Lessons of Life (2008)

12/22/08

After spending 1.5 years in various dorm rooms across campus, where the only cooking utensil in my room was a spoon, I had to depend on campus cafeteria for the bland sustenance it excelled in providing.

Imagine my wonder followed by limitless excitement on coming to my cousin's place and having proper home-made food cooked everyday - ranging from haleem and nihari to chicken tikka and biryani, not to mention goodies like cakes, donuts and diet coke at my disposal anytime I make the effort to open the refrigerator. What a pleasant break from instant noodles!

Ahh, life is good.

It is a different lifestyle that has taught me a lot about stuff I haven't come across before. Like yesterday when we had some guests over. It was a Pakistani family - an aunt, an uncle, and their four young kids. The aunt, I noticed, was taking a bit too much interest in me. Spending most of my time avoiding her nosy questions about my studies, family and future plans, I at last settled with a chilled can of diet Coke on a couch that separated the kitchen from the living room.

In a few minutes, my cousin's youngest son Azzaam went running to his mother and complained, "Mamma, Adeeba thappar me!"

It made me think how Pakistani families whose kids are born and bred in a foreign country balance the teaching of both languages. It must be a challenge for sure.

"Beta, ya English bolo ya Urdu bolo. Jumlay ka tiya paancha kyun kar rahay ho?"

"What's piya taancha, Mamma?" (Adeeba and her thappar totally forgotten by now).

"Kuch nahi. Go play outside."

"But tell me na Mamma, what is chiya chaampa?"

As he mumbled this delicious sounding new word to himself a few more times while his mother completely ignored him, I turned around and returned my attention to the TV. Definitely a big challenge. I wish her luck.

The phone rang. I picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hello, is Can-Well there?"
"Kanwal baji, aap ka phone hai!" I called out.

Handing the phone to her, I turned towards my bro-in-law, Zahid bhai, deep in conversation with the uncle. In a typical Pakistani fashion, Zahid Bhai was inquiring about some guy's very personal life.

"To ab kya kar raha hai Rehan?"

"Kuch nahi. Job kar raha hai aur akela reh raha hai. Apartment le liya hai apna usnay."

"To shaadi kyun nahi kar leta?" (solution to every problem, existent and non-existent).

"Bas kab se hum bhi yahi bol rahay hain usay. Magar usko apni life aisay hi achi lagti hai. Independence enjoy kar raha hai abhi."

"Shaadi kar lay. Zindagi sanwar jaati hai," claimed Zahid Bhai as, a second later, a rubber ball bounced off of his head towards the kitchen. His son ran after it.

"Rameel, bahar ja ke khelo!"

"Sorry, Papa."

As my eyes followed Rameel to the kitchen, I saw the aunt chatting with my cousin who'd gotten off the phone by now. It was a continuation of the same conversation taking place in the living room.

"Dono, Rehan bhi aur ab to uska chhota bhai Faizan bhi, dono hi apnay apnay apartments mein move ho gaye hain. Job bhi achi chal rahi hai dono ki. Ab soch rahay hain un ki shaadiyaan karwayein."

"Haan to karwa do," piped in my cousin off-handedly while washing the crayon off of a table napkin - the result of a sudden spark of artistic inspiration by her kid at dinner.

"Koi achi larki milay bas."

And then she looked straight at me.

:O

Okay. Time to move out. Before they hitch me with one of the rhyming brothers.

I got up, ran up to my room, and called up the girl I am moving in with soon.

"When are we moving in?"
"From the 1st. Bataya to tha."
"Jaldi nahi ho sakta?"
"Nahi, it's not available before that. And you haven't even looked at it. Don't you want to look at it first? Kab chalna hai?"
"No, that's okay. I don't want to look at it. I'll take your word for it."
"Hehe, okay. Kya hua, eik dam se itni jaldi kyun? I thought you were enjoying your stay at your cousin's."
"Yeah, well. Let's just say I have newfound respect for instant noodles again."
"What?"
"Nothing. I gotta go. Talk to you later."
"Bye."

I went downstairs again only after the guests had left. My cousin was cleaning up the kitchen.

"They left?" I asked innocently.

"Yeah. Magar 25th ki subah unhon ne breakfast pe bulaya hai hum sab ko. Aur tumhare liye bhi special invitation hai."

Uh-oh.

"Koun koun aayega wahan?"

"Bas hum hi."

"Okay."

Why do I not have a good feeling about this? :S