Diary of a Desi TCK
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Parallel Sandwich

4/3/2019

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In a parallel universe, I never moved. I was never born outside of my passport country. I was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, where my family is from, and I lived there my entire life.  The following post is written under this perspective. 

In a parallel universe, my mother-tongue is Urdu. I read, write, and speak it Fluently. I speak it better than any other language. Even some of my blog posts are written in Urdu.

In a parallel universe, I cook chapli kebabs, lamb biryanni, murghi ka salaan, keema, fish tikka, and bunhawa ghosht on the regular, instead of being Chipotle's numer one fan.

In a parallel universe, I fell in love with a Pakistani boy (because we all know that, even in a parallel universe, I would never settle for an arranged marriage). My parents approve, and, at 25, I'm already engaged and planning my wedding. 

In a parallel universe, I'm feeling sad, because I know soon I will be moving away from my parents and the house I grew up in to live somewhere "foreign" - my fiance's parent's home.

In a parallel universe, I drive like a lunatic and honk my horn every minute, creating a beautiful song with it, because that's the norm in Pakistan.

In a parallel universe, the friends I grew up with, went to school with, went to college with, went to graduate school with, etc. all live in the same city as me, and I complain about them being a 30-minute drive away because that seems too far. 

In a parallel universe, my mother never knows what sadness feels like, because her children never leave her side.

In a parallel universe, my father dreams of the "American Dream", and wishes he somehow could have sent his children to the U.S. for their studies, not realizing how wonderful of a life we have all lived in Pakistan.

In a parallel universe, the most scandalous thing I've ever done is went on a date with a boy to a local fancy, foreign restaurant. 

In a parallel universe, I have two or three kittens as pets, and maybe even a parrot. 

In a parallel universe, I fantasize about living abroad for a year.

In a parallel universe, I spend hours before my cousins' shaadis practicing dances for their mendhi, because I live just a few minutes away from them.

In a parallel universe, I think salwar kameez is way comfier than jeans and a t-shirt. 

In a parallel universe, I never miss my brothers or my parents, because we live together, or at least nearby to each other.

In a parallel universe, my best friend is, at most, in another city, not in another continent. 

In a parallel universe (in Pakistan), my hair is usually down, not up in a tight bun and hidden away under a scarf, because I don't have to prove to anyone what a "normal Muslim" is like. They already know, because they are all (or most of them) normal Muslims. 

In a parallel universe, I dream of living alone somewhere abroad, in my own little one-bedroom apartment with a gorgeous balcony, driving a cute Honda Civic, and having all the freedom in the universe, instead of being stuck at my parents' house.

In a parallel universe, when someone asks me where I'm from, I don't have to think about it or give them a rehearsed paragraph response. I just simply say, "Islamabad". 

In a parallel universe, I procrastinated doing my "work" work by writing on my blog about how, in a parallel universe, I was born abroad, lived in ten cities, five countries, and three continents by the time I was 25, and lived the life of a TCK. 
Picture
"Over The Moon" by my favorite artist, Rob Gonsalves. https://huckleberryfineart.com/product/over-the-moon/
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    Author:

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    My name is Ayesha, ​and
    I am a Desi TCK.
    ​
    I have lived in eleven cities across five countries and three continents (so far!).
    Please see the "About Me" page for more information.

    Thanks for visiting and reading my diary! 

Thank you for visiting my diary!

​With all my love,
Ayesha


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