Community Service is the Way of Life

“Is community service really a way to give back to my community or is it a requirement that my program has imposed on me?” – this was a question that I debated upon when I first came to Chicago and had to answer when I first looked into doing a community service project. I still remember my very first American community service experience; going to Temple Sholom on a crisp Monday afternoon before school had even begun and needless to say, feeling a bit apprehensive about what was going to happen. For you see, my anxiousness did not stem from the fact that I was going to a place where I hardly knew anyone and neither was it caused by the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about working in a soup kitchen (which I would later find out was a really remarkably easy and satisfying thing to do), but it actually came from the fact that I was going to a Jewish synagogue for the first time. Coming from a country that is 97% predominantly Muslim and where you never really hear anything positive about Jews (well technically you don’t hear about them at all), it was hard for me to really relate to the place I was going to. Then again, the thought of hearing all my Pakistani friends comments about my time in a synagogue wasn’t the most appealing option either. But at that time, I realized how my exchange year was going to help me go to places I would never normally go to, meet people from backgrounds that I had no prior knowledge of or wouldn’t get the chance to meet otherwise and discovering things about myself that I never could’ve done back in Pakistan.

The three hours I spent at the Temple were filled with a lot of activity: rinsing crisp lettuce for salad, shedding a few tears due to chopping onions for a Noodle Soup, getting praise for my chopping skills (I have chopping stuff for five years now) and finally being ushered into the hall where there was going to be a restaurant-style, banquet-ized soup kitchen. Standing with my Temple Sholom cap and apron in that hall and watching people file into the room silently, groggily and in most cases eagerly made me realize how important Monday Meal was for the 65 ‘guests’ that were being served the Meal today. These people were there for their own reasons: homelessness, low income, mental challenges or simply for a chance to eat a whole hearty meal since many of them couldn’t even afford to eat one three times a day. The feeling of being able to connect with people that were so very different from my own background and of being able to help my community at my own level was a feeling that I would cherish for the months to come.

The same feeling came back to me the first time I went time to the Chicago Lights Urban Farm as well. I still the remember the chill of the morning when I went down to the Urban Farm and my host mom gave me a ride down there. So many feelings were going through my mind during that time – excitement of meeting new people and trying something new, my passion for gardening, and just being surrounded by a lot people with a similar passion as well. I got out the car, said goodbye to my host mom and walked through the entrance to the Farm and…no one was there. 

For a second I thought that I might’ve come to the wrong place or something, but then the Volunteer Coordinator came out of a door (that I didn’t even notice before), welcomed me and gave me a short orientation and I realized that a group of 10 people that was supposed to be there hadn’t come and there was a probability that I was going to be the only person there that day. Anyway, as it turned out I was given the job to plant new Red Lettuce saplings, Swiss chard and picking out ripe tomatoes (one of them was called Rose Plum and it tasted so good!). Apart from the botanic aspect of it, Urban Farm also opened me to another facet of community service: doing community service for correction hours due to minor offenses. Over the next few times that I volunteered at the Farm, I got to meet a lot of people who were there due to this reason and it was really an experience to learn about their experiences. Also I remember the carpenter that was working on repairing a shed who gave me a Ghost Pepper (the hottest chili pepper in the world) and shared his passion for growing chilies with me.

 In March when the Urban Farm closed for winter, I went to the Iron St. Farm in the South side and that in itself was like going to a different city.

As I set off for the Iron St. Farm that day, I was expecting to be in a place really similar to the Farm in the city. Having disregarded my host mom’s warnings about the South side (‘People get shot there!’), I went aboard the Red Line and noticed how the scenery around me changed the further South I went. The buildings became worn out, the parking meters turned rusty; the general atmosphere seemed to have an air of neglect and the color tones around me turned darker and darker. At that time I realized that Iron St. Farm was going to a much different experience than what I was expecting.
But as it turned out the experience was an enriching, satisfying and certainly physically engaging as the Urban Farm. I met new people, was given a really informative orientation about ‘green’ farming, making compost with worms (which I participated in), making fertilizer with coconut husks and Aquaponics – a self-sustaining symbiotic relationship of fish and plants that greatly increased my knowledge. 

