My Journey to Pakistan: Red Bull X-Fighters Jams in Karachi

I just found out an exciting news about another cool event that will take place soon: Red Bull X-Fighters Jams in Karachi. Catwalk Production & Event and Catalyst PR & Marketing managed to convince four impressive Red Bull Riders to come to Karachi for a must see show.

Martin Koren (CZ), Nick De Wit (ZA), Jimmy Verburgh (BE) and Nick Franklin (NZ) are the stars of this event. All are world class riders with impressive experience and championship titles and will be ready to pull off their stunts in Karachi!

Check out the show pulled of by Red Bull X-Fighters in Lima, Peru

The Red Bull X-Fighters Jams will take place on April 7^th (press conference on April 6^th). More details are yet to be released.

My Journey to Pakistan: Earth Hour in Karachi

Things are happening in Pakistan and they are no longer happening with a considerable delay compared to other countries. They are happening right now due to the dedication and hard work of a handful of young people who are doing their best to see their country grow.

Earth Hour was celebrated this year in Karachi through an event organized by Lets Build On (LBoN) and Green Volunteers. The event took place at Clifton Park Towers and attracted many people. Some of the people joined in without knowing what the event was about, but once they found out, they showed their support.

Candles were lighted, stories were told, pictures were taken, Geo TV showed up and, for one hour, no one there used electricity. In a country with over 170 million people, imagine what would happen if more people joined in! 

Although, courtesy of KESC, Karachi is celebrating Earth Hour almost every day now :)

My Journey to Pakistan: Pharmaceutical company comes to the neighborhood

I have to say that after two weeks of living in the neighborhood I am starting to get very familiar with everything and feel at home. Although I am very bad with orientation, I am now starting to get a picture of where I am and what is around me. 

I got accustomed to buying fresh vegetables early in the morning from the local farmers, getting chicken from near-by butcher, naan from the tandoor wala 2 minutes away from our house, having a go-to store or person for anything you need. 

On my birthday I payed another visit to the doctor, not to celebrate, but to get an anti-tetanus shot. (I am by far the master of home disaster). This time we went to the clinic that is just few minutes away  from our place and met the doctor that knows all the medical history of my husband's family. The office hours are till 10:30 in night. 

Two days later we found out that in the same clinic there is a medical crew from Getz Pharma offering free check-ups to people from the neighborhood as part of their campaign to raise awareness on diabetes and obesity. We decided to go and see what it is about.

I was happy to meet a very professional team of young doctors, good medical equipment and patience to explain to everyone over and over again the advantages of a healthy lifestyle.

I got my weight measured (and thank God my nutritionist back home will be happy with the results), my body composition analyzed, blood sugar and cholesterol checked.

I was the odd one there, but I didn't care much about that. The more I am starting to feel like home, the less I see people looking at me and I am enjoying this day by day.

My Journey to Pakistan: Fashion, Fashion and more Fashion

In Pakistan March is the month that all fashionistas wait for with huge interest as the top Pakistani designers present their new summer collections and set the trends in design and fabrics.

If you wish to escape from all of this, you can’t. You are trapped. I believe that the outdoor advertising market is enjoying this season as much as all the ladies out there looking for the latest trends. There are 2 predominant types of billboards that I’ve seen all around Karachi: one for political campaigns for parliamentary elections and the other for countless new collections coming up from new as well as from renowned designers.

In all honesty my knowledge about Pakistani fashion is reduced to few names and few trips to designer stores. I still remember a pair of fabulous trousers and a delightful kurtis that I’ve seen back in 2010 in a designer concept store in Zamzama.

This year I have the great opportunity of finding new things about Pakistani fashion as Fashion Pakistan Week is coming up organized by Catwalk Production & Event and handled by Catalyst PR & Marketing.

With a great experience in organizing impressive events, I am sure that Catwalk Production &Event and Catalyst PR & Marketing will bring glamour to a new level this year, as they have up to 30 designers confirmed for the 4 days event.

La crème de la crème (Bunto Kazmi, Sana Safinaz, Faiza Samee, KamiarRokni, Shamaeel Ansari, Maheen Khan and Deepak Perwan to name just few) and upcoming promising designers will take the stage and present their ideas in Fashion Pakistan Week and, hopefully, will prove to the whole world that Pakistan is not only a place of turmoil, but a place with great artistic potential, colorful dreams and fashionable people.

My Journey to Pakistan Part 10: The One Rupee Project

On Sunday, March 24^th, I had the privilege of meeting some great people and find out more about their commitment in making Pakistan a better place through a new project called The One Rupee Project.

It was presented as a project of the community for the community. Anyone can join in and lend a helping hand and through the power of the many, offer education to the people who can’t afford it and reach the goal of making everyone in Pakistan self-sustainable.

What I love most about this project is that anyone who wants to help can actually do it by joining the One Rupee Project. You don’t have to be rich, you only need to care. You can contribute with as little as you can afford (1 rupee is the equivalent of USD 1 cent), but for a country with over 170 million people, 1+1 could make millions. If one quarter of the population contributed with 1 rupee per day, that would make 42 million rupees per day and would pay for one full year of studies for thousands of Pakistanis. It may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. With the support from media and few corporations, this project can shape a new future for a country who needs it so desperately and who is struggling to make a change.

