Abcd Funny

Shine on Me ..

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I have met many people in my life, but I met someone like Sitara.

This spring 2001, I was one of the last passenger flight PK 724. The fever was gone the whole airport. Slide the luggage behind me, I pushed my glasses on the nose and eyes tight. I had never been in my parents' house before, but I've seen enough pictures to recognize my Pakistani family, standing by the railing, looking straight at me and smiling.

Fariha Altaf Hamid and decided migrate to the United States in the 1970s, when everyone left Pakistan in search of better opportunities. From modest clinical psychiatrists in a Community Hospital St. Louis, Missouri, belonging to the best psychiatric hospital in the city. And I am your son, your only son.

Once the United States, my parents stayed trapped in the mechanical, such as equipment racks. They worked hard at their careers, he built a house, had a child and opened hospital. Never have just time, reason or even the family to return. My father was the only child and my mother had a sister, whose daughter is now waiting for me beyond the glass doors of the arrivals. Although born and raised in America, "Promised Land", where people have everything, I always felt as if something missing in my life. I've never been able to identify, and that's exactly why I flew 16 hours that day.
"I am a star. You?" They were the first words she greeted me Sitara, smiling mischievously, showing a perfect set of white teeth.

I'ma fan, "he said, half surprised, half confused, unsure how to answer this question. This was not the kind of greeting I expected from a young Pakistani girl.

Once on the streets Lahore, I could not believe what I saw, the big four-lane road with a stream of cars traveling on one side to another, large posters displaying all kinds accessories and consumption of buildings that are not exactly the skyscrapers, but it certainly had more than two or three plants.

"I thought the U.S. had Billboards, too, "Sitara said, I probably realize without words by the window with his mouth slightly open, immediately close, I must realize that looked like a madman.

"Yes, of course, America has the billboards. I did not know Pakistan does, so I said, for a moment the eyes of the road and see. "Where are the donkeys?

"Los Burros" she asked, as if he wanted the name of a particular being, so you can give me a address and telephone number.

"Yes, Mama told me there are donkeys and horses with carriages attached back on the streets. I was eager to see them! "I explained.

Sitara children laugh and said: "On this night, are probably sleeping. Poor souls have no cable or internet for 'em up. "

"I feel that you are expecting a younger version Twenty years of Pakistan," he added, after a brief pause.

"Yes, that's what Mom told me:" I said timidly, a little ashamed of my lack of knowledge about the world outside the United States.

"Oh boy, have surprises," he said and pressed the accelerator, reaching 100 km / h on the wide road and street lit.

Twenty minutes drive from the airport rather time Khala Jee Sitara has been a great find his comfort zone with me. Shy at first, not knowing what to say to a Pakistani girl was so different from my expectations, soon relaxed as she told me that I was different than she had imagined. Apparently I had to have colored hair, a tattoo shoulder and trousers torn at the knees should be considered as ABCD (American origin Confused Desi).

"Hi, meet Kitty, said he introduced me my first family and home in Pakistan, "She's my cat. She will be responsible for cleaning bones. No, no, no bones, chicken bones and goat you eat when you are finished with them, that is, or perhaps before, too. Sometimes we tend to jump on the table and insists on feeding us. In this case, meet Sara, she was fourteen years old and probably more proud nerd world. I am honored to tell all your glasses are an inch thick! And here is ten Saad and very shy. Saad Waqas Bhai Salam said chocolates in his bag and for the love of God, stop hiding behind me! "

In the next room, I bowed and Khaloo Khala Jee, who were happy to hear me and call Khala Khaloo instead of my aunt and uncle. My mother had always taught that I call my parents by name Urdu. Khala Jee was a woman of exceptional beauty, sharing my mother's sharp features, but more chiseled and refined. By way of comparison, I thought Khaloo Jee was like another Pakistani man, medium built, complexion and gray hair wheatish. His children have inherited her father's complexion features his mother, which makes balance more harmonious between the genes that I had never seen.

In a month I spent in this "land of the pure sounds" a short day now, passed fast. However, I remember every day because it was so different from its predecessor. My host family neglected nothing to make me feel at home and an important part of your family. I, in turn, as best I could to help in the attempt is diarrhea.

Sitara and I are the same age, she made two more months. After graduating from college in the summer, was taking a year off before starting college. When Khaloo Khala Jee and go to work every day to school children and I stayed Sitara at home to make plans for ourselves. And every day is an adventure with her.

