I went to Canada, the first time ever and stayed with my in-laws just because my mother-in-laws was dying and my wife wanted to see her. The trip itself is an adventure in itself. After arriving in Toronto, I stayed one of my nephews. We were having a great time with his kids, who were playful and very loving. stayed for the first day with him.
Arriving at the Toronto airport was not as terrifying as we had been told, it was strange and shocking coming to a different country.Anyway that has nothing with the story. We only could stay for 2 days and 1 night, because my eldest sister-in-law Nishat wanted to take her house in Ottawa. It was the afternoon of the next day when she came over in her car, to whisk us away to Ottawa. The road trip to Ottawa was deathly silent. My brother-in-law Azhar had a very grim face. Some years back he had sent an e-mail saying that his mother-in-law was not welcome in his house, one of the reasons is because he spent years looking after his aged mother who had died only recently. He was fairly upset with his mother-in-law staying with him and was feeling worse when we came. He was not the least pleased.
Nishat was the only talking actually behaving like a tourist guide for my wife. The road trip was very boring and I did not know that how horrible things would be when I would be when staying in Ottawa.
We were dropped off at Tarik, my brother-in-law's house, because my mother-in-law was there. I entered the house and went in with my shoes and met her. Instead of Tarik of being welcoming and gracious, blew up in a fit of rage when was inside with my shoes on. I was taken aback, but said nothing. I talked with my mother-in-law, Nishat tells me to take my shoes off. All the years they have been at my place, I never said anything to them, I took off shoes . That did not change the fact that Tarik had nothing talk about with me. I stayed the day there and the evening at night he drove his mother back Nishat's house and stayed with no footwear in her house. There were separate slippers for the bathroom and toilet, they could not be brought out and put on different slippers when entering the room.
Azhar was not on speaking terms with me. Just went about grumbling or staying as far from as he could. What was supposed to be a fun trip slowly became the worse form of drudgery. I went to another sister of my wife her husband has no grudges but has trouble staying awake and nods off every once in a while. It was amazing that he can stay away on his drive to Toronto and back to Ottawa. So it was just miserable there as it was in Nishat's again the no shoes rule applied there.
Nishat was the first one to come to Canada way back in 1966. Her three brothers all came in the 1980s. All had stayed with Nishat, because there was no other place to live, she taught them the rules of staying in Canada rather in Nishat's house. Everyone else adopted rules for their homes. Only when I visited my cousins there was a level of sanity there was no 'no footwear inside' rule.
Nishat behind all her smiles was a mean control freak. One of her brothers married a white Chritian Canadian, who refused to convert to Islam. Nishar refuses to see him and his wife and if they show up at her place, she hides somewhere and flatly tells them to leave. On this matter however Tarik and Musrat disagree and welcomed them.
Tarik was interested in a similar woman, Nishat managed to sabotage that in a very cunning manner. Nishat's policy was not live and let live, it was live and let die. She conspired to have him get married to a woman in Lahore. As they years worn Tarik and his wife became religious fanatics, something which perfectly well in Nishat's plans. Tarik's children indoctrinated in religion.
As it is said 'the best way to know people, is to live with them for a few days' and I did that. I spent two months in absolute boredom. It does not matter what they did, what matters is how they went about doing things. the spirit with which they did it.
It was not done with genuine enthusiasm, tney did it as a matter of routine, nothing else in very boring and stupid style.
Coming back to Nishat, she refused to let her daughter Saika marry just anyone. Made it a point to get her married to a Muslim person at all costs. Blackmailing Saika, by saying that she would stop being her mother if she marries anyone other than whom she has decided. It is evident that Nishat is completely insane.
Watching tv in any of the homes was out of the question. Tarik only watched sports and locked all the other channels because they were unIslamic. In Musrat's house most of the channels were locked only a handful very boring ones were on. In Nishat's house there was very old TV set where most of the channels were also locked up. So no talking, no TV, used the computer sparingly because it was looked down upon. It was boredom beyond belief.
Arriving at the Toronto airport was not as terrifying as we had been told, it was strange and shocking coming to a different country.Anyway that has nothing with the story. We only could stay for 2 days and 1 night, because my eldest sister-in-law Nishat wanted to take her house in Ottawa. It was the afternoon of the next day when she came over in her car, to whisk us away to Ottawa. The road trip to Ottawa was deathly silent. My brother-in-law Azhar had a very grim face. Some years back he had sent an e-mail saying that his mother-in-law was not welcome in his house, one of the reasons is because he spent years looking after his aged mother who had died only recently. He was fairly upset with his mother-in-law staying with him and was feeling worse when we came. He was not the least pleased.
Nishat was the only talking actually behaving like a tourist guide for my wife. The road trip was very boring and I did not know that how horrible things would be when I would be when staying in Ottawa.
We were dropped off at Tarik, my brother-in-law's house, because my mother-in-law was there. I entered the house and went in with my shoes and met her. Instead of Tarik of being welcoming and gracious, blew up in a fit of rage when was inside with my shoes on. I was taken aback, but said nothing. I talked with my mother-in-law, Nishat tells me to take my shoes off. All the years they have been at my place, I never said anything to them, I took off shoes . That did not change the fact that Tarik had nothing talk about with me. I stayed the day there and the evening at night he drove his mother back Nishat's house and stayed with no footwear in her house. There were separate slippers for the bathroom and toilet, they could not be brought out and put on different slippers when entering the room.
Azhar was not on speaking terms with me. Just went about grumbling or staying as far from as he could. What was supposed to be a fun trip slowly became the worse form of drudgery. I went to another sister of my wife her husband has no grudges but has trouble staying awake and nods off every once in a while. It was amazing that he can stay away on his drive to Toronto and back to Ottawa. So it was just miserable there as it was in Nishat's again the no shoes rule applied there.
Nishat was the first one to come to Canada way back in 1966. Her three brothers all came in the 1980s. All had stayed with Nishat, because there was no other place to live, she taught them the rules of staying in Canada rather in Nishat's house. Everyone else adopted rules for their homes. Only when I visited my cousins there was a level of sanity there was no 'no footwear inside' rule.
Nishat behind all her smiles was a mean control freak. One of her brothers married a white Chritian Canadian, who refused to convert to Islam. Nishar refuses to see him and his wife and if they show up at her place, she hides somewhere and flatly tells them to leave. On this matter however Tarik and Musrat disagree and welcomed them.
Tarik was interested in a similar woman, Nishat managed to sabotage that in a very cunning manner. Nishat's policy was not live and let live, it was live and let die. She conspired to have him get married to a woman in Lahore. As they years worn Tarik and his wife became religious fanatics, something which perfectly well in Nishat's plans. Tarik's children indoctrinated in religion.
As it is said 'the best way to know people, is to live with them for a few days' and I did that. I spent two months in absolute boredom. It does not matter what they did, what matters is how they went about doing things. the spirit with which they did it.
It was not done with genuine enthusiasm, tney did it as a matter of routine, nothing else in very boring and stupid style.
Coming back to Nishat, she refused to let her daughter Saika marry just anyone. Made it a point to get her married to a Muslim person at all costs. Blackmailing Saika, by saying that she would stop being her mother if she marries anyone other than whom she has decided. It is evident that Nishat is completely insane.
Watching tv in any of the homes was out of the question. Tarik only watched sports and locked all the other channels because they were unIslamic. In Musrat's house most of the channels were locked only a handful very boring ones were on. In Nishat's house there was very old TV set where most of the channels were also locked up. So no talking, no TV, used the computer sparingly because it was looked down upon. It was boredom beyond belief.
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