A Little Off Center

Garam What?!?!?!

2012-01-25T14:06:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

The other day Saad came running into the sitting room to tell us about what one of the door to door salesmen was selling. He ran in shouting "Mama, Daddy, Garam Pakistani Wala!"

Basically what he was saying was "Hot Pakistani Seller" which then made us all burst out laughing. After a minute we all stopped to hear what was actually being sold, it was the Bakarkhani wala. He comes down our street a couple times a day with a metal trunk on the back of a bicycle and a recording that says "Garam bakarkhani, garam bakarkhani, jeldi jeldi aie!" Meaning "Hot bakarkhani, hot bakarkhani, quickly quickly come!"

Bakarkhani is kind of like a puff pastry, lots of flaky layers, sometimes plain or with sprinkles of sugar on top. It is very very tasty, and we sometimes get them to eat with our chai.

Tariq likes to complain about the price though. He is turning into a stereotype of an old man, with his "back in my day" stories, every time he buys bakarkhani he says, "I can remember when it was athaney(a 25 paisa or maybe 50 paisa coin, I think) for one and now it's 4 rupees for one!"

Friday Feature-The settling in process

2012-01-20T23:17:00.001+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Usually when we get to Pakistan there is a routine that we have as part of our settling in process. It takes about a week, and it basically includes cleaning the entire house top to bottom. It is actually a necessity due to all the dust that gets everywhere wile we are gone. Our first floor is mostly enclosed except for the main entrance hall which has a long open window with a steel grill at the top of the wall, so it gets a lot of dust flying off the road outside. The upper floor is also mostly enclosed except for the front hall/gallery which is open to the roof, with another steel grill. So those are the two main areas that need a god cleaning. All the other rooms basically just need a good vacuum/dusting.

After the initial dust/vacuum, comes the furniture moving. Before we leave Pakistan we pull all the furniture out of the downstairs sitting room to a more inner room, so all that has to be moved back where it belongs. Then we wipe down the kitchen and wash the teapots and cups.

Then comes the most important part of our settling in process-making chai and taking a break!

After 15 minutes break and chai comes changing the sheets and dragging all the suitcases up to the bedrooms. After all the cleaning and chai it is pretty late so we leave the rest of the heavy cleaning for the next couple of days, and head to sleep.

Since we usually take evening flights it is about 2-3am by the time we finish our initial cleaning and chai breaks. Over the next 5-6 days we spend most of the day cleaning the whole house. My father in law spend hours on the little strip of a garden in front of the house. It is one of his favorite pastimes, he weeds, trims the plants, waters and plants new flowers.

After the first 5-6 days we can start to take it easy with the cleaning. Then comes the sign that we are really here and settled- extended family and friends start to visit. Having guests over make it really feel like we are here.

Friday Feature -Coming Home

2012-01-13T11:30:00.002+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Our little vacation in Abu Dhabi is over, and we are now back in Pakistan. We stayed there for four months, and had thought to make it a longer stay, but Tariq and his father had some business that could not be put off any longer so here we are. Tariq, one of my sisters in law, my father in law, Saad and I all came, while the rest of the family stayed there.

While I was comfortable in Abu Dhabi, it is now not the same feeling as in our home in Karachi. Part of it has to do simply with space. In Abu dhabi we rent a smallish villa type place. It has three small bedrooms, a small sitting room, a kitchen and ONE bathroom. The best thing about it is the courtyard. It is bigger than the house itself, Alhamdulillah, so lots of outside place to play in. My brother in law keeps chickens, and my father in law and I are able to tend some flower and veggies beds, while the kids have a big space for running around in.

Contrasting that to our house in Pakistan, mashAllah it has three floors, four large bedrooms, five bathrooms, and lots of extra rooms(Alhamdulillah, I even get a sewing/craft room!). The drawback is there is no courtyard. Instead we have our chut(roof area). It is a big space with plenty of room for smaller parties(like mehndi parties), and once in a while we invite a bunch of the extended family over for tikka(grilling).

I enjoyed being in Abu Dhabi as there I have more personal freedoms. Tariq's sisters and I were able to walk around the block for exercise without worrying about the situation outside. Almost every Friday I was able to attend Jummah prayers at the masjid a couple streets over from our house. I also got to go to a couple of meetings of my knitting group in Abu Dhabi, the U-Knitted Amiras. If you are a knitter visiting the UAE, they are a great bunch to hang out with!

But no matter how much I enjoyed being in the UAE, I am now only at home in Pakistan. In Abu Dhabi the feeling has shifted from being home to being a temporary visitor. Since space is limited, I could not count on privacy anymore, which made it all the more uncomfortable.

In Pakistan, Alhamdulillah, I have my own room, with an attached bathroom. No one comes and goes in my room. There is enough space for everyone to have a place to sit when they just want a moment of peace and quiet.

Alhamdulillah we are home.

Friday Feature-A year in Review

2011-12-30T11:00:00.002+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

****This is a scheduled post as I will be in Karachi for a while, please do comment, and I will post them as soon as we are setup, Thanks!****

So I started the "Friday Feature" last December, and have managed to write just about every Friday for a whole year.

I think it has helped me to write more on the blog, and to get content up even if I feel kind of lazy and don't want to write, even though the ideas are there. InshAllah I will be able to keep it up in the new year(after we get the net setup again).

Here are the "Friday Features" of the past year.

So anybody have a favorite Friday Feature post? Anything that you particularly like or maybe that you didn't like? Any particular topics that you want to see?

Friday Feature- Packing Up

2011-12-23T22:25:00.002+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

We have a lot of practice in packing suitcases. We packed up a bunch of suitcases and left our home in Florida, to go to Detroit(to visit Tariq's cousins), then on to Boston(to visit my parents), then again to come over to Abu Dhabi. Then again, to go to Pakistan, then to come back to Abu Dhabi, and again back to Pakistan, and Tariq came to Abu Dhabi every couple of months for his visa. Then we came back from Pakistan during the last week or so of Ramadhan, and now once again we are packing.

We had hoped to be able to stay here until Tariq's interview at the embassy(could take a while though), but circumstances changed, and we are again off to Pakistan. We have more work to do there, and inshAllah it will be finished quickly.

So when packing we have some tricks to fit as much as we can, (within the weight limits), and to protect what is breakable. For example, one reason that I roll my suits, is to fit more in the suitcases. The rolls also make a nice cushioning layer for the breakables. We don't usually pack just once, last minute items frequently require a re-pack of the whole deal. So it is sometimes like a giant game of Tetris!

We also have a list of frequently used items that get bought just before anyone in the family travels to PK. To most people it probably looks like a grocery list though! Some of the top items are -Garam masaley(black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, etc.) the brand of powdered milk my Father in law prefers(Nido), Nivea cream, body sprays and perfumes, jars of the jam we all like, and the preferred brands of shampoo, and soap(Lux in case you are wondering ;-).

We are leaving shortly, and since we turned off the net before we left it may take a while to get settled in and get it turned on again. So in case I go quite here for awhile, don't worry, InshAllah I'll be back on soon!

Recent small knits

2011-12-19T11:00:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Here are a couple of things I have been working on lately.

This is the start of a set for on of my sister in laws in Pakistan who is expecting her first soon. InshAllah, I will also be making some bootees, maybe mittens and a pair of longies too.

Hat-
Pattern:Just made up, but the star on the top is from the August chapter of Knitter's Almanac.
Needles:US 5
Yarn:Local acrylic

Jacket-
Pattern:Stockinette Baby Surprise Jacket
Needles:US 5
Yarn:Local acrylic

Scary Sight

2011-12-17T21:28:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

We went to Al Ain the other day. Normally the drive takes about an hour, but this time it took about an hour and 45 minutes.

Just outside of the city, we drove by an accident. It must have just happened, because as we came up to the back of the crowd of cars, the first police car zoomed by us. We saw first a couple cars on the left side, just a couple of dents, then part of a bumper, and on the right the car missing said bumper. A bit after that, on the left, a tire and the car it had come off of. We thought that must be it, four cars, but there was still so much traffic. As we drove on a bit more, we saw two more cars on the right, and another car and what looked like a pile of scrap on the left

I have never really seen a serious car accident before. There was glass all over the road, and bits of car. As we drove past the pile of scrap, we saw there was still a man inside. Every one else was standing on the side of the road, next to their cars. There were a couple of guys trying to open the door and take the man out, but the car was so twisted that they were having difficulty. As we got past the accident and out of the crowd, all I could think about was that poor man in the twisted wreck. He had been moving and didn't look seriously hurt, Alhamdulillah. I was so afraid. I don't even know him. I said a dua for him, and we continued on, but we were all quiet. No one in the car spoke for a while, and we didn't feel like turning on the radio.

All of the other cars involved were the larger SUVs favored by a lot of people here, but the car with the trapped man was just a older model small sedan. It probably did not stand a chance against the others.

After a bit more driving, an ambulance drove by us. I just prayed that the man we had seen had been able to get out ok, and that he was going to be all right. It was a scary sight, and I still feel odd thinking about it.

Friday Feature-Just an update today

2011-12-02T17:12:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

InshAllah I will work on updating more, I have been having a bit of a rough time lately. :-)

So I have had two colds coming right after another, and Saad has been sick at the same time. So for a couple days there we basically just snuggled up in bed and were miserable together! While we were sick Tariq had to go away on business to a little place close to the Saudi border called Silah. While he was there working, he got sick too! Poor guy was all alone, with no one to take care of him.Alhamdullilah we all got better, and now just have a bit of the sniffles.

There is also a lot of family drama that seems to be somewhat normal in a lot of the joined families that I know. I am just trying to be patient, because we have recently had some good news-

Our I-130 petition was approved! This is just the first step in our process, InshAllah it will all go as smoothly. I just keep praying it doesn't take too long, as I really want to go home. I miss my family. They haven't seen Saad since he was like four months old, it is really time to go now. Please make dua for us.

I have finished the vest I was working on for my father in law(inshAllah pics soon!), it is a very satisfying piece of knitting. I worked really hard, with small needles, and somewhat fine yarn(for the non knitters-small needles and yarn, generally means longer time to knit as the stitches are smaller), without a pattern, and it turned out wonderfully! Alhamdulillah!

So that is the basics of what's up lately,

Gone Away, Gone Ahead...

2011-11-24T20:32:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

I have just read that my favorite author, Anne McCaffrey has died. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi Rajioon.

My mother first introduced me to Anne's books when I was about 12-13, when she gave me a copy of Dragonflight . I have read almost every book she wrote, over and over again, so much that I know many of the stories by heart. These are the books that I can always return to and read again, no matter how many times I've read them before. Her work was so moving, I can remember that at the end of All the Weyrs of Pern, I cried when Masterharper Robinton died. The characters of her books feel so real, like family and friends.

I cry now, because she is gone, but I am happy that her books are here to remind me of her. Each time I read them I will remember her. Rest in peace, Anne, we all loved you and will miss you very much.

Knitting Wips

2011-11-23T20:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Just a quick update on what I am knitting now that my Seascape Stole is done.

I started another vest for my father in law. He had a friend who was coming from Pakistan to UAE bring eight skeins each of black and white acrylic yarn, about three years ago. I just got around to starting this one, but I hope to finish it quickly. It is not from a pattern, but he had a sweater(different pattern) that the wife of a friend of his had knitting like 25 years ago, with almost the same gauge(same stitches to the inch but I had less rows to the inch), so I am basing it on that.

He was pretty specific about how he wanted it, with diamonds, and the diamonds must be two inches tall, and there has to be a black stripe between each row of diamonds.

I also started a pair of Jaywalker socks. These have been in my Rav queue since like 2008. I am making the smallest size and these are totally going to be MINE. I like the way the pattern is looking so far. I am going for the toe up version instead of top down, as I want to make them as long as possible.

I have been trying to post this for a week now, but I am having some trouble with uploading the pics. I have given up on trying and so you'll just have to imagine how they look for now ;-) InshAllah I'll be able to get it fixed soon. Also this is part of the reason I have not posted any sewing tutorials in a while, so once it is fixed then I can start posting them again.

Friday Feature-Importance of minding your own business

2011-11-18T23:26:00.005+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

I have never really been good at minding my own business. I always want to know what's going on even if it does not involve me at all. I am working on it though, as knowing all the stuff all the time is just not possible, and it is very stressful trying ;-)

A lot of the time all the conversations are going on in Urdu. I have been picking up more and more, but when the conversation is going at a faster clip, I have trouble keeping up, and usually still ask "What was that s/he just said?" Then the conversation will be gone over again by my nearest translator(aka-sister in law) to get me up to speed. Usually it is nothing all that important, and while it may be interesting it is stressful to have to always ask what's going on.

I have found that it is even more important to mind your own business in our little joined family. Sometimes the conversation is just gossip(which I have been trying harder to avoid lately, because it usually just leads to back biting). Other times conversations are part of a larger argument between two or more people, and not minding your own business is a sure way to get the glare of anger shown on yourself. Often during arguments, people that have no interest in the argument take one side or another. Then the opposite side gets upset over the person joining the opposition and so brings up all the recent wrongs of the person who was previously uninvolved.

It would have been better in the persons case to just mind their own business. They are now smack in the middle of the fight. If they had joined the argument because they felt that one party was being unfairly wronged, or to try to put a stop to the argument, they may have been better off to wait until the argument was finished, and then try to patch things up or explain what was going on.

So this is a reminder to myself first, and anybody who cares to listen;-)- if there is nothing really serious going on, sometimes it's just better to mind your own business!

Friday Feature-Half filled journals

2011-11-11T22:46:00.003+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

I love paper journals. I have many of them but very few actually get filled.

I get so excited when I get a new journal. The plain paper, fresh, unmarked. What to write first? Sometimes I write a current favorite quotation, or bit of poetry, and almost always I sign my name very neatly on the front page.

I start out strong. I have a plan. I am going to write every day, even if it is just a few sentences. For a couple of months it works. Then I miss a day. Then two. Then weeks go by and nothing gets written. I have lost my enthusiasm for it.

After that happens the journal gets relegated to the being just another notebook. A place to scribble phone numbers, fitting measurements for my latest sewing projects, knitting patterns, and ideas for blog posts(this post was actually written in an old journal :-).

They are still a reflection of my daily life, just in a different form than I was expecting. Sometimes I think they are a truer mirror of my thoughts than the actual journal writing.

Eid Mubarak!

2011-11-07T22:18:00.002+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Eid Mubarak!!!

Friday Feature-Oooh look another Masjid!

2011-11-04T21:27:00.002+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I love driving around in the UAE. Everywhere we go I always have to point excitedly and shout out "Look another masjid!", at almost every single masjid we pass. Even the little prayer rooms at the gas stations outside the cities.

It is a sense of child-like excitement that I feel. In the states there aren't masajid on every corner, and some of them are not originally built for that purpose, so from the outside they don't have features associated with masajid. Here though, there are so many, and they are all individual. I have not seen(that I can remember) , any two masajid with the same minaret style.

Just today we were in Mussafah, outside Abu Dhabi, and I saw a masjid with a minaret that was a swirling tower. The dome of the masjid was also in a swirl shape, like a shell. I love seeing all the different shapes that minarets come in.

Going over an over pass outside the city, you can see all the minarets in the area. In the city it is a bit harder, because of the buildings, but you can still spot them easily. Usually the sky will open up suddenly, because of the space around the masjid, and it will be at an angle to all other buildings around it. I love counting how many I can see in one minute of driving.

InshAllah I never lose this excitement at seeing a house of Allah(swt).

FO-Pink Waves Stole

2011-11-02T21:13:00.001+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I know it's been a while, so here is a knitting update. I finally finished the Seascape stole I was working on. According to my Rav project page, I started on the 14th of April and finished on the 25th of October, so roughly six and a half months. I was working on a blanket and some other stuff in that time too, so not too bad I guess.

It is not as long as I had hoped, and a bit wider than I thought it would be, but I'm cool with it. It still sits nicely on the shoulders, and has enough overlap in the front to cover all that needs covering.

So final stats-
Pattern-Seascape Stole(Rav pattern page), from Knitty.
Needles-US 7(4.5mm), but the pattern called for a US 4(3.5mm)
Yarn-About 500 meters of random acrylic that I picked up in a market in Karachi

Mods-I added a pattern repeat to get more width, but as it turns out that wasn't necessary. After blocking it was wider than I had anticipated I could have left off the extra repeat and got a bit more length. If I make it again, I will follow the pattern as written. I also used a larger needle than called for, but my yarn weight was a bit heavier also.

Fun Project! Hijab and Shawl pins

2011-11-01T00:00:00.004+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

I saw this post over on Witchy Woman(Chiton Pins), in which she made some pins from bits of copper wire. I loved the look of them, and wanted to make a couple.

So I ended up making one hijab pin(left side, with the point), two slightly longer shawl pins(minus points, don't want to accidentally stab myself), five finger rings(one each for three sisters in law, brother in law's wife and myself), and one toe ring.

I do like them all very much, but as she said in the original post, they make little holes in the cloth. I use the hijab pin as decorative only, and only in loose woven scarves where the weave can be mushed back into place after I take out the pin.

Haiku for Happy Birthday

2011-10-30T23:20:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Still in haiku mode, it was Saad's birthday yesterday. Four years old already, very difficult to believe.

~~Pictures~~
So proud of his work,
So careful coloring them.
Mommy! Mommy! Look!

~~Father and Son~~
Big hands so secure,
Small hands hold daddy so tight,
neither loosening.

~~For Saad~~
Beautiful Boy.
I love you, my small sweet son,
My External heart.

