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Amused by Clueless Travelers

Well we are back in the US, thankfully without having to run through airports to catch our connecting flights like we usually have to. On two of our flights though, we had some interesting neighbors.

From Lahore to Abu Dhabi on Etihad, we sat next to an old Pakistani man who didn´t speak any English and was deaf. It seemed it was his first flight, as he had no idea how to buckle the seat belt and seemed totally intrigued by the food. When he got to the butter packet, he opened it and started eating it with a spoon!

From London to Boston on American Airlines we had a South Indian couple across the aisle from us. I have no idea how they made it to London. They were trying to put their buckles on backwards, and the man was standing up and trying to talk on the phone as the plane was getting ready to take off. The stewardesses could not communicate with them at all, so I tried talking to them in Hindi. Turns out they only spoke Tamil, but they could at least understand more Hindi than English. Either that or my hand motions were enough! Thankfully the man had the same model of phone as I do, so I was able to turn it off before getting him and wife properly buckled in. The stewardesses gave us drinks on the house for the translation help!

Ecstatic about Unexpected Study Grants!

Today Duarte got news that he is getting $6,300 worth of grants to cover his education for the next academic year! Yes, grants, not loans, which means we don’t have to pay them back. As the in-state tuition and fees at the local college is about $2674 per semester for 18 credits ($5348 for the whole year), he’ll even have plenty to spare for books.

We were totally not expecting it, and we had to read the grant letter over and over to believe it! We are so excited, because since I won’t be able to start a degree program until next fall, all the courses I need to take this year we’ll have to pay out of pocket. We were worried about how we’d pay for both of us to go to school full time, since we certainly haven’t saved anything while working in Pakistan.

When we filed our FAFSAs, our incomes were incredibly low based on the US dollar since we’ve been earning in rupees. I think the FAFSA estimated that we could each afford about $345 towards our education fees. I guess the financial aid office took that seriously, and we’re glad they did!

Financial Times Says What about Defence?

I just read an article on the Financial Times about Defence Housing Authority in Lahore. I live in Defence Phase IV, and I have been living in Defence for about 3 years. I’ve also lived in Phase III. Some of these points may be the official policy, but they are not enforced.

“In addition to physical security, local administrators take great care in applying municipal bylaws. Rules, such as forcing residents to equip power generators with sound-proof canopies or forcing parties to turn loud music off by a cut-off time of midnight, are applied rigorously. In fact, on one recent evening, Defence’s guards appeared 10 minutes after midnight to force an end to an event at the home of a prominent politician, who was shocked when told that his electricity would be turned off if he did not comply. In Pakistan, where influential individuals routinely break the law, such incidents are rare. “In DHA, rules are enforced strictly,” says Shafqat Mahmood, a respected political commentator who lives in the area. ‘Unlike other places in Pakistan, the biggest attraction of this neighbourhood is that you can’t break the law.'”

Financial Times article

I wish generators in my neighborhood had sound-proof canopies. I’ve been kept up by loud wedding parties several times, and they did not stop at midnight. My husband and I discussed the idea of “disturbance of the peace” with some friends who live in Lahore, and they said that there are rules about this, but they are not enforced. That said, Defence is quieter than other areas of Lahore, but the supposed rules about noise are not “vigorously enforced.”

I Think I’m Turning Japanese…

This week I went to the post office in Defence, Lahore to mail a box of books back to the US. I insisted on the ‘sab se saste’ (cheapest) rate, and the postman told me that he could give me a cheap rate but he had no idea when the package would arrive. I told him I had more time than money, so then I started a one hour process to get my package sewn up in little white bag, bound with melted wax and labeled. When I went to label the package, the packagewala asked me, “Where it going? Japan?”

I was a bit confused as to why my package would go to Japan. Do I look Japanese? Anyway, I told him it was going to the US and explained that I was a teacher here in Pakistan. Then I had to jaunt off to find a photocopier that was open in the morning (it was already 11:30am) to get a copy of my passport. Just in case I send a bomb in the box, they’ll know who did it. Photocopiers were all closed so I went all the way home, scanned a copy, printed it and went all the way back to the post office. It cost me 2835 rupees ($35) to send a 12.8 kg box. Not too bad. Let’s hope it makes it.

Sleep Evades Me

At least once a week I find myself on the verge of tears because I just can’t get what I want: sleep.

I live in an extremely quite neighborhood, by Pakistani standards, but any little thing can wake me up. Some nights I move from room to room trying to escape on noise or the other, only to be awakened by something else in the next location. I’ll move from the bedroom to the guestroom because my husband is just moving a little bit and waking me up. Once I get to the guestroom, the power will go out and the neighbor’s generator will turn on. I’ll try the couch, but it’s not comfortable enough to fall asleep, so finally I’ll move back to the bedroom and sleep on the floor. Then I’ll be prematurely awakened at 5:00am because of call to prayer blaring over ancient loudspeakers from the nearby mosque. No matter what time I end up falling asleep, my body clock wakes me up around 7:00am.

