My journey to Pakistan Part 2: A drive through Karachi

Karachi is one of the biggest cities in the world with over 11 million people (some sources talk about 18 million people). It is about 15 times the size of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. I still can’t imagine how big that is, but just for the sake of comparison , it is bigger than Paris, Istanbul or Bangkok.

Getting out of the house was a bit of a hassle. I love to walk. Love, love, love. But in Karachi, you don’t walk. You get out of the house, get into the car and go where you need to get. By car. This was my biggest problem, but I had to comply.

The streets were large and the noise was big. Small cars are the way to go around on the busy streets and people seemed a little careless to what happens to the vehicle (scratches are no issue) as long as they can get through. Rickshaws are everywhere and also lots of people on motors. And yes, buses are just like in the movies or in the pictures from the internet: colorful and overcrowded. 

I was advised not to take pictures so that people don’t get suspicious. At every light stop there were beggars coming to the car and knocking at my window. Again, being a foreigner is a big attraction for many curious people. Just like in Romania :)

Driving seems to be a gentlemen’s agreement. Sure there are rules…I guess. But the main rule is that the car honking first has priority. First few drives (on the passenger’s seat) were like a roller-coaster ride for me. First of all we were driving on the wrong side of the street. Everybody was driving on the wrong side of the street. There was a lot of honking and sometimes the priority was decided by the one who had more guts. But I was the only one surprised by the whole thing. For the rest of the people this was the normal day-to-day driving.

I didn’t get to see much of the city first time I was there. We stayed mainly around the neighborhood, which is the same with late Benazir  Bhutto’s former residence and park, a rather posh area with nice houses, embassies and parks, shopping malls and food streets.

What stroke me the most was the security: I’ve not seen a real rifle in my life before landing in Karachi. And in Karachi I’ve seen so many, that I got used to them in few days. Almost every store has a security guard with a big rifle, while at banks or jewelry stores there are several guards. Some people have heavy armed bodyguards following them around, but we were in an area with several embassies and extra security seemed appropriate. Entering a shopping mall meant having the handbag scanned and us going through a metal detector. First I felt so strange. Then I felt a little more secure. After few days I didn’t even notice.

My conclusions:

• driving around can be an extreme sport for a newbie 
• buses, rickshaws, 4 people on a small motorcycle is not uncommon
• if you are uncomfortable around guns and rifles, a visit to Pakistan will cure that in few days  (but will not get you hurt ;) )

My journey to Pakistan Part 1: Getting there – airport and first impressions

Few years back Pakistan was an abstract name for me, a name that I would hear in the news, but never pay attention to. I never took time to read about the country’s history, about its traditions and people as never in my wildest dreams I thought of getting there.

And then it happened. Cupid stoked and my life turned 180 degrees and I started to read about this far away land. If there’s anything that working in the media has taught me, it is that the least relevant information about the actual life in a country can be obtained from TV or newspapers news.

Sure reading and understanding historical, economic and political facts helped to get an idea about where this country is and what is going on in there, but to be honest nothing really prepared me for what I was about to experience on my own.

The visa procedure went surprisingly well and quick. The counselor and the ambassador of Pakistan in Romania were extremely kind and helpful.

It was interesting to observe people’s reactions to the news that I am going to Pakistan for a vacation. I guess it is not a country on the top of traveling destinations or must see places. My dad asked me to be extra careful there as he doesn’t have enough money for ransom :)

For a girl who had traveled only in Europe, the information about what to expect in Pakistan was so complex that I decided to neglect it completely. The other option was to freak out and I couldn’t let that happen.

I have to say that it was the biggest thing I have ever done: going willingly to a country listed by the ministry of foreign affairs as a war zone.

The flight was comfortable and it took less than going by train from Bucharest to Cluj (my fav city in Romania).

My first surprise was that although alcohol is forbidden in Pakistan, there were a lot of intoxicated people coming out of the plane. Sure, I can’t assume that they were locals. They could have been of other nationalities and just enjoying the last contact with Bacchus’ nectar before they reach the forbidden land. But still it was a little strange.

I reached Karachi in the night and went through passport control quite fast. They have special queues for unaccompanied ladies and people were very polite. Sure, there were questions, but nothing unexpected.

I have to admit that it was strange to see all around me people that looked different, dressed different and spoke a language that I couldn’t understand a word of.

I was advised to pick my luggage quickly and walk without talking to anyone. Before landing that seemed absurd. After landing I understood that in a foreign land you have to rely first of all on what you know and what is familiar to you and there is no reason to be brave. I picked my stuff and walked as fast as I could with a 25 kg luggage :)

And there it was: my first contact with the real thing. No spooky monster like the news were announcing all the time. Just people. Different people, but nonetheless people. Sure, for a minute or two I was the center of attention. I guess there is not every day you see a young, blonde, unaccompanied lady walking around.