Friday Feature-Randomly in Haiku

2011-10-28T23:11:00.003+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

~~Why Haiku?~~
Haiku poetry,
Mini memory bubbles
Capsules of my life.

~~Motorcycle rides in Karachi~~
Speeding thru dark streets.
Always sitting "side saddle",
Hope my shoes stay on.

~~Sunset in the desert~~
Sun is now sinking.
Burning golden light on sand,
last rays of sunset.

~~Grab your passport~~
Oman visa runs,
uncertainty in my life.
InshAllah, no more.

Friday Feature-Negativity and Anger

2011-10-21T17:38:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I don't like negatives. I don't enjoy angry, negative people. It just seems like such a waste to go around being angry/negative all the time. Any time I am in a bad mood, when I feel like shouting at everyone around me for being so annoying, it is just so stressful for me. I very quickly drop what ever is making me so angry.

I wonder how people can be so negative, so much of the time? Don't they get stressed? Isn't it hard to keep up the anger, doesn't it take too much of their energy?

I also feel like it makes me feel old, truly down to my bones ancient. When there are things going on that I have no control over that make me angry, I feel like it ages me years in only days.

I have tried to ignore what bothers me, but that only works for so long before I just get so stressed from the negativity that I want to scream.

So instead, I try to pray more. Praying keeps me calm. The feeling when I make sujood, and then raise my head up, just brings me peace. I finish my prayers and make dua, and just leave what I can't control, to Allah(swt). I can't control annoying people/situations, but I can stop being angry myself. That is what helps, letting go of what I can't control.

Friday Feature-Review of Moth Smoke

2011-10-14T23:50:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I though it would be fun to write up what I thought of one of the books we picked up in the Urdu Bazaar in Karachi. We picked up five or six books, most by Pakistani authors.

Moth Smoke was an interesting read, but for my taste it seemed a bit over done. Maybe I just don't click with the author's writing style.

The protagonist, Darashikoh, losses his job, and starts using hard drugs. He has an affair with a childhood friend's wife. He turns to crime for money as his life starts to crumble. It has a bit of a twist at the end, it is foreshadowed, but not heavily so it is still a bit of a surprise.

I think one of the main reasons I didn't like it was the unhappy ending. I never really thought I was a happy ending kind of person(although I guess my addiction to romance novels should have made it kind of obvious). By the end I kind of felt sorry for Daru. I mean yes he started with the drugs and the crime, the affair, but what happened was not right. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I will try not to get into too much detail. But prosecution for a crime he has not committed rather than what he has committed while the real culprit goes free, just bothers the heck out of me.

Not a new favorite, but still worth the read. I do recommend it, because I think it is mostly just the style that didn't click for me personally.

Liebster blog award!

2011-10-12T00:46:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Sister Um Zakarya from Froggy Hijabee, has given me a Liebster blog award! It is so exciting, this is my first blog award, JazakhAllah Khair sister!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

So here are the rules-

Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Reveal your top 5 picks for the award and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
Post the award on your blog.
Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogsphere - other bloggers.
And, best of all - have fun(Yay, Fun!)

My five picks are-
Kiss my roti -Always gets me thinking.
After Hardship There is Ease -Inspires me to be a better me.
ihsaanlife -This is a sister I knew in America, she is a wonderful writer, with thoughtful and inspiring posts.
Yemeni Journey A sister I met(virtually ;-), through Ravelry. Another inspiring writer, she is like a painter with words, I can so easily see what she describes.
Thinking As the blog title suggests, I do spend a lot of time thinking, lots of excellent posts.

Friday Feature- Just the Right Fit

2011-10-07T21:06:00.004+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

When Saad was first born, it was easy to hold him in one arm. His head fit in the crook of an elbow and his backside in the palm of a hand. He was always curled up with his feet against his chest. He fit just right.

As he got bigger, he no longer fit in one arm. But he did fit nicely on one hip. He used to sit perched on a hip like a small bird, always looking around at everything. With him perched there, I could put one arm around him and lay my chin on the top of his head. Still he fit just right.

Now he is even bigger. He still fits on one hip(though rarely now, he prefers walking), but no longer can I lay me chin on his head. He is at just the right height for nose to nose snuggles on his hip perch. A different fit, but still just right.

Most of the time he prefers walking to being held, and he can put his little hand in mine without either of us having to reach very far. A very comfortable feeling, holding his little hand, just the right height. I think he will always be the right fit for me no matter how big he gets.

Small Moments, SubhanAllah.

2011-10-01T22:06:00.002+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Last night we decided to go for a drive into the city. We drove down the road toward the entry onto the high way, music blaring. Just as we got to the entry, Tariq turned the music off.

I looked across the high way, and through the leaves of the palm trees I saw some thing beautiful.

The masjid across the high way was lit up, the minaret and a dome glowing a light green. Behind the masjid I could see the crescent of the moon. It was just at the start of Isha, and looking at this sight I heard the adhan start. SubhanAllah, it was a wonderful moment, the kind that just brings peace to the heart.

All the stress I have had recently melted away for an instant.

After the adhan finished, the fighting over whether to listen to a cassette or FM, and the shouts to turn up the volume returned and the moment was gone. Alhamdulillah for simple joys, for the moments of ease after hardships.

Friday Feature-Jebel Hafeet and Green Mubazarrah

2011-09-30T15:55:00.003+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Related to last week's "Friday Feature", this week it's Jebel Hafeet!

In Al Ain UAE, there is a mountain called Jebel Hafeet, at the base is the Green Mubazarrah. The Mubazarrah is a great place to relax, and have a picnic, have a bit of a hike, and do a bit of swimming.

View of the park from the top of a little hill.

There are hot springs that pump water down through the park in channels that form pools at the base. There are also indoor pools with separate buildings for ladies, and men and children(the indoor pools charge a fee, but are cleaner than the out side).

Pools at the base of the park. The water is cooler here, but also sometimes
dirty(especially if you go on the weekend).

We usually end up at Jebel Hafeet after our "Border Runs."

There are picnic pagodas setup all around the park, with grills on the side. We bring a picnic blanket and setup in a pagoda, and start grilling. Some times we have a bit of a hike on the hills first, to give us an appetite. There is also play equipment for the kids. We don't like to go on the weekends so much as there are really big crowds.

Us at the top of a hill, taking a rest. The walk back down is always so easy!

After eating, we go and play around in the channels. The water is only about 6-8 inches deep. The further up hill(closer to the pumps) you go the hotter it is.

Saad was a bit afraid of it at first, he doesn't even like to take warm bathes in the house, so the warm water freaked him out at first. After he got used to it, he was like a fish, and didn't want to go! If you go, do be careful, there is some algae or something that makes it slippery.

You can see the lights on the road up the mountain, snaking back and forth in the background.

There is a road that leads to the top of the mountain, we have visited it before if you want to take a look, the post is here. The view from the top is pretty cool at night(we've never been during the day, too hot!), and there is a little cafe, if you want a snack while up there. When we went a couple weeks ago, there were signs saying the road to the top was closed because of construction work, so I am not sure when they will open it again.

Friday Feature(Opps late!)-Oman Border Run, FUN!

2011-09-25T16:49:00.005+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

So we have been here in the UAE for a bit more than a month now. Since we are still working on the residency visa for me and Saad, we had to go on a "visa run" to Oman. I have posted a couple times before about this you can see older posts here, but I thought I might write up a little outline of how the whole process works.

Saad shows off his new water bottle on our recent trip.

Americans, and some other nationalities are granted visit visas that are good for thirty days on arrival in the UAE. So if you want to stay longer than that you have to exit the country and re enter to get a new thirty day visa. The whole process takes a couple hours. For us the easiest way to do it is to drive to Al Ain(about an hour from where we live, and about two hours from Abu Dhabi).

A truck full of goats, one was particularly curious.

From Al Ain you go to the Hilli Border Post, at the gate you show your passport and tell the guy you need an Exit stamp, then he will point you to the left where there are a couple of buildings. Go inside and tell them you need an exit stamp, they will check your passport, charge you a Dhs 35 fee for leaving the country, ask how many people are in your party(all must have passports and if they are normally resident their sponsor must accompany them) and write it down on a little slip of paper, possibly ask where you are going(for border runs we just say"visa renewal"), then he'll stamp your passport and you go get back in your car.

I love the sand dunes on the way to Al Ain.

You drive back towards the gate that leads to the UAE, and turn left behind the buildings and back around behind the first gate you came through, give them your slip of paper and they will wave you through to Al Buraimi.

Al Buraimi is a border town, technically in Oman, but the Omani border post is actually about 45 minutes away. So drive through town, if you feel like a snack, they have lots of little "refreshment" places where you can get a snack and a cup of chai.

Once you find the main road out of the city, just stay on that road and drive. Currently they are re doing the road so there is a lot of construction. After a break in the mountains that looks like stairs, there is a roundabout from which you make a left turn. Keep going until you reach the "Wadi Al Jizi Border Post". Go inside and get on of the little forms from the counter and fill it out.

Wadi Al Jizi Border Post, just so everybody knows I took this photo before we got to the
"No Photography" signs.

Take your passport up to the counter and tell them you want "Enter and Exit". The guy will take your passport, and scan it, type a bit, then you have to pay. The fee is 20 Omani riyals(Dhs 200), but you should bring a credit card as they are starting to not accept cash. If you don't have a card, you should stop in Al Buraimi at an exchange and turn your dirhams to riyals, as they might not be able to make change.

Four types of currency in my purse! We got the Omani riyals at the border, because they had no change for dirhams, the rest is US dollars, Pakistani Rupees, and UAE dirhams.

I am sure the price increase has been slow and steady while we were in Pakistan, but the last time we did this(October 2009) it was 6 riyals or 60 dirhams. That is quite the increase!

Anyway, after you get your entry and exit stamps you can head back to Al Buraimi. While there you could buy some live chickens! This is my brother in law's favorite part, he loves chickens and keeps several in our yard.

After checking out Buraimi a bit, head back to the Hilli border post, to the same building where you got your exit stamp. Hand over your passport, get your stamps, tell him how many in your party, get your ticket and passports back and head out the exit to Al Ain.

Yay! All Done!

Friday Feature- Where is "home"?

2011-09-16T20:32:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

When I say "I want to go Home"(capital H), I mean I want to go to the States. But really I have no home there, no address of my own. Any mail goes to my mom's house, and that's probably where we'll stay when we get back, inshAllah. Mom hasn't seen Saad since he was about four months old, so she is threatening to chain me up when we get there anyway!

When we left America to come to the UAE, I came to a place that was so unfamiliar that it took me close to six months to settle in and call it "home". Shortly after I started to feel like it was home, we moved out of the large apartment building we had been staying in downtown, and moved to a little villa type place out in Baniyas(sort of a suburb of Abu Dhabi, about a 45 minute drive into the city).

I got used to it a lot quicker, and soon it felt like home. Another eight months and then we had to leave for Pakistan.

During our first visit to Pakistan, I never felt settled enough to call it "home", even though we were there almost six months. It was a pretty hectic time, with my sister in law's wedding and all the shopping/sewing/cleaning/etc. that had to be done.

When we came back to Abu Dhabi, it felt like coming home. I thought at the time that we would be staying a while, but we were here only about a month and a half. Then it was back to Pakistan for another wedding(BIL's in law's family). I thought that we would stay for a couple of months and then back to Abu Dhabi, but I was wrong again. We ended up staying almost two years. By the time I had been there a year, I felt like it was "home", even with all the difficulties.

We have now been back in Abu Dhabi about a month. I don't know how much longer we will be here. We could be here another week, or a couple of months(I am hoping for the latter).

But until we are ready to head back to the states, after our time here is up (here is something I never thought I would say), we will go home...to Pakistan.

Eid ul Fitr Day 2-Part 2

2011-09-11T11:19:00.001+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Day 2 part 1 is here.

So after a quick google on Bhai's Ipad for a local park, we found this one-Saqr Public Park, Ras al Khaimah.

We ate lunch, then sat around in the grass while the kids played on the slides and stuff.

Saad and I went on the bumper cars, with my sisters in law Saad with me and one of my nephews with one sister in law. Our ride was cut short though, Saad's nose hit the steering wheel and we got off real quick. The attendant let one sister in law and my nephew have a second go to make up for ours. Saad spent a lot of the rest of our time in the park complaining how the "bad gari(car) hit me". He was fine, no blood, just a little bump, but it did put a bit of a damper on the rest of the park.

After a while he was feeling better so we all went for a ride on the train that goes around the park.

Just before we left my three sisters in law and I decided to go on one of the other rides, the one with chairs on long chains that spin around and up. Big mistake. I think the park could really use more attendants, and possibly some classes on safety issues. There was only one guy to run the ride, no attendant at the gate, which was just wide open, people were inside the fence rather than waiting outside. Several young girls walked right under the people spinning around, while talking on their mobile phones, and paying no attention to the ride or the attendant shouting at them to get out of the way before they got kicked in the face. I was wondering if they might get hit by a flying shoe or something, but alhamdulillah, nobody was hurt while we were there.

Since there was only on attendant, every one would rush the ride as soon as it started to slow down, to grab a seat. People saved seats for their friends, and would pass off the seat back and forth, not letting anyone else on. One group of teenaged boys rode three times before getting up. There was pushing, and shoving, it was just like a bunch of dogs fighting over a bone. Horrible experience. The park itself is nice, clean and lots of fun, except for some of the rides. If you go I recommend you avoid the more popular rides, and stick with the train and slides/swing sets.

After the park, we decided to head for home since it was getting late. The traffic on the way from RAK to Abu Dhabi was horrible(it's EID, people! everyone is out having fun!). Just outside Sharjah one of my sisters in law was getting a bit car sick so we to the next exit and ended up in the "Heart of Sharjah". We stopped at the King Faisal Masjid, to wash up, pray and rest for a bit.

After praying we went for a walk around the Central Souq which was just across the street.

Outside the souq, Saad was a bit tired.

After checking out the souq, we got back on the road and headed home(again), but got side tracked again in Dubai. We stopped by the water and my father in law decided to treat us to a ride on one of the water taxis.

He hired one of the water taxis to take us on a one hour ride, up to one of the bridges(the one with blue lights), and back. It was lots of fun, and I do recommend it if you get the chance.

So that was the end of day 2. We got home shortly after three in the morning, and spent all of Eid day three sleeping and just relaxing.

Friday Feature-Of Children and Chicken Feathers

2011-09-09T22:34:00.002+05:00

Asalamu aliakum,

A while back while we were still in Pakistan, I was sitting down stairs and Saad comes up to me quietly, with his hands behind his back. Usually this is the sign that he has something he shouldn't, but on that day he just came right up instead of trying to skirt around me with his hidden treasure. He told me in a very proud little voice, full of dramatic little pauses- "Mama....I...brought....you.... a......", and then with a big dramatic flourish, he brought his hands forward and said-"FEATHER!!!"

It was a very pretty light green feather, that he had found on the stairs. He was so proud of having brought me this gift, and it was such a pretty feather, that I made a huge deal out of it. I profusely thanked him and made a big deal of saving it in my journal.

After that he brought me every single feather he found, from the pretty colorful ones to ratty old crow feathers. I made a bid deal of every single one, he was just so sweet, proud of his gifts for Mama. My collection of feathers in Pakistan grew very rapidly.

Here in Abu Dhabi, my brother in law keeps several chickens. After we got here Saad started to collect chicken feathers. It was not long before my two little nephews started to bring me feathers, and I kept making a big deal out of them.

Saad even found several feathers when we went on our little trip after Eid. In 24 hours he found feathers for me in three different Emirates(RAK, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi).

My sisters in law have several students that come daily for Qur'an reading lessons, they are all less than nine or ten years old. They do not speak very much English, and are very shy when they do, so they don't talk to me a lot. It was not very long before they noticed our feather collection fun. I have no idea what they think of this little game, but now they too have started bringing me feathers. They are so sweet, so I thank them for each one and keep them in a plastic cup in the window.

Now comes the question. What the heck am I going to do with so many chicken feathers?!?!?!

Eid ul Fitr-Day 2, Part 1

2011-09-06T11:00:00.001+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

So for day 2 Tariq and his brother had a plan. Khasab in Musandam. We packed up overnight bags, sleeping bags, fishing gear, another pulao dish(chickpeas, easier to eat on the go), marinated chicken, a grill, dishes, spices, and anything we might need for a two or three day camping trip. We gathered all the passports, and packed all that stuff, along with eleven people into the van. My brother in law had received a GPS and an Ipad from his job(hard work bonus!), so he entered in the coordinates, and off we went.

On the way we stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank, and I prayed inside the little masjid(just about every gas station not in the cities has a little attached prayer area, with a section for men and one for women, I love this).

Ladies section, gas station masjid, somewhere outside Dubai.

Inside, pretty blue carpet.

I liked it so much here is an up close picture. Pretty pretty.

Driving on we saw Dubai, from a distance.

We saw a lot of sand, camels too, unfortunately no pictures.

We even saw Sheik Zayed, on at least three or four cars.

We drove on to the border point, and we hit a snag. One person's residence visa had expired the day before. So if we left, they couldn't come back. We left the border, and went to a local masjid to wash up and pray zuhr.

The masjid was right on the edge of the water!

Ladies side of the Masjid by the water.

Another pretty rug.

We decided to try to find a park to eat lunch and then figure out what to do. Brother in law's Ipad came in handy, we surfed around a bit and found a local park.

