Daddy Ji was very active in his ministry. He was very passionate about his work. He planned the services, attended meetings and visited the homes of those who were sick. In the early 90s, he received an offer to do some missionary work in Dubai. This was an exciting opportunity as we were able to reach out to people and tell them about God and his miraculous works. So, Daddy Ji, Ami, Bhabhi and her son, my younger brother and I moved to Dubai. This was a big change. This was the first time that most of us had travelled by air. It was so much fun. Ami was a bit dramatic and was panicking a lot. Yet my brother and I loved the atmosphere. Not many people in our area would have had the opportunity to travel in an aeroplane. It was a big deal at that time. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we felt the extreme heat. It was so much hotter than the climate in Pakistan. On the car ride to our house, we passed the large shopping malls, the tall buildings, the humungous palm trees. Everything was so green and clean. The house we were moving into was already furnished, which was different to how we were used to things back in Pakistan. I liked the balcony in particular. In the mornings, I would sit there with Ami and drink chai with the fresh breeze hitting our faces.
I tried to find a job but it was difficult as I did not have a degree. In the meantime, I kept myself busy as a Sunday school teacher in Daddy Ji's church. During our time in Dubai, I felt that our family grew closer together. Maybe it was because of our recent loss or because we were in a new country. I stayed at home and did most of the housework. Bhabhi spent a lot of time sewing and stitching clothes so I would often sit and talk with her. Back in Pakistan, we had been surrounded by extended family and friends who would frequently come to our house. However, in Dubai it was just our small family. We had more time to talk to each other. It was a wonderful experience.
In the summer of that same year, Ami, my younger brother, my nephew and I flew from Dubai to London. We went on holiday to visit Bhaijan and Baji who had recently settled there with their families. Bhaijan's three sons were excited to see me again. They took us sightseeing all around London. It was beautiful: Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the River Thames. I was finally seeing all the things that we once only talked about in Pakistan. When the new academic year began in September, I would drop off my nephews at school and pick them up. There were many children who spoke Bengali and Urdu in their school. The teachers there were aware that I was a teacher and offered me a volunteering opportunity to sing Urdu nursery rhymes with my youngest nephew's nursery class.
There was a vacancy for the position of a nursery nurse (a person who works with babies and little children in schools). Since the staff knew me, they offered me the job along with a work visa. This came as a surprise to me. I was a young woman who did not have a degree and had not been a very bright student. But now I had a job in London. I could not believe it. I gladly accepted the position and worked in that school for two years. Once again God had opened a new door for me. He had started a new chapter in my life with opportunities that I had not even begun to imagine. While working, I enrolled at a nearby college to do a one-year course that would grant me access to do my BA afterwards. The only thing I knew was teaching, so I thought I should continue down this career path rather than starting afresh. I continued to stay with Bhaijan and his family. When I got my teaching salary, I would always give it to him. Where I grew up, we made sure to respect our elders. We are family, so my money was also theirs.
I lived in London for two and a half years. I enjoyed the London life a lot. Everything was so different. I had never been on a double-decker bus nor the tube before. Therefore, I would often get lost on my way home from work or from the shopping centre; yet I did not tell anyone. I wanted to be independent and I knew that I would figure out the way eventually. When my work visa expired, I went back to Pakistan in the hopes that I would be able to apply again. I really wanted to complete my BA degree in the UK as it would be more recognised than if I did it in Pakistan. I was hopeful that I would go back, but it took longer than I thought.
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Finding out who I am - An autobiography
Non-FictionI was a little girl not sure where I belonged. My mother was a Christian whereas my father was a Muslim. Their relationship did not work out in the late 1960s. I was separated from both of them and placed into a different family. I felt welcome but...