I would say that if there is one thing that community service gives you is knowledge: knowledge about practical ways to help your community, knowledge about things that seem really out-of-place and finally knowledge about yourself. During the time that I volunteered at events like the Chicago Marathon and the Shamrock Shuffle Expos as well as the MLK Day Event at a church in Lake Zurich, I realized that I was becoming more friendly towards people, more tolerant to diverse views and was developing a balance between speaking and listening and when to do both of them and when to do neither. I was developing an innate desire to smile whenever I met new people, to ask how they were doing and if I could help them out in any way. 

These skills were put to the test when in November just weeks before the elections; I decided to volunteer with the Obama Campaign. I had never worked at a call center before (strangely enough this is something that I always wanted to do) and the experience of calling random people from all over Chicago and mostly getting shouted at was something that I definitely could’ve lived without. Most of the numbers that I dialed were not even answered and the people that did answer mostly replied in venomous tones and I had to stifle my laughter half the time.
Again the experience of going to Janesville, WI to canvass for the Obama Campaign was also one that I immensely enjoyed even though I got really frustrated while doing it since more than often I got lost and couldn’t find an address. The person that I was working with was a middle-aged lady that I connected with so well in just a matter of hours that she took me to a Burger King and paid for me to get a burger there. Even though it doesn’t seem such a great deal, at the time I was really touched by that. I mean it’s not everyday that you meet a person for the first time and in just a matter of a few hours, they like you enough to buy you lunch!
That day too I went to different people’s houses, knocked on their doors and urged them to vote and answered any questions that they might have about the process of voting. Again some people weren’t the most cooperative but that too was a good skill to learn: negotiating with people who might not really be interested in what you have to say.

And I just realized that I had a lot to say about my community service experience during the year and for good measure too. The values I gained, the people I met, the skills I learned, the many times that a strong sense of compassion took hold of me and the fact that this compassion kept me urging to participate in more community service activities until I have completed more than a 180 hours of service is definitely the highlight of my exchange year. I know for a fact that I’m going to use all the experience that I gained here back in Pakistan so that I give back to the community and put all the opportunities that I have been blessed with to use. Community service is a wonderful thing and as a Pakistani philosopher once said: “To live for others is the real art of living”.

Community Service - The Greatest Part of my Year

I can’t believe it but it’s already been six months into my exchange experience and between all that has happened to me and is happening (including the Spring Musical - due to which my life is 100x more busy), it’s hard to put into words all that I’ve experienced so far! Especially the fact that I’m done with more than 100 hours of community service is just too much to handle! 

I remember the first time that I went to Temple Sholom for my first ever community service experience; I was nervous but really enthusiastic about doing all I could in order to fulfill my duties at the Monday Meal. It was a great experience to say the least! I felt compassion like never before and from then on I knew that I had to do more of community service to quench my thirst for community service (and again the 100 mark was something that every quintessential exchange student should achieve). So from Temple Sholom, I moved onto Chicago Urban Lights Farm, then onto Chicago Lights Tutoring, then a few one time events like the Chicago Marathon Fitness Expo, going to Janesville, WI to canvass for Obama and also doing a call center gig for Obama Campaign. By this time, I was really comfortable with going to random places for community service and just not caring what happened but always being ready for some kind of adventure and a mixture of compassion and a strange sort of satisfaction that community service always brought me!

I then realized that community service had just become a really essential part of my experience. Through community service I met tons of new people, made new friends and enjoyed different kinds of activities that not only further enriched my experience but taught me something new every time. Helping out with all of my community service adventures was ofcourse Parker’s Community Connections teacher Ms. Havens who helped me decide what I should do and got me in touch with CAIR (Council of American and Islamic Relations); I even went for an interview, we were going to decide what I was going to do there, I sent them an email...but never got a reply back from them. And then Spring Musical happened. Although I couldn’t be in the Musical because of the fact that I am going to San Diego for the Better World for Better Understanding conference during performance week (which SUCKS!), I decided to get involved anyway and gain as much theatrical experience as I could. As it turned out, I was chosen to be an aidee or more professionally an “Assistant Director” and I had to (and still am) stay at school at an average of 9:30 pm. That is when I called my AFS coordinator and asked her the question that knew would make my life MUCH easier: Can I use my hours of Spring Musical Rehearsals as AFS Community Service hours? And guess what? She said YES! 

