14th August - Happy 68th Birthday to my Pakistan

Yes, it is that time of the year in Pakistan when markets can be seen full of enthusiastic school kids looking for white kameez shirts and a green stole to imitate the colors of the national flag. Some even go as far as getting green and white bangles or a green and white manicure. Even the minimalists would at least pin a simple miniature flag on their chest to express their bit of patriotism. The television transmissions ensure broadcasting the most patriotic songs from over the years alongside special independence day wishes sponsored by various brands. Special events in the city, bikers in group speeding on the road with huge flags tied on them and people considering the Independence day holiday to be a good reason for a family dinner outing.

P is for Pakistan

P is for potatoes, pakoray (deep fried sub-continental snacks) and pretzels (my new favorite snack in France.), sub-continental pickles with chillies, carrots, garlic, lemon and baby green mangoes, palak-paneer (spinach and cottage cheese curry), pink (the color), polka dots, pastel colors and Les Pains (french generic word for all kinds of delicious breads). P is for pinnacolada which is one of the few drinks I don't like. Somehow I am not fond of the coconut taste infused with pineapple juice.

While P is also for Paris, today P is for Pakistan, my homeland!

I always say that going out of a country for a trip is a totally different experience than immigrating permanently to another land. I never went out of Pakistan for the entire 24 years of my life and finally when I did, it wasn't a vacation or an adventure trip. It was a long term, almost permanent move.