New girl in the USA

As I landed onto JFK airport, I saw around me people of all different kinds: possibly the most diverse crowd of people I had seen my entire life. They were chatting, laughing, eating and just going about their business. Nobody seemed to stare at me because I was skinny wearing jeans, or because I was not travelling with a male guardian or just because I was a female, which was quite unlike what I was used to until then. It was, magical in a very normal kind of a way. As I took my steps ahead and started walking, I found myself merging within the crowd. Everybody was moving forward with me, as if they are accepting me and embracing me, true to what American values suggest. That was my first day in the USA, three years ago, and I have loved it here since.

Hello everybody, my name is Aylia. I am from Karachi, Pakistan and I came to the USA in August 2013. That was my first ever plane trip anywhere and I owe it to my college that made it possible for me to come to the USA when they offered me scholarship to study here. I am majoring in Business with a concentration in Accounting and am currently a Junior. I am the IT help desk assistant on campus and am currently looking for summer internships preferably in Accounting or Finance. So if you guys know about any, help me out here! 

My favorite TV series are How I Met Your Mother (so sad it’s over now), Homeland (Quin better be alive in season 6!!!), and Nathan For You because I have a crush on Nathan Fielder! My favorite actor is Shah Rukh Khan, (watch a GIF of him blow a kiss here <3). I love to read, cook, dance, and sleep, very often very much, and a lot. I love shopping, even if it is just window shopping, which it is most of the time. I used to love reading novels and fiction, something I don’t have the time to do now sadly. One book I would suggest is “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, but it will make you weep like a baby; not a normal baby, rather a baby who hasn’t eaten or slept in days and is also constipated. I am a strong introvert and have very few close friends, but once I get to know people I’m usually fun. If you’re looking to break the ice, talk to me about food, music, Bollywood, love, and world peace, or take me out for Indian/Pakistani cuisine and a cappuccino with a heart on it! I wish I knew how to play the guitar and was good at sports. The only outdoor sport I have ever played is badminton and cricket when I was little. But when I was growing up, the new wave of Islamic extremism came over in Pakistan and girls couldn’t even walk around the city without their heads covered, let alone play on the streets.

In the not-so-distant future, I see myself working in an executive position in one of the big four accounting firms, and starting a family. I love kids, but only if they are cute. I sometimes worry about what will happen if my child is not cute. Will I still love him/her? I joke with my boyfriend that the only reason I’m dating him is because he has dimples and is super cute. He believes that I’m joking. However, the real reason is that this increases my chances of having cute babies.  

Do I miss home? Of course I do. I miss the city where I grew up. But more than being nostalgic, I am sad for that place. Because when that same area where I used take late night walks with my dad becomes a center of protests in favor an established murderer or the street where my school van used to pass by becomes a place to hang the head of a person who was killed in cold blood because of his advocacy of secular and progressive values, and things like these become daily trends, it’s hard to feel anything but anguish and sorrow for such a place. People back home are confused. These are people who reject the only two Nobel Prize winners of the country just because they aren’t “Muslim enough” and curse the hell out of Malala Yousufzai, the fellow compatriot who won the Nobel Peace Prize 2014, and call her an “American and Jewish conspiracy to defame Pakistan”. But on the one hand, they want to be able to go to the malls and cinemas and enjoy good street food and be able to wear jeans and listen to music, and on the other hand they voice their support to make Pakistan an Islamic country and implement Sharia law officially. Some people actually want that to happen, but others are just afraid to get killed if they opinionate against it. But people like us are so busy trying to survive, that they forgot to be brave. Hopefully things get better soon. The fashion scene, music and arts, and the entertainment industry in general is blooming for sure. There’s so much culture to preserve. The Indo-Pakistani South Asian culture is beautiful and enchanting, but unfortunately is being eaten away by Islamic extremism which is like a tumor killing the society slowly and gradually. This is not going to change unless people realize that human beings have rights, ideas, books and imaginary beings up in the sky do not.

I miss my family though. My dad inspires me because he fought through all stereo-types and social and religious barriers by raising his daughters the same as his son. He gave us values of liberty of thought, freedom of speech, importance of education, gender and sexual equality, feminism etc. I talk with my parents often. They are busy with the typical routine of middle-class hard-working professionals, and I can’t wait until I am able to support them financially. For the time being, they are very happy that I am safe and happy here. I obviously love it here. I made amazing friends and have met lovely people. I can finally wear a sleeveless top in public without having to fear somebody throwing acid on my hands. I can go out with my boyfriend without fearing somebody stoning me to death. I can eat and drink whatever I want. And most importantly, I can express how I feel without fearing prosecution.

My road to the future is uncertain. College for now, but I don’t know what comes later. I wish I can stay here, and continue to grow personally and professionally and contribute to the economy with my education and skills, and in the end, make the world a better place. Every once in a while, when life gives me some time from my busy schedule, I think about how blessed I am.

To end this, here's wishigng you all a great 2016!