IN A WORLD CALLED PAKISTAN (5)

Hey,

I've been packing and unpacking and then packing again. I can't believe it's time for me to leave. Six weeks have passed by so quickly and Pakistan really feels like home. I've connected with so many people in so little time and I know I'll love them all forever.

But let's get straight into my project.
It's been exceptionally gruesome. I had, for the longest time, thought this project to be a tra-la-la, easy breezy, walk in the park project. I had everything planned--a plan A, B, and C. And I had a backup for all the potential factors that could ruin ever--a plan D, E and F. And still, it never went completely according to plan.

Unfortunately my video idea didn't go as planned, so I was unable to show you the beauty that I saw. I gathered so many videos, too. But the footage was never good enough. It's hard to video in places where people always stare at you and that contraption in your hand.

But the stories I collected are beyond amazing. The input I've gathered is not only of folktale stories, but of the people I've interviewed and talked to. I've seen and experienced their struggle, their personalities, and their culture. From every person I have talked to, I've learned of weird myths and interesting legends and fascinating ideas.

ok ok ok
I really want to share some myths with you:
1. an itch on the palm of your hand means money is coming
2. cut off a fox's tail and leave it in your home so you can be successful.
3. accidentally dropping wheat on the floor means guests are coming to your home
4. In Lahore, there is a canal that runs along a highway. Along the sides of the highway, there are little boys and old men selling pieces of raw meat. The reason they sell raw pieces of meat on the side of road is because people who want their wish to com true, they would buy a bag of raw meat and then go to the canal. Then they would through those meat pieces into the canal while having that wish in their mind. It's really similar (exactly same) to the "throw a coin in a fountain and have your wish come true" myth.

Hopefully when I get home, I can get them all in coherent sentences before my presentation.

Hopefully

OK my battery is at 6%
see ya in the airport where I can charge this freaking thing properly

IN A WORLD CALLED PAKISTAN (4)

HOLA SENORS AND SENORITAS

I have been in my room since two days ago, trying to get this stupid laptop to work. Now that the days have gotten more hot and more humid, the electricity goes out more and more. Yesterday, it was out all day, and then came back at eleven at night.

So now you may be wondering, well Sophia, you don't need electricity to internet. But my dears, if my laptop doesn't charge, I cannot internet. And that has been the issue these past few days, and it really sucks because...well...it just does.

Anywho, now that I've got you for a few brief seconds, here's the 411: stories are going great. I wish I could share more, but that would really ruin my whole book. Basically, I've gotten almost all the information I need to create my Collective Inspirations, but now it's all about writing it over and over again until it's almost perfect. And that especially sucks over here where the electricity goes out every five seconds and nothing gets charged.

I forgot to show you a picture of my adviser. It's this super nice man who happens to be the chairman of the History of Pakistani Studies Department. This is a picture of him and me smiling at the camera that my uncle is holding in front of our faces (way to be descriptive):

 I'm going to another wedding this week. This time I will actually video it happening and take pictures and stuff (I was too sick to do it for the last wedding).

THIS IS MY LAST WEEK
and I am depressed
I do not want to leave
I do not
I do not
I do not
I'm leaving on the 29th, spending a day in Dubai, and then coming home to 12 hours in the past.

Another Photobook will be put up shortly.
Have a nice night, and sorry for the late update.
Byeya

Photobook 2

Hey guys!
I've got pictures.
My official update post is just below if you wanna read and check up on me.

There's this mask that the girls make. It's called the "Basin" mask.
It's a mix of this spice called Basin (not exactly sure of the English term), water, and lemon juice.
Afterwords, the ladies put on yogurt. I kindly objected to the yogurt part of this ritual. 

My little cousins kept a chick as a pet. They hid it in a dresser cupboard.
It died two days later.
RIP Chusa

It's a large basket filled with date pits, peach pits, plum pits, beads, and other things.
We took a handful of those seeds from the big white basket, made a prayer,
and then threw a seed into another basket.
Each seed is one prayer. 

I thought it would be funny to put mustaches on some of aunts

this is only half of my family. The camera couldn't get the entire room. 

We went to a wedding. This is the bride. 

and done.

IN A WORLD CALLED PAKISTAN (3)

Hey guys!

And sorry for the late update. I kind of got sick again. So I was in bed for the last two days. Also, my computer stopped working for a day. But all is well now. 

1. Work is going okay. I've finished up seven folktales, and I'm planning to get three done today (for lost sick time). Sometimes it gets really frustrating trying to get the stories because the person I'm asking doesn't completely understand what I mean. When the interviewees aren't really into the questions, they give me vague answers or generalize everything in five words. It takes a lot of effort to weed out the good stories from the rotten ones. 

2. Travel is still a pain--the train rides are making me more and more claustrophobic

3. I went to a wedding the other day. Funny story, I went to a beauty parlor on the day of the wedding, and ran into the bride. She was literally caked with makeup-I'll have the picture of her posted in the photobook.

ALSO - so whenever someone says "let's go to the beauty parlor" or "let's go to a fancy restaurant", I always imagine those places in an American way. And then I go there and see that it's nothing like what I expected. So yeah. 

 The days are getting hotter, and it's getting harder and harder to believe that I'm leaving in two weeks. I really don't want to go. But time never falters. I've made so many friends here, and I've boned with family. It's an experience I don't want to stop experiencing. 

