The above advice was given to me by Mr. F's phuppi (paternal aunt) as I was leaving for Karachi. I hastened to tell her that I'm not on a diet and that I love food but she gave me a sly smile and pointed to her ample tummy and mimed a pregnant belly... Understanding dawned... aaaahh... right. So basically, she was trying to tell me (not very subtly) that I should begin procreating asap.
During my 9 days in the lovely city of Lahore, I was asked not less than 6 times when I'm planning to have my first kid... and I was meeting most of these people for the first time :P. The first couple of times, Mr. F chimed in with "jab Allah ki marzi" (whenever God wills) since the wife was dumbfounded... lol.
Another huge cultural difference between Karachi and Lahore is the concept of privacy. In Lahore, it's considered perfectly normal for people (family, guests staying over, servants) to barge into the room of a newly-wed couple at odd times during the day (and night) without knocking or announcing their presence. This can lead to some major awkward moments and poor Mr. F's become paranoid about locking and bolting doors :"P
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I can't help thinking that it is a bit sad that from a young woman who "wants to save the world" and dreamed about doing her Master's abroad you went to being a wife talking about cooking lemon sauce and pregnant bellies...
ReplyDeleteI know... hopefully this is just a passing phase but I had a feeling this would happen :P
ReplyDeletelol. cute blog!
ReplyDeletethanks Minerva, I follow yours too :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous needs a talking-to... pregnant bellies ARE a fact of life.... and so is lemon sauce :-P Just don't lose sight of your other dreams... if there's anything girls do best, its LOTS OF THINGS :-)
ReplyDeleteI think you, like me, are not a believer in one-thing-at-a-time and can handle lots of it at once so why not, i say. Afterall, living abroad is one of the best ways I know that people have been prepared for balancing work-life and house chores with it... unlike Pk where if you're studying, the mum/sibling and/or servants do all house chores so you can 'concentrate' :-P
And btw URGH at his phupoo!!! Mr. Specs' family is the same! "Agalee dafa jab milayein tou Insha'Allah dou ki jaga teen houn' and Mr. Specs went, 'Oh phir tou aap sey char paanch saal baad hi mulakat hoyay gi :-P' hehehe :-D (You can imagine the Aunty's expression, haha!)
Keep your spirits up... and the door bolted ;-)
xoxo
Specs
LOL!!! Mr.Specs is funny :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that pregnant bellies and lemon sauce aren't a fact of life, but if you limit your focus solely on these things you end up missing out. To me Gaia sounds like a talented, smart and ambitious young woman. I would be sad to see her giving up on her goals just to be a house-wife and mother. If you consider that a reason I need a talking-to than you obviously have never met the women who end up lonely and frustrated because after the children are grwon and left home their life is empty and without purpose. Women are and should be more than just wifes. Being a wife is no accomplishment. Sorry, but it's just not.
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