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The Stuff of Life The Chai Files - Pakistan

Back to school

January 21, 2013 by Imaan 3 Comments

It’s been quite lovely to be back in Islamabad. I had fretted through packing suitcases back in Singapore and grumbled (inwardly) during the flight. I quaked when I saw the amount of vacuuming and tidying that I had to do once I hit Pakistan. I am still bleary-eyed and bone-weary and miss my family in Singapore… but now that I am more or less settled in, I have to say, I’m quite alright really.

There, I’ve said it. I am fine with being back.

Yes, we’ve had mountains of laundry from the trip and still more from the layers of warm clothes we go through each day… and yes, we’ve had runny noses and chilled toes, but seriously, we are blessed in ways we can’t enumerate, so we’ve more or less gone through our issues with winter with smiles.

Our shambolic living area was given a makeover in our absence. The Dad Man, Dadi and Anees pulled out all the stops and gave us a special kind of homecoming, ma shaa Allah. Marz and Bear have their room back, now that the library has been moved (again), so they are happy campers. We miss the obstacle course of books and desks… Bibliomaniacs that we are, we’ll always crave the feeling of being surrounded by books. However, it was high time to admit that the Lightbulb Lab was staging a coup and bent on taking over our living quarters. Alhamdulillah, the Dad Man had room in the office space he’s renting, so the books have a new home. We still have a large book case in our hallway and we visit the Lightbulb Lab often, so we still have books — just enough so our compulsion for a read is satisfied, but just not that many that we feel like we can’t breathe or move an inch! The glass extension/room is still a work in progress, but the leaks have been plugged up and it’s decent enough that I no longer call it names or pretend it isn’t there ;) There is potential for craftiness, I tell you… in shaa Allah!

Is that hope and cheer you’re hearing from me? Well, I’m tired of being the bitter old crone, so yes, You bet!

We’ve been cramming lots homeschool-wise. We’ve HAD to after our last trip and in view of upcoming trips. I’ve gone back to ‘school’ too and am taking a few courses. It has been a humbling experience — I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so it has been a big struggle. All said and done though, it’s ALL good. I’ve been reminded of how little I know and how much harder I need to work. I’ve also been reminded of how tough it must be for my children and how I should be kinder to them.

I have a few resources to share, but Peep has been up to his shenanigans again. Last night, it was this:

Never... NEVER... leave the boy alone with a box of tissues... Or in today's case, a jar of ink.

Never… NEVER… leave the boy alone with a box of tissues… Or in today’s case, a jar of ink.

I wish you happy sunshiney days!

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The Stuff of Life The Chai Files - Pakistan

Chilly Days

November 3, 2012 by Imaan No Comments

There is a definite chill in the air these days. We used to stumble bleary-eyed and half asleep to the bathroom to make wudhu for Fajr, but are starting to brace ourselves mentally every morning now, just so the cold floor doesn’t rudely shock us out of our stupor. It feels like we are rushing a great deal more, trying to do more… trying to finish all we can before sunset, which is eating into our days earlier than we are used to.

Winter in Islamabad is many things to me…

It is a time when we draw closer as a family. We try to conserve energy by turning on as few heaters as we possibly can and end up congregating in the same room for hours on end. We do our studies, work, crafts and reading huddled around the heater. Chores are rushed through so we can go back to the warmth. What ensues is often a great deal of clutter, but we bear with it because this is just how winter is in our small place.

It is steaming pots of tea. We have been sampling raspberry, blackcurrant, jasmine and Moroccan mint, but nothing beats good old fashioned chai. My mother-in-law makes the best Kashmiri (pink) tea — she would simmer the leaves for hours to get a thick deep purple brew which would turn a delightful shade of rose with milk. Delicately flavoured with cardamom and crushed pistachios, it is really class in a cup.

It is huddling under layers of quilts reading books together. We’ve read a huge assortment of chapter books in this snuggly way. Past winters’ notable reads include Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, Marita Conlon-McKenna’s Children of the Famine trilogy, Stories of the of the Prophets and the Seerah of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. I think sometimes the girls learn more and best in this way — when we leave out the pencils and paper and simply reflect and discuss.