Eid ul Fitr-Day 1

2011-09-05T17:55:00.008+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Our first day of Eid started early, in fact my three young sisters in law and I did not sleep at all. Too much excitement, last minute cleaning, and I had to finish sewing my Eid suit! When we came to UAE on the 20th my father in law had asked me to help the three girls and my brother in law's wife to sew their own suits. I was supposed to just explain, while they did all the work, so they could learn. They all finished up, and I waited until last to finish mine as I could work faster. So I finally finished at 3 am! Alhamdulillah it came out wonderfully! The suit was a gift from my friend Ammena, that she had given me before she went back home. I thought about giving it to a tailor while still in Pakistan, but it is so beautiful and I was worried about how good they would do, so I sewed it myself.

Eid Mubarak!

So after finishing my suit I mendhi-d up my hair, and we tried to work on our hands too, but the cones that we had bought here in Abu Dhabi had no color. :-( We all finished up our cleaning, and prepared our families traditional breakfast dish-sheer korma. Sheer korma is a sweet dish, made of vermicelli noodles, milk, sugar, cardamoms, and a turka of ghee with slivered almonds, pistachios, raisins and sliced dry dates. Sometimes we put silver foil on the top as a decoration.

Sheer Korma, Oops, didn't get a picture before someone dug in!

After preparing the breakfast there was the traditional bathroom scuffle/race trying to get all eleven people in the family-showered, dressed and ready. I was ahead in the race, taking my shower early because I knew what would happen. Why does no one else ever seem to remember the bathroom race?

After the bathroom race we all piled into the van, we could here the calls from the local masajid, but as we drove around they were all finishing. I began to get a bit upset, we were going to miss the Eid prayer! We finally found one where they had just started, but my brother in law didn't see any women around so he told us to wait in the car, and took the kids. I started to cry, I haven't been to a masjid in well over two years, and I spent the last two Eids all alone in Pakistan as the rest of the family was here in UAE.

One of my sisters in law said not to cry, lets get out and check if we see any women. So we got out of the car and walked towards the masjid. All gents everywhere, not a woman in sight! I was getting more upset and just decided to turn around and go back to the car. As we were almost back to the car, a woman came around the corner in her car. I figured she was just headed home or something, but my sister in law suggested we wait a minute and see if she stops. So we did, we watched her pull up in back of the masjid, get out of her car and very quickly head around the other side. We ran! I was so happy, Alhamudulillah she came when she did, or we would have missed it! We followed her and found the ladies entrance, after skirting around the huge crowd of men, on the far side of the building.

I was crying during the whole prayer, and sniffing during the khutbah, I was just so happy!

After the khutbah was finished, we went out and waited for the crowd to thin a bit, and followed my father and brother in law to where Tariq had pulled up the car. As we all piled in again, Tariq looked at me and asked why I was crying, and I could barely speak.

We went home and had a huge breakfast, then all went to sleep for a couple hours. We got up and had a big Eid meal(chicken pulao for the main dish), and then just hung out all day.

Friday Feature-Ramadhan Wrap up.

2011-09-02T11:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

InshAllah everybody had a good month! Alhamdullilah I completed my goal of learning four surahs. I completed surahs- An Nasr, Al Ma-un, Quraish, and Al Fil, though the last I still have to pause a bit and picture the words on the page to remember them.

I had added another goal on the first night of Ramadhan, I wanted to pray every sunah and nafl prayer in addition to the fard prayers. Sometimes I get lazy and only do sunah and fard or only fard. I make excuses like "it will take too much time" or "I'm too tired". Alhamdulillah not this month! Almost every single day I was able to make all my prayers fully. About a week in I had a realization during Isha prayer, it doesn't really take so much time at all, why hadn't I been praying more before?
InshAllah I can keep this up, please make dua for me that I don't listen to the whispers that urge me to cut my prayers short.

My goal of completing the dishes everyday before fajr went better than expected. I was able to get everything cleaned up for about the first two thirds of the month. After that a little trip interrupted my little plan.

Which brings us to The Big News-on the 20th, we left Pakistan and came to join the rest of the family in Abu Dhabi for the end of Ramadhan and Eid. Alhamdullilah, it is really enjoyable being all together again. Little problems, but nothing out of the ordinary. So we are here for a little while anyway, don't know how long though, the situation in Karachi is not so good right now so we plan to stay for a bit more, and we'll see what happens. Eventually we'll have to go back, as we still have some work to do.

We have already had a couple little adventures here, and so I have a couple more posts in the works on what we've been up too, InshAllah I will start working on that in the next couple days.

Friday Feature-Ramadhan while pregnant or nursing

2011-08-26T11:00:00.000+05:00

FO-embroidered mobile case

2011-08-21T11:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

-This is a scheduled post. I have decided to stop "live posts" during the month of Ramadhan, to try to concentrate more fully on what I need to during the month. Please don't hesitate to make comments, as I will be stopping in once in a while to check how every body is doing. Have a blessed month every one!

Last month I completed this mobile phone case for one of my sisters in law. I had made one for myself last year and she asked if I could make one for her. I did all the embroidery myself, the style is called "kamal kadai", and I learned it from this tutorial. I had made some practice swatches of this style last year before making my own mobile case, at the end of this post.

Front of the case, one full flower and two smaller ones.

Back of the case, one flower and initial.

I used sequins for the initial and the tips of the flowers, for a little bit of shine since my SIL likes fancy/shiny stuff.

Friday Feature-How our Ramadhan day goes

2011-08-19T11:00:00.000+05:00

Dates
Juice like Tang, or Rooh Afza
Fresh fruit/fruit chat(spicy fruit salad)
Pakorey-like a fritter, made with chickpea flour and chopped onions/spinach/potatoes/etc.
Samosey-usually a spicy potato filled deep fried pastry, sometimes ground beef or chicken is used as a filling instead.
Gol guppe, Now we make our own, because we are a bit concerned about the cleanliness of outside foods, but still delicious!
Jelebian
Haleem, Kind of like a meat/lentils/grains porridge, usually we only have this while in Pakistan.
Harees, similar to haleem, but the Arabic version, not hot-spicy, and very tasty, usually we only have this while in the UAE.
Dahi barey-small fried chickpea flour dumplings in a spicy yogurt sauce, may also have onions/tomatoes/green chilies/cilantro
Cholay-Chick peas in a spicy sauce, may also have onions/tomatoes/green chilies/cilantro/papri(like broken up chips)

Every thing is made ready and set out before the maghrib adhan, though sometimes someone will still be frying something and come rushing in with the last plate of whatever. :-)

After a quick iftar(fast breaking meal), everyone prays maghrib. Sometimes alone, sometimes two to a rug. After maghrib, some of us nap and some of us don't. Then the day repeats it self.

What do you love about Pakistani foods?

2011-08-15T09:15:00.001+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

-This is a scheduled post. I have decided to stop "live posts" during the month of Ramadhan, to try to concentrate more fully on what I need to during the month. Please don't hesitate to make comments, as I will be stopping in once in a while to check how every body is doing. Have a blessed month every one!

I love cooking any food, but most especially Pakistani food. There are a lot of things that I really love about the food itself and the cooking process of our regular meals.

Almost every dish in our house starts with frying onions with whole garam masala("hot spices"-cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, large brown cardamoms, and cloves), then adding garlic and ginger paste, then adding tomatoes, and the powdered spices(red chili powder, salt, turmeric, coriander), and frying until the tomatoes break down into paste and the oil starts to separate from the sauce. Then you add whatever the main ingredient is(meat or any vegetables)

My first favorite thing about Pakistani cooking is-I love, love, love the smell of frying onions/garlic/ginger. It is just the most delicious smell. Every time I start a meal, when the scent hits my nose, my mouth starts to water and I get hungry immediately.

Another thing is the taste of the sauce, just after the tomatoes/spices are added. They all just meld together into the most tangy/salty/spicy sauce. I sometimes like to eat it as you would a regular chuntey, on it's own with a bit of bread.

Our daily menus are not that complicated, mostly the same base with different vegetables or meat/chicken and potatoes. I also love that for the most part, Pakistani cooking is not as difficult as it looks. I mean if you look at the ingredient list for most dishes it looks like a lot, but it isn't really. My first couple of dishes turned out odd because I had no real reference for what they should look or taste like. Once I got used to the flavors and the look(after we moved here and I could see how it was supposed to be), I found it very easy to learn.

So what are your favorite things about eating or cooking Pakistani foods? Or any other regional dishes? Why do you cook what you do?

Friday Feature-Goals for Ramadhan

2011-08-12T11:00:00.001+05:00

Wednesday mini tutorial-Slim Snap Sleeves

2011-08-10T11:00:00.002+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Today's mini tutorial will be on slim sleeves, open at the cuff with snaps. These are very helpful if the cloth for the sleeves is on the slim side, or if you like slim sleeves but always have trouble pushing the sleeves up for hand/dish washing/wudhu, or if you are just hot.

Step 1-Measure from the top/fold side of the sleeve opening down towards the bottom and mark 5". You may use a smaller or larger measurement if you like. It should be fairly snug but not too snug.

Step 2-Measure in from the edge of the under arm/bust seam, one inch and mark.

Step 3-Draw a straight line connecting the two points.

Step 4-About 3-4 inches away from the sleeve opening, place a mark. This is the end of the under arm seam. At this point you would sew from this mark down to the under arm, and down the side of the kameez in the normal fashion. See my simple kameez tutorial part two, steps seven through ten.

Step 5-Once your under arm and side seams are complete, go back to the sleeve opening and fold the edge of the seam allowance towards the wrong side by half an inch, then fold it again another half inch. Pin in place, being careful not to pin it to the opposite side of the sleeve. Do the same for the other side seam allowance.

Step 6-Sewing on the very edge of the fold, start at one side of the sleeve, sew down, then across the under arm seam, and up the other side, similar to how you would sew the chauk(open part of the bottom of a kameez, below the hips).

Here is how the sleeve will look after sewing the folds down. You could leave it as is, and just have an open sleeve, but I always attach snaps.

Step 7-Select your snaps. I usually use the sew on kind as that is more easily available here. If you have the prong types that have the press/hammer you could also use that.

Here are the sew on snaps.

Step 8-Sew one side of the snap to one side of the sleeve on the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 9-Sew the other side of the snap to the same place on the opposite side of the sleeve, still on the wrong side of the fabric.

Complete you second sleeve in the same manner, and then the rest of your kameez.

Friday Feature-Gearing Up for Ramadhan

2011-08-05T11:00:00.001+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

-This is a scheduled post. I have decided to stop "live posts" during the month of Ramadhan, to try to concentrate more fully on what I need to during the month. Please don't hesitate to make comments, as I will be stopping in once in a while to check how every body is doing. Have a blessed month every one!

I like to start preparing for Ramadhan at least a month in advance. Well, I try to start at least thinking about preparing. ;-)

One of the first things I do is make sure to make up any missed fasts form the previous Ramadhan, if I have not done so already. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes it is not. Last year Tariq, Saad and I were horribly ill for half of the month, to the point where none of us could do more than make it to the bathroom and back, before collapsing on the bed. So I had more days to make up than I normally would.

I also like to make lots of lists. Lists of what dry goods we need to stock up on, lists of what surahs I want to try to memorize, list of meal ideas, lists of house cleaning chores I have to get done. Lists of all my different lists.

For household chores, I like to start the month fresh so first I clean out all the kitchen cabinets. I take out every thing form one shelf and give it a good clean. Then get rid of the expired stuff, and put every thing back, nice and organized. I do the same for the pots/pans/dishes too. I make sure to keep the karahi(cast iron pot, shaped kind of like a wok-used for deep frying), front and center as it will be getting daily use. Iftar in our house usually has lots of fried snacks like pakorey(like fritters, made with chickpea flour), samosey(potato stuffed fried pastry, sometimes beef or chicken is also used), and dahi barey(little dumplings made of chickpea flour fried and then put in a spicy yogurt sauce).

After all the cabinets are organized I hit the fridge and freezer. I give it a good scrub down, re-organize, and take stock to make sure nothing is going bad.

When we are in Pakistan during Ramadhan we tend to stock up on some things well in advance of the start of the month. Things like sugar, besan(chickpea flour), chickpeas, Rooh Afza, and stuff like that. During Ramadhan last year prices rose very sharply just before it started and stayed high the whole month. The price of sugar was almost double what it is now. So we make a big shopping trip about two weeks before the start and get as much as we think we will need. Another reason for this is that the markets get a bit crazy during Ramadhan. Many people will go out shopping in the evening to avoid going out during the heat of the day. It is just too crowded, and Tariq hates to go shopping in too much of a crowd.

ABC's

2011-08-03T11:00:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

-This is a scheduled post.I have decided to stop "live posts" during the month of Ramadhan, to try to concentrate more fully on what I need to during the month. Please don't hesitate to make comments, as I will be stopping in once in a while to check how every body is doing. Have a blessed month every one!

Many of the kids here start school a bit early, my niece and nephew started at 3 and 2.5 years old. Since we are kind of nervous sending Saad to school here, and back home they start kindergarten at 5 anyway, we are just waiting until we get back.

We have been doing some work on our own though. We got him a "Ben 10" chalk board, and pencil case since it is his favorite cartoon and we have been practicing writing out the alphabet. We have made it up to "P" so far. We also got him some of those little work books that have the letters printed really lightly, or with dashes so that you can write over them.

"A" for apple

Close up of "A"

He has even started learning to write simple words. "N-O spells No", was the first, and he really likes that one!

On the top is Tariq's writing, and then Saad's.

MashAllah he is doing a very good job!

He has also progressed from "drawing" scribbles to stick figures!

Arms where the arms go, legs where the legs go, two eyes and a mouth, Yay!

So far all his people are square. It is so cute to see him run up all excited to show me his latest masterpiece! I get so happy to see him learn something new and want to show what he has learned to us.

Friday Feature-Ramadhan and scheduled posts

2011-07-29T21:42:00.004+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

The month of Ramadhan is coming up shortly, and InshAllah I will be cutting down a lot on the amount of time I spend on the internet, and by the end of the month I will be in the habit of using it much less. I think that will be a pretty good thing too, as I probably spend far too much time on random useless web surfing.

So I have decided to schedule some blog posts for the month, and not have any "live" posts. This will be the last live post this month. I will still come online once in a while to check how every one is doing and to publish any comments, so comment away!

I have already preparing. Thoroughly cleaning the house, started freezing things like kebabs, samose and other quick things. Basically things I can just pop in the frying pan and heat up for suhoor(pre-fasting meal) and fry up for iftar(fast breaking meal). Tried to think of some new stuff to learn to break up our routine, like tonight I learned how to make ras gulla(cheese based sweet in sugar syrup). I have been looking up different recipes and taking notes, to rotate with our regular favorites.

I have also started learning some new surah to add to what I already know, as I have a goal to meet during the month. I have already memorized surah Al-Lahab, and am working on surah An-Nasr.

InshAllah you will have a blessed month, I'll be back afterwards, live posting, and with a smaller internet habit! :-)

Wednesday mini tutorial-Measuring a kameez

2011-07-27T23:06:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Today's mini tutorial will be how to measure a kameez to get your own fitting. I find it useful to keep a small notebook with my own measurements written down to refer to any time I am sewing my own clothes, so that I don't have to take measurements each time. I also keep track of any measurements for people I regularly sew for-my sisters in law, my son, my niece and nephews, etc. You can use any ready made or tailored kameez that fits you properly. Flip the kameez inside out and lay it out on a flat surface.

Step 1 Length-Measure from the top of the shoulder seam to the damman(bottom of the shirt). Add two inches to your measurement, for the hem and shoulder seam allowance.

Step 2 Width-Measure at the widest point of your shirt. This will generally be the damman as many shirts are a couple of inches wider at this point than the hips, but not always, it depends on your body shape and kameez style. Take the measurement of the widest point and add 2 inches(for seam allowance or the folding over of the chauk/sides of the bottom of the shirt).

Step 3 Hips-Sometimes the hips will be slightly less wide than the damman. If it is not and you just want a straight chauk, then it just mark down the same width as the damman.

Step 4 Center back-This is the narrowest part of the kameez, about 6-8 inches under the bust line. Find the narrowest lines of stitching and mark down the number.

Step 5 Bust line-At the bottom of the curve of the arm holes measure the width, between the two lines of stitching. Add two inches for seam allowance.

Step 6 Side seams-You need to find out the length of distance between the bust line, center of back and hips. Basically how long the side seams should be. Between the bust line and the center back should be 6-8(or more) inches. If you have a larger bust then the distance will be more than if you have a smaller bust. Between the center back and the hips will also be around 6-8 inches, taller people, or people with longer torsos will need a longer measurement. You don't want the seam to be too short or it will not cover your waist, at the side openings your belly may peek out. I tend to go with a bit longer side seam and make the hips a bit loose to make sure that doesn't happen.

Step 7 The shoulders-Measure from the seam on one shoulder straight to the seam on the opposite shoulder. Generally this will be around 14". Add an inch to the measurement for the seam allowances.

Step 8 Sleeve length-Measure from the hem of the sleeve to the seam at the shoulders. Add 2 inches to the measurement for the hem and the shoulder seam allowance.

Step 9 Sleeve opening- On the bottom of the sleeve measure from the fold down to the seam line. The sleeve pictured above has a sort of bell shape that is wide at the opening then narrows a bit at the forearm, then widens again. An average straight sleeve would be 5-6 inches.

Step 10 Sleeve width-Find the widest point of the sleeve, just at the base of the curved part, and measure the width from the fold to the seam line.

Step 11 Arm Scythe/top of sleeve- Measure diagonally from the top to the sleeve where the fold is, to the bottom where the seam is. Add one inch for seam allowance.