That is when I knew that this was just perfect! I was getting community service hours for spending more than 6 hours each day during the rehearsals and what could be better? Well, to say the least it’s been really tough to keep myself mentally sane during the past few weeks. What with getting bankrupt (i didn’t get my AFS money for the past month) and starving for almost a week, this wasn’t entirely the most enjoyable experience at times. But I can say this: IT HAS BEEN AWESOME!!!

As my exchange experience comes to an end, I’m still really excited about further volunteer opportunities. I have already attended an orientation to volunteer with Misericordia and have signed up for Bank Of America’s 4K Marathon Event, AVON Breast Cancer Walk, (maybe CAIR) and good old Monday Meal!

I am finally beginning to understand the community service is not just about spending a few hours at a soup kitchen or just taking notes during Musical rehearsals; it’s about everything and anything that stirs your heart towards good and makes you want to do good for the community. It’s about the connections that you make when you see a homeless person on the sidewalk and you say to yourself: “Maybe I can’t help you right now, but I’m doing all I can to make it better”. I never would’ve been possible to make these connections had it not been for the Parker Community Connections Program and I can’t thank them enough for it!

The Sad News...and the Ray of Hope

I haven't felt so sad in quite a while. I know that I haven't done a post since God knows when, but what happened last night forced me to write this post. A beautiful soul has been lost, a gem has been thrown in the waters of a deep sea; an abyss from which the gem will never shine again. I am talking about the death of the grandmother of my host sister, Debby Struve. She was one of the most amazing people I have ever met, no doubt about that. What saddens me most that I met her only for a very short period of time and even in this short period she has become one of the most inspirational people that I have ever met. This post is dedicated to a wonderful lady who according to my loving host mom Robin was: "a heck of a lady". And be it known that this statement is definitely true!

She was there the first day I stepped into the enchanting world of Chicago. We were sitting outside in the balcony eating baby carrots and humus, and she was complimenting my English speaking abilities. I was struck by how awesome it felt to be in her presence. She reminded me of my grandmother who had died a year ago. I felt like my exchange experience was complete; I had somehow got my own grandmother back. I was amazed by how intellectually deep she was, her conversations and way of speaking carried their meaning well across to anyone who was listening to. I will admit that for the first day of my exchange experience in Chicago, I already felt a sense of belonging to the Struves.

And over the span of four months that I have spent here already, I saw Debby quite a number and she time she managed to amaze me with her powerful personality and the vast treasure of knowledge she possessed. I don't know much about her background and frankly I don't care about it either...For me Debby was a person who symbolised strength, love and I have only words of admiration for her. I can definitely connect the deaths of my own grandparents to Debby's death, but in my opinion Debby's death has actually saddened me more. As I am writing this post, my eyes are full of tears and my heart is aching with the pain that the Struves are feeling at the moment. But I know that I was blessed and honoured to meet Debby in my lifetime and spend some time with her, I know that that death is an inevitable fact of life and that we must accept it as it is, I know that Debby has been immortalised in our memories and thoughts, and I also know that loss of a loved one is a hard thing for all of us.

But there is one thing that I believe should be known: If you are deeply saddened by the loss of a loved one, it not only means that you love them dearly but also that the loved one were an amazing person. And Debby was blessed with every virtue a good, kind, loving and caring human can ever possess. This post is not just about mourning the loss of a person that will stay in my memory forever, it is about celebrating her and all that she achieved in her life, all the people that she impacted and all the things that made her one heck of a woman! I have words in my vocabulary to describe how sad I feel at the moment but at the same I know that Debby will stay alive in our hearts forever. She was indeed a great woman and I feel no need to elaborate this any longer.
Rest in Peace Debby & May your soul be blessed!!!!

