How to Live at Home

In Pakistan, people stay home. Culturally women stay home with the children because that's considered normal. With the security issues of the past years, more and more people opt for an indoors life but it's rarely dull as each family is expected to care for the husband's parents, and any needy relatives. Behind each gate is far more then a family of four with a pet. For security reasons, it's never a brilliant idea to attend publicized functions, well frequented restaurants, or spots known as favorites among foreigners. Don't be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Islam frowns on drinking and partying and precious few places serve alcohol outside the Diplomatic Enclave.

I likewise stay at home. With uni online, I stay in and I'm not much for partying and with increasing instability, staying home has become necessary (ordering in is natural part of life). Life at home requires some thought, and not everyone is cut out for it.

Get Internet. How else could I do uni? How else could I read the news? How else could I update my blog? How else could my sister and I watch old cycles of America's Next Top Model and Project Runway?(We're caught up on Lost, and find Grays dull.) The shows we can't watch online, we google the summaries to insure nothing happens to our favorite characters (thank goodness Betty didn't marry Henry in "Ugly Betty"). The internet also allows contact with friends through Facebook, Skype and email.

Books on CD. I'm often brain-dead after the amount of academia I process on a daily basis. At the end of a hard day, it's rewarding to listen to an engaging book on CD while ironing, cleaning or organizing books alphabetically. My sister and I hugely enjoy this activity (after discussing ANTM episodes) and are currently enjoying a book on Afghanistan.

Music. My guitar has become my life, after school that is...and brownies...and taking cold showers (the hot water heater died). Music is rewarding and requires time, time which I don't spend in car pools or on trains and is therefore available.

Play Games. I play a lot of games; 10 Days in Asia, Set, Guess Who?, Apples to Apples and Racko. Unfortunately, few people are up for a proper game of Monopoly (I like to win a little too much). The ping pong table is a bonus (when it's not covered in books, legos and homework).

Drink Coffee. I drink a lot of coffee. I'm bored, I drink coffee. I get a headache, I drink coffee. I procrastinate on exams, I drink coffee. I lay awake at night and think about coffee, and wake up to drink coffee. Fact is, when you live at home, you drink a lot of coffee. You don't get drunk on coffee and the extra buzz helps productivity. Regardless, go for the energy buzz, not the buzz leading you to believe you think you could potentially solve world hunger.