Guys I don't know if I've ever told my story of the first time I visited Karachi back in 2014. I think everyone needs to hear this, because it will give you an insight into how you can be from the same country, but still feel like a foreigner in a new city

For context, I've lived in Islamabad my whole life. For me 'far' was F11, living in F6. For me traffic jam = more than 15 cars stopped at a signal. For me 'suffocating crowd in which you can get lost' was chand raat in Jinnah Super. Now take THIS PERSON and put them in Karachi

I was there for work. I had never been to Khi before. I hadn't had much time to get out and explore because it had been from the Airport>Hotel>Studio for me and by the time I got done with the shoot I was at, it was almost 11pm. I was tired and my Islamabadi self was overwhelmed

So one of my colleagues with me who was from Karachi was dropping me back to the hotel when I realised I had to pick up some stuff (chewing gums, munchies, chips/Coke/sanitary napkins etc)

So I turn to ask a Khi wala at around 11pm "sunein iss wakt dukanein khuli hongi?"

He looked at me oddly, didnt say anything. I repeated my question to which he replied "kyun, kuch hua hai?" I honestly dont know wtf he meant by that and I didnt know this colleague well at all he was from another office of the same company so I just said can u stop for grocery

I figured kya mein itna explain keroon gi kya kya chahiye hai so I assumed how when in Islamabad I have to pick up such stuff I just drop by at Shaheen Grocers and get the stuff and leave. It's a 5 min process. I assumed Karachi mein bhi waisay grocers hotay hon ge....

No, this dude assumes that at 11pm at night this girl who is here from Islamabad for a work trip, wants to do RASHUN PAANI WALI grocery and takes me to this place called Imtiaz near some Korangi area

First of all THERE WAS NO PARKING THERE SO HE JUST DROPS ME OFF IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE AND SAYS WHEN YOURE DONE JUST CALL ILL COME PICK YOU. IM ON MY OWN GUYS. THIS IS IMTIAZ KORANGI WALA AND EVEN AT 11PM AT NIGHT IT IS PACKED.

Not only that i was there around the start of the month and everyone was there doing their monthly rashun shopping ...so I went in looking for ONE PACK OF CHEWING GUM AND ONE PACKET OF LAYS AND ONE BOTTLE OF COKE AND ONE PACK OF SANITARY NAPKINS.

So I'm just roaming around looking for the stuff I need and after 40 mins of just strolling through long ass aisles I finally have what I need. So me being me, I walk back to the same door I entered from BECAUSE ISLAMAABD MEIN SHAHEEN GROCERS KI ENTRANCE/EXIT AIK HEE HOTI HAI

Im very rudely told by this guard there ke where are you going, have you paid for this stuff? And I said no, Im looking for the cashier (because Islamabad mein cashier ussi door ke saath hota hai jidher se aap enter hotay hain) ....and the guard says no GO TO THE BASEMENT

SO THEN I DISCOVER THAT THIS GIGANTIC PLACE HAS AN ESCALATOR TYPE THINGY THATS MAKING YOU GO DOWN. Aur meri sui udher hee phansi hui hai ke MAGAR ISLAMABAD MEIN TOH AISAY NAI HOTA (Guys meri duniya Shaheen chemist se shuru hoti hai aur D Watson pe khatam hoti hai)

Anyway so when I get to the basement...there's not one cashier. There's not two. There's not three. There's SOME THIRTY CASHIERS (itne pooray Islamabad mein hon ge)...and there's 50 people in EACH row queued up to pay, with TROLLEYS full of atta, chawal, cheeni, daal etc

So it takes about 30 mins of me waiting in the very badly organised queue...for my turn to come. I put my 4 small items on the counter to pay and the cashier looks at me expectantly to pull up my trolley. I have NO trolley. The cashier goes like "Bas ye hai???"

At this point something in me snapped, I started crying. I'd been in this stupid store for over an hour surrounded by more people than the entire population of Islamabad and its now midnight. So I say to the cashier, bas jaldi se ye de dein mujhe jana hai

He probably sensed my meltdown was about to get worse, so he quickly gave me the bill and charged my card and I was finally out of there. I stepped out and called my colleague to come pick me "haan haan mein aagay se gaari turn ker ke das minute mein aaraha hoon"

MAZEED DAS MINUTE? WHY TF DOES EVERYTHING TAKE AT LEAST DAS MIN. HOW CAN IT TAKE YOU 10 MINS TO COME FROM WHERE YOU ARE PARKED TO THE ENTRANCE. DAS minute mein main Islamabad mein ghar se school pauhanch jati thi

Finally when I get into the car I literally start hyperventilating. And I started howling. Iss wakt hee gets pareshan and goes like what happened??? Did you lose your phone or wallet?
I still remember his face when he heard my reply
I said "ANDAR ITNEY LOGH KYUN THEY?????"

I remember his expression. He didn't even register/acknowledge this as a pain point. He was waiting for me to go on. When that was it. I was crying because bauhat zyada logh/hujoom mein se ho ke aayi thi mein and his Karachi brain wasn't even REGISTERING it as a problem

Guys the only time leading up to this moment in my life when me, as an Islamabadi had seen this many people was when I went for Hajj ...I swear to God itne logh mein ne kisi concert pe bhi nai dekhe they kabhi jitne Imtiaz during the start of the month mein dekh liye

Anyway this is like a few years back. Since then I have been to Khi a gazillion times. And now I'm a pro at maneuvering through the city with all safety SOPs..and i love Khi (to visit only).. I could never live there permanently I'd faint every 10 days.

This is one of the reasons why living in London was so tough. The Smolness of Isloo spoils you. When you can do everything (work/live/socialize/shop) within 10-15 minutes of driving distance max...its impossible to settle down anywhere else. I'm spoiled for life