The Importance of being an Exchange Student!

For those who are from Parker, I know I copied the Fourth Wall Production title but couldn't help it :D And for everyone else in general, although the title seems to indicate that this post is going to be dull boring stuff no one really cares about, i suggest you...THINK AGAIN!

Cause in this post I am going to dive deep into the adventurous realms of life as an exchange student; I'm going to be a critique of myself and I will certainly make a point of how..........wait........oh man! I sound like a fussy old lady: BOOORRRIINNNGG!

Ah! Never mind...So, It has been precisely 6 weeks and 2 days since I came to Chicago (I would include the hours, minutes and seconds and even micro seconds but all that shi-shi stuff ain't for me!). These 6 weeks and 2 days were indeed awesome. And what's different from this last post from my last one, is the fact that in this one, I am not going to go on and on about how awesome Chicago and my school Parker (<3) is, but I am going to actually tell you what has made this experience so awesome and that ladies and gents is the CHALLENGEs part!

Yes, it is quite challenging when you walk through the doors of your new school and the only person you know is the security guard (who you had met earlier sometime); it is certainly very challenging to navigate through the endless corridors and rooms of your new school and YES, it is very VERY challenging to be introduced to a completely new system of education and for the first time in your life, not being able to figure out how to do your homework!!

But the good news is that nothing of this sort happened to me! Ha! Take that culture shock! Oh wait.........I'm just kidding...Like other exchange students I have had my share of cultural differences as well. And in my opinion that is one of the major experiences as an exchange student when you see people freely snogging each other at public places..... did I say "major"?
And it's another story when you have no idea what you are supposed to do for that alien looking Maths homework! Your heart always pounds hard whenever you do anything independently around your host family's house because you believe that you are going to mess up again......BADLY. But you know what? You come to accept your surroundings sooner and later!

You take a deep breath and you say to yourself: "OK, I get it now. I know I can cope up with all this new stuff because you know what? I am standing in America!! Yes, America! The place where grapes look like cherries, and tomatoes look like peppers and peaches look like apricots!! Where down is OFF and up is ON (I confess I'm still having problems with this one). Where everything is new and completely different...BUT!!!! I'm also in the place which is filled with friendly people who have welcomed me so kindly into their community. I'm in the place where there is positive freedom of expression (personally, I just LOVE the freedom of expression here!). I'm in the place of resources teeming with thousands of varieties of lettuce and cheese I've never seen before! I know I CAN DO THIS!!" And this is how you get over your' culture shock! (Believe me: this works!)

And most of the time the cultural differences aren't that obvious and you don't even feel them unless you really think about them. Another major difference I feel in the American society (apart from PDA) is the liberal attitude. This attitude, though awesome in many aspects, has some other sides to it as well, which for me are very different indeed...For example, the behavior of students to teachers and kids to their parents. I personally believe that the American value of expression's freedom is very different from Pakistan's version. I am not saying that people in America are disrespectful to their elders in anyway, but I just feel it as a great difference from a society where teachers are thought to be "divine parents" and parents themselves are thought to be next in line for respect and reverence after God. Americans students are liberal. They have inherited this value from their elders and this suits them absolutely perfectly; But it is very weird occasionally to see a teenager challenge an elder in some way or another.

I have so much to talk about my life here that I feel that words can't do me justice. (And in any case I don't want to give away all my experiences in one go!). I won't talk about Parker here because Parker deserves a post (or many more) to itself and the wonderful people in it. I never really thought that I'd be so blessed to be placed in Parker and I vow to myself to work my behind off to make it worth it (and fun of course!) One of the ways that I really feel a lot of pain in my behind....I mean one of the ways that I am really making my experience rich and an excellent learning process for me is through community service! You won't believe how much fun it is to do community service here (a concept usually synonymous with arduous and dull work with many people)!