Step 12-Neck hole depth-Measure from the top of the shoulder seam, to the bottom of the neck opening.

Step 13 Neck hole width. measure from one side of the neck opening to the other.

Measurements needed-
Length
Width(widest point)
Hips
Center back
Bust
Distance between Bust/center back and Center back/hips
Shoulder width
Sleeve length
Sleeve opening width
Width of sleeve
Arm scythe/top of sleeve
Neck hole depth
Neck hole width

Rain...sort of

2011-07-26T23:38:00.005+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Just hours after my my last post(with rain related haiku!), the sky got dark...

And then it rained(it was a bit wetter than this but it dried a bit before I took the picture)....

And then 15 minutes later it was as if nothing had happened...

The birds were hanging out, the sky lightened up and all was normal again.

Three Haiku of Frustration

2011-07-26T13:50:00.004+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

~~Almost August~~
Sky is always grey.
Not a drop comes, such dry days.
Now, where is the rain?

~~Waiting on Rain~~
Patiently we wait.
Maybe not so patiently.
Last night sirf five drops.

~~Section Officer(Visa)~~
I don't believe that,
You have no email access.
You give only stress.

Tensions

2011-07-25T03:09:00.005+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

Sorry for the long absence, I have just been having an off week. Family drama and the general atmosphere of the city have just gotten to me.

The situation in Karachi has been getting crazy, and it is nerve racking when Tariq has to go outside. For the past couple of days there have been 12-15 people killed each day. It is just nuts, all we can do is pray it will get better soon.

We did go to visit one of my SIL's the other day, and so that was fun. On the ride there we past some sort of rally near a rotary, they were complaining about something that included Amreekans, but Tariq refused to translate. On the way home we had to go by a different route because it was dark and the way we had come was a bit too remote to be driving around in the night.

I have also been trying to get ready for Ramadhan, getting the house in order, starting to work on memorizing some new surahs to get a jump on what I want to work on during the month. InshAllah I'll be posting more regularly, for a bit anyways.

Our SubhanAllah moment for today.

2011-07-18T03:17:00.004+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

For the past two days Saad has been asking for balloons. He loves to bounce them around in the air and will spend hours playing with them. We decided to go to Makro(kind of like a Wal-mart) last night and so I promised him we would get some while we were at the store.

He asked me at least twenty times about the silly balloons, and I kept promising him he would get them when we went to the store. He had been fairly fussy all day, I think he is just so bored of being alone.

So we went to the Makro, and wandered around for a while. We picked out some stuff, had some tea and snacks in the cafe, and then decided to leave. We made one final detour through the toy aisle, and only remembered the balloons when we walked by the little party decorations section.

We looked at the balloons, but Tariq said it was way too expensive for such a tiny little pack. He said we could pick up a bigger package from the store near the house(and it would cost less too). MashAllah, Saad, my little sweet heart, did not fuss that he couldn't have his balloons right then.

So we left the Makro, and headed home, but it was really too late to stop for the balloons. When we got home I felt so bad that we hadn't got the balloons. Saad was a little upset, so to distract him I remembered that we had picked up a bottle of "Ice Cream syrup"(kind of like Rooh afza juice but green), and it came with a little free surprise.

Trying to get him to forget his balloons until tomorrow, I made a bid deal of asking him what could be inside? It worked. He was so excited by the little plastic egg, that he forgot the balloons. We pulled it out of its plastic wrapper and bent close together to open it.

What was inside? A bright red balloon! SubhanAllah! Saad was so overjoyed to see that balloon, and Tariq and I couldn't stop smiling.

It all looks so easy in the TV

2011-07-17T07:55:00.003+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

The past couple of days I have begun to get a bit worried that maybe our little fascination with survival shows on the Discovery channel might be getting a little out of hand.

Tariq, Saad and I have been going up on the roof during our late afternoon load shedding time to get some outside time because it is just too hot to sit inside without fans. Usually I sit and do a bit of knitting, or writing, and the boys fly kites. Sometimes I'll bring some juice and a snack and we'll have a little picnic.

Our little roof play time has now become an exercise in survival techniques. Most specifically how to make fire. At first it was just Saad, he would take some little sticks from an old kite, and try to twirl them between his palms on top of an old board. Then Tariq got involved. Then I had to have a go.

After I got a blister on one hand, I gave up and went back to my knitting. Tariq has even tried a technique that he saw on Dual Survival, which involved a mobile phone battery and a bit of steel wool. He has a plan that he will learn how to make a fire, practice now, and then have it all down when we get to the US and want to go camping.

Almost a week of trying and still no fire, maybe I should google it?

Friday Feature-Heat and Load shedding survival tips

2011-07-15T23:30:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

The heat of summer is in full force now, and the load shedding is getting worse every day. InshAllah, soon the rain will start and it will help cool off the city a bit. :-)

So here are a couple of quick tips for heat/load shedding survival!

These are one of your best friends when the lights go out. I love these woven fans, we usually have plain ones for our own daily use and some pretty colored ones on hand for guests. Also they are very cheap-15-25 rupees, so when the kids break them, they are easy to replace.

Emergency lights! Plug it in and turn on, then they automatically turn on when the lights go. Much safer than a candle, and on a full charge some get up to 8 hours of continuous use. We have hooks placed in certain rooms of the house, so you can just pop the light on the hook in the wall and not have to worry that it will fall off a table or something like that.
Water coolers. We empty our 5 gallon bottles of water into the cooler, and drop in a bowl of ice. We don't bother with ice cubes, they would never last! Instead we keep 4-5 bowls of bottled water in the freezer and then just dump a new bowl into the cooler. It does have to be cleaned out fairly often, so that is one of Tariq's chores.

A generator. Worth more than it's weight in gold. The normally run on petrol/gasoline, but here in Karachi they can be fitted with a converter to run off of CNG, like the cars. This one is strong enough to run all the lights and fans, the TV, and the pumps to fill the water tanks, but not the AC, the refrigerator, or oddly the iron. So if you have a function to go to, better to press your clothes early, as the lights will almost surely go out while you are getting ready!

Wednesday mini Tutorial-Contrasting reverse neck facing

2011-07-13T23:00:00.002+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Today's tutorial is another simple way to embellish a plain kameez, with a reversed neck facing. Normally when making the facing for the neck you would use a piece of the same cloth and fold it inwards so that it is hidden. In this tutorial we are going to use a piece of contrasting fabric(in my case from the shalwar), and fold the facing from the inside out to create a contrasting band of color around the neck.

Step One

Most often my neck hole openings are six inches across by six inches deep, so the interfacing should be two inches wider than your opening, and one inch deeper(in this case 8"x7", the picture above is actually about 9" because my selection widens a bit at the bottom). Fold the interfacing in half and draw out the shape of your neck.

Step Two
Cut along the inner and outer lines and discard the extra.

Step Three

Place the fusible interfacing on a piece of contrasting fabric and iron in place.

Step Four

Trim the outer edges to half an inch.

Step Five

Place your neck facing on the wrong side of the kameez, and sew one line around the inner side of the interfacing.

Step Six

Cut the inner piece of both the kameez and the neck facing, just outside the line of stitching(leave a bit less than a quarter inch of fabric).

Step Seven

Fold the neck facing out to the right side of the kameez, and sew one line of stitches on the very edge of the neck line.

Step Eight

Carefully fold the extra fabric around the edges of the facing under and sew a ling of stitches along the very edge of the facing.

Here is how it will look after you finish the sewing.

Full view of the contrast, reverse neck facing. After completing this you would just continue with the kameez as normal.

TV- what we watch

2011-07-11T22:22:00.005+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

We are a bit obsessed with the Discovery Channel. It's in Hindi over here so Tariq understands pretty much everything, and it helps me understanding spoken Urdu/Hindi, a bit too. Our current favorite is "Dual Survival", with Cody and Dave. I was watching some clips of the English version on the website, and it seems like they are much more polite when speaking Hindi. ;-)

There is also a couple other shows we watch frequently-

"Man vs. Wild", none of us like this one too much, Bear Grylls is a bit extreme, and Saad says he eats "gunda(dirty) things". But we watch anyway, because there are some interesting things, and the weird fascination of watching him eat raw/living things, eeewww!

"Survivor Man with Les Stroud"-We like this one more than "Man Vs Wild", he normally cooks his food and is a bit more practical. Plus he is totally alone which makes it a bit more interesting with the camera work.

"Whale Wars"-Interesting show. Saad laughs when they throw stuff(some foul smelling acid?) at the whaling boats.

"Swords:Life on the Line"-Also pretty cool, but a couple of the guys are really annoying and you kind of just wish they would stop their complaining already.

Alhamdulillah we have been watching less random programs, and more educational stuff, Saad still likes his cartoons though(he is crazy for Ben 10). We have a nightly routine, we all go up to our room, get comfy and watch our regular shows. About half way through our TV time I usually make a small snack, chai and bread with butter or jam, or a plate of Mangoes or something. Then after "Dual Survivor" Saad is usually asleep, Tariq and I pray fajr then go to sleep. Our sleep schedule is pretty weird, but on the plus side, we don't over sleep and miss fajr,and we like to joke that we are practicing for America, sleeping at 5AM is a nice early bedtime of 8pm in Boston!

Friday Feature-Another ban on double sawari(pillion riding) in Karachi

2011-07-08T11:00:00.002+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Two days ago here in Karachi the police imposed an indefinite ban on double sawari or pillion riding(second person behind the driver on a motor cycle). It was announced on all news channels about an hour or two before the ban went into effect, and there have been several reports on different news channels about the difficulties it has caused. Many people seem to be upset that there was such short notice, if they were working and had no access to a TV, how would they know about the ban?

It is an effort by police to curb rising incidences of "target killings" in the city. Mostly it seems a lot like security theater, like making people remove their shoes in an airport. It will probably do very little to stop the killings, and will increase hardships for people who rely on being able to ride pillion. For example a family that has only one motor cycle, and several brothers need to be able to use it. If they can't ride pillion then how can one person drop off another and then go on to his own errands?

The ban does not affect several groups of people-women, children, the elderly, and journalists. So Tariq, Saad and I can travel together, but Tariq and his brother could not. Alhamdulillah we have two motor cycles so they can each take one, and not have any problems. The only time we have had any trouble with the bans is when Tariq's father is in Karachi, as he does not drive at all. MashAllah he does not look elderly/infirm or anything and he and Tariq have been pulled over before because no one believes that he is old enough to be exempt from the bans!

Friday Feature-Help Help, I am drowning in Mangoes!

2011-07-01T23:33:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I was just reading on Wikipedia about different mango varieties, and it lists Pakistan as having twelve different types of mangoes. Today we had three different types for dessert-Sindhri, Langra, and Chausa. I had never really liked mangoes before moving here, maybe because I had never had a Pakistani mango before?

When the season comes, we buy mangoes daily, by the crate. Some are smaller than my fist, and others as large as Saad's head. Some varieties are better cut into slices, and some we just squeeze in their skin until all the pulp is liquified and then pop the top off and drink it like a juice box. The larger varieties we usually cut up and put in the blender with some milk and make really thick milk shakes.

The one thing that is a bit annoying is that eating so many mangoes can get messy! Saad especially is a master at ruining his clothes(or mine when he grabs my shirt with sticky mango hands) while eating mangoes.

Because of this, when he was little we devised the perfect method to feed babies mango with easy clean up. First I put a layer of newspaper on the floor, then striped Saad and my nephews down to the diapers, put them in the very center of the newspapers along with the plate of mango slices, then stood far away until they were done. One person would grab each baby, dripping with mango, and quickly head to the bathroom to give them a post mango bath, while another person would roll up and throw away the soggy newspapers.

I really wish I had taken pictures of Saad at this point. He was covered in mango from his head to toes, but he was so happy and smiley. He loves mangoes so much, he would eat nothing else all day if we let him.

Any one have any suggestions what to do with so many mangoes? Any recipes for interesting desserts? By the end of the season, we will have eaten so many mangoes that we never want to see another mango again. Until next season, when the cycle starts anew!

Wednesday Mini Tutorial-simple piping and basic neck shapes

2011-06-29T21:34:00.007+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

InshAllah I will be posting mini tutorials for neck embellishments and designs, as well as different sleeve options and other little tidbits. I will try to publish something every other Wednesday, InshAllah. First up for a mini tutorial is one of the simplest ways to embellish your kameez, Piping, and some simple neck shapes.

You will need to follow from step one to step eleven(but make only one line of stitches after folding over the neck facing) of the simple kameez tutorial.

After you have completed the steps your kameez front is now ready to apply the piping.
Step 1
You will need to buy or make bias tape. I usually don't buy it but use left over bits from the shalwar for contrast. I found this tutorial (posted by a Raveler in the sew obsessed group on Ravelry), to be very helpful when learning how to make the bias tape. Your finished bias tape should be a half inch wide, though you can make it wider if you like.

Step 2
Line up the bias tape at the very edge of your neck line and sew around the neck.

Step 3
Fold the bias tape to the wrong side of your fabric.

Step 3
On the right side of your kameez, sew a line of stitching on the very edge of the kameez right next to the bias tape but not on it. Make sure that you are sewing through the bias tape on the wrong side also.

Your finished piping should look somewhat like this.

Here is a back view, and a close up.
If you have used the half inch bias tape you will only need to sew the one line, but if you have used a wider tape you may need to sew a second line of stitches about a quarter to a half inch away from the first line.

Also here is a diagram of some very basic neck shapes to use on your kameez.
You would follow all the same steps in the Simple kameez tutorial posted above. In step six simply draw half the desired shape on your interfacing and then cut. If you choose a neck that is not symmetrical(like the pink one above) then you would not fold your interfacing in half but simply draw the full shape.

Speaking in three languages

2011-06-28T13:00:00.001+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Now for something a bit lighter. ;-)

Saad primarily speaks English. He knows a bit of Urdu, but since we have been here in Pakistan and most of the in-laws are in UAE, Tariq has mostly just slipped into using English with him.

There are some Urdu words that he uses instead of English regularly though, like "pani"(water), "khana"(food/eat/meal), and "hawa"(wind). Simple stuff mostly. We have started to try to teach him more Urdu and have gone back to the "Mommy speaks English, Daddy speaks Urdu" method.

He is also learning a tiny bit of Arabic. He knows "Bismillah"(in the name of Allah[swt]), and he uses it regularly. MashAllah, he will now tell Tariq and I to say it before our meals if we don't say it out loud. He also knows "Alhamdulillah"(all praise to Allah[swt)], and the first kalima, and is learning Surah AL-Kawthar.

MashAllah, he sometimes says two little phrases that make me so happy. "Bismillah Eat Khana", when we start to eat and "Alhamdulillah Light Agae", when the lights come on after load shedding. Phrases in three languages!

What's up with all of us?

2011-06-27T23:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Umm Aaminah's post the other day got me thinking(mashAllah, the sister really gets me thinking a lot!) about manners in general, and the differences between people(Muslim and non-Muslim) in the USA, and other places I've been.

I also miss my masjid back home, there were so many lovely sisters, it felt like a family. There were some times when rudeness/bad manners were there, but overall it was a good environment.

Sometimes people here in Pakistan will tell me how bad Americans/the West/Non-Muslims are. I have bitten my tongue many many times, because the behavior of many Muslims here is worse than most of the non-Muslims that I know. I have seen more racist crap here and in the UAE than I have ever seen in the USA. In Abu Dhabi they are allowed to advertise for people of a specific race/ethnicity/nationality to fill specific positions. Women and men here are often judged on the basis of how fair their skin is, passed over as suitors because they are "too dark", or the wrong "caste"(or tribe) People steal, lie, cheat, bribe, back bite, and a whole host of other things on a daily basis, and then go on to say how Americans have no morals.

This kind of negativity and hypocrisy is just pathetic. We are Muslims, we are suposed to be brothers and sisters of each other. Why are we some of the worst offenders?

In general I have seen more respectful treatment of our fellow human beings in the non-Muslim countries than I have seen in the Muslim countries. Non-Muslims give me more respect, and respect my religious and personal rights more than Muslims in a Muslim county. Why are so many Muslims so bad to each other and to others? It certainly isn't Islam, which promotes good manners and brother/sisterhood.

Sometimes I feel like shouting to people to look at them selves before they complain about the non-Muslims, but then I take my own advice and look at myself and that helps me calm the urge to scream at them. But there are somethings that just go beyond what I can stand, racism and bigotry are the worst. Why can't we all just treat other human beings with a bit of respect and decency?

Friday Feature-My Reversion Story, and Marriage

2011-06-24T19:21:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Inspired by a thread on Ravelry that I was reading I realized I never really explained how I came to revert. So I decided to write about how I came to Islam.

When I was very young we went to church just about every Sunday. The church we attended was called the “Boston Church of Christ”. My mum used to french braid my hair so tight that my skin would be pulled back and I would whine and complain. I didn't like it(the braiding or the church).I spent time in Sunday school, then when I got a bit bigger I sat with the adults.

My experiences in the church were strange, everyone else seemed content, it looked like they felt something. The only time I ever felt anything spiritual in church was if I forced myself to, like I had to trick my mind into believing what everyone else did. I could never really believe that Isa(as) was related to God in any way, as a son, or anything else.

As a teen, I just stopped going to church. I didn’t know what to believe, I felt like something was missing but what was it? I found Paganism and that seemed like a better fit in a way. Close to nature, respect for the earth, that felt pretty good, but I still had the same problem as when I was going to church. I had to force the feeling of belief.

