Hanging out in Lahore

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I was warned by many people to not go to Pakistan, which is precisely the reason why I decided I must go. Granted, I was a bit uneasy about what I would encounter in this conservative, Muslim nation but I, nonetheless, got to the border crossing and marched my way across the border- Yes, I literally, walked the 500 yards that divides India and Pakistan by myself as I once again encountered many peculiar glares. It was amazing!

Saqib, a 26-year-old Servas host, greeted me at Wagah border. Saqib was accompanied by his best friend, Faheem, whose English was a little less broken than Saqib. I was Saqib’s first visitor through Servas and it was my first time using Servas while traveling. Luckily for both of us, we hit it off immediately. It was clear that Saqib and Faheem wanted to make my visit to Lahore, their home city, special but they did not know where to begin.

“What you want to do in Pakistan?” Saqib asked politely.

“I’d like to see Lahore but mostly, I would like to hang out with you.”

“What is this ‘hang out’?” they both asked perplexed.

For some reason, I could not explain what ‘hanging out’ was without using the words ‘hanging out’ in the definition. This is when we shared our first (of many) laughs together as I scrambled to define this concept using simple English words- believe me, it was so hard!

Although I could not verbalize what ‘hanging out’ essentially was in a manner that they understood, we nonetheless hung out all weekend. Saqib and Faheem accompanied me as they took me around to see all the wonderful sites around Lahore- King’s Mosque, Shalimar Garden, Lahore Gate, Old Lahore. By far, my favorite time was when they took me to eat traditional Pakistani food. Faheem always tried to appease my spicy appetite and I got to eat some deliciously tongue-numbing Pakistani food that I had never tried before. Each meal would be better than the last. We even enjoyed eating food in complete darkness during a power outage, in which Saqib would hilariously comment every time the power went out, “THIS IS PAKISTAN!”

Although Saqib and Faheem felt like old friends, I couldn’t help but notice that it is not common for women and men to hang out as friends. Their girlfriends, who the boys would constantly text message, were not allowed by their parents to hang out with the boys or myself. So, when I requested to meet and talk with Pakistani girls, I ended up meeting their sisters and mothers who welcomed me excitedly into their homes with food and chai. Saqib’s mother even gifted me with a beautiful bracelet she had just brought back from Hajj, the sacred pilgrimage that all Muslims aspire to complete as one of the five pillars of Islam. I was immensely touched by their generosity and kindness despite the fact that many of the family members spoke only a few words in English. I spent the remainder of my Sunday going from house to house taking pictures with family members and friends as word spread that I was in the neighborhood.

It was hard to say good-bye to my newly made friends especially since I had gotten used to their company. We packed Saqib’s tiny car to the max as Saqib, Waseem, Ahmad and Shafique drove me back to the border and saw me off to India. Although I was sad to leave Pakistan, especially since I only spent 4 days in a country that deserves a lot more time, I felt like I was returning to something a bit more familiar. It was nice to feel that the road seemed a little bit more like home than a week ago 😊

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Photos

First Meal together
Eating Halim with Faheem (left) and Saqib (right)

Pakistani Border
Day workers carry goods to the border with India.

Comments

[darkness]

lahore
well it takes more than 4 dayz to c lahore it like one of the most best places to be