This is my first time in Karachi. I haven’t experienced much because of Covid but so far all the parts I have seen are nice and the people that I have met are great as well.
Back home in Chitral my own people are very friendly and for the past three years I have been living in Peshawar as well and I found the people there very warm-hearted. However, since life in Karachi is so busy and fast-paced, people here don’t give proper time to others. People here don’t go out of their way to do something special. They are still friendly but more practical.
My decision to come to Habib started when I initially wanted to go to The United States for my education. I really wanted to go but my father thought I was too young to handle the responsibility of living alone in a new country. He told me that I could go abroad for my post-graduate but right now it would be a lot of pressure for me. At first, I told him that I could manage it but I spoke to some friends who are studying in the US and they told me about how difficult life is over there.
I thought about it and then finally decided to stay in Pakistan. When I was looking for universities in Pakistan I wanted to go somewhere with an atmosphere similar to the universities abroad. Out of all the good ones I felt like Habib would be the one to give me the global experience that I was looking for in a university.
When my parents let me go on the YES program to the US, it was a big decision for them. It was difficult because I was going so far away and none of my family members have been abroad. But when I came back from the program they realized that I have grown a lot and I knew they wouldn’t say anything about me going to Peshawar or Karachi. My parents trust me and guide me as well, they have been brave in this regard.
I have become used to living alone. I was alone in the US for a year and then after that, I spent three years alone in Peshawar to continue with my A levels. These past experiences allowed me to adjust to Karachi and the prospects of living alone again, even though the environment is very new for me and it was a little hard in the beginning.
Living alone in Karachi is a lot different from living alone in Peshawar. The environment in Peshawar is conservative and it is difficult to communicate when you don’t speak Pashto. But the experience allowed me to gain confidence and when I came to Karachi I felt like I could figure everything out and I became more confident over time.
I miss being with my family. Back in Chitral, we have close ties with everyone. We have very small communities there and we are all connected with each other. The people over there are all innocent, loving, and friendly. I really miss that. These types of close ties are not present in Karachi. It has been difficult to connect with people in Karachi, especially due to Covid. Since the campus isn’t open, I haven’t met anyone from my batch. I hope campus opens up soon and I can meet everyone, they all seem very smart and cool and I hope I get to know them.
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