It is delicious, hearty soups that are lovingly prepared. The girls love Lamya’s Soup, which takes a great deal of preparation but is totally worth the effort. As we enjoy the kitchen’s toasty comfort, we become more mindful about how blessed we really are. We realise that we can never thank Allah enough.

It is blissfully running out to the terrace for little picnics and play when the sun shines. The warm hours are short so we must act fast. My children love the novelty of studying and lunching outdoors. The crows that frequent the fig and jaman trees in our yard hover close, hoping that we will leave them some morsels. We do, but they only swoop down and take them when the air starts to bite and we return indoors to the warmth of our blankets and more of each other’s company.

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The Chai Files - Pakistan

Arabic Studies

May 30, 2012 by Imaan 3 Comments

I have a painful memory from my younger days. My parents had returned from Hajj and had brought back the recording of the recitation of the Qur’an by Sheikh Abdul Rahman as-Sudais. I pounced on the tapes and rushed to the privacy of my bedroom to listen to them. I opened up my mushaf and tried my best to keep up with the recitation.

Within five minutes, I was in tears.

You see, I was not a proficient reader and I felt like someone struggling to keep her head above water. Worse, there was the nagging voice in my head that reminded me that not only could I not read the holy book properly, I could not even understand it. I felt horribly inept and I was ashamed that for all my academic pursuits, I was nothing more than an illiterate when it came to the deen.

That incident spurred me to try to improve my reading of the Quran and to increase my knowledge of Arabic. It is an ongoing struggle to say the least. When I had children, I vowed that I would strive to give them an early start so they would not feel the mortification and distress I had felt. I knew that I wanted them to have understanding of the deen and so my husband and I decided to make the language of the Qur’an a major part of their education.

*****

In the beginning, we encouraged Mars and Bear to recite the Qur’an regularly and to try to memorise as much as they could. We would read the explanation and translation as well. We would also teach them various words of remembrance. Alhamdulillah this helped them not only to become familiar with worship but also with the Arabic language.

We printed various Arabic printables from the internet and my husband also made it a point to read Arabic stories and comics to them. However, as Mars, the elder girl, came to be of compulsory school age in Singapore, it became clear that she needed a more rigorous curriculum. We considered various options once we were settled in Pakistan. There are many free complete syllabi available online and even paid online courses. However, we lacked the skills to impart the former and the financial means to take on the latter.

It was a blessing when we were able to enlist the help of the Arabic Language Institute in Islamabad. The principal, Brother Ubaid ur-Rahman, comes from an esteemed family of educators and he drew up a customised curriculum for Mars. Since she does not speak Urdu, she has a personal tutor, Sister Riffat, who can converse in English. The one-on-one instruction has been beneficial – it has enabled the tutor to build a wonderful rapport with Maryam and also hone in on her strengths and weaknesses.

Initially, lessons focused on vocabulary, numbers and grammar. Mars found the programme gruelling in the early stages – there was a great deal of homework to be completed each day. She had to write list upon list of new words and also spell out numbers in Arabic. There were also sentences that she had to construct and write out TWICE!

We felt anxious watching her work painstakingly through her assignments – her soft-hearted grandmother even wanted to have a stern word with her teacher! – but continued to encourage her to seek Allah’s help and to ask Him to put barakah in her time and effort. Alhamdulillah, after a couple of months, pain turned to pleasure when we witnessed her constructing her own sentences and writing more confidently. She was then encouraged to write creative short passages and to read conversations and short stories. She is presently studying dialogues and delving deeper into grammar.

Mars began to truly love her classes when Sister Riffat began teaching the translation and meaning of the Qur’an and Sheikh Ali An-Nadwi’s Qasas An-Nabiyeen. She had studied the stories of the prophets in English before, but she confessed that reading the stories and narrating them in Arabic gave her more satisfaction. I knew then that she was beginning to appreciate the beauty of the Arabic language, alhamdulillah, and I hope that her younger sister will taste the same sweetness when she begins classes, in shaa Allah.

Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah said, “Using a language has a profound effect on one’s thinking, behavior and religious commitment. It also affects one’s resemblance to the early generations of this Ummah, the Shahaabah and the Taabi’een. Trying to emulate them refines one’s thinking, religious commitment and behavior.”

