From the day I was old enough to understand anything, my parents taught me to be a true Pakistani girl. A true Pakistani girl is a girl who knows her responsibilities as a girl, and how to respect others. Knowing what her limits are and knows how to run a house successfully.
My parents were raising me as a true Pakistani while living in Brockton MA. My parents are both from a small village in Pakistan. They believed the philosophy that eventually I will become used to the American culture but I need to know where I are from and what my heritage is.
At a young age, I did not pay any attention to anything my parents said. I just ignored them and lived a life like any other young girl. In the year 2005, my parents decided to move to Pakistan so that my brother, sister, and I get a better understanding about our culture and religion. My dad had to stay behind so that he can work to stabilize us financially in Pakistan.
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Women wearing a headscarf, houses joint together, parks in front of every home, and people walking as transportation. I had to change my whole life style to live in Pakistan including the school system.
The schools were unbelievable. To start with, I had to wear a uniform, worn to represent equality. Every day I had to have my nails cut, teeth brushed, and my hair up in a ponytail fastened with a black hair tie. My shoes had to be black and polished. If not I was punished. I was accustomed to wearing whatever I chose, whenever I wanted. The change was strange, but I enjoyed the structure and uniformity. There was equality among everyone. Academically, the school was extremely challenging. To adjust to the education, I had to change my entire routine.
My routine back home was going to school, watching TV. doing homework and other activities. In Pakistan, it was going to school, coming home, going to tutors, then Quran class. After all of it was over, I had no time left for
The ideal image of a Pakistani woman is a housewife. Women become completely dependent on their spouse and spend the rest of their lives cooking, cleaning, and raising children. In America, women are more independent and have greater opportunities to display their capability. Being a Pakistani-American woman, I have the ability to decide what life I would prefer: the life of a housewife or a working woman.
The Taliban also require all women to wear a chadri (a veil that covers the woman's head, face, shoulders, and arms). In addition to veiling, which Lerner's book talks about, it is mandatory that women are accompanied by a man at all times when they are out in public. Also, women cannot wear brightly colored clothing or make-up under their chadri. In further attempt to keep women out of the public eye it is forbidden that women work. This is almost like what Mintz talks about in her book where in the 1950's women are not supposed to hold jobs or get a college education. In the 1950's it is for more of a social reason rather than law, but the same idea applies. Men frown upon the thought that their wives are more educated than them or that their wives have a job. Women are supposed to stay home and keep house.
After the takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Quran was pressed upon the whole country, and women were most affected. Women were not given any choice in their lifestyles, but the change had only been beneficial to them. In 1973, the country selected President Khan to be their leader. President Khan fought for women’s rights to ban veils and freedom, but only larger cities were reformed. Those in rural areas still had the traditional customs. Then in 1979, the People Democratic Party of Afghanistan persisted women get an education, abolished bride prices, and raised the marrying age for girls. From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban placed rules that forbid women from committing any sin or harm, such as, having a job and seeking medical help
In conclusion, after achieving my goals in life, I will live a nice peaceful life, where I don’t have to do a manual labor like my father. My family is all settled here in the United States. What my father planned out for me is definitely working for me. In the future, I will achieve my goals, become a gentleman, and settle down with a significant other. I followed my parent’s traditions throughout my eleven years here in America. They have given me the honor of allowing me to find whomever I wish to marry and not follow their ritual of arranged marriage. I would prefer marrying an educated Pakistani American who is able to move along with me in this new fluid world. Also, my final conclusion of a good life would be to have my children repeat the same process that I went through. If they achieve my goals and more, then my life is complete.
In conclusion, my recently experience was when my family and me decides to moved to the United States. It was a tremendous change moved to another country. Moving to another country is giving us an opportunity about different language, meet new people, better jobs and great education. This experience maybe was harmful and difficult for all the family, but if we moved for better life, it could be an excellent opportunity for our future. To sum up, now we enjoying living here, my parents have a good job and my brothers and me study at great school.
Writing a self-reflective tirade is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks to perform. I have found myself pondering this topic for an unusually long time; no one has ever asked me to write about my culture-- the one thing about myself which I understand the least. This question which is so easy for others to answer often leads me into a series of convoluted explanations, "I was born in the U.S., but lived in Pakistan since I was six. My brothers moved to the US when I was thirteen" I am now nearly twenty, which means I have spent half my life being Pakistani, the other half trying to be American, or is the other way around?
It became a dangerous and overwhelming place to be. TV and music were banned for everyone and the women had it worse. They could no longer hold a job, go to school, and enjoy shopping. (Malala’s Dream: A Brave Teen From Pakistan…) Women were isolated.
When I was twelve, my parents moved to the United States to work and make a better life for me while I stayed behind with my grandparents. When I graduated high school, my mom asked me if I wanted to come to live in the United States. I missed my parents and wanted a new and exciting experience to challenge me and help me grow. Thus, my journey began.
School was very different but also kind of the same when my grandma went to school. My grandma did not have any extra classes like
This was back in November 2007, in India. I was 12 years old. I was enjoying my normal life. But I didn’t know that my life will change surprisingly. One day I came home from the school and my parents made decision of moving to the United States. I was totally amazed at that moment. My parents wanted move so that me and my sister can have a better life, education, and opportunity.
From ever since I could remember, I lived in Saudi Arabia. However, when I was seven, my family immigrated to Canada. Arriving in Canada showed me how the norms I was used to were completely opposite compared what happened in Canada. In Saudi Arabia, my family, which consisted of my father, mother, uncle, brother and I lived in an apartment.
I always found it hard to say what my ethnicity and culture was. If anyone takes a look at me, they would say I’m Indian. Then I tell them I am on my mother’s side, but on my dad’s side, I’m actually from Pakistan. They only get more confused when I tell them my dad only lived there for 10 years and lived in Sweden for most of his adolescent life. That only tells people what my heritage was, but that’s where I begin to get befuddled. Even though my parents are from there, I was born and raised in the United States. I always had a difficult time defining myself culturally because I had deep desi roots, but I was also a ‘normal’ American. Just like most American teenagers, I go shopping at the mall, hang out with friends, go to the movies, and
Consequently, the diverse ethnicity of the inhabitants meant I was frequently asked where I was from, something I wasn't accustomed to. I don't know if it was a chat-up line as predominately men would enquire, but if it was I wished they'd chosen another subject. Asking where my parents came from was a dialogue that, quite frankly, I didn't enjoy. I won't be shy about the fact that I wasn't proud to be genetically Iranian. I could think of better places to say I was from, and so I did....
At the time, I was still learning how to speak english, so participating wasn’t comfortable for me. I usually talked in an unorthodoxed way as I would use a mix of both Tagalog and English within my sentences. This was unusual because I did well in my special English-speaking class designed for foreign students. Although communicating the language was difficult, it didn’t stop me from excelling in school or making friends. Overall, the academic experience of American schools had a more relaxed and fun vibe in comparison to what I was so used to. It gave me more freedom for expression with myself which I think my old academic lifestyle