After a while I drifted away and started reading about different religions. I read about Judaism, skimmed the basics of Islam, but mostly ended up finding the negatives. More on Christianity, thinking maybe I just hadn’t been in the right church, maybe if I did find the right one I could believe what they said about Isa(as).

Soon after I started to research more, I met Tariq(at the time my not quiet yet DH), I liked him, and he seemed to be so content as a Muslim. So I went back to look at Islam. I went straight to the source and bought a translation of the Qur’an. As I read it I felt something, absolute peace, belief, I didn’t have to force it.

After reading the Qur'an, and studying more, I wanted to talk to some Muslim women, to ask them questions. On Christmas day of 2006 we finally had the day off from work(retail jobs are killer in the winter), so we went to the masjid. At first it appeared to be empty, it was between Asr and Maghrib, and so we figured we would wait around a bit and see if anyone showed up. Just as we were about to leave a young woman came down from the balcony area, Tariq explained that I was a non-Muslim and I just wanted to ask some questions and talk to somebody. She agreed and we sat down to talk while Tariq wandered around. I asked her all the questions I had and just chatted for a bit, the more I talked to her, the more I felt calm, peaceful.

We left after a while and I was pretty sure that I wanted to revert, it just felt right, but I didn't tell Tariq right away. Two days later on December 27, 2006 Tariq and I got married in a civil ceremony. Then on December 29th in front of Tariq and another friend of his from work I said my shahada.

The next day, was Eid al-Adha(December 30th), so we went to the masjid again. Tariq found a space for me near the women, and went off to the men's section. While standing there, I felt lonely, I didn't know anyone. Just when I was getting nervous being all on my own the same sister that I had talked to the week before came up behind me. I was so happy to see someone I knew. She help me to wrap my dupatta up properly, and we went to find a space to sit down.

When the time came to pray she told me just to follow what she did. Standing there and praying beside her felt like the most natural thing in the world.

After the prayer and khutbah were over we said salams and she had to leave. I found Tariq, and then together we went to find the Imam. Tariq explained that I wanted to say my shahada(I felt like I had already said it but I wanted it to be more official), and we wanted to have our nikah. So that is what we did. From the start of my shahada to the end of my nikah was less than 15 minutes.

Alhamdulillah, I have been a Muslim now for almost five years!

I have in the past thought about writing about my reversion, but always ended up putting it aside. I sometimes get a bit defensive about it. People sometimes think that I reverted for my husband, so that I could marry him, or out of pressure from him or his family. I did not revert for him but because of his example. Even with his flaws/bad habits, he was a good person who was trying to follow his deen. Alhamdulillah that I met him, whatever good or bad happens in our life I am so thankful to have met him and found Islam.

For those thinking of moving here to Pakistan, or south east Asia generally

2011-06-21T17:50:00.006+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Thinking about what it is like for me to live here, and trying to put it into words for anyone thinking to do the same is difficult. I don't want to complain too much, because it is just depressing, but it is important to see all sides. I have been here in Karachi for more than 2 years, and I was in the UAE for a year before that. I have never left Karachi and have no experience with what life is like elsewhere in Pakistan.

Also, any Pakistani who would like to comment please do, I think there are some things that only those born to a place will be able to understand. I would like to get input on what you view as the positives and negatives of life here. Please do keep in mind the comment policy of this blog, on the bar at the top of the page. I am not trying to attack Pakistan/Pakistanis, just showing what I view as the negatives of living here, I can only speak to what I have seen and experienced, in my own family and area of the city.

Pakistan is a very difficult place to live. I will not sugar coat it for you. It has some benefits and many drawbacks. You just have to look at your particular situation and decide if you can take the negatives and live with them so that you also get the positive benefits.

I like to see the positives, but for anyone who wants to move here it is important to see all sides, here are some of the negatives-

Water is a big problem, we only drink and cook with bottled water. We have tried to get used to the "meetha pani", that everyone else drinks, but it makes us violently ill every time without exception. You may have to use bottled water as well. This can get expensive, we use the big water cooler types(5/6 gallons), and get eight to ten delivered weekly. They are 70 Rs each.

Food is another issue. What we cook ourselves is no problem but when eating any type of outside food we are very careful, because cleanliness is questionable in many of the smaller restaurants/food stands. Also prices increase all the time, especially during Ramadhan. Last year in Ramadhan sugar was double the price it is right now, and basic foods like chickpeas, besan, dals, got very expensive also.

Electricity is a major issue, in Karachi is it getting worse and worse because it is summer now and in some areas of Pakistan they have no lights for 18-20 hours a day.

Muslim country-this is both a negative and a positive. It is nice to go to the market and find abayat, scarves, niqabs, and modest clothing very easily. I love the fact that I can hear the adhan anywhere in my house. But as a foreigner it can be hard(depends on where you live) to find places that can teach you(especially if you don't speak Urdu very much).

I do like the way I don't get stared at for wearing abaya, but that is because they are too busy staring at me because I am a woman. Even when wearing an abaya/hijab/niqab, I still get cat-called, and stared at as if I were naked. Some store keepers try to brush my hand when handing me my items, or try to flirt by complimenting you on what is visible-white hands/feet, blue eyes, you have to watch out. This is why I prefer to go with my husband rather than his sisters, so they don't try sleazy stuff.

Corruption/bribery-it is endemic, top to bottom it is everywhere.

Begging-beggars are everywhere, it can be heart breaking. It is difficult to tell if they are truly needy or just scamming. I have come home from the market several times in tears, because I just can't help enough, and I don't like to say no. I get depressed because there is no real safety net for people who truly need help, little elderly men and women, who should be at home, being taken care of by family, either have no family or have been turned out as a another mouth to feed.

Healthcare-HMMMMM, Both the baby and I have been ill on multiple occasions(mostly due to the water, and also the milk). Once the baby was so ill he had to have an IV, while we were in the hospital a cat walked right through the room. This was in a medium nice hospital. There are very nice hospitals, but they cost a lot. If you have serious chronic health issues it would be wise to really think twice(or three to four times) about moving overseas.

Since or son is so little and we are planning to go home we have not enrolled him in a school here(we also worry a bit about security issues). I have no real experience of schools here except second hand information from my DH and his sisters about what they learned. There seem to be rather large gaps, for instance WWI and WWII(any Pakistanis please correct me if I am wrong in this). Tariq learned all he knows about it from war movies he watched in the US, and his sisters had only a vague notion that there had been some wars before Pakistan was formed. I guess it would be different depending on what schools you send your children to, and maybe things have changed recently, since Tariq's smallest sister is now 21.

Politics/violence-ugg, I try no to think about this, at the local level political parties can often be run more like gangs. Also, especial in Karachi, there are "target killings", someone from one political party/ethnic group/tribe, will go out and kill someone from another political party/ethnic group/tribe, as a way of taking revenge or scaring a group of people. Last week a couple streets over from us, a man was shot dead in the middle of a crowded street for not allowing a thief to snatch his mobile phone.

It's all in how you look at it

2011-06-20T22:23:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Today has been another day of trouble with the lights. In the morning it went out 4-5 times, coming on only for 15 minutes before tripping again. It was a very frustrating morning.

After such a frustrating morning, the lights went again at 2:00pm. After that we were hopeful for a bit of a respite. Around 5:30pm Tariq had brought some cholay chaat as a snack so we sat down to eat.

We had just finished eating and it was almost 6:00pm. All of the sudden the lights went again. As the lights go you can hear four different types of exclamations-

1. Son of a B****

2. A long, drawn out "nahiiiiiin"(no), like in a dramatic scene of a bollywood movie.

3. Alhamdulillah, lights go way.

4. A great big belly laugh.

There are four people in the house, Saad, Tariq, one of his sisters, and I, can you guess which exclamation was from which person?

There are times when it is absolutely true that if you don't laugh, you'll cry.

Friday Feature-Load shedding, and sleeping on the roof

2011-06-17T23:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Load shedding has been on the increase lately. The lights were going out three times a day for and hour and a half, and it was always on schedule. Then they started to go out for two hours, still three times a day. Then two hours four times a day, but still on schedule. Now they go four or more times and it is seemingly random. And in between all the load shedding there is tripping, when the load is just too much and two or three streets go out, but somebody will get to that pretty quickly(15-20 minutes). Occasionally a transformer will blow, if you are sitting on the roof at night you can see it-a big flash of light and then the area will go dark. That always takes a while to fix.

Last night around 1:30 am I decided to turn in early(we are late late night owls). I had just sat down on the bed, and was trying to adjust my pillow when the lights went out. We left the room and sat on the second floor landing to catch a breeze while we waited for the lights to come back on. While we were sitting, Tariq was chatting to on e of the neighbours out the window, apparently it wasn't unscheduled load shedding but the power line for our street had broken.

When I heard that I said to Tariq, "They're not going to fix it now, it's two o'clock in the morning, lets go sleep on the roof." So we all grab our pillows and a couple sheets and head up to sleep on the char-pies(like a cross between a bed and a hammock). While we are up there we here firing. It goes back and forth a while, but nobody pays attention. It has be come back round noise, and that is the weird thing for me. The sound of gunfire is now normal, like a car horn, or bird song.

It is strange what people can get used to with enough exposure.

A site I love-Digital Dua

2011-06-16T22:53:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

When I was a new Muslim I used to go to a weekly sister's halaka in the local masjid. After the main discussion, we would alternate learning either a dua, or a hadith. The duas came from a little booklet that they had given us-"Forty Rabbana". I love the book, and still have it today. Each dua is first written in Arabic, then a transliteration is under that, then a translation of the meanings.

My problem is that I don't read Arabic(well not really, I know the alphabet and can make out some words with difficulty), so even with the transliteration I still have difficulty with making what I say sound proper.

Some time ago I happened on this site that has the same duas as in the book plus others, and all the different parts of salah. Each has Arabic, a transliteration, English translation and most helpfully for me a recording. The site is called-Digital Dua. I find it very useful, and just wanted to tell as many people as possible about it.

Friday Feature-Cheel Feeding Time

2011-06-10T22:53:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

In Islam, many things are considered a charity, not just giving money but also anything that is helpful(as long as the intention is right). Holding a door for someone, or making up two people who are fighting, giving water to a stray animal, or even just smiling at someone, are all types of charity. One type of sadaqah(charity) that some people here like to do is to feed the cheels(kites). Our neighbors sometimes do this, and Tariq does too every once in a while.

First he goes to a butcher and buys some meat and fatty scraps, then we all go up on the roof. Saad, my SIL, and I stand in one corner that is roofed, and Tariq stands out in the middle of the open section.

In order to attract the attention of the cheels, he first finds a crow and throws a chunk of meat at it.

The crow will start to make so much noise that soon the whole wall is lined with crows, all squaking loudly.

Soon after the crows, the cheels are attracted to the noise, and fly over to see what is going on. Tariq just keeps throwing chunks of meat up in the air, sometimes the cheels catch them, and sometimes they fall down to the roof and a quick crow will dart down from the wall and snatch it up fast.

Eventually your house will be surrounded by a cloud of birds. The cheels will swoop down so close that you can hear the sound of theirs wings, and almost touch them. After the meat is finished the cheels will disappear pretty quickly, but the crows just stay lined up. Getting them to fly off is Saad's job, he runs screaming towards them flapping his arms around until they all scatter.

What's going on on the blog?!

2011-06-07T16:46:00.005+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

InshAllah, I am going to be going through old posts to add labels, and am rearranging the blog a bit to try and make it easier to read and to find stuff. So please excuse any old posts that may show up in your blog feed, and please ignore the mess while I redecorate! :-)

Pleated Belt Shalwar w/wide leg-Part 3

2011-06-07T11:30:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

After finishing up all the pleats we will now attach the belt and finish up our shalwar.

Step 1
With the right sides facing sew a half inch seam in the belt pieces of your shalwar.
Step 2
Fold over the seam allowance and sew a line of stitches 1/4 of an inch away to secure the seam allowance.

Step 3

With the right sides of the legs together, sew the center back seam of your shalwar.

It should look somewhat like this.

Step 4

Take one end of the belt and place it on the top of the leg pieces, the right side should be facing each other. The belt should be half an inch to the left of the center seam(this will be the center front seam allowance of the belt).

Pin the belt in place all around the legs, the center back seam of the belt and shalwar should be roughly at the same point.
What it looks like when you have finished pinning in place. The centerfront of the belt should over lap by half an inch for the center front seam.

Step 5

Sew from the center front seam of the legs around the shalwar and back to the front. Then sew up the center front seam of the belt, stopping 1.5 inches from the top(to leave a space for the drawstring.

Here is the belt attached to the legs.

Step 6

Now sew a line along the bottom of the belt to secure the seam allowance, it should be facing upwards.

Step 7

At the center front seam of the belt, fold the seam allowances away from the center by 1/4 inch and then fold the over 1/4 inch again. Sew a line down one side across the center seam and up the other side, this will be the opening in your drawstring casing.

Step 8

Starting at the openingyou made above, fold the top of the belt over by 1/2 an inch towards the wrong(inner) side.

Step 9

Fold it over by another inch to form the drawstring casing, do this all around coming back to the opening. Pin in place, and then sew a line of stitches all around on the bottom of the casing.

Step 10

On the wrong side of your shalwar, fold the leg in half and measure out along the hem from the fold 7", and mark, this is your foot opening.

Step 11

At the center crotch seam mark up 1/2 inch.

Step 12

Keeping the shalwar folded in half mark a lin from the foot opening to the center crotch seam, one inch away from the edge of your fabric. Do the same on the other leg. Sew the seam, starting at one foot, going up the leg to the center seam, and then down the other leg.

Now your shalwar is completed, give it a good pressing and it is ready for wear.

Front view of the finished shalwar
Back view of the pleated shalwar.

End of Part 3 for any questions please leave a comment.

Pleated Belt Shalwar w/wide leg-Part 2

2011-06-06T11:30:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

After you have sewn your leg pieces together, we will start the hem of the legs.

You will need two pieces of heavy weight interfacing or buckram. They should be 1"x16".

Step 1

Center the buckram on the wrong side of the bottom of the leg opening, about half an inch up from the edge.

Step 2

Fold the half inch of fabric up over the buckram, you can sew one line of stitches along the edge to hold it in place if you like.

Step 3

Fold the buckram up one inch, so that is completely enclosed in the fabric, if you have not sewn a line of stitches to secure it then you may like to pin it in place now.

Step 4

Sew anywhere from 2-10 lines of stitches running perpendicular to the bottom of the leg opening. The minimum is one line at the very top edge of the buckram and one at the bottom.

A bit difficult to see but on this shalwar I sewed 6 lines.

Step 7

Place the two leg pieces with right sides together and sew only one of the crotch seams, this is the center front.

Step 8

Make a "knife pleat", pinch about one inch of fabric on one side of the center seam and fold it over towards the seam, pin it in place.

Step 9

Do the same on the opposite side of the seam.

Here is what your first two pleats should look like.

Step 10

Continue making knife pleats(they should be overlapping by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch) that face the center seam until the distance between thecenter seam and the center of the rectangular center leg piece is about 5"-6", so the total width of the center pleated section should be 10"-12".

This diagram basically shows what you are trying to do, the center of the leg pieces should fall from your hip bones in a line down the front of your legs, so the area between points A and C should be roughly the distance across your hips, somewhere in the neighborhood of 10"-12"(can be more if you need it but not less).

Step 11

Sew a line of stitches to secure all the pleats in place, it should be between 1/4 to 1/2 inch down from the top edge.

On this shalwar I have made nine pleats on either side of the center seam, total of 18 pleats across the front.

Step 12

Now to make the pleats on the back side of the shalwar-lay it out flat, and make knife pleats that face away from the center back seam.

Step 13-
Pinch one inch of fabric, and then lay it flat, facing away from the center back seam, pin in place.

Step 14-

Make several pleats, until the distance from the center front seam to the center back is half the width of your belt. Do the same on the other side of the shalwar. On my shalwar I made 3 pleats on either side of the back seam for a total of 6 pleats.

Step 15

Sew a line of stitches to secure the pleats, in the same way as you did for the front pleats in Step 11.

Here is what you should have so far, the two leg pieces sewn together with a large section of pleats in the center and two smaller sections at either side(this will be sewn to make the center back seam).

End of part two, if you have any questions please leave a comment and let me know.

Pleated Belt Shalwarw/wide leg-Part 1

2011-06-05T11:30:00.001+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Front and back view of the finished belt shalwar.

Your first step is to find your measurements. This is the same as the measurements for the simple shalwar. For this shalwar it is best to use fabric that is 45 inches wide, you will need a piece that is at least 2.5 yards. If you are unsure of having enough, get a bit extra. It is possible to make this style of wide leg shalwar with a narrower fabric, but you have to be very careful in the cutting.

Step 1-Measuring
To start you will need to figure out some measurements, if you have a shalwar that fits you then you can measure that. If you do not have a shalwar, then you need to do a bit of math. Measure from where you want your waist band to fall to just below your ankle. Take that number and subtract 7 for the belt, the remainder is your desired leg length. To the belt you need to add 2 inches of height, 1.5 for the drawstring casing and .5 for the seam attaching it to the legs, so the total height of the cutting for the belt is 9 inches. You also need to add 2 inches to your desired leg length, .5 for the seam and 1.5 inches for the hem at the foot. So for example if your measurement for the total height of your shalwar was 38, that would be a belt of 7 inches(9 cutting) and a leg of 31(33 cutting). For the width of the belt you measure your hips at their widest and then add at least 6 inches for ease (although you can add more if you like), plus 1 inch for seams.