I have had done quite a wide variety of community service so far I think...From Temple Sholom's Monday Meal to Chicago Lights Urban Farm and more recently, The Chicago Health and Fitness expo, community service has proved to be an amazing chance to learn new practical skills and meet with loads of new people from every walk of life. To keep it short and sweet: COMMUNITY SERVICE ROCKS!
And as the year progresses, I hope to add more flavor to this side of my exchange experience. I am actually thinking of holding a fundraiser for a pet shelter at Parker soon which would also be amazing cultural experience! (*wink* for the Parker people). And I am also very very very very excited for IEW which is the International Education Week from November 10-18th, during which time I'll be doing presentations all over the school.

Right now, as I sip slowly through my delicious Chiquita Banana smoothie, I am thinking of all the amazing things that have happened over the past weeks which include (but are not limited to) THE COUNTY FAIR (I wish they had it everyday!), The Spirit Week, The AFS Retreat (Although I missed my Homecoming dance, I guess that was a right decision to make because the retreat was awesome and now I am SOOO excited for prom!), Samosa Chat @ The Indian Grill, Mathew Postlewaite's mind blowing Mascotance, and yea!!! THE FALL PLAY REHEARSALS!!! Which are just CRAZYYYYYYYYY!! And I mean it...literally! They are super super fun and  I can't tell you how excited I am for the show itself! Other fun stuff include Meeting of the Minds (and the hilarious discussion) and yea the not-so-much-fun US History, Maths, Anatomy and Latin quizzes! Holy Goat! That reminds me, I have a homework to complete! As much as I would love to keep adding to this post I think this is long (and intellectually enlightening) enough. So until later!! Wish me luck for IEW!!!

AMeEEEEEEERIIIICAAAAAAAAAAAA!! :D

Yes....No....Yes......but No........but YES!!!! Yes, it is true that it's already been a month in the States! I can't believe it really. The first month of my exchange experience has just been amazing! like out-of-this-world, unheard-of, full-of-excitement, full-of-new-experiences and lots-of-laughter-and-joy amazing!!

I still clearly remember the day the batch of 43 YES students left from Islamabad Airport...Among tears, smiles and waving hands, I saw the last of the people I love most in the world! And then, I was off! The first stop was Dubai International Airport...and it was just MIND-BLOWINGLY AWESOME!

My eyes were as big as lightbulbs as I absorbed the magnificent interior of the Airport building. There were hundreds of the most amazing shops I had ever seen. The time I spent there with my fellow YESians will forever be embedded in my memory as the most enjoyable time. But the journey wasn't over yet (sigh). Between us and Washington DC was a 15 hour long flight!! which needless to say was absolutely LONG! But what saved the day were the touch screen computers in front of every seat (God Bless United Airlines!) which really made the journey more enjoyable. And in no time, at all we were looking at the wet roads of Dulles Airport and the rain just made my arrival in the states so much more memorable! From the airport we went to the 4-H National Youth Centre, where we were going to receive our orientations (as if we hadn't had enough of those already!)...Just kidding. I was so excited to be in DC because I knew that we were going to meet other YES students from different countries; and meet them we did! There were students from Yemen, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Palestine & Ghana all in one place; and the sight of all these students together was just incredible! And the Centre itself was amazing. The food was amazing (although most Pakistani students would disagree with me) and the recreation room with the pool table, air hockey and the arcade games just sealed the deal of awesomeness!

Those three days I spent in DC were absolutely wonderful, for one thing, and resonated the fact that I definitely was now an exchange student. It was an amazing experience to go to the Smithsonian Museums  and (the outer fence of) the White House! I made quite a lot of friends there and I will definitely mention my instructor Cynthia who was just the most awesome person ever! The orientations themselves were quite tiring since they were almost 9 to 5, but they were fun regardless of that. We learnt all the basic "tools" of being a good exchange student and the "do's" and "really don'ts" as well. All in all, the final event of DCOs was the Cultural Night and it was AMMAAAAZZIINNNGG!! Everyone representing their culture in the most subtle yet flashy way was just fabulous! Because of the fact that this was our (that is to say the Pakistani YES students') last night together for 10 months, we said goodbyes and take-cares in the midst of the strange sadness yet excitement we felt to finally meet our host families.

