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Sunday, October 26, 2014

D.C. is formal, green and pleasant (so far)!



Living alone has its disadvantages, alarm clock is your only alarm, but it comes with its perks, amazing new friends!! Some of my friends have asked me to put together a travelogue but I, being me- enough said. However, I have put together a list of some new experiences that I enjoyed, some not so much, about US, travel and living here:

  • You meet new people from different backgrounds, cultures, languages and learning about all that is pure leisure. Gives you different perspectives; you start viewing things from various angles. Sure there are so many resources available but nothing parallels learning about a place from someone who has been born and bread there.
  • People want to learn about your culture and in the process you learn more about your own culture and get a chance to view it from a different lense.
  • You become more responsible. If you are out of shampoo, you will have to replace it- its not on auto-replace. That magical power is limited to Pakistan.
  • You realize that many simple things in life were privileges and start valuing them; fridge with food, grocery cupboard?
  • You start valuing simple things that were once privileges – jam paper glitter grosgrain with shamrock bow!
  • Broke doesn’t mean you have enough to survive broke money no cash in bank!
  • Things like frozen-packaged-chicken-tikka-masla-rice, anti-bacterial-lemon-musky-multi-surface-cleaning spray, lavender smelling garbage bags EXIST!
  • You explore yourself- I didn’t know that I was so bad at cooking. I have always known I was bad but didn’t know I was THIS bad. If you think it’s something easy and can be picked at any stage, you are sadly mistaken my friend- the language of food is e=mc2!
  • You pick on new habits or get to develop them- reading and writing. I have always loved writing and I have gotten the opportunity to write a lot more. My friends are amazed at how I can find time for pleasure reading with all the school readings- I am too!
  • One word: Planner.
  • Drinking is okay, smoking is not. Weed is cool, McDonals is not.
  • Pumpkin is popular and loved in this part of the world and it comes in all sizes, shapes and forms. You will find everything pumpkin from a muffin to latte to a shirt!
  • The definition of drones is very different in this part of the world. Popular use of drones here includes deadly, NOT literally, aerial photography.
  • Obesity was a cultural shock. I shall never EVER call Zakoota jin fat.
  • Protein bars!
  • Freedom of speech means freedom of speech but excess of every thing is bad.
  • Gender equality- means no separate (read: short) ques. L
  • Autumn is beautiful- red trees, yellow trees, green, red, orange, brown, russet?

Last but not the least, American people are not like the ones we see on TV- they are actually very friendly. I hope they can say the same thing about Pakistanis!

Photo credits: Miriam's AWESOME photography skills