Shock and joy of returning to Pakistan

Students coming back from abroad find life back home restricted yet comforting.

ISLAMABAD: Going off to foreign colleges is one of the most exciting experiences that any high school senior can look forward to. Moving away from home and getting the initial sense of freedom can be very liberating but moving back home after three or four years though very welcoming is not without  the culture shock that most students experience when they move back to Islamabad. It requires a period of adjustment all over again.

Coming from a close-knit, protected-family-oriented society the freedom to live your life the way you want to and explore yourself as an individual morphs one into a very independent person but this opportunity is not available when the students move back home.

Anam Butt, a recent SOAS graduate with a degree in Economics, moved back to Islamabad after three years and feels that her freedom is being curtailed here. “I am very happy to move back to Islamabad, it is home but life was a lot simpler in London, here you have to rely on other people domestically and professionally to get your foot in. Islamabad is a little sluggish but the social scene is picking up. You need to know people to go to events, its all about being with the in crowd. In London it was acceptable to all. It wasn’t exclusive and something was always going on. I’m accustomed to that life style now and Islamabad is a culture shock all over again.”

After doing 3-4 years of your own laundry and cleaning your apartment with no maids or chefs available and without the luxuries taken for granted at home, most students look back to moving home and easing back into the easy life style again.

Faraz Khan, after doing his bachelors from Clark University in the United States, progressed to London School of Economics to pursue his masters  and has recently moved back to Islamabad says: “Life isn’t easy there, even though security is a major issue here but still life here is much easier.

However the hardest thing to adjust to is the loss of freedom; you aren’t on your own anymore and once again become dependent on your parents. You cannot be yourself here and it takes time to get used to it all over again. For young people Pakistan is a bit restricted but overall I am happy to be back.”

Loss of freedom is not the only setback for returning students. After getting a feel of a more professional environment, adjusting to a more or less dysfunctional work environment back in Islamabad, can be a little disheartening.

Madiha Butt an aspiring developmental consultant in the NGO sector in Pakistan, freshly arrived after a Masters in development studies from SOAS, shares her experiences with The Express Tribune: “Socially I wasn’t away for long though I miss the company of my friends there, it hasn’t been that hard for me to adjust back.

However, with the line of work I want to pursue, the political situation in Pakistan is very unstable and alarmingly disturbing and as a result I feel it’ll take me some time to establish myself. Even though Pakistan is an ideal market for my services but it just takes a while for things to process.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2010.