Similarities between expats ...

asalam alaikum
       Today was the third visit from the Telecom Company to our place since the beginning of this month (hopefully inshaAllah, this will be the last also).
       As the technician was trying to find out if the fault was in the wiring done in our house, I kept observing how he was working.
       He picked up a brochure of the bank (regarding loans) that was on the computer desk, so I said, you can have it, I dont need it. He said he was a contract employee and he is not eligible to apply for such a loan. He then spoke about his family, a son of about 18 months that he has never been with, and that he is looking forward to going home to his wife and son in March next year. He wasn't even sure should he take a release from his contracting company or to wait and see if his employer will make him permanent before that time is up.
      I asked him, why his countrymen are not working in their home country and what he spoke of reminded me so much of Pakistan, that I just had to share it.
     He said his grandfather had stood for elections as a Mayor of their village but the rivals threatened his supporters with death. Common occurrence in Pakistan where politicians TELL rather than ASK villages for a certain number of votes from villages. They will go and say to the headman, app kay gaoon say to 10 hazaar vote meray pakkay hain na. (10000 votes from your village are for sure mine, right).
      Vote ya gooli (vote or bullet) is another common phrase during elections.
      He then spoke of people who are happy with life, meaning, as long as they are getting food in their stomach (no matter where it is coming from), they have no desire to do anything else or to improve their standard of living.
      He also spoke of people supporting their own family, knowing that they are corrupt and not standing up against them. Doesn't that sound familiar?
      He said, when people visit their home country during vacations, they do all sorts of things, drinking, gambling and such illegal activities, thinking they have earned it. They think after slaving away for months and years, they can spend their time like this with no care of right or wrong. If any law-enforcer wants to take them to task, they say, leave me alone or I will have you killed. The policeman better watch out now, because there are so many people who are willing to take the life of another person, if you pay them well. Again, it is so easy to issue a parchi (death contract) or to hire a contract-killer.
      Another thing he mentioned was drugs. Police might show on TV that they found out about a lab making drugs in a house in some neighborhood. It will be publicized and they will be lauded and awarded for it but the next day, the same people will open another drug making lab in another house and the cycle will continue.
        He was happy about the new leader they have, as he is young and well-liked, but it will be a test of time to show if he can live up to the expectations of his country members.
       Intelligent are those who learn from the mistakes of others, but we are so busy in our own lives, that we do not have the time to stand and stare!
ma asalaama.