Step 2

Fold your cloth in half the long way, place the cut side to your left and the fold side to your right. You are first going to cut the main leg piece. Along the selvage closest to you measure from the left corner down the total length of your leg (for the 38" shalwar, that would be 33"). the width of the rectangle should be 14", if you prefer a wider foot opening you can make it slightly wider.

Step 3

The width of the next piece should be at least 20", measure up from the main leg piece along the cut side. From there measure down 9", this is the crotch seam measurement.

Step 4

Make one diagonal line connecting the crotch seam to the bottom of the main leg piece.

Step 5

From the bottom of the leg piece measure out 9".

Step 6

Measure the same width as for Step 3 (in my example it is 20").

This is what your pieces should look like-

Step 7

Cut along all the lines, and separate you pieces, you should have two main leg pieces, and four outer leg pieces(two left facing and two right facing).

Step 8

From the extra pieces, cut two rectangles for the belt. They should be 9" tall by half the width you calculated in Step 1.

Step 9

Arrange your leg pieces as above, and sew together with right sides facing.

End of part one, if you have any questions please leave a comment and let me know.

Friday Feature-Urdu(or Hindi) Nursery Rhymes

2011-06-03T16:51:00.003+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Learning Urdu is difficult for me, but one thing that helps a bit in practicing speaking is to learn little nursery rhymes. Practicing the sound of the words in little silly poems help me be less nervous when actually speaking.

This is the first one that I learned, and the one I know best-

Machli jal ki rani hai
Jeevan uska pani hai
Haath lagaoge to dar jayegi,
Pani se nikalo to mer jayegi,
Machli ko pani men reynedo,
Jeevan uska pani hai.

The fish is the queen of the water,
The water is her life,
If you touch her she will be afraid,
If you take her out she will die,
So put the fish back in the water,
The water is her life.

I like this one, it is a little sad, but very pretty. When my nephew(he is one year older than Saad) was learning this one, he refused to say "mer jayegi". He didn't want to say that the fish will die, but he would substitute another word, like the fish will fall down or something. Saad doesn't mind, and will very happily talk about how he squished a bug and "now it's die". We all die eventually, I prefer not to hide death from him.---(oh, how heavy, can we move on?)

Another poem that is a bit longer is this one-
cham cham cham---
aath aaney ki chalia
aath aaney ka paan
chal mere ghorey Hindustan
hindustan ki pehli gali
pehli gali main liaqat ali
liaqat ali ko goli lagi
sari dunya roney lagi
rotey rotey bhook lagi
khalo beta moongphali
moongphali main dana nahin
hum tumharey nana nahin
nana gaye dehli
dehli sey laye billi
billi ne diye do bachey
Allah mian sachey
sachey sachey jaingey
bhai ki dulhan laaingey
bhai ki dulhan kali
sau nakhron wali
ek nakhra tuut gaya
bhai ka mun sooj gaya!

Cham cham cham
50 cents for one chalia
50 cents for one paan
Lets go, my horse, to India
First street in India,
in the first street lives Liaqat Ali
Shoot Liaqat Ali with a bullet,
all the world is crying
Crying and crying, I am hungry
eat my child, peanuts
there are no seed in the peanuts
I am not your grandfather
grandfather went to Delhi
From Delhi he brought a cat
and the cat gave two children
Allah is truth
go on the truthful way
brother brought a bride
brother’s bride is black
she is very prideful(stuck up)
her pride is broken
Brother is upset.

This one is a favorite of my niece, she can say almost the whole poem in one breath! Saad doesn't know this one yet, it is a bit long, and I am only just learning it. Please excuse any weird bits in translation(totally my fault), I am not very good at that bit, so I had to ask my SIL for some help.

Finished shalwar tutorial, and what comes next?

2011-06-02T18:38:00.004+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

I have finally finished the second belt shalwar tutorial! This shalwar has a wider leg and a slightly looser feel, which I personally prefer.

It was pretty easy to get the cutting/sewing and all the pics, the difficult part was the uploading and trying to explain what I'd done! But finally I have finished, and have scheduled the posts for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of the coming week. It was a very pic heavy post so I split it into three parts. Please do excuse my horrible dark pictures, Tariq has just fixed the tube light in my sewing room so I hope in future it will not be so dark. :-)

Also I am considering what to do next, tutorial wise, and I had an interesting idea. I am planning a tutorial of necklines, but I was thinking what if instead of one big tutorial, I broke it up into smaller pieces? It would be similar to my "Friday Feature", every week(or maybe every other week), I could post a different style or design. I think it might be better this way, give me a weekly deadline.

So- comments? questions? suggestions? requests? Let me know what you think, if you have any thing in particular that you would like to see a tutorial on.

When Pizza Is an Adventure!

2011-05-30T21:03:00.009+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Last night around 1am I was in the kitchen about to make a late night snack for Saad before he went back to sleep. As I am heating his food, Tariq comes down and says he feels like pizza, get ready, lets go. At first I don't believe him, I mean come on it's 1am, and every time I suggest pizza he says- no, they probably don't taste good, and the pizzas are too small.

He goes to get his wallet and I realize he's not joking. I run upstairs to get my abaya and hijab. While I am in the room I have the strangest urge to throw on a pair of jeans instead of my shalwar ("American woman"+"American Food/PIZZA!"=the need to wear jeans), so I grab the only pair of jeans I currently own and change. I put on the abaya and wrap my hijab, pull up the bottom edge to make a niqab(I feel more comfortable when we go out at night this way-less stares), and rush back down stairs.

We take the big bike(Honda 125) and head out. Saad wants to go but it is too late to be taking him out, so he stays with Tariq's sister and watches cartoons until we get back.

We zoom through the streets, most of them are quiet. Along the main road there are some juice stands still serving, and a couple of restaurants. There is the hum of generators here and there, because of load shedding.

Finally we get to the restaurant, walk in and check out the menu. The guy says they have a special after midnight-buy one pizza get one free. So we pick out two pizzas and also get a side of chicken wings. We sit and wait for the pizzas, then they bring them over and we head out.

Have you ever tried to bring home two pizzas and a box of wings while sitting side saddle on a motorcycle? It was an interesting ride home, with a quick stop to get a 2 liter of Pepsi.

So there I am sitting side saddle on the bike behind Tariq, with these two pizzas and box of wings on my lap, my left hand gripping the boxes tightly(oh, I hope I don't squish the pizzas!), and my right arm wrapped around Tariq's waist to make sure I don't go flying off the bike. We zoom back towards the house, trying to get back before the pizzas get too cold, my abaya and hijab are flapping in the wind, and I've got one foot on the foot stand and other one dangling freely, the air rushing over it. As we turn the corner onto our street, the tip of the toe of my chapple touches the ground briefly as we lean to the left.

Safely home, with our pizzas(not squished at all!), we all sit down to enjoy our late night meal.

Friday Feature-First Flight into Karachi

2011-05-27T23:00:00.001+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

My first time coming to Karachi was a bit of an adventure. Not quite as exciting as when we left the US, and not nearly as tiring. There are some things that I will always remember.

Our family almost always flies into Karachi by night. Partly because of work timings and partly to catch the best ticket deals. Some tips-flying from Dubai(rather than Abu Dhabi) to Karachi is cheaper, and you have more options for nonstop flights.

So any way, on our first flight to Karachi, when we started to descend I was staring out the window at the city. There were large sections of light, and then big dark sections, which I at first thought were forests/lakes/ginormous parking lots/etc. As I was watching, suddenly some of the dark sections lit up, and nearby lighted sections went dark. It was my first memory of load shedding! Tariq had explained what it was while we had been living in Abu Dhabi but I had never experienced it myself.

It was a very interesting experience. If you are flying into Karachi I do suggest a night flight, as you can't see it happen in the daytime.

Because it was a small flight we deplaned onto the ground after we landed, then there was a shuttle bus from the plane to the terminal. At the terminal the doors of the bus wouldn't open. Every other passenger(all men) climbed out one of the windows, until it was just Tariq, Saad, and I on the bus. One of the other passengers kindly stayed behind everyone else to help driver wrench the doors open wide enough to let us out.

After getting through immigration, we went to pick up our bags. One had burst a zipper! Nothing got lost so I think it happened when they stuck it on the conveyer belt, and we are awesome at packing suitcases(lots and lots of practice, we can fit everything together like a puzzle).

So that's my first memories of Karachi, a bit of hassle, but totally memorable!

Some WIPs in the heat of almost summer

2011-05-26T23:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I have only been able to knit/crochet at night, when we turn on the AC in our room, or just for an hour while sitting on the roof in the breeze before maghrib time(sunset prayer). I hadn't done any knitting at all for weeks then decided to start three projects all at once.

This one was inspired by a blanket my grammy made for my brother. It came with us to Abu Dhabi, and I liked it so much that I wanted to make one for Saad.

I took all the yarn for the blanket and divided it up into little lengths, enough for one row each. It was trial and error to figure out how much, there was much ripping involved.

You can see it is pretty basic, a group of double crochet stitches, followed by a chain. When it is all finished you hook each chain up over the chain above it to the top. This was actually taken sometime last week so it is a bit further along than this.

Next up is the Seascape Shawl from Knitty. I have loved this for the longest time. I have four skeins, that equal to about 500 yards, and I am making it a bit wider than the original. I am wondering if I have enough yarn, I might have to try to get back and find more, we'll see.

Lastly is a special request, one of Tariq's cousins had seen my Tasha bag, and asked if I could make a small bag for her. so I showed her one that I had been looking at for some time, the Albem purse, she liked it so I started that and it is moving pretty quickly. When the knitting part is finished I am planning to add a lining and a couple pockets.

Friday Feature-A very specific name game

2011-05-20T09:48:00.001+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

Urdu is a very specific language when it comes to words for family members. Uncles and aunties are never just that, they have different "titles" depending on if they are maternal or paternal relatives, and also if they are older or younger. To make it even more confusing nicknames are commonly thrown in to the mix!

For example, your paternal grandfather and grandmother are"dada"and "dadi", but your maternal grandfather and grandmother are "nana" and "nani" Your maternal uncles would all be "mama(or mamu)", and maternal aunts would be "khala", but your paternal uncles older than your father would be "tai abu" and the uncles younger than your father are "chacha(or chachu)", your paternal aunts would be "pupo".

Daughters in law are "Bahu", and are called "babhi" by all brothers and sisters, but other bahus may refer to each other differently. If the other bahu is married to your husband's older brother than she is your "jaytani"(and your husband's elder brother would be your "jayt"), if she is married to your younger brother then she is your devarani(and your husband's younger brother would be your "devar").

It can be a bit confusing having so many names for people, but it does save time when referring to someone you can just say for example- "she is my jaytani", instead of saying "she is the wife of my husband's elder brother" or "he is my chachu", instead of "he is my paternal uncle who is younger than my father". It did take a while to memorize all the different words, but it does help when the family is talking about extended family, I know who's who!

Nicknames are also common in our family. Actual names are only used by people older than you, and a lot of the time even then a nick name is used. Tariq has five sisters, each has a nickname, the oldest is "baji"(respectful title for your older sister), the second is "appi"(another respectful term for an older sister) then there is billi(cat), janu(like sweetheart, all the children call her this), and chanda(moon). The eldest son(my jayt-BIL older than Tariq), is called "Bhai" by everyone except my father in law who uses his name. Tariq is called "Tariq Bhai"(never just his name, for respect), by all except his father and older brother, and I. I call him something totally different. If we are alone I might call him by his name or an endearment like "honey", or "babe". If we're in front of his younger family I might still use his name, but no endearments! If we are out of the house or in the presence of older relatives I use what a lot of women call their husband "soon-yeh", which just means "listen". The Gori Wife had a great post on this whole topic(the names/titles and the not saying the husband's name thing) awhile ago-here it is.

I have my actual name as is listed on my IDs(only my own family and some friends use this, and Tariq when he is trying to be funny), and then the name I used after my reversion, Aishah which is used by all my in laws and some friends. But there is a distinction- all the people older than me in the family(Father in law, brother in law, his wife and two older sisters in law) call me Aishah, but the younger ones(three sisters in law and other younger cousins) never say just my name but always-"Aishah Babhi". One of Tariq's cousin's wives calls me the "dulhan"(bride), I think it is very sweet.

The nicknames and different titles are an interesting way of showing respect within the family.

For reference if any one is interested
Maternal grandparents-Nana, and Nani
Paternal grandparents-Dada and Dadi
Maternal uncles, and their wives-Mamu and Mami
Maternal aunts and their husbands-Khala and Khalu
Paternal uncles older than your father and their wives-tye abu and tya
Paternal uncles younger than your father and their wives-chachu and chachi
Father-Abu(there is another word, but it is not common-baap)
Mother-Ami(less commonly-maan)
Brothers-Bhai
Sisters-Bahen
Nephews and Nieces(brother's side)-Bateeja and bateeji
Nephews and Nieces(sister's side)Bahenja and bahenji
Brother's wife-Babhi
Husband's sister and her husband-Nund and Nundoy(although this one is really old fashioned and no one actually uses it)
Husband's brother and his wife(older than your husband)-Jayt and jaytani
Husband's brother and his wife(younger than your husband)-Devar and devarani
Father in law and Mother in Law-Sussar and Saas(most people just use the title their husband/wife uses-like ami and papa)

Saad's Kameez, plus three!

2011-05-18T16:25:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Usually I sew clothes just for my niece, as most of the extra cloth that I have in my fabric stash is from ladies suits. A couple months ago though, one of my sister in laws was cleaning out a closet and found a piece of cloth that was supposed to be for a man's shalwar kameez(about 7 meters, some sort of blend) and as no one was going to use it she gave it to me to experiment on.

I ended up making a little kameez for Saad, and then three more, one for each of my nephews!
Cute Little Man, all ready for Jummah(Friday prayers) with daddy!

I still need a bit more practice, as I had a couple small issues while working on it but they all turned out well for a first attempt.

Thumbs up, mama!

I have been doing more sewing than knitting or crochet lately, due to the heat I can only do the knitting at night before bed when we turn on the AC. I do have a couple of knit/crochet WIPs to post and lots more sewing too, inshAllah I'll be posting more in a day or two.

Random Graffiti observations

2011-05-15T14:00:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

A couple of months ago I had noticed a change in the graffiti along the main road in our little bit of Karachi.

Before there was amateurish looking spray painted graffiti, mostly in Urdu, but a bit in English. It was on almost ever bare wall, and the shutters of the stores. There were bits that supported the various political parties(MQM, PPP, PML{N or Q, take your pick}, ANP), and other bits that random nonsense.

More recently (I think it might have something to do with the tension/violence in Karachi the past couple months), the old graffiti was painted over and more professional graffiti was put up.

It is almost all supporting MQM. It seems to be positive graffiti, not trashing other political parties or anything like that.

There are some that seem slightly odd to me though. One piece in particular takes up a huge wall (probably at least 50 or more feet long), saying something about "empowerment for all" and "the symbol of revolution, Mr. Altaf Hussain". There are a couple others that call Altaf Hussain(leader of the MQM political party) "The Father of the Nation". That one kind of makes me confused as I thought the "father of the Nation" would be Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

I don't really think too much about it, as it'll probably wear off and/or be painted over in a while anyways, but it was kind of odd.

Friday Feature-medium, middle of the road, average

2011-05-13T11:05:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I used to think that everyone had one special thing that they can do better than most people. Some people are really good knitters, some make the perfect cup of chai every time, some sing, some dance. I eventually realized that sometimes it just doesn't work that way. I learned that there are people that are really good at one thing, people that are not good at anything, and people that are medium good at lots of different stuff.

That's where I fall(or so I like to think), smack in the middle. I like to learn new things, new crafts, and I am always happiest in the first six months of a job(when learning the ropes). I enjoy the process of learning, but I have never found one thing that I do exceptionally well.

For a while I thought, maybe I just haven't found my one thing, and that's why I liked to learn new stuff. I was searching for my one exceptional talent. There were times that I felt a bit depressed not to have found it yet, but then always the excitement of learning a new thing distracted me.

Is there really anything wrong with being average? I don't think so. Sure we need the people that are exceptional, the ones with the big ideas, and big dreams, but everything runs because of the "average" people.

I am happy being medium good in lots of stuff, and eventually realized that that is my special talent- "Jack of all trades, master of none,
though ofttimes better than master of one."

Sewing Sarubobo!

2011-05-09T21:25:00.000+05:00

Asalamu alaikum,

I saw this over on Umm Aaminah's blog, and I just had to make it. The tutorial is from a blog she follows, Mairuru. So, a big thank you to Umm Aaminah, for the link and finding such a cute blog!

So first I made the orange one. It was so cute and Saad liked it so much that I made another. Of course then I had to make clothes for them, so they got little shirts and hats.
Hanging out on the roof.

After I made the first two I decided to make a mini one as a mobile charm.
Little cutie! Those are a five rupee coin, and a one dirham coin, they are both the size of a quarter.

His measurement before sewing was 2cm by 3cm(3x4 including seam allowance), with a 2 cm head(3cm with allowance).

I really like this little project and will probably make more as my niece saw them the other day and loved them.

Achar...Pickles just aren't what I was expecting

2011-05-08T21:30:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I am used to pickle meaning a cucumber in brine, you know, the dill pickles served with deli sandwiches. The first time I saw achar, I had no idea what it was and had to ask. When Tariq said it was "pickle", I just kind of stared at him. It didn't look like a pickle to me.
Achar from our favorite place in the market.

I didn't like it at first, it smelled kind of odd, it was really oily, and just didn't look very appealing. I mean- mushy, oily, funny smelling vegetables or fruits? Ick!