Sometimes we spent the day full kitchen, mixing culinary talents Sitara Pakistan with simple kitchen as I learned in college, the food that comes with Handi-like cheese pizza or macaroni and biryani. None of us was good at it, but We had a hell of a lot of pleasure from our inventions around the table at night, sometimes stifling our laughter when Khala Jee says things like: "You two should open a restaurant! "She did not know that the masterpiece was the recognition had been burned three times and started again from scratch!

After a day the entire female labor, as a joke, Sitara and would like to play PlayStation at night. I beat Tekken3 and feel like a kid again.

When we left shopping, park the car in the parking lot and walk around the area. I loved how it gave me more time to observe things around me. Sitara on the contrary, hated and tires easily, which gave us an excuse to sit in random places with a snack and people watching. I guess sitting on the sidewalk in front of the stairs a store or the hood of the car was not appreciated. Sitara once dared to talk to a shopkeeper in Urdu and ask if she could use the bathroom. What I said about yourself translates to "You must go to the bathroom." I was angry at his reaction, until Sitara me out of the store, only audible sound of laughter and explained my bad horrible "AAP" (you) instead of 'Mein' (I).

On weekends, we visited the historical sites of Lahore. We want a basket picnic and dinner in the gardens of great strength of Shahi Qila Lahore or the. Sometimes Khaloo Khala and the stories we tell, the way they used to come to these places very often children because there was no other form of entertainment. There were stories of Khala Jee lose his way once in the Badshahi and mourn for hours until my mother found him, and Khaloo sweets on offer in the gardens of Shalimar, who had heard that a baby does not accept foreigners. And then there were the stories that Sitara'm sure I said no has nothing to do with reality. "Seeing the mouth ago, he said, pointing to the small prohibits window openings, as the base of the walls of the tomb of Emperor Jahangir. "These are dungeons that were used for prisoners. I came here once during a school trip and opened the hatch for weak students to visit us underground. They say the wife of Jahangir, Noor Jehan, is buried and the place is haunted his mind. It smelled so strongly of roses there was not even funny! "

Living among families Khala Jee, I soon discovered that, like any other family, not without problems. What I admired was their optimism, their efforts to enjoy each day and do not let your worries show. A middle class family barely cover their costs in an economy hit inflation had borrowed Khaloo Jee Sitara financing education could not afford to pay. Khala Jee was a heart patient since he had lost his two years, Adil, six years ago. I realized slowly that kept Sitara is standing around the world. Sara had a cake for the purpose of obtaining an A in at least his math test instead of an A +. It Saad was playing video games and learn to spell words like "many" or "synthesis." She resolve disputes between parents in case of need. Suffice it to say that was the life line of this family.

Khala Jee Khaloo and were mostly occupied by their jobs, but when we have time to explain Jee Khaloo Pakistan's economy. The huge influx of money employment opportunities, rapid development, lower interest rate, which increases and just when I conclude that all these things are good, "diving into the details of how the entire economy was hyperinflation. It was amazing, was a banker. Khala Jee had more to say to do. Not having seen her sister for over twenty years, I know she has not a lot. All she talked about the mother, the stories themselves same mother and children and lives in the United States. Sara was very hottest nerd I know. Rarely saw her in the house as it is confined to his room behind a box of books. No I'm not even sure if she was sleeping at night because I never found the light in his room, turned off. Maybe she put it in the case of a sudden wake-up-and-nerd study of the revelation in the middle of the night. The few times I've had the opportunity to speak with him, we talk about education systems of mathematics Pakistan and the United States and places, can be applied to a PhD. No matter how I tried, never walk in field studies. Saad, who threw the dress of timidity, proved to be very child friendly. Sometimes I was little discussion with him, but I felt he was more interested in my iPod, my cell, my digital camera and wristwatch that was me as a person.

But no matter how interesting The days were, never forget Pakistan were the nights. My second night in the country, Sitara took me on the roof, where there were two armchairs, a table between the two with a stereo and the newspaper about it. It seemed a place you visit regularly.

"You see those stars out there," he said, pointing to a group of sky.

"Yes," I replied, looking in that direction.

"Can you see what they look like an arrow?" She said.

"Hmm …" I took my time trying to make the arrow as she spoke, but I saw the stars without any form whatsoever. "No, they look like normal stars for me," I replied, feeling stupid and regret that can not see him trying to show.

"Of course, they are normal stars, stupid!" Tell her hand and draws on the sky and showed me how this group seemed like a typical star arrow.

