{"id":3931,"date":"2012-08-27T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/?p=3931"},"modified":"2024-06-19T07:25:23","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T11:25:23","slug":"a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/","title":{"rendered":"A Week-In-The-Life of Sohaib: Returning to Karachi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sohaib is from Pakistan but grew up in Canada and the Middle East, and has traveled the world extensively. He recently returned to Karachi for a seminar (something his parents had to cajole him into), but it turned out to be a very memorable experience. Please enjoy this week-in-the-life of Sohaib as he has some unexpected experiences rediscovering his homeland. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post was originally published in 2012. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. <\/em>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou really need to go explore where you\u2019re really from!\u201d my mom explained as my heart sunk while I talked to her on the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine here, I\u2019ll do an online course or something\u201d I replied out of desperation, knowing it was a lost argument. Besides, there was something deep inside me that was actually pushing me to go. It\u2019s like I wanted to go but didn\u2019t. \u201cThere are tons of courses or seminars I can go to, right here mom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut these are cheaper and you can meet your cousins you haven\u2019t seen them in years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long story short, I am a student and work as a part-time writer. I\u2019m basically from everywhere\u2014I am a third culture kid (TCK). A TCK is someone who has grown up somewhere other than their parent\u2019s home country. My parents are Pakistani, but I\u2019ve only been there two times, and that was over six years ago. I recently moved to England from Canada, and live in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the winter of 2010, I went to Karachi, a seaport in the southwest of Pakistan. I was signed up for a seminar on website design and management. Before I left, I watched endless documentaries about Karachi, trying to understand what I was getting into\u2014was it going to be fun? Was it going to be dangerous? What do I eat? I left those questions unanswered and packed my bags for a week in Karachi\u2026

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I landed, I was greeted at the Jinnah International Airport by my cousins. They were much different since the last time I saw them\u2014they looked older. Two boys and a girl; I didn\u2019t know them that well because I\u2019ve only ever seen them as a kid twice before. They told me right away that it won\u2019t be boring. I planned to stay at theirs for the whole week. I hardly spoke any Urdu, and they hardly spoke any English. So communication was an obvious problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was tired from a long flight and all I could think about was bed. We went to an area called Defence. It was apparently where all the rich folk lived. My jaw dropped when I saw their house. This wasn\u2019t what I was expecting\u2014three floors, two gardens, four cars, and a pool. It looked like a mansion. My mom had told me that their house was nice, but my god, nice wasn\u2019t enough. Before I could appreciate the guest room to the fullest, I passed out on the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Day 2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I woke up feeling starved. I made my way into the kitchen where I found my aunt. I related most to her because she was the one I knew the best. Breakfast was ready\u2014my cousins woke up earlier and ate already. I was surprised because I expected that traditionally, everyone would eat together in the morning. But I didn\u2019t mind it\u2014in fact, I preferred it. We had a traditional Punjabi and Lahori dish called halwa poori.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Breakfast<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I had a shower after finishing what I thought was the best breakfast ever, even though it felt like a heart attack. I stepped outside to catch a glimpse of the sun. I bumped into one of the chaukidaars. There were three of them, and they guarded the house at different times of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I realised that no one was ever safe in Karachi. I watched many documentaries about all the political violence that goes on. But that only made me more curious. I thought I\u2019d step outside and go to the local corner store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ended up walking for hours. I had a drink from an ice-cream van that passed by; nothing too different from England or Canada. It was funny, though, because the music had a Pakistani touch to it. I couldn\u2019t tell what the difference was but it amused me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I kept walking on and on, looking at odd parts of the neighbourhood. There was no sign of any parks. Instead, there were different sized portions of sand and rock where kids played football and cricket barefoot. I wanted to join in but my lack of Urdu speaking skills stopped me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t have a phone on me so I knew I should get back before people worried.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The third morning was the same\u2014breakfast with my aunt, talking about home and how everyone is. I wanted to grab my cousins and go play some cricket. They promised that the trip won\u2019t be boring but disappeared the day before, so they owed me. I found them and convinced them to get some exercise. My seminar wasn\u2019t until the next day, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Street<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