And so it happened. We woke up at 2 in the morning. The students who were going in the first group said goodbyes to everyone and boarded the bus to Dulles International Airport. I was definitely excited and also...SLEEPY! We got to the airport and there we again said goodbyes to students going on different planes to different places. Some Pakistani students were coming up to Chicago with me, so those were our last few hours of "togetherness". We boarded the plane and in a matter of two hours the plane started descending...and I saw my first ever view of Chicago...and my jaw dropped dooowwn! IT WAS BREATHTAKING! And I am not kidding! Chicago has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world (I will talk more about the beauty of Chicago later on). We (Anney and me) were actually both AFS students and she was placed in Naperville (a western suburb of Chicago) which meant that now we actually will meet almost every month! And the we got here, we had a mini-orientation together too! It reminded of how she and I were the last ones when we gave our selection interviews (ah, happy memories). So it was final goodbyes to all of them and me and Anney were off with an AFS representative to the awesome town of La Grange! We had lunch at "Noodles" and he gave us some necessary information and as the clock's dials kept                 on going my heart beat got faster and faster and faster! Finally the moment came when we heard the doorbell which meant that....my host family were here! It was amazing. And I won't say no more.

One last goodbye to Anney and I am in the family's car with mom and dad and Allee and Katie! I'm all excited and they are all "How tall you are!" and "You are the exchange student?!" Haha, no they didn't say the last one. But they were evidently excited too! And so we journeyed through Downtown (they gave me a quick tour) and with the magnificent Lake Michigan always in the backdrop it was just amazing! I got to the house and my first impression was WHOA!! The house was huge and soooo fancy!, with all the artwork on the walls and the four floors and the compound with the swimming pool and the gym. I was speechless! The family gifted me a Chicago Cubs hat and a Chicago Bull T' as a welcoming gift and a Lollapalooza wristband (which I seem to have lost now, sorry mom!) and Harry Potter cards too!

The very next day Katie went to college and the family took me to Saddle and Cycle which was the posh club which featured a golf course, swimming pool, tennis court and ice skating arena! I swung the golf club for the first time in my life!! My dad taught me the basics of golf (frankly I'm not sure if its my thing but it was certainly great!) I had my first Chicago pizza and curly fries and went into the swimming pool too for the first time in my life and instantly knew that I LOVED THE WATER! And that I had to learn to swim! The next day was...EID! (Can you believe that!) Oh yea! I forgot, on the first night my host family, I gave them all my gifts too! Which included fancy shirts for my host mom and sisters, bangles and i mean a LOT of bangles, henna, a Kurta for my dad (Haha I have to add here: my host dad called it a "Kutta" when I told him what it was called and now its a personal joke around here. Whenever he refers to the kurta he's like," Are you going to wear you dog today?") So on Eid day, my family put on the Pakistani clothes and we were off to a mosque where I offered the Eid prayer (an amazing experience indeed) and then we were off to Devon!

And that THE BEST FEELING IN MY LIFE to see hundreds of Muslims all dressed up celebrating Eid! And felt like I was in Pakistan again! It was like being in two places at once! We bought some Halal meat (which is at the same rate as American meat in Chicago btw) and we walked around the Avenue soaking in the festivity of the atmosphere! We came back home and I made biryani for my family which they (sort of) enjoyed (as my mom and sister aren't used to spicy food but still liked the flavors a lot!). And the so the first three days were most amazing for me!

