20 cent comb

20 cent comb

If I compare both countries and different situations I would say that the USA is a much better place to live even though the USA isn’t perfect either. I feel like here in Pakistan humans are struggling with basic needs that we Americans take advantage of. At my mother’s house the power goes out 3-4 times a day for 2 full hours each time. For those hours you sweat like crazy, thankfully we have a generator but it’s extremely loud and most of the time doesn’t start easily. I found out that other people have generator problems as well. I learned that the companies make the generators so that they will have problems, that way they constantly have to be repaired. Last week I went to my cousin’s house and she was telling us that she doesn’t get water for 2-3 days each week. They have to buy a water tank for those days.  At my mother’s home, two neighborhood kids come to the door every day with empty plastic bottles and pails. I asked my sister they were there and she told me that since it was so dry their well had gone dry. They were coming to our house so they could borrow some water for daily usage.

This was a new experience for my girls and later we talked about how in the US when we are washing our hands, brushing teeth or taking a shower we don’t think about how much water we are wasting. Here people use it very carefully.  The poor and middle class people are struggling every single day for basic needs and the struggle has become part of their daily routine.

Another major thing I noticed that everyone has to deal with is bargaining. It doesn’t matter if you are buying vegetables or getting a taxi. Bargaining is a major part of life. When I went shopping the bargaining part was the most stressful part for me. Bargaining wastes a lot of time. For example if something costs $5.OO dollars the seller would say it was at least $ 20 dollars. It took me a few days but the bargaining ability came back pretty easily. When they told me a price I immediately said that I would only pay half the price. It wasn’t until I started walking away that they would give me the price I wanted. I didn’t enjoy shopping at all. I kept thinking that I wished the prices were fixed so I wouldn’t have to argue. Then I could save time and it would be less stressful and more enjoyable.

Once my girls and I put Pakistani clothing on, nobody could tell we weren’t from Karachi. But I was surprised that by my Urdu (Pakistani language) accent people could tell we won’t from here even thought this was where I was born. One day both of my girls and I were shopping and my oldest daughter liked something and whispered something to me in English. I didn’t think the sales man heard her and I also didn’t think he was educated enough to have understood what she sad. After I responded to my daughter in Urdu, he responded back in English and said, “She isn’t from here, she is abroad”.  I was so shocked that he found out and so lied and said that she was from Islamabad; it’s the capital and a nice city. The salesman didn’t believe me though. No matter where I was I had to be very careful about what I said and did because people could tell if I wasn’t from there.

There is no comparison between both counties.  In the bigger picture life is better in the USA but we are far from family and that isn’t easy to deal with either. Over there in Pakistan life is very hard and people are struggling each day to make it through.

Still in all that mess I found beautiful things and every time I think about it I have a smile on my face. One day I was out in a super market with my girls and was busy looking at something, on my left side a small boy around 7 or 8 years old came to me and was selling combs. Child labor is very common in Karachi and due to heavy poverty you will find lots of beggars begging for money. I looked at him and he said to me in urdu “baji kungi lahu” which means sister buy a comb from me. I didn’t need a comb but so without thinking I took 10 rupees to give to him. Though it wasn’t much I wanted him to have something at least. He didn’t take it and said to me “no sister I don’t want money, but you can buy a comb for 20 cents”. Right away I took 10 more rupees out of my purse and bought a comb from him. He got really happy and I really appreciated him for not taking free money but working for it. That little boy left a beautiful mark on my heart.