Impressions - part 1

It’s been 2 weeks since I am in Karachi. Experience is very exciting, time goes fast, and it’s difficult to capture all the moments that I’ve had here so far. Yet I want to try to highlight the most interesting observations.

Safety. First thing that people asked me about Pakistan “Is it dangerous to live there?” Of course I couldn’t answer this question when I was at home, but now I can say that I feel completely safe here. Life is stable, no issues with any fights nor crimes. The area where I live is known as a posh area of Karachi: fancy shops, cafes and nice apartments are located here.

Hot weather. One of my biggest fears of coming to Pakistan was the fear of heat. I remember it was the first sunny day in Moscow, when I went to a park and had sunstroke followed by a strong headache. That day I asked myself if I really want to go to the country where they live in a heat throughout the whole year.

...It was 5 am of June 23rd when I landed in Karachi, 30 degrees in the air! Yet I felt quite fine. Now I even enjoy the time when we walk during the day; I don’t feel like putting any sunblock on my skin, because it doesn’t get burned; I don’t cover my head as I haven't experienced any headache caused by sun.

Road traffic. This is something I got surprised about at the first day when we had a ride around the city. I reckon that if a person can drive on Karachi roads, he/she will manage to drive in ANY country in the world! Common situation is when 3 to 5 cars that come from different directions are stuck in the middle of the road trying to find their way! No rules, no policeman, everything is about a personal choice drivers! And, surprisingly, I’ve not seen any accident on the road so far, though in Moscow I used to see them at least 2 times every week.

Buildings. Second most surprising thing for me was an outward appearance of buildings. If you have a look at my photos, you will see what I mean. 90% of buildings here look like they were destroyed by some accident… Even famous multinationals like ABN-AMRO are located into grey half-ruinous houses!

However, the most interesting observation comes when you come inside… Clean, shining spaces, rich décor, and nice smells. Unbelievable! Pakistanis have different opinions about the reasons for that. I will write more about buildings later as well.

Cloths. “I take a bigger bag when I go out for a weekend!” – said one of my colleagues when he saw the bag that I came with :) When I was packing, I thought I wouldn’t be able to wear most of the cloths I wear in Moscow. It turned to be right to some extent. I can’t wear skirts and T-shirts in the office, however I can wear them at home. Besides, I was happy to find out that I can wear my favorite dress (which is pretty short!) … with trousers! Such a combination looks even more beautiful than a single dress!

For those who asked me, it’s not necessary to wear hidzhab here (piece of cloth that Muslim women cover heads with), a girl can wear it only if she wants, no one is going to force her doing that. Most of women that I meet on the streets cover their heads, but none of my female colleagues or friends does.

Traditional cloth is called ‘shalvar kamyz’ which stands for shirt and trousers that are usually worn with a kerchief. How it works. You buy a piece of cloth you want and go to a tailor who makes a shalvar kamyz for you. You can choose ANY cloths you want for your shalvar kamyz, there are different types and colors available: the ones for official meetings, the ones for home and walk, all of them are very, very beautiful! Yesterday I bought 2 types of cloth for my shalvar kamyz, let’s see how my new dress will look like...

These are some of my first impressions about Karachi.
In the next days, I am going to continue writing about impressions, events that are taking place, as well as about my work.