through my own eyes, tainted with my own
expectations, beliefs and ideals. Who am I to say that some of these people
should be unhappy as they don’t live as I do, perhaps their simple life is far
more rewarding to them in ways that they only know of. I in no way ignore that
there are things that need/could be done for areas of poverty here, but I can’t
do that by applying my own lifestyle.
What I can do is be more grateful for what I have,
appreciate the life I have and the safety in that comfort I have in the country
I currently reside in. Give back to society to those who need it, both in my
home country but also reaching further in ways that I can. I can try to
understand more of how people live and then seek out how I can best help. The seed has been planted in this way….I
wonder what it will become upon germination :)
