A Pakistani Teenager in Canada

you are pathetic dude. please sniff on cyanide and end your misery.

Hey.......

I know what it is like. I am 24 now and things are better. I have independence, friends that are like me and life is easier.

But I remember when I was at school. Fights, stupid people and parents!

It will not always be like this for ever. Trust me.

Hussain

MHS I believe I can understand your predicament although I have not gone through the same experiences as you I have very close friends who have lived a “dual” life in North America i.e. one created by their parents and family at home and one they have to face outside home at school etc. I believe there are no simple solutions to your dilemma, however I will suggest that you be strong and not let what other people think or say guide your beliefs. In addition don’t be let the fact that you are different bother you because you are different you come from a different cultural and social background which you should be proud of.

Salaam

what school did u go 2 in UAE?

DEAR BROTHER,

I READ YOUR LETTER AND WAS DEEPLY MOVED.

I AM 32 YR OLD AND ORIGINALLY AM FROM PAKISTAN..

I WAS RAISED IN SAUDI ARABIA AND WENT TO STUDY MEDICINE IN PAKISTAN......CAME TO USA FOR BETTER FUTURE AND ALHAMDULILLAH DID WELL...I AM A PRACTICING PHYSICIAN AND I JUST STARTED HAVING FUN IN MY LIFE.....

I WORKED IN SCHOOL HEALTH DURING RESIDENCY....DEAR BROTHER YOU R GOING THRU THE WORST TIME OF YOUR LIFE.......TEASING...PEER PRESSURE ETC........

IF U WAIT FOR COUPLE OF YEARS GENERALLY THINGS GET BETTER.........UNFORTUNATELY YOUR PARENTS WILL NEVER HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING THRU.......................

BUT U R DOING THE RIGHT THING........

EMAIL ME ANYTHING AND I WILL BE GLAD TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE OF LIFE....

SNHAIDER@HOTMAIL.COM

MHS,

Great Article! I was born and raised in Canada and

as such remember the type of feelings you have about Urdu when I was your age.

My mom made me read ``Urdu kee pahlee kitab``, ``Urdu kee doosree kitab`` etc. After a while my lungs would be out of breath and I would have a headache trying to read this darn Urdu. But you know what? Now I`m proud of the fact that I have some reading capability in Urdu. Doesn`t matter how useless it is here in Canada, it`s something you can say you are able to do that a lot of other young people your age can`t.

I can`t tell you how many people now step back in awe and go ``Wow! You can read Urdu?``. Trust me you get instant respect in Pakistani crowds by being able to say that.

Fact of the matter is your roots are pakistani, and by knowing Urdu, learning about your rich cultural heritage opens up by being able to read the books in their native language.

My family has a family tree book written in Urdu and it`s wonderful that I`m able to learn about my fore-fathers because I can read it.

You should be happy your Mom is actually making an effort to teach you Urdu- other parents would simply complain about how the children are losing their culture in Canada and do nothing more than bring home Indian movies and shalwar kameezes for them to wear. In my opinion Teaching the language both written and oral preserves culture far better than anything else.

Regards.

Fozia Zaidi

This is undoubtedly a very good web site.

The cultural duality of Pakistani people is basically due to negation of reality. They even negate the world where they live, thrive and make money -----by any means. Wrong interpretation of religeon and glorifying nothingness has brought us to a point where very soon Pakistan will be starved of all free thinking and people of intellect. It will be a country of illiterate, corrupt minded anti education people.Nobody can now save Pakistan from the evident----.

I have a son of your age. If your mom tells you any thing it is for your good YOU already understand !

Good article!!! One thing though!!

If you are from rawalpind your mother tongue is not Urdu but Punjabi or more apt Pothohari!!

Thanks

Sandeep Singh Bajwa

sbajwa@fyi.net

hey

you should read my article on fun-da-mental its called fundamentalists.

ciao

Little brother - One advice - Lose the moustache. Take care.

Azam Khan

Simpson

One does not have to live in a country to get a taste of what happens there. I can build a fairly accurate picture of life in Pakistan by speaking to others who have been there, reading literature and watching television.

Many of us have never been to Pakistan nor ever intend to that does not make us lesser Pakistanis. To return to a country where so many are living a wretched existence desperate to escape is sheer stupidity.

Shan

Our standard of living together with our status here in the West is far better than what it would be had our parents stayed there. I for one would not have been able to afford a University education nor would I be earning anything like the income I have to name just two things. Perhaps Pakistanis from afluent families feel they’ve lost their status here in the West but don’t include me in your generalisation.

Farouq Taj.

MHS:

The fact of the matter is,we may be in America or Canada but Pakistan will always be our identity. There are some unfortunate Pakistani`s who get dazzled by all the wrong things that the western culture has to offer and in this process forget all the great things that are offered by their own heritage, but do they ever get identified as Americans? NO!! they will always be Pakistani`s and that`s a fact that none of us should forget. Pakistan`s respect and honor will always raise our respect and vice versa so we should be proud and thank Allah that we have our own country and identity. Freedom is not something that should ever be taken for granted and those who do often loose it for years to come

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!

NAJAM MAHMUD

KARACHI

good questions M.H.S. and as others have been saying, there are no answers apart from the ones you will find -and like- yourself.

it is good to ask people about their opinions, but the answers should be treated as opinions only, not some ``siraat-i-mustaqeem`` [errr... i guess that can be translated literally as straight line, and means the correct way of life... probably. don`t believe me though] that you have to follow. you seem to have a good grasp on yourself. don`t lose that.

i think one of the main reason for the confusion of the young, transplanted generation is the guilt ridden confusion of their parents. the parents have moved in search of a better life, which they usually find. but then they yearn for the life at home, forgetting that for their kids, home is where they are... it is the parents who put the

``C`` in the ABCD.

i think the main ingredients of good human values would be the same in any culture, though there are differences in the amount of the ingredients. for me, the main ingredients for me are:

* 3 cups honesty

* 1.25 cup love

* 3 tbsp joy

* .25 tsp randomness

* 1.5 tsp social skills

this gives me a nice loaf of me, to be enjoyed by myself mainly...

to my dismay, i realised that for a lot of people i came in contact with, the first and last ingredient of my recipe were interchanged. pah!

where the heck was i? oh yeah... sorry... so, as i was about to say in conclusion, try and define your own self, and then stay true to yourself. the self will evolve with time, and so will the values, just go where they take you.

Re : MHS and SR

What can i say ? A beautiful reply ( almost avuncular, I`d say ) to a wonderfully innocent piece of writing......

Good luck and keep writing. it was lovely reading you. I think you must be amazingly bright. I don`t think at your age I was remotely as aware as you. incidentally I am double your age and still battling with the same questions. Life? Right? Wrong? I? The only difference is that now I know (or think I know) that it is okay to ask the reason why.

Please keep on asking your questions. It is the bravest thing to do. Don`t forget to send us a note about your discoveries:)