The first real shock was the weather. It was the end of June and I was told that monsoon season started or was about to start (don’t really remember). But for me monsoon season and high humidity were as abstract notions as moon atmosphere. Getting out of the airport, which, by the way, was nicely air conditioned, was like walking directly into a hot air blow dryer. Although it was around 1 AM, it seemed like there were 50 degrees there. I sweated instantly in what I thought were my comfortable jeans and I have to admit I looked with high envy at the local’s shalwar kameez which seemed like a much more appropriate option.

Driving from airport to home didn’t offer me the time to see much in the 40 minutes ride because it was late in night, but I enjoyed seeing palm trees everywhere and many outdoor billboards with smiling faces and slogans I couldn’t read.

First conclusions:

• hot weather means sauna hot and humid weather means steam bath humid – like it would make your nicely straightened hair curl back to mother nature :)

• jeans are not the best option for summer in Pakistan

• people look different, talk different, dress different, but they are welcoming and polite

La limita de jos a cerului / Flying lessons

October 17, Orhei, Republic of Moldavia: Igor Cobileanski has started shooting his new feature called La limita de jos a cerului (Flying lessons). Shooting is planed to wrap on November 20.

Cobileanski & co preferred shooting in autumn because the rainy atmosphere is more suitable for the drama scenario.

The film is based on a script written by Porumboiu and Cobileanski and it is produced by local Romanian company Saga Film.

La limita de jos a cerului is supported by the Romanian National Centre for Cinema (approx. 290,000 euro grant in 2008).

Born in Comrat (Republic of Moldavia) in 1974, Cobileanski is a graduate of the National University of Theater and Film Arts in Bucharest (class of 1995, Film-making).

chocolate

God helped man create chocolate because He wanted mankind to have a small peek into Heaven.

I swear I dream of mountains of chocolate and rivers of icecream! And my guilty conscience is reminding me that it is not good to eat sweets. Talk about guilty pleasure!

When will the day come when chocolate and icecream would not add extra weight or give diseases like diabetes?

Until that day comes, I would settle for the red pill for breakfast, blue pill for lunch, yellow pill for dinner just like Sara Goldfarb (aka. Ellen Burstyn) in Requiem for a dream.

Why give man free will when there is no freedom in chocolate?

Eva Cassidy - Autumn Leaves

let the autumn settle in

This morning (actually 1 pm, but morning for me) when I was heading to gym, I noticed Autumn. Yes, I knew it was cold outside, I did take out of the closet the heavy artillery few weeks back, blue shoes out of the box, but I never had the feeling that autumn came. I only knew summer days were over.

But today was different. Despite the 9 degrees outside, I did not notice the cold. I was surprise to meet Autumn. Small puddles here and there, invisible rain drops and many yellowish leaves fallen at my feet as if someone wanted to place a rug of leaves in front of me. And all this made me feel alive. And for the first time in years I did not mind the weather, I did not mind the Autumn.

I remembered the times when I was little...maybe around five or so. I remembered walking towards kindergarten with my clay colored rubber boots and jumping in the biggest puddle I could find. What I don't remember is being upset because it's Autumn.

So I realized that as I grew up, I forgot how it felt to just take everything as it is, without always compare it to my grown up expectations.

I bet the five year old little girl never expected her life to be as it is now. I just hope she would be proud if she knew.

life lessons

As I was talking to my Parisian sister the other day, I realized that the way me and my beloved sufletel got married has busted all the myths and traditions anyone might think of.

I value traditions and I enjoy weddings, but I was never part of those little girls who used to dream about themselves in white bridal dresses. I never dreamed about big wedding. My idea of getting married was eloping with the loved one. No big fuzz. Just the two of us, united in front of God.

And what do you do when you have two very different cultures (and so may different traditions), two families on two different continents, friends all over the world? I have no idea which is the right answer. I can only know what was the right answer for us.

We got married the legal way, we stood together in front of God and received His blessings and we shared our happiness with the dear ones. Yes, most of them were not present there, but they were present in our hearts.

We chose the simplest way possible not because we had anything to hide or because we didn't consider this unique event as one of the most important of our lives, but because in life sometimes you have to compromise the happiness that others might get for one day, for the happiness that two people want to share for a lifetime.

The ones who love us share our happiness. The ones who love themselves most of all, feel neglected.

Life goes on. And we have just opened a new chapter in our lives and we couldn't be more excited!