A bit in a bowl to go with breakfast and the rest in a jar.

As with lots of stuff in my life now, it just took a while to get used to. I eventually gave in and tried a bit. First a bit of garlic, ok, not so bad. Then a small nibble of the carrot, hmm, that's kind of tasty. Then a taste of mango and a bit of lemon, wow that's pretty good actually. It did take a while longer to get used to eating the lemon and mango skins though.

We eat achar with dals(lentils) and rice, and other types of food that are a little on the plain side. Usually there is a little bowl of achar served with breakfast, as it is tasty to eat just plain achar with parathas.

We always buy the mixed achar that has green mangoes, lemons, carrots and garlic. Sometimes they put other stuff in it like olives. There are many different types of achar, but we always stick to our favorite, and we always buy from the same little store in the market.

Friday Feature-Compulsive laundry folding...or my Shalwar kameez storage solution

2011-05-06T18:51:00.005+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I am very particular about how I fold my laundry. I never used to be, but then I never really cared about clothes too much, and usually just threw on whichever tee shirt and jeans were on top of the clean laundry pile.

I have tried many techniques for hanging/folding shalwar kameez, and have finally found one that I like. I have gotten to the point that it really bothers me if my suits are not folded the right way, to the point where I will get up from bed to fold them properly before I can sleep. I am not too worried though, ;-) at least the clothes get folded and aren't in a heap on a chair somewhere.

My closet.

On the top shelf is where I keep my Qur'ans and other Islamic books, then the next shelf down is the "really fancy function suits" section. The third shelf is the "medium fancy, guests over/going visiting suits" section, and also the extra hijabs. The fourth shelf is the "house work/lazing around the house suits" section. Finally the bottom shelf is where I keep the "really fancy things that go in a box", the saris, and shararas.

Close up!

First I fold the dupatta in half the long way, and then in either thirds or quarters, whichever makes it about 10 inches wide, as some dupattas are 32" wide and some 45".

Then I fold the shalwar in half and put it on top of the dupatta, with the foot opening at the "top" side of the dupatta.

The kameez goes on the top of the shalwar with the neck opening on top of the feet. First I fold in the sleeves, then roll the kameez from the neck down to the damman(the bottom of the shirt).

Next I roll the kameez and shalwar together, from the top of the shalwar down to the foot opening.

Lastly I roll the whole thing together from the top of the dupatta to the bottom, and get this neat little roll that is just slightly less wide than the depth of my closet shelf. Perfect.

Long motorcycle rides and strange sunburns.

2011-05-04T21:24:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Today Tariq and I(it was too hot to take Saad so we left him home with my SIL) went to the passport office in the Saddar area of Karachi, and we took the Honda 125 this time instead of a taxi.

Since we live pretty close to the airport, it was a somewhat long ride. I think it was probably more than 20 minutes each way. I was sitting side saddle on the back of the bike, and I had put on a niqab(Pakistani style, wrapped and pinned at the back of my head, covering from the middle of my nose down) as I sometimes do when we go shopping.

After we got home and had rested a bit, Tariq kept asking me why my nose was red, did a mosquito bite me? I thought that was probably it, and thought nothing more about it. Until about half an hour ago I looked in the mirror and noticed half my forehead was red also.

Can you see the line of red on my temple or across the middle of my nose?

I do tend to sunburn easily and have had many, many sunburns in the past. One of the benefits of wearing hijab and abaya though, is that I haven't had a sunburn in years. It took me about five minutes of staring at myself in the mirror to realize exactly why I had a red mask around my eyes and nose. When it dawned on me I felt very silly, how could I not know it was a sunburn?

Thoughts on Osama

2011-05-03T21:18:00.006+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

I first heard what had happened around 10 in the morning. When we got up Tariq turned on one of the Urdu news channels and after a minute I asked him to switch over to BBC so that I could understand what was going on better.

I was a bit stunned, slightly skeptical, I guess I just wasn't expecting something like this. When ever I thought about Osama bin Laden in the past, I kind of expected it to be different, maybe a bomb would get him, or something like that. Something distant.

I don't really take joy in his death, because I think that it would be wrong for me to do so, but I am not really unhappy either, he did some really terrible things. I didn't lose family on 9/11, so I will never be able to truly understand how those who did feel. Maybe some feel like celebrating, maybe some just get a bit of relief, closure.

I am kind of upset that people feel the need to gather in the streets waving flags and singing the national anthem. How they react is none of my business really, but it cannot help the situation over here. In a place where some people already hate Americans this will only make us look bad, and may incite some people to retaliate.

I think, regarding the man himself, at the most I can feel a sort of grim satisfaction that he is gone and can't do any more harm.

Friday Feature- A Good Cry

2011-04-30T19:26:00.004+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

Sometimes I get really stressed. Living here can be fun, and I do try to stay upbeat and positive. Sometimes though, it just gets to me. After a while everything starts to add up and I feel like I am going to pop from stress, tension, bickering, load shedding, the phone repair guy not showing up for three days (and then wanting a bribe), and the million and one other things that just build up.

One thing at a time it is easy to handle. Ok so when my sister in law and I are not getting along for a couple days, fine, we'll be back to normal next week(inshAllah!). When the phone repair guy finally shows up, and then leaves and then the phone stops working for the rest of the day, fine, he'll be back tomorrow to fix it, and it's just a day anyway.

But when everything happens all at once? There are just times when I feel like crying. So, I do. I go up to my room all alone and sit and just cry. I know it doesn't help, it won't solve my problems, or make them all just disappear. What it does for me is to help relieve the tension. After a good cry (and a nice big pity party, "oh woe is me"), I can sit up, stop feeling sorry for myself, wash my face and feel a lot better. Nothing has changed, but it is easier to face all the problems after a good cry.

I think partly it is because after the crying/pity party, I find it easier to see the good in my life. Like all the good things are hiding away behind the fog of negatives, and the crying comes and washes the fog away to help me see clearly.

Alhamdulilah, I do have a lot to be grateful for. So now that I've had my cry ;-), I'll just be getting back to life, and trying to keep my eyes on the good in life!

PS-sorry for the Friday Feature on a Saturday, our phone wasn't working the repair guy didn't show up until this morning ;-)

Goodbye Mano

2011-04-25T15:25:00.003+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

We had a sweet cat in Abu Dhabi. Tariq found her abandoned near the first apartment building where we lived in Abu Dhabi, around June/July of 2008. We called her "Mano", no one liked her except Tariq and I. All the in laws have a thing about cats because they are everywhere here around our Karachi house and always making things dirty. When we moved to a new flat with a nice big yard just outside the city we took the cat with us.

She was a sweet little cat, always wanting to play. Still no one liked her. She got rid of the mice in the kitchen, and still they wanted to get rid of her. She always wanted to sleep under my father in law's bed, was always rubbing on everyone's legs for attention, and when my father in law was watering the garden she always rested under the flowers nearby him. Everyone was complaining about how she got hairs all over everything. Tariq, Saad and I left to return to Pakistan in October of 2009 after visiting for only about a month. Saad missed Mano and always wanted to pick up the dirty feral cats around here. Eventually the rest of the family got used to Mano, and no longer said anything about getting rid of her. They did not exactly like her but tolerated her.

When my father or brother in law would take a walk to a nearby market for something Mano would follow them and wait outside the store until they came out. When my sisters in law went walking for exercise she followed them as well.

The day before yesterday my father in law and Tariq were Skyping when he told Tariq that the cat was ill, with vomiting and diarrhea and she wasn't eating or drinking, he wanted to know what he should do. He seemed concerned, worried for the cat that they hadn't wanted before. One of my sisters in law carefully opened her mouth and tried to get her to drink some water.

He asked some friends of his about where to find an animal doctor, and decided to take her to the vet the next morning. He was checking on the cat and while he was patting her she passed away.

He was so upset. Everyone was. After almost three years with us she had become important to them, they just hadn't realized it until it was too late.

Goodbye little Mano, we loved you.

Friday Feature-Khes aur Cambal Wale

2011-04-22T14:33:00.005+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

The wale(door to door salesmen) sell different things according to the seasons. When it starts to cool down and all during the winter there are wale that sell Khes(sounds like "case") and cambal. Cambals are just soft comforter types of blankets, thick and usually fuzzy. The khes is a thinner woven blanket(here is a very detailed article on khes and other woven fabrics common in Southeast Asia), that is very common in the Sindh and Punjab ares of Pakistan.

A cambal wala, mostly they carry the blankets tied onto their back instead of on a cart like many other wale.
A khes wala, taking a little rest.

The khes wale usually come on bicycles, with the khes tied in a stack on the back and a couple on the front handle bars for display. Khes come in sets of two or four, and the plainer ones are usually still in one big piece that you have to cut and finish the edges yourself. There are fancier khes that have already been cut and have a finished edge, sometimes a fringe or tassels.

One side
and the reverse

The less expensive, plain types of khes are generally only two to three colors and have a very basic checker type pattern. Other khes have elaborate floral motifs with five or more colors, and most are reversible.

Fancy design on the long sides
The shorter edges with tassels.

The single khes is roughly four feet wide by six feet long, so the un-separated khes are about four feet wide by twenty four feet long.

This is one of the set of khes that Tariq bought for me last winter.

Friday Feature: A Trip to Liaquat Market

2011-04-15T18:15:00.002+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

I have been meaning to get this posted for a long time. The biggest market in our area is Liaqat Market. It is not a mall type where everything is enclosed, but more like an American style flea market, very open. In much of the market the shops are basically little alcoves, and the center aisles are roof less, or sometimes there are big sheets tied up to provide more shade.

We usually take the Honda 50 to go shopping as it is older(less likely to be stolen), and has the "dubba"(box area in the front), to hold stuff. Tariq is the in the middle, Saad sits in front of him, and I sit "side saddle" at the back. InshAllah I'll get a picture of all of us sometime, now that his sister is here to hold the camera. :-)

Tariq and Saad ready to go

When we get to the market there is a motorcycle parking area up front. It is five rupees to park and the watchman gives you a little ticket(half goes on the bike and half you take) so that he know you payed.
Motorcycles all lined up
Sometimes it gets a bit crowded

In the front section of the market is where most of the dry goods type stores are. All the chawal(rice), dals(lentils), masale(spices) and other things are in bins. There are usually a whole bunch of different bins of rice, some for biriyani, some for regular cooking, some that are better for kheer(rice pudding).
All the food lined up out in the open.

Also in the outer section is the vegetable and fruit wale(sellers). There are alcove type shops on the sides of the main road area, and then there are carts lined up in the center and anywhere there is space.

Inside the market is kind of like a maze with narrow little aisles. There are stores for shoes, kids clothes, cosmetics, tailoring materials, gents clothes and many many shops for ladies clothes. Usually one of our first stops is for ladies shalwar suits. The little alcoves that make up the shops have shelves on most of the walls stacked with bolts of fabric and suits already cut into sets of shalwar/kameez/dupatta. There is usually a small stage type area where the shopkeepers stand and show off the suits, and a line of seating for the customers to sit and relax while they look at the suits.
Wall of a shop with stacks of suits.

The suits rejected by the customer end up on the floor of the stage, to be folded after the customers leave.

After you have selected your suits, the next stop is the bale(edging) store, for any ribbons, laces, or beaded trimmings to go with your suit.
Oooh, shiny things. Sometimes I just like to look at the bales, because some are very pretty.

After you have your suit and your trimmings, then its off to buy your chudiyan(bangles). The walls of the bangle store are also filled with row upon row of shiny things! You give the shopkeeper the dupatta to make a matching set of bangles, and he'll make a set up and show it to you for approval. If you like it he packs it up and if you don't then he'll change out some pieces until it fits what you want.

Gathered Belt Shalwar w/Simple Leg-Part 2

2011-04-14T16:00:00.000+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

At the end of part one the main legs of our shalwar were finished, now we will be sewing the belt piece and attaching it to the legs, and finishing up our shalwar.

Step 1
Take the two pieces of you belt and sew a half inch seam, this is the center back seam. If you were able to cut one long piece for the belt then you can just skip this step.

Step 2

Make sure your leg pieces are right side out, with the right sides facing place one end of the belt half an inch to the left of the center seam and pin. The half inch is for the center front seam so you will start sewing on the center line of the legs not the exact edge of the belt.

See the extra half inch? Pin the belt in place starting half an inch in from the edge.

Step 3

Working your way around pin the belt in place every couple of inches.

Step 4

When you get close to the center back seam of the belt you will see that it does not match to the center seam of the legs. You will now need to make one or more knife pleats on either side of the center seam to make the center of the belt match the center of the legs. Here is a tutorial on making knife pleats, they actually measure but usually I just kind of eyeball it.

With the belt facing down, I pinch the excess fabric of the leg and form my pleats.
After pinching lay the excess flat and pin in place.
On the inside the pleats will face towards the seam, on the outside the pleats should face outwards, away from the seam. Remember to make the same number and same size of pleats on either side of the seam. Continue pinning the belt in place all the way around until you get to the center front seam again. You should have about a half inch extra on this side also.

Step 5

Starting at point A, sew around the top, sewing the belt to the legs until you get almost back to were you started at point B.

Step 6

Now you will sew up the center front seam of the belt piece. Matching up points A and B, and making sure the leg pieces do not get caught in the seam, sew from just above points A and B to point C, stop and turn around sew back for one inch to secure the seam. the distance from point C to the top of the belt should be 1.5 inches. This will be the opening for the drawstring.

Step 7

On the wrong side fold the edges of the center front seam away from the seam, and sew a line of stitches down one side across the bottom and up the other side.

Step 8

Starting from the center front seam, one quarter inch up from the seam that attaches the belt to the legs, sew a line of stitching to keep the extra cloth in the seam facing upwards. You should catch the seam that you made when attaching the belt to the legs.

Step 9

Now you will sew the drawstring casing. Starting at the center front where you made the opening, on the wrong side of the cloth, fold the top down half an inch, and then fold it down one inch, and sew along the very bottom edge to form the casing.

Step 10

Line up the inside seams, at the bottom of each foot opening mark out from the fold 7 inches.

Step 11

On the center crotch seam mark up from the bottom half an inch.

Step 12

Draw a connecting line from the mark on one foot(point A) up to the center mark(point B), and then back down to the other leg(point C).

Step 13

Starting one inch away from point A sew down to the bottom of the leg and then turn and sew up to point B(center crotch seam), and then down to point C. When you get to the bottom of the second leg, turn and sew back up one inch, sewing back over the stitches at each of the foot openings reinforces them.

Your gathered belt shalwar with a simple leg is now finished, and showed look something like this-
If you see a mistake in this tutorial or need more explanations feel free to leave a comment and inshAllah, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Gathered Belt Shalwar w/Simple leg Part 1

2011-04-14T15:00:00.000+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

Here is part one of the simple leg belt shalwar tutorial. If you have any questions do leave a comment and I'll see what I can do to clarify.

Step 1-Measuring
To start you will need to figure out some measurements, if you have a shalwar that fits you then you can measure that. If you do not have a shalwar, then you need to do a bit of math. Measure from where you want your waist band to fall to just below your ankle. Take that number and subtract 7 for the belt, the remainder is your desired leg length. To the belt you need to add 2 inches of height, 1.5 for the drawstring casing and .5 for the seam attaching it to the legs, so the total height of the cutting for the belt is 9 inches. You also need to add 2 inches to your desired leg length, .5 for the seam and 1.5 inches for the hem at the foot. So for example if your measurement for the total height of your shalwar was 38, that would be a belt of 7 inches(9 cutting) and a leg of 31(33 cutting). For the width of the belt you measure your hips at their widest and then add at least 6 inches for ease (although you can add more if you like), plus 1 inch for seams. The width of the main leg pieces should be as wide as possible, as the shalwar is supposed to be loose and flow-y.

Step 2Fold your cloth in half the long way, and then width wise so that you have four corners in the bottom left side. Measure from the four corners down the desired length of your leg plus 2 inches. Do the same on the upper fold edge, and then mark a line straight from one point to the other. Cut and set aside the extra cloth, you will need it later to make the belt piece.

Step 3On the selvage side make one mark at the half-way point.

Step 4At the bottom of the cloth, measure out from the fold side for the foot opening. The average size would be 7 inches, but if you prefer a wider or narrower opening then make the mark more or less than 7 inches out.

Step 5Now make a line connecting the half-way mark and the foot opening mark.
Cut the smaller pieces.
Step 6Rotate the pieces so that they line up against the top of the main leg piece.

Step 7On the outer point of the extra pieces mark one line so that the outer edge is nine inches, cut and discard the excess cloth.

Step 8From the extra cloth that was left after cutting the leg, you will need to cut your belt pieces. If you can cut one long piece that is good, but normally I have to cut two rectangles and make one seam at the back. The two rectangles should be 9 inches tall by the width you took in step one.

After all your cutting you should have the following pieces-

Step 9

Now take the inner leg pieces and match them to the main leg pieces with right sides facing and sew a half inch seam. Each of the two main leg pieces should now look like this-

Step 10

Take the interfacing and center it on the wrong side of the cloth at the bottom foot opening one half inch up from the bottom.

Step 11

Fold up the half inch of cloth and sew one line to hold the interfacing in place.

Step 12

Now fold the interfacing up one inch. Sew at least one line at the top of the fold, and one line at the bottom, you can leave it like this, but usually more lines are added between, sometimes up to nine or ten parallel lines.

Step 13

Match both of the leg pieces with right sides facing, and sew a half inch seam on one side of the extra pieces. This is the center front crotch seam.