And the amazingness it seems was only starting! (I'll fast forward through what happened in the next few weeks now cause its 12 am and I have to go to sleep after this post!) The more significant events in the next weeks were: My first visit to Jewel (the eye-opening grocery store), My first swimming lesson, Visits to the Art Institute and the Millennium Park (Oh that was just incredible! I can't write about the awesomeness of Chicago city because it is absolutely beautiful! Much much much MUCH prettier even than the movies! Michigan Avenue and the shops and the street performances <3 everything in Chicago is incredible and most comparable to Islamabad in many aspects as well!), My first dinner with senior boys with Parker (my beloved high school!), MY FIRST EVER SAILING TRIP ON LAKE MICHIGAN!, Going to Susan's birthday, Going to the beach (the water in Lake Michigan is fresh and most amazing to swim in or to just sit in!),  Going to dinner with Sue Yellen was incredible too, Going to Temple Sholom for community service (where everyone was awed by my chopping skills!), Going to Parker to get my schedule (I just fell in love with Parker, the first time I went there!! Its the most awesome school EVER!), Going to the farm party (where a very curious incident happened of which I wont talk about!!!) The Chicago SummerDance Festival, My first ever ride on CTA Bus (and landing one mile away from my house), Watching PDA all over the place! Not using Facebook for a whole fortnight!!!!!!!! (and that's saying something), The Husnains' Eid Milan Party! (And the Pakistani food..oh was divine!), Going to Ravi restaurant at Devon!! (whose tikkas were better than most Pakistani ones, and that's saying something too!), My first ever Chicago Cubs game (baseball!!) in Wrigley Field Stadium was amazing and then how can I forget! THE BRUCE SPRING STEIN CONCERT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD!! I got to go in a fancy stretch limousine style PartyBus and it was just so so amazing at the concert. Hundreds of people, no wait...THOUSANDS of people were there and it was the most amazing musical performance I had ever seen! And apparently he is one of the most iconic singers in American history ever! So for me to get into his concert was seriously a once-in-a-lifetime awesome experience!

And so these two weeks passed by in the most awesome blur ever! And finally came my first day at Parker! And it was simply mind blowing.
Everyone is so friendly at Parker and they are so eager to know about me too, so its great being here! I remember the first day that the 80 or so seniors all introduced themselves to me, and I could hardly remember 5% of the names by the end! But one thing was obvious: I was excited to be there and they were excited to have me. The teachers were amazing and the classes are amazing! (See how I'm transitioning between past and present tense?) And I can never ever forget my first Maths homework assignment.

I WAS FREAKING OUT! I couldn't understand a thing and I was just terrified that my best subject was going to be my worst. I took a while to calm myself down and then it dawned on me, that it is just MATHS and I AM good at it! So it worked out fine! I love all my subjects and teachers too. I'm taking Functions, Anatomy & Physiology, Latin (oooo), US History, Fiction and Poetry Writing (Ms. Gibson is just awesome!) and Modern Muslim World (which is the most "interesting" class for me)...I also went to Armani Jain's house because her mother Prinita had invited me over. That was an amazing experience too because she had cooked all these amazing Indian things! Poori, Aalu ki Bhujia, Palak Chanay, Chicken Korma and Halwa!

The past week has been great too! I tried out for Fall Play and got in!! I'm so excited for that because I watched the school's Fourth Wall production's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" yesterday and it was MINDBLOWINGLY AMAZING! I had my first Model UN symposium yesterday too and that was great! I am so proud of the fact that I survived a whole week of school because I was absolutely exhausted the first few days of school but now everything's just amazing. I also went to Des Plaines Theatre today to watch "A Tribute to Bulleh Shah" theatre performance and that was incredible too!

So now I am about to begin my second full week at Parker and to enjoy all it has to offer. I think I did a pretty good job at writing the whole one-month tale of awesomeness and I'll try to write more regularly from now on! Wish me good luck for the rest of my experience because I am so getting in exchange student mode!!!

P.s. the photos are in completely random order! :D

Ramadan - A Month of Blessings becomes A World of Pain?

Ramadan Kareem is one of the most revered and widely celebrated Islamic events. It brings with it an atmosphere of peace and purity that is truly fulfilling for the soul. This month not only helps us refrain from committing sins but also offers redemption for the past ones. In short this is a beacon that gives us a chance to refresh our faith and spirituality; Ramadan is no doubt a month of blessings!

However this year around there is a definite difference in the way Ramadan is being celebrated in Pakistan. Ramadan has come with all the blessings it has to offer but this time the people are actually quite disturbed by the consequences of Ramadan.

