Pakistani students abroad make nation proud

[Dance]

ISLAMABAD, July 6: The Public Affairs section of the US embassy screened Dawn TVs Documentary “Pakistani Students: Learning/Sharing in the USAin Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) on Friday.

The aim of the documentary was to showcase the experiences of Pakistan students in the US, and illustrate the useful impact such experiences have on reshaping the images of the two countries among their people.

Focusing on around five Pakistanis studying in the US, the documentary captured similar stories from students of diverse backgrounds, coming from areas like FATA, Hyderabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Light in tone, it first captured the awkward questions Pakistani students had to face. “Are there roads in Pakistan,” “Are the coffee shops there similar to here,” and in a more serious vein, “Why don’t you cover your face?” and so on.

One American lady revealed that she honestly thought the Pakistani student might bomb the classroom, but that impression changed over time.

Similarly, touching on political overtones, a student, Hammad Ali Khan, said he was worried that once he landed at an airport in US, his green passport would get him harassed by the airport security. But some of the adjustment was culture related. An American teacher stated that students from Pakistan treat professors like god and hesitate to ask questions, but with time they learn that discussion with teachers is encouraged in the American context and open up with time.

Finding halal food can become problematic for students in the US, hence converting them into vegetarians. A student suggested that with tomatoes, chick peas and other ingredients, if one is innovative, an improvised “channa chat” can be made. “Spoken like a true Pakistani,” commented one audience member.The students also acknowledged the strengths of both countries. Kiran Rajput from Hyderabad appreciated the respect and freedom given to the minorities to practise their religion in Pakistan and in US.

And Irfan Ullah, a student struggling with polio, shared that there are many opportunities there for the disabled and he is empowered in an environment where he is not treated any less than others. The documentary displayed that students are ambassadors of their respective countries, families and cultures. Some residents of the US realised that not everything their media showed was true as they were confronted only to negativities in the case of Pakistan – drone attacks, suicide bombings – and all the cultural, educational and development aspects were not showered any light on.


Pakistani students abroad make nation proud | DAWN.COM

 

[Don Jaguar]

Light in tone, it first captured the awkward questions Pakistani students had to face. “Are there roads in Pakistan,” “Are the coffee shops there similar to here,” and in a more serious vein, “Why don’t you cover your face?” and so on.

Hahahaha just see how general american people are fooled by their media.

What silly questions they are asking?

 

[Dance]

Hahahaha just see how general american people are fooled by their media.

What silly questions they are asking?

Someone once asked me a long time ago if Pakistan had cars

It's partly the Pakistani media/ and some Pakistani peoples fault for not showing positive aspects of Pakistan, only showing the negative aspects

 

[Don Jaguar]

Someone once asked me a long time ago if Pakistan had cars

It's partly the Pakistani media/ and some Pakistani peoples fault for not showing positive aspects of Pakistan, only showing the negative aspects

See geo tv and dunya tv pakistani media show their real image also but some tv channels are very irresponsible i agree.

But US media completely and willingly destroy Pakistan's image to gain support for their oil wars.

 

[Dance]

See goe tv and dunya tv pakistani media show their real image also but some tv channels are very irresponsible i agree.

Yeah but usually only Pakistani people see these channels, not non-Pakistanis.

Foreign media and non-Pakistanis in general get news from online sources like Express tribune, Dawn, etc.

And newspapers like express tribune show Pakistan in a negative light for the most part.

 

[Don Jaguar]

Its a very good question, i wanna know to does pakistan have cars, plzz show me some???? dont post bmws and audi, u know what i mean.

 

[neutral_person]

i wanna see pakistani cars, not some marutis and toyotas and ugly buses in a traffic jams. show me some real pakistani cars.

Stop trolling man. There is really no need for Pakistanis to build indigeniuos car models if they have the money to import them for other nations. Its the age old question of why re-invent the wheel?

On topic: Good for Pakistan. Hopefully this will lessen the ignorance Americans have about Pakistan.

 

[Sashan]

Someone once asked me a long time ago if Pakistan had cars

It's partly the Pakistani media/ and some Pakistani peoples fault for not showing positive aspects of Pakistan, only showing the negative aspects

In 1999, someone here asked me the question how did I go to school in India when I was young. I told them I used to go to school on an elephant and sometimes the tiger would cross the road. He asked me what would happen and I said "obviously the tiger had the right of way" .

 

[Don Jaguar]

i wanna see pakistani cars, not some marutis and toyotas and ugly buses in a traffic jams. show me some real pakistani cars.

In Lahore about 2 million cara and in karachi about 3 million cars. But we do not manufacture it.

BTW still better then this.

 

[Dance]

In 1999, someone here asked me the question how did I go to school in India when I was young. I told them I used to go to school on an elephant and sometimes the tiger would cross the road. He asked me what would happen and I said "obviously the tiger had the right of way" .

Thats a good one!


Some of the questions I have been asked are just plain ridiculous, for example:

Do you ride camels in Pakistan?

Pakistans in a desert, so it must be hot right?

Do you speak Arab there?

 

[Don Jaguar]

In 1999, someone here asked me the question how did I go to school in India when I was young. I told them I used to go to school on an elephant and sometimes the tiger would cross the road. He asked me what would happen and I said "obviously the tiger had the right of way" .

Americans lack at general knowledge.

 

[RiazHaq]

Although the growth in the total number Pakistanis studying abroad has slowed since the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001 in the United States, the world's sixth most populous nation continues to be among the leading sources of foreign students in America, Europe, Australia and new emerging higher education destinations in Asia.

As the number of Pakistani students in the United States has declined from a peak of 8,644 students (ranked 13th) in 2001-02 to 5,222 in 2009-10 (ranked 23rd), English-speaking OECD nations of the United Kingdom and Australia have become the biggest beneficiaries getting increasing market share of the Pakistan education market. Both nations have benefited in spite of the fact that the UK and Australian visa rejection rates for Pakistanis are higher than for students from other nations.

Haq's Musings: Higher Education: Pakistani Students Abroad

 

[TheJewverine]

In Lahore about 2 million cara and in karachi about 3 million cars. But we do not manufacture it.

BTW still better then this.

Is that a Morris Minor?

 

[Don Jaguar]

Thats a good one!


Some of the questions I have been asked are just plain ridiculous, for example:

Do you ride camels in Pakistan?

Pakistans in a desert, so it must be hot right?

Do you speak Arab there?

Hahahaha tell us some more.

Is that a Morris Minor?

Its an indian car, ambassador. They still use it.

Hindustan Ambassador - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Sashan]

Americans lack at general knowledge.

They lack the geographical knowledge as they are afraid to travel. They are afraid to venture outside US except to countries in Europe. I have a friend of mine who would say that being white itself is a drawback for him to travel to countries in Asia or Africa.