My country's music came to my back yard

Sept. 9 was my very first time going to Krannert Center for their opening night. I didn’t know what to expect, except I knew there would be a different kind of band playing.  Krannert is one of my favorite place in town. When I walked in, the lobby was full of people, there were many different kinds of food, and a band was playing. I ran into many familiar faces and I was enjoying my time there.

After I walked around with my friends, we decided to listen to the band and have a good time. I wanted to see which band was playing. Before even I looked up, I heard the drums beating, and right away I knew they were playing Indian music. The sound of drums beating took me back to back home. It was so nice to hear my own country’s music. Soon I learned that the band called Red Baraat, and they came from Brooklyn, N.Y. Red Baraat’s energy was great, and the songs they sang were in my native language.

When we immigrants left our birth county, it was a huge part of us we leave behind. When we see the native food we grow up with, we get excited about it. Also the people who speak same language feel connected with each other. But with time we may lose the taste of our food and the language or the connection with others. But I must say the music you grow up will always stay with you.

We are very lucky to have krannert within our reach. When I heard Red Baraat at karannet, it was like having my country’s music take me back to my background. It’s not like I haven’t heard my native language’”s live music before. Yes, I have but in the big city, not in Urbana. One of the downsides of living in a small town is things are limited. If you want more experiences then you have to travel, and that takes planning. But I was really proud and happy to see the band at Krannert. Yes, this is a small time but sometimes small town surprise you, and that’s when  you appreciate your small town. I know I do.   

Making me think

I have chosen not to write about the politics and the race issues, not because, I am afraid to give my opinion but because I am not sure through my writing people will fully understand my message without jugging me or missing my point. I am not prejudiced toward any race or religion. And yes, my birth country is Pakistan, but my home is the U.S.A. Without going into the politics and racial issues, I recently started thinking about what is happening around us and am I making a mistake to bringing my family here in the USA?

My family and I have been separated for the last twenty six years. In 2004 I applied for my sisters’ immigration. Twelve years later their turn come, and right now I am working really hard to bring them here. The immigration visa process is very long and very stressful. But my focus has always been family being together. And I can’t wait until the day my entire family will be here with me. It’s almost to the end, but recently I started thinking that I hope I am not making a mistake. Here is why: The news is full of white people not treating blacks equally and especially how our white police officers are treating blacks. The election is nearby, and many people aren’t happy with our future Presidential nominees. The more I talk to people, the more I hear people are afraid of their future and really worried about the election and after the election. They are also worried  about where the United States is heading. We have a lots of issues.  

I moved here 26 years ago, and good or bad this is my home country. I am always comparing the United States with Pakistan because I haven’t been to any other county. The United States is a great county to live in with full freedom, and if you want to you can achieve any of your dreams.

My sisters’ lives are about to take a huge turn. They will be leaving their birth country. Now they are in their middle age, and it will be an adjustment for all of us, but especially for them. We are all aware of that. But we are all very excited because family will be together. But should I be worried about bringing my sisters to the United States while people are not getting treated equally and most of the American are afraid of the future president. Even if I am making a mistake, only time will tell, but my heart is saying no, I am not making a mistake. I am all about family, and please keep praying that my my sisters will pass their visa interview and they will all be here soon.

How to handle stress

By nature I am a very understanding and a positive person. I don’t stress out easily, unless I feel extremely overwhelmed, and even at that point I try my best to handle things calmly. The people around me would not be able to tell if I am overwhelmed unless I tell them. I can hide it very well. But I am human and I don’t always win.

Not too long ago, I had days where I reached my limit and couldn’t take it anymore. One by one, things started going wrong. And I was very stressed and felt overwhelmed. When I reached that level, even at that time, I know that’s not me and I just needed to hang in there, but that hanging in there time is very hard to do. I am sure many of you can relate to me.

They say when you are under stress or not feeling well, don’t make any big decisions. There is a reason for that because our thinking aren’t clean and we decide things based on our emotions,  which is so true. And what did I do? I decided to quit tae kwon do.

Tae kwon do (TKD) has been huge part of my life for a long time. For me TKD isn’t just a physical; it’s also a mind, body and soul exercise. The hour when I am doing TKD that’s the only time in 24 hours I am 100-percent present and I don’t think about anything else but I am fully present.

Due to feeling overwhelmed and stressed, I wasn’t getting enough sleep.I was worried about everything also being at TKD class on time. My body was feeling very tight, and my positive attitude was gone. I was eating unhealthy food. I didn’t feel like doing anything even sitting down and journaling. So what did I do? I decided to take a break from TKD. But before I did that, I talked to my instructor and explained to him what was going on. And I am thinking about taking a break.

My instructor’s name is Hany Youssef. He isn’t just a great instructor. He is also a very good human. He is also a family man and he understand life very well. He listened to me and then he said taking a break wouldn’t solve any of your issues but if you wanted to, you could try. But remember: Exercise always helps to reduce stress. He also said when we are under stress we forget proper breathing.  He said I should try to stretch three or four  times a day and especially before I go to bed, and that would help me to get a good night’s sleep. He also said at the end of the day, that’s life; we will all always have something to deal with, so instead of resisting, learn how to deal it.   

There was nothing he said to me I didn’t know already, but it was a good reminder. And he also pointed out whatever you do, don’t forget to enjoy. I agreed with him.

Many times I find myself focusing on the destination and I forget to enjoy the journey. The very simple things we can do to make our days and life better are slow breathing, laughter and drinking water. How simple and easy things are to do. But as human we get caught up on unnecessary things, and that’s when our focus shifts to things are not important. I need to keep reminding myself that stress isn’t my friend. And instead to worrying about the future, don’t forget to enjoy today and be in control.  

“Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose.”

– Maureen Killoran, life coach.