I did not care that going from Abu Dhabi to Canada was over 13 hours. Just to know that we were heading home was enough for me. I popped an anti-nausea drug and was out like a light for half the trip. With all that happened in Pakistan, I should have been popping drugs while I was there!
When we were close to Pearson airport, I looked out the window and actually watched as the plane lowered its altitude. The familiar sites north of the city were in plain view: the farms, the highways, the greenery and landsites. I kept watching for half an hour as we approached the airport and realized how low to the ground we were flying. And as I felt the landing gear open and the vibrations rumble in my stomach, it did not feel surreal. These sites and sounds were familiar to me and a sense of calm enveloped me. Peace. It was definately a state of mind. And it was good to be home.
When the plane landed, the girls peeked over my shoulder and smiled huge smiles.
We fetched our things and headed out towards Canadian customs. The first words the girls spoke when they got into the terminal were, "Mmmmm, Tim Hortons!" Some things never changed ;) The walk in the new terminal was long and my ears were blocked. As my family rushed in front of me, I slowered my pace and took it all in. I didn't feel like rushing as I lagged behind and they powerwalked to customs.
When we stood in front of the customs officer, I could not stop smiling. "How was your trip?" he asked me. I mentally rewinded my entire trip. "If I told you, you would not believe me." My husband shot me a look. "It was very hot!" he told the officer. I kept smiling. The officer looked from me to my husband. "What did you buy there?" Before my husband could answer, I interjected. "Whatever I could in two days. It was not safe". I smiled and then hugged myself. The officer smiled too and then proceeded to stamp our custom cards.
As we walked towards our luggage carousel, my eldest daughter nudged me. "What were you trying to say at customs?" I pushed the trolley and pondered her question. The officer really didn't care what I thought about my trip. He just wanted to make sure I wasn't harbouring food, wood products, drugs or any Pakistani illegals, for that matter. But I wanted someone to ask me so I could shout it out - that I was proud to be Canadian and living in the best country in the world. I would have said it if it weren't for the looks my family was giving me. I was always known for being the outspoken, foot-in-the-mouth member of the family so it was almost expected that I would embarress someone other than myself.
We collected our baggage, the cars from Park N Fly and headed home. As I drove my car, I compared it to the havoc of the Pakistani streets. I laughed out loud as I remember us cramming in cars, into rickshaws, watching families of 8 travelling on motorbikes and traffic disobeying the laws of the road. And here I was travelling the highway with police enforcement, where most law-abiding citizens buckled up and refrained from using their cellphones. I wondered if Pakistan would ever reach of state comparable to what we had here. I remembered the conversations with my cousin's children, who were a well-educated lot, concluding that they would need a revolution.
When we reached home, we immediately called our family in Gulberg. The UK cousins were still there and were planning to stay another three weeks but they found out from a family member in Oxford that their water tank had exploded in the attic and that the house was now flooded. They were making plans to catch an early flight out to survey the damage.
As a side note, our aunt informed me that shortly after we had left for the airport Friday night, a bomb threat had been issued in the very same market I visited the day before. Apparently, the police were tipped off that suicide bombers were at Liberty market and the city had evacuated and closed down all the shops in the market and surrounding areas. Squeeze me?? I was stunned and passed the phone to my motherinlaw. The family were going to NFC and out of Gulberg. I walked outside into my backyard and looked up at the sky. The clouds had dissipated and I could see the stars very clearly. At that moment, a warm breeze caressed my face.
Thank you, I said and walked back into my house.
No comments:
Post a Comment