I will keep my eyes on the people behind the One Rupee Project (Abdul Hameed  Kath, Sarfaraz M Khan and Sarosh Waiz) as they have many other ideas worth fighting for and they have the energy and determination to see them come to life. 

Conclusions of the day

• There are people in this country who studied at the most prestigious universities from UK, US and elsewhere and who came back to help their homeland make a turn for a better future 
• People with normal jobs, businesses, families take time to think about the country’s welfare instead of sitting back and enjoying their own success

My Journey to Pakistan Part 9: Cricket, National day and Walls painting

Coming to Pakistan for the third time now I thought I know what to expect and I was very confident that I will be able to make a routine from day one. I couldn’t have been further from the truth. First the airport procedures took forever because the man at immigration couldn’t find Romania in his computer, then I came to know that the wonderful Qatar Airlines did not transfer my luggage in Doha and I will received it 2 days later.

Lucky me, I did get my luggage 2 days later, intact and with apologies. The thought of staying in a foreign country for 1 and a half months without my luggage was not that appealing after all.

The days have been anything but boring so far. I have enjoyed good food, good park walks & runs, nice weather and, most of all, I have enjoyed meeting people.

On 23^rd of March we celebrated the national day of Pakistan and on 22^nd of March Pakistani cricket team won the Asian Cup. In all fairness, I have never watched a cricket match, I don’t know the rules and how it is played, but here it is the national sport. People grow up playing cricket and every here and there you can see kids (and grownups) out on the streets pitching and batting.

Wining this cup brought Pakistanis a lot of joy and a beautiful present on their national day. There were fireworks and people were dancing on the streets celebrating the events.

On 23^rd March I was surprised to see how much Pakistanis love their country. There are people trying to make a difference, trying to bring new hope to the country and putting their best efforts into building a better Pakistan.

My husband and I, we were lucky to be a small part of such an event organized by Let’s Build On and Green Volunteers. The purpose was to paint in white the concrete fences on Zamzama street in order to cover the writings there and give the area a cleaner look.

What I loved most about this was to see young people dedicating their spare time to give something back to the community. One can enjoy in many ways an extended weekend, but there are few who can get out of their comfort zone and get out on the street, get a brush in their hand and start painting. Needless to say that this was completely sponsored by the youths themselves without the implication of any political party.

Maybe painting 1 street in a country of 796,095 square km may not seem much, but it is the ambition and the determination of these young people that will help the country move forward. I am hopeful that soon we will be able to see, hear or participate in Let’s do it Pakistan and many other activities that will create a cleaner, safer, friendlier environment.
On Sunday there will be an open yoga class on the beach encouraging people to exercise and live a healthier life. Although 8 AM on Sunday is extremely early (for my husband) I hope we can make an effort to be there. Giggling about my first yoga class :)

Happy Independence Day Pakistan :)

My Journey to Pakistan Part 8: How women dress in Pakistan

One of my concerns about my visit to Pakistan was related to what was appropriate to wear. I was never a fan of over revealing clothes, but when someone tells me there is something that I can’t wear, I feel like I am deprived of my rights.

Traditionally, Pakistani women wear a three piece suit: shalwar (trousers), kameez (top) and dupatta (scarf). There are also some women who wear burqa to cover their bodies in public places.

In Karachi I’ve seen most women wearing the three piece suit and I was surprised and impressed with their constant care for fashion. Designers set the trend and present their collections in Karachi / Lahore Fashion Week and Pakistani women follow closely to see what is in and what is out. Wearing things from last season’s collection in a formal gathering or restaurants is a faux pas.

As one can expect, I did not have such clothes in my first visit and for my second visit, the clothes that I had from few months back were so yesterday’s news that I couldn’t wear them.

I have seen many young women wearing jeans and it made me feel more comfortable with my choices, not for fashion reasons, but the last thing I would want is to offend people with what I wear. To be honest, wearing jeans in 45+ Celsius degrees was not my dream and I was happy when my sisters in law came to my rescue and lend me some of their clothes to wear. I’d rather be comfortable then die defending the jeans culture.

Just like in the parks when exercising, on the streets and in restaurants I have seen women in jeans and other “western” clothes together with women in more conservative outfits. None seemed uncomfortable with the other's choice. I was even more surprised to see women wearing burqa coming out of designer shops with few bags of clothes or from cosmetic stores after buying makeup.

Now, as I am packing for another visit to Pakistan, I am more relaxed with what clothes to take with me. In Bucharest now we have -2 degrees here and I am overjoyed to throw in my bags few summer dresses that I will be able to wear in Karachi. I am still packing jeans, but I know somewhere in my heart I hope that, if the weather gets too hot, my sisters in law will help me again with few Pakistani summer-friendly, fashionable outfits.

Conclusions of the day:

• Pakistani women have a wide range of options when it comes to what to wear – from conservative clothing, to more “westernized” outfits 
• You can wear jeans in Pakistan, but keep in mind that summers there are extremely hot and humid and it may not be the best option

Disclaimer: All my notes are based on my observations and my social interactions and should not be generalized