Safarnamay by Sadia

    It was a hot July afternoon, a week and half away from Eid ul Adha, I was at Ami’s place when Aleem called me and said, “That’s it! We are going back!”  It came as   surprise, when I left him couple of days ago he was perfectly calm. Maybe it was the mess of our portion being whitewashed while me and kids were away which overwhelmed him or a never ending list of tasks where he ticks one another appears.  Yet it was understandable, it’s been seven months of work from home from a place which was not home. Coping with exacting work demand amidst all the distractions was challenging! The fact was that so far we’ve not even considered going back. We were happy being there. We didn’t want to opt for an uncertain option to get out of an uncertain situation. We were sure that flights will definitely open after Eid ul Fitr if not before that. It was third lock down by Saudi government. Second lock down lasted for merely a week after the first one which stayed for...

“A day to come and a day to go………...!  When we landed at Allamah Iqbal International Airport on 2 nd  February 2021, we had no idea we will be staying here for seven months…for the first time in all these years we got the chance to be a part of casual family gatherings, weekend meetups, worries and festivities, tears, and laughers! We will always cherish these wonderful memories! Cannot thank you enough for your love and hospitality! May Allah Taala bring us together with khair and aafiyat, ameen! Looking forward to see you all soon inshaAllah!” (The message I posted on my family WhatsApp group while going to the airport!) “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has banned all the flights till further notice”.  We were in Pakistan for three weeks’ time, when this piece of news caught us off guard on the very day of our arrival.  Surprisingly, it took us less than five minutes to weigh all the possibilities and reach the decision of making best out of this opportunity. Yes, we thoug...