If I don’t get enough sleep at night, I try to take a nap during the day. My whole day evades me too, because I feel too tired to focus on anything and not tired enough to crash. When I try to take a nap, more often than not I’m unsuccessful. I can’t get my body and my mind to rest at the time. A beggar will come and pound on the door. The maid will uncharacteristically come an hour early without any warning. My husband will merely walk from one side of the house to the other. The landlord’s family will come to bring snacks or discuss something. The neighbor’s door will continually slam shut as servants go in and out while arguing with each other. The internet man will come to collect the money for the monthly bill. A gutter cleaner will drive by on his bicycle loudly proclaiming his services, or the ‘security man’ will bike past blowing on his high pitched whistle. The sound of the whistle is supposed to let me know that everything is safe. I would much rather have silence when things are safe and whistles when I actually need to get woken up.

Today’s culprit was the call to prayer at 5:00am. I’m hoping I can find an hour of peace to catch up on sleep during the afternoon…

Beware of Knock Off Deodorant

Many hygiene and beauty products from around the world are available in Pakistan’s supermarkets, but at the same time many imitation versions masquerade as the real thing. I was told one time that this industry is a specialty of the northern city of Peshawar.

The packing will many times look exactly like the original, except for a minor spelling mistake or two. Check all of your hygiene products to see if the spelling and labels are up to international standards. There are two products that have plagued me during my time in Pakistan, fake hair products and knock off deodorant. At least two out of three ‘name brand’ hair products that I have bought have been vastly ineffective. As I’ve used the same products with success in the U.S. and elsewhere, I know how the product should look, feel, smell, and work. There is no way to know if a product is real until you buy it and try it.

Many deodorant products in Pakistan serve only as body spray/deodorant and not as anti-perspirent. Make sure you read labels carefully. Even if the label looks good, the product might not work. When I run out of deodorant, I always end up going to at least five stores looking for a legitimate product. It can be quite embarrassing when you use a fake product that doesn’t work, especially in 120-degree heat!

Places that have real products in Lahore include: Europe – Defence Market, HKB – Y Block DHA, Pot Purri – Y Block DHA, Pace – Y Block DHA. Be warned that while some products on their shelves are real, some are fake. It’s easier to fake liquid roll-ons than solid stick deoderant, so if you want to be safe buy a solid stick brand.

Grocery Shortages Due to Long March

I usually do my shopping on Sundays, but with my husband’s sickness last week we didn’t run out of groceries until Tuesday. When I went to the stores, I had to spend more time than usual looking for particular products. Finally, at the last option (after going to three other places), I asked one of the workers what was up. He let me know that the stores were dealing with shortages, as trucks had been delayed due to the Long March protest. The government had blocked main roads in and out of major cities, and the highway between Lahore and Islambad proved a “no go” zone for many. I was assured that after one or two days, the stock should be returned to normal. Thankfully, there were no shortages of staple items such as wheat, flour, sugar, fruits and vegetables.

In other news, I found out that the allergy medication I usually take, Zyrtec, will no longer be available in Pakistan. He sold me the last 9 pills that he had. Here, people usually buy medication in small amounts, often cutting up the original packets to sell smaller numbers.I was bummed because a month’s supply of it over here costs me 120 rupees ($1.5), where the same amount can cost upwards of $75/month in the U.S. The pharmacist owner was quite helpful and gave me a different, locally available brand to try.

Mood in Lahore Exuberant as Pakistani Government Backs Down

After another frenzy of high level meetings, Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani announced that the government would re-instate the judges deposed by President Musharraf, including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry. In response, opposition leader Nawaz Sharif called off the culmination of the “Long March” on Islamabad which was set to take place today. Since the judges were kicked out of office, lawyers across the country have been demanidng their reinstatement.

Pakistanis are celebrating, as they believe that this decision is a watershed that will lead to greater freedom and more transparency in the government. Many are hoping that once Iftikhar Chaudry takes his post on March 21st, he will immediately open up the cases against President Asif Zardari (known as Mr. 10% for allegedly funneling state money into his own bank accounts) and former president Pervaiz Musharraf.

Today the mood was celebratory, as children flew kites in for the annual Basant spring festival. Everyone is excited that the people of Pakistan were able to force the government to comply with their demands for justice.

What will happen next? I suspect that this decision may be a big step towards the departure of President Zardari, and that the political drama will continue.

Calm is Broken as Lahore Erupts into Riots

Some time after midnight, police erected barricades across the city to block roads and prevent the lawyer’s “Long March” from leaving Lahore. Today, thousands of protesters gathered outside Nawaz Sharif’s house in Model Town. Sharif, then defied house arrest (which the government claims he is not under anyway) and started off in a convoy of vehicles towards Central Lahore.

Police are fruitlessly trying to hold back the throngs of supporters by throwing rocks and using tear gas. They are severely outnumbered and there seems to be no law and order. The convoy has so far made its way through Model Town, along Ferozepur Road to Kalma Chowk and to Muslim Town. They plan to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow in order to stage a sit in. Protesters have turned to rioters as they retaliate against police attempts to hold them back. Both sides can be seen throwing rocks. A barricade of city buses was set up to block passage of Kalma Chowk, and rioters smashed out windows of buses and tried to push them over. Sharif’s convoy eventually made it through the block and continued on Ferozepur Road.

There are also riots at the Lahore High Court, and surely there will be more continuing throughout the day. I must admit that although I champion the security of Lahore, today is not a good day to go outside the house. The protesters are mostly men, and although their agression is being directed towards the police, you wouldn’t want to get caught up in the fray. The only women seen at the scene of the riots have been journalists, whereas during yesterday’s peaceful demonstration in Lahore more women were present.

Read more here:

Riots Paralyze Lahore an Protesters March Onward