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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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Marzipan Bear The Chai Files - Pakistan

The Hidden Playground

December 7, 2011 by Imaan 7 Comments

20120504-110050.jpg

On the way to The Hidden Playground…

My rowdy ruffians, bless them, love playing together. They especially like the outdoors and can spend hours in the garden, climbing the fig tree and checking on the plants and insects. They have a few favourite haunts out of home, one of which is a lovely place they call “The Hidden Playground”. Nestled in a quiet residential area, it seems almost mysterious. This park is very well-maintained – the gardener seems to have taken pains to keep it clean (trust me, no mean feat in this country!) and also to retain its woodsy charm.

Some adults meet there in the evenings to rest and talk after a long day or simply to imbibe the peace and tranquility, but it is otherwise hardly frequented by others, at least not on weekdays. Many might not find it anything special – it is rather old-school as far as playgrounds go. There are two swings, a simple climbing facility and a cement slide so old it is worn smooth. It is a spacious place with a slope to race up and down and two little gazebos for shade. Nothing out of the ordinary, you might say. However, its appeal, I believe, lies in its simplicity. My girls find The Hidden Playground a place of promise – where they can dream up ideas and adventures. This secret hideaway is where they can cavort and frolic to their hearts’ content.

There are bushes and hedges that border the upper slopes of the park and at the far end is the kids’ favourite spot. There is a cavity in the hedge, just small enough for a child to crawl into. At the base of this little hole are two strong branches that have grown horizontally, just above the ground. This is a perfect hiding spot! A child can squeeze into the ‘cave’ and crouch on these branches and remain concealed. They will be covered by the leaves and their feet will be raised off the ground and unseen. They played hide-and-seek with The Dad Man and giggled gleefully when they took him completely by surprise.

My kids do have some toys, but they seem to have the most fun when they make their own or use un-toys (more on this later in shaa Allah) and when they don’t use any props at all, except for their own imagination. I posted three articles from National Public Radio some time ago and these gave me a deeper appreciation for children and improvised play. If you are interested, you can read them here: Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills, The Evolution of Play and The Best Kinds of Play.

It is wonderful watching the kids play sometimes – as they interact with each other, create their own rules and make their own decisions, I see how they are, in fact, practising at their adult roles and I cannot help but wonder what they will become, with the permission and help of Allah.

I love this part of the park – this tree bordered by the rocks looks so very pretty with the wooden bench close by.

It has been a while since I stepped out with them to the park. There has been so much to do lately but in shaa Allah I think I will try to take some time off with them this weekend.

I think we need some Hidden Playground magic… :)

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The Chai Files - Pakistan

Karachi Company

November 22, 2011 by Imaan 11 Comments

It had been a while since we’d gallivanted, so Bear and I dragged the Dad Man out to Karachi Company at G9 while Mars was at her Arabic class. I’d always wondered why a market in Islamabad would be nicknamed Karachi Company. It turns out that back in 1978, a construction company from Karachi built the apartment complexes in that sector.

My kids LOVE this crazy, chaotic market. There are numerous stores and makeshift stalls that sell anything and everything for much cheaper than elsewhere. Take my floss hunting for example – last week, my kids and I were practically busting out of our skins with excitement when we’d found embroidery thread going for 12 rupees a skein in our neighbourhood haberdashery. That’s S$0.17/US$0.13 per skein – a HUGE price difference from the S$0.80/US$0.62 that we normally pay in Singapore! Then we went to Karachi Company where the floss was EVEN CHEAPER at 8 rupees a skein! Needless to say, we began entertaining insane notions of buying every colour they had in stock. (We managed to contain our lunacy, don’t worry… good thing we made the supplication for entering the market!)

Here is the haberdashery that unleashed the stitching madness in us…

This is one section of the store – you can see shelves of lace and a bazillion threads all lined up against the wall. It is funny, but I have not been able to find cotton sewing threads. (I’ve been told that it is best to use cotton threads as it does not ‘eat’ into your fabrics.) This country produces cotton and most people I know prefer wearing cotton, but the sewing threads are all made from polyester.

Here is another section of the shop, with even more lace and beads that can drive you to dizziness and distraction!

