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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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The Chai Files - Pakistan

Sugar and Spice…

December 9, 2011 by Imaan 7 Comments

The Dad Man’s passion is learning about healthful and organic foods. He is the voice of conscience that reminds us of the evils of the fried fare that the rowdy ruffians and I cannot seem to resist. Mars loves savoury food, while Bear cannot resist anything sweet. Both love potatoes and declare, the minute they step into the markets at F6 and Jinnah (F7), that they can smell delicious french fries cooking.

There are many vendors selling these chips – I keep meaning to take a photo, but it’s just one of those things I keep forgetting. These hawkers have little tables and deep fryers. The fries can be bought spiced (a mixture of chilli, pepper and other masala) or simply salted and are cheap at 10 to 20 rupees a pack. (The packs are pockets made out of brown paper or pages of old phone books… how’s that for recycling?) The vendors also have jars of chilli sauce that you can spoon onto your chips if their masala isn’t spicy enough for your taste!

We now make most of our snacks at home and try to come up with healthier alternatives (we’re trying, Tea, we really are!), but we do enjoy strolling by the markets once in a while to see how local delights are prepared. There are more upmarket bakeries, but these stalls I photographed last year are so much more fun! They make brisk business and are just bustling with activity!

I’m not a fan of Pakistani sweetmeats – or mithai as they are collectively known. These little cakes like burfi, gulab jamun, laddoo and sheera are a little too rich and sweet for my taste. I cannot eat more than a bite usually, but they are a big part of Pakistani culture and I can certainly appreciate their charm. People give them as gifts and serve them on festive occasions, when celebrating good news and at parties.

The one sweet thing I do enjoy in Pakistan is jilebi :) In the hands of a talented cook, these are really really good… trrrrust me! A batter of flour, yoghurt, water and baking powder is piped in piped in concentric circles into hot oil. When golden and crisp, these spirals are dipped into a syrup flavored with rose water. Sinful? Yes, most definitely!

Oodles and oodles of jilebi!

Hawkers boiling milk. Apparently folks dunk the sweet jilebis into a bowl of warm milk and eat the mixture like cereal. I’ve never tried it myself!

Like Mars, I much prefer the savoury and spicy food in Pakistan. Mars especially loves samosas. Back in Singapore, my family would make samosas with thin springroll skins (it is like filo pastry and mainly used by the Chinese) and minced meat filling. These would be small flat triangles with crispy, flaky crusts. In Pakistan, the samosa pastry is made out of flour and shaped into much larger almost pyramid-like shapes. These are stuffed with a variety of fillings like ground beef, mutton or chicken, potatoes, peas and even lentils. There are even meetha (sweet) samosas – these are stuffed with halwa. The most popular however are those filled with spiced potatoes. This filling has a spicy flavour with a hint of tartness, courtesy of ground pomegranate seeds.

Samosas and springrolls… it was all I could do to walk away without a bagful of those gorgeous morsels.

Now, you can’t live in Pakistan and not love pakoras! My mother-in-law calls these rainy day food – she loves eating pakoras with a hot mug of tea when it is pouring out :) It is also a must in most Pakistani homes in Ramadan for the break of fast meal. Spoonfuls of besan batter mixed with spices, onions, potatoes and spinach are deep fried. You can also dunk other vegetables to get these delicious babies. Some people like making green chilli pakoras, but we like eggplants, which taste so lovely and creamy when fried. My friend Tahira, who makes the best pakoras in all of Islamabad, adds some chopped tomatoes in her mix for a sweet-sour flavour. The trick is not to make the batter too dense or the fritters become too heavy and chewy. She uses just enough to coat the vegetables so the flavours and crispness are retained.


Pakoras were the first local things I ate when I went backpacking in India waaay back when. I didn’t know what they were called then, but I found them scrumptious!

I’d better publish some homeschool posts and book reviews before I cave in and fry me some pakoras…

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The Chai Files - Pakistan

It ain’t so bad…

December 9, 2008 by Imaan No Comments

I think it is officially winter in Islamabad. We have awakened to cold, dreary mornings for two days in a row and we have been without our craft-while-we-sunbathe on the terrace for three.

Winters in Pakistan are a huge challenge… why?

  • You get none of the pretty snow… just lots of cloud, cold air and rain. It is just as well given the amount of dust in this country. Any snow would start looking like grey sludge anyway!
  • The houses are built to dispel heat (this country of extremes has sweltering summers, did I mention that?) so you have to contend with bone-chilling drafts. If you have asthma like I do, get your inhalers ready.
  • There is no central heating system in most houses. Since electricity is expensive, gas heaters are the norm… they do get you warm and toasty, but you can’t leave them on for extended periods as you might run the risk of suffocation…
  • You get huge amounts of laundry and mess what with the sweaters, jackets, thermal garments and such that get trotted out with the onset of the cold season. Since the sun is hardly ever out, they will either (a) end up smelling musty because they take forever to dry or (b) end up smelling smoky because you put them in front of the gas heaters to combat (a).

But ‘nuf said. It isn’t all bad here… We have it better than most, alhamdulillah. In terms of economics, this is also a country of extremes and I don’t have to remind myself of those worse off because they are around all the time.

So… I am not going to RESIGN myself to being content. I will MAKE IT A PRIORITY to celebrate the positive aspects of Pakistan :)

So here are the good things about life in Isloo…

  • The cold makes pink tea all the more satisfying. If you don’t know what pink tea is, you have been seriously deprived! It is a brew of Kashmiri tea leaves and fragrant spices that has simmered for ages till it is attains a gorgeous deep colour and flavour. Add some milk, crushed almonds and sugar and you have just about the most delicious beverage this continent has produced.
  • Load shedding… what’s that you say? Well, it is the monitoring of electric usage and shutting down certain electric loads or devices a certain threshold is reached/approached. Sounds a mouthful but for the common man, it just means “no electricity”. Wait a minute, you might say, how is that good? It took me a while to get used to it but it has really taught me to focus on the simpler things in life. When my elder daughter, Ms M, experienced her first power shutdown, she ran out of the house and delightedly yelled, “Look at the stars, Ummi. Look at the STARS!” We’ve learnt to slow down and to not rely on electronic gadgets too much. When we get load shedding in the day, we take our embroidery out and sit by the window or terrace. When it happens at night, we take the torches out and just enjoy each other’s company. Rather idyllic, I like to think :)
  • Fabrics… this country is teeming with fabrics. In winter you get lovely karandi – a textured cloth much like linen – and in summer, vibrant lawns. There are beads, sequins, laces and ric rac galore! If you are a compulsive crafter like me, Pakistan is a great stop for supplies.
  • Second-hand bookstores… I have found award-winning titles, encyclopaedias and lovely craft-books and magazines going for a song. If you are ever in F6 or F7, you will find me – fingers and abaya covered in dust – rummaging through the heaps of old books.

I could go on with this blog post, but I have more pressing matters to attend to… like my stitchery and my cup of… what else? … chai :)

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The Stuff of Life The Chai Files - Pakistan

Seen & Heard

June 15, 2004 by Imaan 1 Comment

You know you are REALLY in Pakistan when you experience the following scenarios:

Me: “Urm… the water… do you think it is safe to use?”
K: “What’s wrong with it?”
Me: “I can’t even see the bottom of the pail.”
K: “Oh… it’s not dirty. It’s just… a little dusty.”

K: “Where are the side view mirrors? How do you expect me to drive like this?”
A: “Oh… it’s a long story…”
K: “This is so dangerous!”
A: “Well, one was kinda destroyed by a bus and the other got removed by a donkey cart…”

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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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