Let us strive to learn the language of our faith and make it the lingua franca of the Muslims.

This article was originally written for HomeWorks magazine.

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The Stuff of Life The Chai Files - Pakistan

Instagram Instances

April 5, 2012 by Imaan 2 Comments

The entire house has been down with either the ‘flu or allergies – we are not sure which as it is pollen season right now in Islamabad. Apparently, Islamabad is one of the cities that has the highest pollen count in the world. There were high temperatures, blocked noses, sore throats and sore eyes all around. Since I am not native to this place, the changes in seasons have often been hard to bear, but alhamdulillah I am learning to get used to things.

Anyway, with Peep still so small, I haven’t been able to gallivant much with the girls. However, others have stepped in. Their Dadi took them to the village and they got to play and pick berries…

Spring is here! Aren’t these mulberries pretty?

The Dad Man has also been taking them on hikes and trips to the park…

They were pleasantly surprised one day to see tent pegging at the park. This is a competition in which a mounted horseman rides at a gallop and uses a sword or a lance to pierce, pick up, and carry away a small ground target (the tent peg) or a series of small ground targets. It was very crowded, but they did manage to get to catch some of the action and to see one of the horses up close…

As for me, you can probably tell that my contribution to all this activity is to record it via Instagram :) (No, I don’t have an iPhone, I just pinch borrow the Dad Man’s!) Highly addictive business. Other than that, it’s been more home based activities for me like online classes, editing work and the kids’ studies. Pretty mundane maybe, but a bit of normalcy is necessary at times.

I hope you’re all well and having good times :)

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Homeschool The Stuff of Life The Chai Files - Pakistan

When the home schools you…

January 19, 2012 by Imaan 4 Comments


NOT what our home looks like … haha…

The rowdy ruffians have been buckling down to more book learning these days and alhamdulillah, we’ve covered quite a bit of ground. I’ve told them to work on their weak areas especially – Math for Marz and reading for Bear. I’d thought that they would rail against the stricter schedule, given that we’d slowed down a bit in the last couple of months, but ma shaa Allah, they’ve been tremendously good sports about it.

We’ve had many disruptions to our days – there are always so many frustrations when you live in an older home long in need of repairs. There was a time when our walls and ceilings had to be sanded and everything – I kid you not, EVERYTHING – was covered in a fine powder that took weeks to clean. Then, there were the leaks from pipes in mysterious locations – plumbers came in and out breaking through walls only to find their diagnosis in error. Meanwhile, the glass extension which we had had such hopes for continued to disappoint by letting in rain.

Our small living area was cluttered beyond belief. It seemed that we just could not get a handle on things and there were days when we felt like screaming our lungs out and throwing the towel in. We were anxious to get back to our home schooling. What we didn’t realise though was that our home was schooling us :)

When things settled down and we had to begin the slow process of cleaning and putting everything back in, we became reacquainted with our possessions. We learnt that we had inherited, purchased and clung on to many things that were simply not enhancing our lives. Alhamdulillah, the experience had taught us not to buy anything heedlessly and to give freely what others could use, rather than hang on to them for sentimental reasons. Truly, we don’t need as much as we think we do!

We’ve learnt as well that things don’t always go to plan – in fact, they often go wrong! – and that, really, is alright. We have to learn to just grit our teeth and be patient.

We’ve learnt that we do need others and it isn’t a bad thing. Most of all, we need Allah and we need to trust in Him. It’s funny, but our numerous botched plans have actually taught us to be at peace. We would do well to remember the hadeeth in which Rasulullah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, “How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are all good. If he experiences ease, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perseverance, and that is also good for him.” (Muslim)

Qadr Allah wa ma shaa fa`al. Alhamdulillah `alaa kulli haal.

There is a saying, “All good things come to those who wait.” I think we can and will hold out a little longer, in shaa Allah.

The learning? Well, it continues alhamdulillah… :)

Image from Pexels.Com

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Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend wh Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend who is a member of a minority group here. (I am keeping things vague for her safety and mine.) She has a relative who is also a friend of mine. 

In both my early encounters with them, I’d always sensed an air of reserve and secrecy. I understood that we had different beliefs, but I could not understand what I perceived as fear. Not being a native here in Pakistan, I’d had my share of bewildering and unfathomable encounters, so I’d left things at that. Maybe I’d understand in time to come, I thought.