These haberdasheries are known simply as “lace shops” here as it is essentially the lace that the womenfolk flock to them for. Practically everyone here wears the shalwar kameez and while there are boutiques that sell ready-made ones, most people get tailor-made ones, be they for everyday wear or special occasions. A great deal of effort goes into getting these outfits made – buying fabrics, designing the the outfits and choosing the trimmings. Sometimes ladies employ dyers to get their outfits and shawls to match *just so*. I’m often asked why I don’t wear the shalwar kameez. While I rather LIKE it and used to wear it on occasion, I find it all too bothersome (and costly!) to do all that shopping.

In addition, the world of shalwar kameez fashion evolves constantly! While it may seem to outsiders that one outfit looks much like another, nothing could be farther from the truth. Trends change every season. Last winter, long, streamlined blouses were paired with straight cut pants. By summer, the blouses were even longer (almost ankle length) and voluminous and pants were cut even wider, palazzo-style. This winter, it looks like the churidar shalwars are in fashion – these are pants that are bunched up tightly along the lower calf. Even laces are subject to fashion trends – at one time, broad ribbons were popular, then heavy elaborate laces were in vogue… it’s all too much for me!

My rowdy ruffians love clothes but they can tolerate only so much lace hunting :) They much prefer checking out knick-knacks at stalls like the one below.


This makeshift stall, located just outside the haberdashery, sells henna, bangles, ear-rings and hair accessories. If your daughters tend to lose scrunchies and hair pins like mine do, then buying them for cheap at these places is the way to go :)

We walked on and I remembered the food stalls I had seen a couple of years ago. I remembered an entire section of the market teeming with food stalls selling kachori (a round pastry filled with meat or lentils), jilebi, samosas and other sinfully scrumptious deep-fried fare. Unfortunately, those food avenues are only set up in Ramadan – the vendors operate at their smaller shops the rest of the year. We did find some other places selling food…


Here is a section of Karachi Company selling meat, poultry and fish. Back in Singapore, we had a good supply of fresh sea-food but in Islamabad, a more inland city, it isn’t as popular. Check out the man carrying the strange duster at the end of the stall – the stick with the long wispy ends. His job is to flick away the flies! Many store-owners own those witchy looking things – very useful to smack away pests and also dust.

Round the corner, we saw a traditional medical hall. This shop reminded me of the Chinese sinseh in Singapore. There is of course a strong Islamic tradition in Pakistan and so homeopathy, herbs and other remedies recommended by the Sunnah are very much in use here. Most people who suffer coughs and colds will go for honey, ginger and the ubiquitous Joshanda!

Drawers and drawers of herbal goodness.

The head honcho surrounded by remedies.

Then there are the fruit stalls… we don’t have a plethora of choice like in more developed countries. Supplies vary according to season, so you have to exercise some patience if you want mangoes in winter or oranges in summer. The fruits and vegetables here don’t look very pristine – they look quite small and brusied even at times, but trust me, their appearance belies their beautiful taste and flavour. It must be because the produce here isn’t chemically altered… pretty much organic!


Oranges, pomegranates, bananas and guavas are pretty much standard winter fare. We have apples too but other than the imported Fuji apples which are quite pricey, most of the apples are not the crispy sort. I just make apple sauce out of them!


Dried fruits and nuts are also very popular snacks here. This vendor has raisins, dates, walnuts, almonds and peanuts that you buy by weight. He also sells packaged nuts that are encrusted with sugar and sesame. I love pine nuts – they are absolutely delicious, but a little more expensive. There are strings of dried figs at his store too, hanging by the rope if you look closely.

When we got back to our car, we saw this vendor at the parking lot. He doesn’t even have a stall – he just sells his wares right off his bike! He is the Pathan man in the white cap sitting a distance away. Bear was so taken by the woven baskets that she begged for a small one. The large flat tinselly ones are often used by fruit vendors I believe.


Bear was eyeing the ones on the right – the beige ones with the brown designs. She eventually settled on a basket that came with a lid, which looks like one of these. They look a lot like the kind snake-charmers use! We just use them for our toys or needlework supplies.

That was the end of our giddy-gaddying, as we like to say it. Mars was awfully sorry she’d missed the outing but I assured her that in shaa Allah we will go back :)

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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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