No, I am not talking about the actual fasting itself! The Muslims in Pakistan like all the Muslims of the world do love to fast, but what has made Ramadan slightly troublesome for them is only one thing: Inflation!

The public doesn't really understand the link but since Ramadan has arrived the prices of EVERYTHING seemed to have increased almost dramatically overnight! And the most dramatic yet is of course the increase in the prices of Food items. May it be sugar, besan (gram-flour) or fruit, everything is costing the public almost 50% more than it was before Ramadan. And the most ironic thing is that the public really can't do anything about it. They still have to buy those items because they have to feed their children as it is. The government has indeed set up the "Sastay Bazaars" (Low priced markets) but that doesn't seem to be easing the burden of the general public.

What's really depressing is that all this havoc is caused by certain individuals: Hoarders. They are the wretched people who store all the goods and food items so that their market prices would increase due to their shortage and they would be able to gain more profit by selling the goods, then. Unless and until these individuals feel remorse for their actions and realize that what they are doing is causing a general disruption in the country's economy, we will remain on the mercy of the monster of Inflation.

The problem of inflation has been around in Pakistan for quite some years now, but this year the people are suffering another huge problem in the Holy month of Ramadan: Load shedding.

Yes, despite the government's promises that the load shedding will be extremely lenient in Ramadan; it seems that the extremity of load shedding has just increased after Ramadan has begun! In Islamabad for example, the federal capital, from morning till evening the schedule for load shedding has taken the shape of One hour ON and One hour OFF! How in the world can the public truly enjoy the blessings of Ramadan, if the only thing they will be doing is to stop themselves from drenching with sweat in the hot July sun? The heat and the absence of electricity has virtually hampered the daily life of the people here. Neither can they offer special prayers in the scorching heat nor can they do their daily household chores due to the never-ending load shedding.

Ramadan will come and go, but the memory of this year's Ramadan will stay afresh in the people's mind for a long time. They will remember this month as the one in which, despite the Government's assurances rising prices and load shedding still turned out to be the greatest problems for them!

A Desi treat for 'Dem Taste Buds: Dahi Phulkian!!

So Ramadan is here! And with that numerous traditional delicacies also find their way to our "dastarkhawans" and dining tables like Pakoray, Samosay, Fruit Chaat and such. One of my personal favorite of these delicacies is "Dahi Phulkian".
Here's my recipe for it which tastes incredible with raw onion on top!!

RECIPE: 

INGREDIENTS:

For Fried Phulkian:

Gram Flour – One Cup

Red Chili Powder – To Taste

Salt – To Taste

Water – As Required to get a medium thin consistency

Cumin Seed Powder – Half Teaspoon

Dried Pomegranate Seeds – Half  Teaspoon

Baking Powder – Half Teaspoon

Oil – Two Cups for frying

Other:

Unsweetened Yogurt – One Cup

Onion – One Chopped

Tomato – One Chopped

Coriander – One Tablespoon Chopped

Salt – To Taste

Black Pepper – Half Teaspoon

Green Chili – One Chopped

Chat Masala – For Garnish 

Preparation

 1. Mix together all the ingredients for the phulkians except water in a bowl.

 

2. Then gradually add the water till you get a medium thin consistency which should be thin but not too runny.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan. When it is sufficiently heated use a small spoon to add small dollops of the gram flour mix to the oil. Let the small balls cook under golden brown on a low flame. Be careful as they can get burnt very easily.

4. After they are fried, take them out on a tissue paper to drain excess oil. Then drop them into a bowl of water. (This is done to make them moist and to give them a really nice texture)

5. Leave the phulkian in the water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile add all the other ingredients in a bowl with the yogurt and whisk thoroughly.

6. Now take the phulkian out and squeeze out the water from them using the palms of your hands (Wash your hands before doing this!); And then drop them into the yogurt mixture and mix well.

7. Taste to check the salt and pepper content and adjust the flavor.

8. Finish it by adding some chopped coriander over it, sprinkle some Chat Masala and Voila you Tradtional Pakistani treat is ready to be enjoyed at Iftaar or anytime you want!