They had always been very kind to me and I tried to reciprocate as best I could. For all our (acknowledged) differences in opinion and belief, we found some common ground and focused on doing some good. My friend’s relative donated science kits as well as books for my homeschooling gang and I’ll always be grateful for that. 

I read news yesterday about how my friend and her people do in fact live in danger. She told me how she fears for her husband’s life every single time he leaves home. She jumps every single time her doorbell rings. She worries about sending her daughter to school for fear of bullying or worse… Target killings of her people are a reality.

It made me feel so ashamed because this is tragic and downright disgraceful for any country, but even more so for a Muslim one. 

It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to debate. It is NOT OK to terrorize and it is NOT OK resort to violence. It is wrong and it is unjust and it is EVIL to do so. When dealing with people of different beliefs, can we not be civilised? Can we not be HUMAN? Can we not behave the way our deen taught us? 

We need to find a way to make things better. It is not right to allow people who know precious little about Islam to desecrate it. 

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#islam #minorityrights #knowyourreligion #pakistan
Journalists say this time it is different. Rushdi Journalists say this time it is different.

Rushdi as-Sarraj, Yasser Murtaja’s friend, told Al-Jazeera, “This task is difficult under normal circumstances, so you can imagine working under a fierce offensive that does not distinguish between a journalist, a civilian or a military leader.” Israel is working hard “to silence the image and voice, and to ban any news or information that exposes its crimes”.

He also says, “My family doesn’t stop calling me, fearing that I could be harmed. It is an endless circle of fear and exhaustion. But we must continue sharing our message.”

Praying for Muna El-Kurd @muna.kurd15 , her brother @mohammedelkurd and all the journalists putting out the truth. 

#palestine #freepalestine #freemunakurd #freemunaelkurd #savesheikhjarrah #savesilwan #savelifta #savemohammedelkurd
«THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019» «We returned «THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019»

«We returned to the park after the lockdown earlier this year… sadly our tree for all seasons is no more 😢»

FOREIGN LANDS by Robert Louis Stevenson
Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.
If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.
To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.
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#throwback #pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
A couple of you asked me to make a post of my stor A couple of you asked me to make a post of my story in response to LV’s despicable use of the keffiyeh design. Pictures in this post are from hirbawi.ps and @palestine.pixel … 

EDIT: yes, my second slide should have been edited and it is bugging me. I repeated 1930s… sorry! If you want a more polished version, DM me. You get my meaning anyway, right? 
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#palestine #freepalestine #keffiyeh #gaza #jerusalem #savesheikhjarrah
«YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020» I was feelin «YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020»

I was feeling a little out of sorts (again) – I’d left the house a mess (again) and the boy and I were in a rush to get to the Art Co-op. Habiba @ourlivinghomeschool was doing a session on Wassily Kandinsky that day. 

We were delayed by a massive traffic jam and our stress levels rocketed when an obnoxious motorist kept sounding his horn repeatedly as if to shoo other cars out of the way. What was everyone else to do but wait for the jam to ease? 

We made it just in time though…barely! As we ran towards the gathering, it was as if a huge weight was lifted away. This gorgeous view greeted the boy and me, alhamdulillah. When we got down to studying Kandinsky, we felt more than fine.

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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #desidiaries #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers #artcoop #artoutdoors
«THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» Once upon a time before «THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» 
Once upon a time before Covid.

The calm before…

We had our Monday meet up again at Fatima Jinnah Park. The air was cool and crisp and the skies sunny when the nature gang got together. Then, it was on to a jolly game of Simon Says – Katelynn’s @_k8erpotater clever way of teaching the kids about body parts and how they move.

The kids did their usual tree climbing and exploring. Then, the dark clouds started rolling in. We took a while to decide whether or not to leave – the park literally looked dark and ominous on one side and cheery and bright on the other. We only started rushing for home when lightning split the sky. The kids were not to be hurried, however. They felt little pellets hitting them and stopped to investigate… hailstones!

Our ramble was cut short and I got cold and wet, but I think it was a gorgeous day. We got to learn about nature in a very real way.
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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
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