So this is a pretty short update.
k see you on my next post. 

SHAY MURID HANI

Salaam Y'all,

Over the pass two weeks, I've been working, busy like a bee trying to get some folktales. There are five main provinces of Pakistan that I have to collect folktales from: Punjab, Sindh, KP, Baluchistan, & Gilgit.

Recently I've been focusing on one particular region of Pakistan called Baluchistan that is extremely rich with a culture known little to even other parts of the country. Interviewing Balochi people is especially interesting, because I get to see and hear of their experience first hand and I get it all with a certain Balochi pride and enthusiasm. A lot of my interviewees have thanked me for looking into their culture, and some have even given me gifts. I feel blessed to have met and talked to them all, and I truly hope this project does their culture justice. 

I decided to put up a folktale from the Baluchistan region not only to show the beauty I feel from getting these stories, but also to give you an idea of how I'm collecting these stories and what my book may look like in the future. 

I have put together some background information of Baluchistan that you may find entertaining or interesting or unique (or boring). It'll help you understand and appreciate the folktale (which I'll have linked below) a little better when reading.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. The language, Balochi, is more similar to Persian than it is to Urdu. 

2. In marriage, where it's typical for the fiancees family to pay the man's family, in Baluchistan it is the other way around. This is because of the extremely high regard and respect for women in Baluchistan.

3. Also a little marriage fact: unlike other arts of Pakistan, where the woman is required to leave with the man right after the wedding, in Baluchistan, the women can wait up to however long (typically 3 days) before she decides to leave. 

4. Here are some cool myths from the region:

a. Adding rocks to cooking makes it taste better

b. When a kid plays with fire, he'll pee his pants at night

c. When sweeping the floor, don't come in front of the broom or otherwise you'll grow up a thief. 

5. A type of dance: the Balochi Chop

6. If you stay in a Balochi house, the owner would protect the guest even if his life depended on it.

7. There is the "Balochi word'; a sort of honor code. With this code, whatever a Balochi promises will be followed through.

So now,

without further ado:

SHAY MURID HANI

(Shay-moorrid Haani)

Photobook

UPDATE: YOUTUBE AND PANDORA DO NOT WORK IN PAKISTAN.

phew that's done

This post is about pictures. I already posted my official weekly report post, so if you'd like to read and comment on that, just scroll down a bit to my last post. 

I feel like I should upload some pictures on here, just to fully display Pakistan. So here's this short little photo book. For the full experience, I recommend going to YouTube (Oh how I miss you) and typing in 'La Noyee' by Yann Tiersen before you go through the photos. 

k

got the music

cool

Overhead of Dubai at night

Overhead of Pakistan at night 

This family lives in a one room mud house with no windows.
They own a chicken with chicks and a goat. 

These children come into my grandmother's farmhouse just to stand by the door.
They look at us from afar and all I can do is smile back at them
 and hope they're all doing fine. 

All the children from the village gather around my grandmother to get a share of the rice my aunt made for lunch.

Taken 4

There's just something about the alley ways here.
 Gutter-like things run on each side and motorcycles parked every which way
and doors that are always open for neighbors
 and literally anybody.

Look at how cool view is from the roof

And me.

More pictures next time!

IN A WORLD CALLED PAKISTAN (2)

Week 2 and
I've seen a lot of things
I've heard a lot of things
I've tasted a lot of things

So first I'll start with the nitty gritty workload. I have a lot of it. Everyday at 11, I go on a thirty minute drive that goes something like this:

That's right. I'm sitting on a motorcycle. Did you know that in Pakistan (and other countries like Pakistan, I'm sure), most of the women that sit behind the motorcycle driver actually sit side saddle format, like this:

It's super fun riding like this at 80mph. 

So getting to work is a charm. I'm not being sarcastic. It's literally so much fun. The roads are all jagged and bumpy that it feels like a Six-Flags roller-coaster.

But doing the work is a bit hectic. My adviser gathers two of his students every day, three or four times a week, both of whom come from different regions of Pakistan, and I am given the faculty room for a one-on-one. It takes about an hour for each interview, and usually I end up with usable and satisfactory information. I'll tell you the truth, it is extremely difficult to get exactly what you want from the interviewee. It gets tough to convey what you want answered, and how. The first day, all my interviews beat around the bush and never directly answered my question. I suppose it was on me to have asked better questions; but all is well now.

Then I got sick. Like horribly, badly, maliciously sick. And I still am now. It's an adjustment thing, ya know? America is a lot cleaner than Pakistan is, so my body was bound to succumb. But this adjustment sickness is really eating at me. Sometimes I can't move or even speak because every part of my body hurts so bad. I get a fluctuating fever and stomach aches and headaches and I really just want it to stop.

Oh I should let you know that I travel a lot (effective transition). The university I'm gathering my research in is in Lahore, and every weekend I travel either by train or one very dreadful, claustrophobic van to Narowal (where all my aunts and uncles and cousins live). So it's a constant trip every week.

I just want to stress the pain I felt yesterday. This is what four hours in a claustrophobic van looks like:

So anywho, I'm going back to bed because my stomach is beginning to hurt again. OH I forgot, I wrote my first short folktale story a few days ago!! I'm so excited because everything is starting to take shape (or at least, kind of).

Till next time

(PS, if the videos don't show, please let me know)