Two months around the world and we are back! We left Calgary on a cold winter morning, stopped in Seattle, had a layover in Dubai, went back home to Islamabad, had a layover in Bangkok, stayed in Manila, hopped over to beautiful Palawan islands and visited the grandparents in Brunei. It was long, literally the length of the world but still so short. We enjoyed all the beautiful differences in the world: seasons, food, culture and languages. My children were exposed to English, Urdu, Arabic, Pashto, Punjabi, Tagalog and Malay. We hopped on more flights than I would like to remember now and there were some classic toddler tantrums somewhere over the North Pole and near the Equator. We also experienced some beautiful similarities in our world. All cities look the same as you peek down from an aeroplane window and they shrink into a glittering oasis. Sunsets and sunrises are universally beautiful. There is no joy greater than hugging a waiting family member after a long tiring flight. And there is always a buzzkill auntie lurking around to ask you: “sirf itney se din ke liay aye ho?” (translation: visiting for such a short time?).
Yes, we have been back home for a long time and this update is long over due. Travel is amazing. You never return as the same person. So after coming back home there were many things to be done (read: sleeping), many changes to be made (read: KonMari), many decisions to be taken (read: kindergarten options) and yes, of course there were the 15 fuzzy days of Cold and Flu season in the house. But we are back now and so excited to connect again! So Salam, Hello, and great to be back! How have you all been?
