Sada-e-Watan Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Sydney University
Students Visit Pakistan
Exclusive Report to
Sada-e-Watan by Danielle Gehrmann
Danielle Gehrmann
When our lecturer, Dr.
Ahmar Mahboob (Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney), asked the six
of us: Emily Hunter, Jane Harvey, Jana Rezková, Sandy Chang, Yuka Funabashi and
I if we would be interested in accompanying him to Pakistan to present our
various research papers at the 23rd annual SPELT (Society of Pakistan English
Language Teachers) conference, we jumped at the opportunity. While most of us
were busy preparing our end of semester papers, the excitement was quietly
mounting beneath the manic exterior; for I think now we all sensed that a unique
experience was about to happen.
On arrival at Jinnah International on November 1, 2007, we were whisked away by
our surrogate family to the comforts of our new surroundings. We barely had time
to catch our breath before being initiated into the frenetic Karachi traffic.
First port of call was Bahadurabad to get us attired in shalwar kameez. Not ever
having seen so many bright colours in the one place before, well, let’s say we
were spoilt for choice. As well, it turned out to be an exercise in patience on
the part of Dr. Mahboob in taking six women shopping! Next stop came our
introduction to Pakistani cuisine: the roll kebab. We were hooked. After many
squeals emanating from my colleagues on the trip home, due to the likes of
traffic they hadn’t ever witnessed before, we finally collapsed into an
exhausted heap, only to be awoken at sunrise by the call to prayer and a
welcoming “as-salaam walaikum” as we wearily found our way downstairs to
breakfast. Our days were a mixture of conference commitments, presentations at
Karachi and Aga Khan Universities, teamed with site-seeing escapades: camel
rides and snake-charming on Clifton Beach while taking in the magnificent
sunset, shopping, a visit to the Mohatta Palace followed by high tea at The
Village, a spot of sheisha at Seaview and more shopping intermingled with
numerous visits to the homes of new-found friends. Then there was the very swish
soirée hosted by the British Council. Students never had it quite so good! On
the final day of the conference when all the formalities were said and done, we
managed to escape to the cool of the Prince Theatre to see the acclaimed movie
Khuda Kay Liye, which we all enjoyed immensely for its cultural value.
Along the way, we, the PAC (Pakistan Adventure Club), adopted many names for
ourselves: the brood, the kids, the gang, the family; these pseudonyms formed
part of the invisible glue binding us together through our new shared
experiences.
Since the conference was a moveable feast, the next destination was Abbottabad,
which we reached courtesy of PIA through Islamabad. Unfortunately, we didn’t see
a lot of Abbottabad itself, but that was counterbalanced by the enthusiastic
welcome and generous hospitality offered by our hosts. Leaving Abbottabad, we
drove through some magnificent landscape of dramatic gorges and mountains before
stopping for lunch in charming Nathia Gali, then Murree for more delicious food
and naturally more shopping. Since our arrival in Islamabad coincided with
Benizir Bhutto’s, as well as the fact that there was a demonstration due to be
held the following day, the conference had been cancelled and the city was more
or less in lockdown. However, after the security alert had been relaxed, this
only gave us the green light for further site-seeing adventures, always
accompanied by our generous hosts. We concluded our visit with our presentations
at Fatima Jinnah Women’s University in Rawalpindi before departing by bus for
Lahore.
Lahore was something else; a city steeped in history. On our ‘must-see’ list was
the Wazir Khan Mosque, since it was one of the scenes featured in Khuda Kay Liye;
and what visit to Lahore would be complete without looking in on the
breathtaking Lahore Fort? Being a Sunday, there was a throng there. We,
ourselves, at times became the tourist attraction; the locals just as intrigued
by us as we were by them. We befriended Omayr who happened to be staying at the
same guest-house as us. Lucky for us he turned out to be a Lahorite and offered
to chauffeur us around. Our calendar consisted of dinner at Cooco’s Den and
Café, sheisha at Jumping Java, a visit to the magnificent Shalimar Gardens, and
our final lunch as ‘a family’ at The Village. Sadly, Jane and Sandy had to
depart for the real world. All good things must come to an end. What we had lost
though in numbers we made up for in enthusiasm.
Warm faces welcomed us wherever we went and Multan was no exception. After
presenting our papers for the final time at Bahauddin Zakariya University, a
delicious surprise was awaiting us. We were transported by car through lush
agricultural land to where we took a boat to one of the islands in the middle of
River Ravi. What we then feasted our eyes on was nothing short of a scene out of
A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. A sumptuous meal had been prepared by one of
our hosts’ wives, which we enjoyed in our tent seated on plush carpets. What
enhanced our magical experience occurred on our return trip to the mainland.
Since the current was strong enough to propel the boat in the desired direction,
the engine was switched off, allowing us to drift silently in the hazy darkness.
Yet another memorable event was an afternoon shopping expedition stopping off
for periodic cups of doodh-patti before our de rigueur foray into the world of
bangles: a thrilling event in itself.
What an incredible adventure we had! All in all there were late nights and some
very early mornings. Every wink of sleep lost was worth its weight in gold; we
wouldn’t have missed any of it for the world; and for the heart-warming welcome
we received wherever we went? Shukria, Pakistan!