Thus began our long nights.

"I think I'm one of them, Sitara began to explain, but seeing the confused expression on my face said, "Sitara means" star "in Urdu.

"Oh! so that's what you hear at the airport! I thought you were arrogant this little want to be a movie star or something, trying to impress his Umreeka return premium, I mean, Desi tone that I loved.

She smiled. "Yes, that's what I meant. I've always thought of myself as a star. You know, when people die, become good and the stars shed their light on the world forever. Do you see those two bright stars out there? This is my friend, Mohsin. He died in a car accident when we were ten. And next to him is Hina. We were best friends for as long as I can remember. She died last year of cancer. "

Before I could stop with a word of consolation, he continued. "I come here to talk to them every time you need to get away from everything. The stars, are so high, that is likely to see every person on earth. You know, Waqas, when you feel weak and his condition appeared to be the largest in the world, sees itself himself as a star and how you and your problems go to them very small compared with the world as a whole. It is as if he were now very small part of this great world. It makes you think other people with bigger problems than yours. "

"It's better in the mountains," he said suddenly, totally changing the subject. That's what I wanted, that does not stop at the sad parts for long. "I like our summer holidays in the heel of the North", 9000 meters above sea level sea, the sky is much clearer and closer. I do not know why or how, but even the stars seem happier. They are so close to each other, as a dense network of gloss on the head. She is very beautiful. Sometimes I sit by the window all night staring at the sky. My only let me sit out there, he said, is cold to me or a wolf … "She rambled a strong squeaky, excited as a child when he show his new toy.

"Why not astrology as a major in college? "I asked. It would have been the best choice for your career, given his passion for the subject.

"I thought, I even took some courses, but then I realized I did not know the figures and scientific explanations." Because every time something comes from science, the emotion is out of it, "he explained," I do not think that the organs of the cold blue stars, established the dense particles molecular clouds and blah. "

Trying to get their facts right, I said: "Just because you see money here, they said they are cold. The temperature varies from star-2000K "

"Look," he said, cutting me mid-sentence, probably irritated by the need to be manly scientifically accurate. "What comes to the science of emotion!"

We climbed to the roof every night after that is done with the workday, and sit for hours watching the stars and talk. I was very talkative. Talking about everything and nothing. More intellectual discussions on science and technology, I enjoyed conversations about little things, seemingly meaningless, but the representative of the details that often go unnoticed otherwise. Talk, they said, was a child I was aware of my maid so I often trends I was myself. Sitara But I never had any.

In this less than a month, I learned much more about Pakistan than I could imagine, not so much by experience that through these interviews. Sitara on the little things told me about his life, from childhood to adulthood, I could see the intricate details of their culture, their customs and way of life, most of which were very different from mine. In general, we would have opposing views on the things that gave us more food to speak.

Seven years have passed since the spring of 2001. Today, Sitara, married and mother of an adorable girl. When I arrived in America after my first visit to Pakistan, I realized that my perception of my own life began to change, that encouraged me to think that may be closer to finding answers some of my questions, the reason that caused the issue anyway subcontinent.

Those long nights under the starry sky I realized how important it was to have time for me to rest for ever so often and I really think that life took me. I looked around and people found soaked in sweat working day, dragging along with invoices that have been increasingly, children who are upset with each passing day, some careers that require more hard work families and homes attention. Once caught in the storm of life, people fought without respite, never stopping, even for a moment to reflect where the wind them away. Sitara taught me to pause, to surround myself with everything myself and nature, with myself and God when I needed to take a break.

With these seven years, Sitara and I was in touch by e-mail from time to time, but at night when I'm sitting on the balcony of my bedroom window and watch the stars, e-mail do not need to know how it is. Now I understand. Sitara not talk to the stars in the sky, she talked to herself, a star on earth. In view of all the dilemmas that had to face, not like a million other people I know, complain that there was no answer, actually made a sincere effort to find them. When I honest effort to travel 15,000 miles in search of what my life had I found the key to the answers to my questions, and lay with her. Sitara, for teaching to talk to the stars, has not only given me the power to speak to me, but a way of talking about it, too. When I look at these points of light in the night, I learned much more about her life that she never said emails. From time to time, look to the sky, asking questions, knowing that after ten o'clock, when the stars still shining outside the window Sitara, I'll have my answers.

Sitara was right: she is the star of my life.

And I'm a fan.

About the Author

Sidra Nadeem is a literature major and aspires to become a prolific writer.

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