Step 14

Thread a hand sewing needle with at least 20 inches of thread, and knot the end. Find the center of each of the main leg pieces and mark.

Run a line of roughly half inch stitches from one mark to the other. The above diagram shows the main leg pieces and your line of stitches should go from point A to point B.

Step 15

Draw your thread up so that the length is about 10 inches, and then make a knot to secure the gathers. You want the center part of the leg(points A and B) to line up roughly over your hips so that the center line runs straight down the front of your leg and the inner seam is at the back.

Step 16

While pressing down on the gathered area, run a line of machine stitches across it to secure them in place. Do not allow the machine to push the gathered part to one side, It should stay even all the way across.

You can now take out the line of hand stitching if you like.

Step 17

Match the back of the leg pieces and sew a half inch seam. This is the center back crotch seam.

End of Part one, for the rest please see part two of the tutorial.

If you see a mistake in this tutorial or need more explanations feel free to leave a comment and inshAllah, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Two Types of Belt Shalwar

2011-04-13T23:45:00.000+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

The basic belt shalwar has two main pieces, the belt and the legs.

There are two basic types of cutting for the leg. One is simple and usually takes less cloth, while the other is a bit more difficult and takes more cloth. Each has benefits and drawbacks. The simple one is much easier and involves less steps, and it has a slimmer leg(which can be a benefit or a drawback depending on how you like your shalwars to fit). The more complicated one is a bit looser because it has more cloth in the legs so while the leg is not as slim, I personally find it to be more comfortable.

When attaching the leg to the belt there are also two basic options-gathering the excess material like this-

The other option is to make nice even knife pleats like this-

InshAllah, I will shortly be posting the first of my belt shalwar tutorials. In the first tutorial I will explain how to make the simple leg belt shalwar with the gathering, and in a couple of weeks I will add the second tutorial with the wider leg and pleating.

The first tutorial will be broken up into part one and part two as it is very picture heavy.

Valima!

2011-04-12T19:59:00.004+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

On Sunday night we went to Ammena's valima. MashAllah, she was gorgeous! The beading on her husband's sherwani was made up to match her dress, and they just both looked so nice, mashAllah.

The setup for the valima was beautiful. The color theme was a bluish teal with black contrast, and there were the icicle lights. I love the icicle lights, they always give me a fairy tale wedding vibe. The stage was nicely set up also, with a simple elegant back round decorated with flowers.

I counted (I think) six dishes- fish, chicken tikka, kebabs, biriyani, halwa puri, and a chicken korma(I think, I didn't try it but Tariq might have, I was too full). There were a whole bunch of different types of salads, and for desert there was qulfi with falooda noodles.

I managed to not have a wardrobe malfunction, even wore my fancy shoes too. I did forget the camera batteries though, the big camera battery I left at home in the charger and my smaller ancient digital(runs on AA's) went dead and I forgot the extras.

Mendhi Party!

2011-04-09T19:49:00.006+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,
Yesterday night we went to my friend Ammena'a mendhi party. It was a lot of fun, and her in laws seem like really nice people, mashAllah.

The setup was beautiful, the main color was orange with hanging icicle lights. The main stage for the bride and groom had a beautiful swing draped with a rainbow of different colored flowers(still with the main orange theme). There was also a dance floor set up! Even though I don't dance(it would not be pretty if I did, let me tell you!) it was great to see everyone having such a fun time.

At almost every function I go to I always have some random, weird little wardrobe malfunction(like at my sister in law's shadi the drawstring of my dress peeked out from the side:-( ), and this party was no different. This time I was ready, I tied my drawstring extra tight and tucked it in, I managed to fashionably set my dupatta all by myself, and then we were off in the taxi. When we got to the party and went inside to say hello, I wondered why I was walking so comfortably and why my shoes slipped off so easily when we went in the house. I sat down and was chatting with Ammena when it occurred to me. I immediately got up and went back to the doorway to check my shoes. Truly a huge facepalm moment, after carefully getting dressed up, I had left my fancy rhinestone and bead encrusted heels in the main entrance to our house and worn my grungy house chapples(flip flops). Errrg! When we got home I asked Tariq and his sister both- when ever we leave for a party please, oh please, check my foot wear! Alhamdulilah, one of Ammena's husband's cousins kindly lent me a pair of her shoes, and so I didn't have to walk around the party in my house chapples. Extra big thank you to the sweet cousin!

MashAllah, everything was wonderful, the music was good, and the food was great, and I can't wait until Sunday(only tomorrow!) for the Valima. Everyone pray for me and my wardrobe, I will be attempting a sari!

Friday Feature: The Friday Routine

2011-04-08T11:01:00.002+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

Our Friday routines very rarely vary. We actually have two routines, one when the whole family is together and one when it is split up and half of us are here and half in Abu Dhabi.

When the whole family is together it is usually in UAE. Friday mornings start a bit slowly, everyone sleeps in. Maybe one of us women will get up early and start the lunch cooking then go back to sleep. Around 11:30 or 12:00 everyone is up, but we don’t usually eat breakfast. Usually everyone just has a cup of chai, and some toast with jam or some biscuits, for the kids.

Because it is Friday, everybody has to shower and wear nice clothes (if we have new suits we save them and wear for the first time on Friday). While the chai is boiling there is a mad rush to use the iron, with everyone complaining that the person ahead of them is moving too slowly. :-)

Unfortunately our house in Abu Dhabi has only one bathroom, for a family of 11. I really don’t get that, I mean it is a three bedroom house, why only one bathroom? Anyway, just after chai, and the ironing session, the bathroom line forms, first my father in laws has his turn. After FIL is finished then all bets are off and it is every man/woman for themselves. If it’s winter time, then at some point in the line a small argument will break out as someone has taken an extra long shower, used up all the hot water and now everybody after them has to take a freezing cold shower. The one who used all the hot water will be in mild disgrace for the rest of the day.

After all the chai/ironing/showers, the men leave for Jumah at the masjid. Sometimes some of us women will go, as in Abu Dhabi most of the masjids have a women’s section. Recently the men started taking the kids too(my brother in law has two sons), now that they are old enough to sit quietly or imitate their father rather than cry and disturb everyone else.

After everybody gets back from Jumah we all sit down to a big family lunch. Usually we eat simpler foods during the week like aloo gosht(like meat and potato soup), or dals(lentils), and vegetable salaans(curries). On Fridays we have fancier foods like biriyani(spicy rice and meat), or nihari. After a big heavy lunch, almost everybody goes for a nap(except for me, I can’t sleep in the day), then sometimes we’ll go out somewhere, shopping or to one of the many garden parks in Abu Dhabi.

In Pakistan the routine is a bit different, as there is only Tariq, one of his sisters, Saad and I. There are also five bathrooms instead of one. :-) I get up around 9:30 or 10:00 on Fridays, read some Qur’an, iron Tariq’s, Saad’s and my own clothes, then shower and change. Then I start breakfast, when that is almost ready I go wake up Saad, Tariq and my Sister in law. I give the baby his bath and put him in his shalwar kameez.

All ready for Jumah!

After a quick breaskfast Saad and Tariq leave for Jumah. I never get to go as in our area there is no space for women. :-( At first when Saad started to go to Jumah with Tariq and his Dada(Saad’s paternal grandfather, not Tariq’s, who was in Pakistan for time off from his job in Abu Dhabi), he was afraid and didn’t really want to go. Dada convinced Saad to go by bribing him with the promise of a juice box on the way home.

When Saad got back the first time he was so proud, he told me “Mama, Saad give money to Allah(swt).” Now his favorite thing about Jumah is that daddy will give him money to keep in his pocket before they go, for him to donate to the masjid.

After they get back we sit down to a family lunch, then hang around the house the rest of the day. Occasionally we’ll go to visit one of Tariq’s married sisters in the evening.

A Little Gori Get Together

2011-04-04T13:08:00.005+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

Sometimes I wonder what my bloggy/facebook/internet friends are like, since I have never met the majority of them.

Alhamdulillah, last night I got the opportunity to meet Ammena, who has come to Pakistan for her Valima. She had come by to drop off the invitation to her mendhi and valima, and have a visit so we could get to know each other a bit more. MashAllah, she is a really great person and I am so happy to have finally met her!

Lots of love to my new IRL friend Ammena!

No Friday Feature this week

2011-04-02T15:36:00.002+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

I have just been so deeply, down to the bone tired for the past couple of days, that I have not been able to even think straight.

InshAllah, Friday Feature will be back next week, and hopefully I'll be able to finish up the belt shalwar tutorial sometime this week as well. I have been working on it for a while, a bit at a time. As it is very picture heavy, I have split it up into two posts and they are about 3/4 of the way finished.

Friday Feature-An Artist's Hands

2011-03-25T09:30:00.000+05:00

Asalamu Alaikum,

For the longest time I have wanted to have long delicate fingers, smooth unblemished hands. Maybe I read too many romance novels, but always the heroine's hands seem to be described with words like- "delicate", "elegant", "smooth", "porcelain", "fine boned", "tender", "exquisite", and "graceful". In my mind I have this picture of a hand with slender wrists, with long and graceful fingers, the kind I have always imagined artists and piano players to have.

When I look at my hands they don't look anything like the picture I see in my head. My wrist is not slender, my palms are square, and my fingers are on the short and stubby side. When I used to look at my hands I sometimes thought that they were "peasant hands", rough, square palmed, hard and more suited to working in a field all day than creating art.

I love to work with my hands, all the crafts that I do, the sewing, the knitting, everything is still art to me. Sometimes I am following a pattern(usually not though), but even then it is in a way still art. Similar to the way musicians play the notes written, crafters following patterns are just playing their own notes.

I am not sure when my opinion of my hands changed, but somewhere along the line it did. My hands may not have long slender fingers, but they still create things. I wrote a post once about my mental body image, and how it doesn't really match to what I see in the mirror. Not quite the same problem, as my hands haven't magically turned into the idealized image I have of an artist's hands, but my perception of my hands has changed.

Now when I look at my hands I see that they are still square, with stubby fingers, but also that they are strong, capable, beautiful- the hands of an artist.

Two haiku for load shedding.

2011-03-23T09:30:00.000+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

Today during our morning load shedding time I was a bit bored and decide to write some haiku.

~~~How long is eternity?~~~
One point five hours seems
Eternal, but only one?
An instant of time.

~~~First Breeze~~~
No electric, wait-
Light ah-gae, fan’s cool breeze comes.
Alhamdulillah.

Sewing on a Deadline

2011-03-22T01:37:00.004+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

Tariq had to go to Abu Dhabi for work, and so his sisters and brother's wife asked for some new clothes as summer is here and they need something light. We went to the market and picked out two suits for each, and gave one of each to the tailor and I offered to sew one of each. Since he was leaving rather quickly I had a short deadline and completed three suits in 2.5 days. It is a personal best for me as it usually takes one day and a little bit to complete one suit.

So here they are-

Three suits

First suit, simple design with an A-line shape and piping on the neck, the center line of the sleeves and the outside leg of the trousers.

Close up of neck, the shirt has a printed design running down the center, and on both of the long sides of the dupatta.

Second suit, regular kameez(not A-line), with an open work design on each sleeve and two on the bottom of the front of the shirt, and a piping design at the neck.

Close up of open work of the neck and front of kameez.

Neck design, simple loops of piping.

Third suit- A-line kameez with beaded bow design on neck and each sleeve, the trousers have a contrasting band at the foot.

Close up of beaded design.

Friday Feature-Dayks/Catering

2011-03-18T14:19:00.002+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

For many of our parties/functions(engagements, mehndis, Qur'an khanees) we have some dayks delivered. Usually they have biriyani/pulao, or a quorma, with your choice of meat or chicken. They also have sweet dishes like zarda(sweet, multi colored rice with all sorts raisins/coconut/little sweet colored bits), or kheer(rice pudding).

For size comparison- Saad at 18 months next to a dayk.
Tariq transfers biriyani to a serving dish.

About an hour before the party starts the dayk wala comes by the house with the back of his truck full of dayks for his deliveries. He drops off your pot(s), and then goes to finish his deliveries. The waiters take over during the party and transfer the food to the buffet line, they are always busy carrying hot trays of food back and forth!

During the month of Muharram here in Karachi(specifically the ninth and tenth) people often fast. Commonly in our area the dayk walas prepare large amounts of haleem(kind of like a savory porrige, made with grains, lentils, and meat), which people will buy to feed people who are fasting, or donate to masjids.
A line of dayks full of haleem prepared for Ashura(tenth day of Muharram

Further away, since they take up so much space they are not inside but prepared on the side of the road.

Summer Already?

2011-03-15T16:09:00.003+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

It is summer already. The first floor of our house stays relatively cooler in the early morning until just after noon because it gets less sun exposure. The second floor has a line of huge windows, all wide open to catch as much breezes as possible, and the stairwell that leads to the roof is open as well, with only a steel grill for security. With everything open, and it being so hot the second floor gets hot very quickly. So today when I walked from the first floor up the stairs to get something from my room, I was hit with a wall of hot dry air. It was just flattening, and it will only get hotter. Two days ago the BBC weather report said Karachi was going to have a temperature of 34 degrees C(for other USians, that's about 93 degrees F), and it is only mid March.

When we lived in Florida it got pretty hot, and it was always humid. The biggest difference was that we had uninterrupted electricity and AC in just about every building. Here many people don't have AC, (or maybe they have it only in one room), and the electricity is always kind of iffy with the load shedding. It tends to get worse in the summer when people use their AC more, and we get more "unscheduled" load shedding, and tripping.

The first summer we were here it was really bad, and there were a several weeks when we had electricity for only 3-4 hours a day and that was it. Last summer was not as bad, with only 5-6 hours of load shedding and most of the day the lights stayed on. InshAllah this summer will be like this past one and not like the first one.

I am waiting for Tariq to turn on the AC in our room, if I do it he might complain about the electric bill! I have a strong feeling he'll turn it on within two weeks at the latest, as he has had a bit of trouble sleeping well for three nights in a row.

Friday Feature- Auto Rickshaws

2011-03-11T15:51:00.001+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

One of my favorite ways to get around in Karachi is rickshaws. The only time I get to ride in them though is when I go shopping with my sisters in law. Anytime I go out with Tariq it is always in a car/taxi or on the motorcycle.

A regular size rickshaw.

Peek-a-boo, Saad likes rickshaws too!

View from the back seat, steers with handlebars.

Outside the main market in our part of town the rickshaw drivers line up and wait for a fare.

I love rickshaws so much, when I saw these little toys in the market I just had to get them...for Saad.(Yeah for the baby, right! Babies make great excuses to buy things you are "too old for")

Zipping around in a rickshaw is really fun, the drivers usually go very fast and also turn sharply so it can be quite the adventure. The other day I posted about the truck art, rickshaws are also sometimes highly decorated, inside and out. Sometimes vinyl stickers or paint, sometimes bead hangings or colorful cloth. A couple of rickshaws we have rode in have strands of jasmine flowers hanging from the rear view mirror.

A couple little tips though if you have never been in a rickshaw- always negotiate the fare up front, if you don't then some drivers try to overcharge you by a lot. Also if you are pretty tall (Tariq is 5'10" and has trouble fitting comfortably in the regular rickshaws) then try to find a CNG rickshaw, they are a bit larger and so have more headroom.

Samp Wala-Snake Charmer

2011-03-10T14:22:00.003+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

This morning I heard the sound of a pipe being played outside, and since Tariq was sleeping and his dad was out for a walk, I was sure I was going to miss this one. Alhamdulillah my father in law came back just as the samp wala was walking past our door and my sister in law and I quickly asked him to stop him for us to see.

When my father in law asked about the snake, the wala said it was five years old and had the venom sacks had been removed. He didn't stay very long, just about five minutes. It was pretty cool to see the snake come up and sway around a bit. The samp wala had to tap it a little to get him to come up out of the basket. I don't know if it was sleeping or just annoyed at having to do this all the time. After he got the snake up and did his little performance my father in law gave him some money and then he put the snake back in and left.

Comment Policy

2011-03-05T15:06:00.003+05:00

Asalam Alaikum,

I have been considering posting a comment policy for some time and I think now it has actually become necessary.

So, this is a personal blog. I use it mostly to show my crafting attempts, to practice writing, to keep family and friends updated on where we are and what we are up to. I post pictures of my son, and the places we visit, I post free patterns for knitting, crochet(not quite yet, but InshAllah this is coming soon), and sewing tutorials.

One thing that is sort of a mix of personal and not personal is that I want to show anyone who is interested, what life is like in Pakistan. Specifically from the point of view of a non Pakistani. Every time people look at the news headlines it seems that all that is shown of Pakistan is bombings, killings, terrorism, Taliban, corrupt politicians, and poverty. I want as many people as possible to see other parts of Pakistan, the beauty, the warmth and friendliness of the people, the daily routines that make up life for families like mine. I want people to see that life here, while occasionally difficult is not that much different than it is anywhere else in the world. The foods may be different, the clothes may be different, but people everywhere are the same. We all have families, friends, morals, values, and feelings.

Recently there have been several comments posted that range from merely rude to downright hateful. I do have comment moderation enabled, mostly to prevent spammers, but I have had to delete several rude posts. After the most recent(which I allowed, on the post immediately preceding this one), I just got a little fed up.

This is a personal blog, if you don't have anything nice to say please keep your comments to yourself. I do not mind opposing views, a little debate is always educational, but rude comments about how another person chooses to live their life?

From now on, any comments that are hateful(about me or anyone else), or bigoted, or just plain rude will not be posted.

Salam to all-
Eva