My cousins took me to another place instead of the one I saw the day before. I was keen on showing them how it\u2019s done. I was planning on knocking the ball all over the city. It wasn\u2019t until it was my turn to bat when I realized\u2026they were INSANE. These rascals were unbelievably talented. And they weren\u2019t trained in any academy or anything, they were just naturally good\u2014it was in their blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until this day when I really started to like Karachi and appreciate the culture. I was glad I came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We went for falooda afterwards, a South Asian dessert\/drink. I don\u2019t know how to describe it\u2014it\u2019s like ice cream with milk, ice, and jelly. Whatever it was, though, it tasted amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"falooda,<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I had a mini-bonding session with the \u2018cricket kids,\u2019 as I called them. They said that they played day and night since they could remember. Cricket was second nature for them. I really started getting more comfortable with my Urdu at this point. I was excited for the next day. The seminar tomorrow was in English, though.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 4<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The goal of my trip now was to make the most of my time in Karachi. My flight back was in three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got dressed and my aunt had a wrap ready-to-go. She told me that a driver is waiting outside. I got into the one of their four cars parked in the parking lot. The chaukidaars slept in a shed right beside where all the cars were parked. They also knew how to drive, so one of them drove me to the seminar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started eating the wrap and it was spicier than anything I\u2019ve had before. The last thing I needed was a throat screaming for water early in the morning. I asked the chaukidaar if we could stop to get a drink. He warned me that we would be late, but stopped anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My cousin was telling me earlier that the chaukidaars were meant to obey everything you said\u2014no matter what the case is. I felt pretty spoiled, but I\u2019ve never had anything like a chaukidaar before, so I went with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bought a mango lassi\u2014I\u2019ve had this before because it\u2019s so famous outside of Pakistan, too. It\u2019s like mango-flavoured yogurt and water. I got one for the chaukidaar as well.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"mango<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

After the fire in my mouth was cooled down, I realized how late we were getting and told the chaukidaar to step on it. He insisted to stay in the parking lot waiting for me while I was gone, but I told him to go. Who would actually make someone wait that long? Apparently, though, people do it every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing as I was 15 minutes late, I prepared myself for an embarrassing walk into the room. To my surprise, though, I was one of the few people there. Apparently everyone was late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I met Oscar while we waited for the rest. Oscar worked as a salesman in Karachi and came to the seminar to learn some advanced website design techniques for a personal project. He told me how being late was normal here\u2014in fact, more people are late than on time. So in reality, we were early, but on time. Which didn\u2019t make sense to me\u2014but again, nothing about Pakistani culture made sense to me, which was why it was so fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seminar flew by and the chaukidaar was outside waiting for me. I wondered if he ever went home, but I couldn\u2019t be bothered to ask him. I was really tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I left, I got Oscar\u2019s number and he promised to take me around Karachi showing me cool stuff. I thought I\u2019d call him up the next day.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was Saturday and my aunt planned to visit some family friends that day. I thought I would go along and see another house in Karachi\u2014I mean, they all can\u2019t be mansions, can they? We got ready and left after noon to have lunch and hang out. Six of us jammed into a five-seater car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the uncomfortable drive, I asked my cousins if this is normal. They said yeah. They told me that the police are easily bribed here, as well. So if you\u2019re breaking any laws, just pay them 200 rupees or so and you\u2019ll be off. 200 rupees is only two dollars! I noticed how families fit onto motorcycles in Karachi as well. Safety, apparently, is not a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We got there and we were greeted with drinks and snacks. Everything seemed to revolve around snacking in Karachi. They talked more and I observed. The house was much smaller than my cousins\u2019. This one was more medium sized like my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing special happened that day\u2014we just played some cards and watched a bit of T.V. The day seemed wasted to me, so I looked forward to Sunday.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My last full day in Karachi and I wanted to make the most of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I woke up early and excited and went outside. I talked with a chaukidaar. He told me how he worked here and sent the money he made back to his Gaon. Gaons were farm lands where a lot of the lower-class lived. I really wanted to visit one but they were hours away and I didn\u2019t have the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oscar picked me up and we drove for a good 40 minutes across the city. I saw the real areas of town now\u2014the one\u2019s I saw in pictures and documentaries. Cows walking on the road, sheep scattered around fruit markets. It was amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We went to Saddar Bazar, meaning \u2018Main Bazaar.\u2019 You could find anything and everything here for less than half the price compared to London. I bought souvenirs to take back home. I also bought a lot of electronics that were surprisingly cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Saddar<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The sun was going down so Oscar suggested we get a quick glimpse of Quaid-e-Azam ki mazar, meaning Muhammad Ali Jinnah\u2019s tomb. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan, and the mazar was an iconic part of the city. Oscar said that it was a typical tourist spot, and I didn\u2019t go to too many in the Karachi trip.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Muhammad<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The sun was completely down at this point and I felt like I\u2019d seen the whole city. Experiencing the lower-middle class side of Karachi was exciting. I ended up wishing that my week was two weeks. Maybe even a month.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 7<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My flight was in the afternoon so I got up early and started to pack. Just before leaving, my aunt insisted that I try some paan. I had been avoiding it the whole trip, but there was no other option, now. Bought exclusively from street vendors, paan is prepared in betel leaf and chewed until you spit the end out.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"paan<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The one I had was a meetha paan, meaning \u2018sweet paan,\u2019 which had coconut, fruit, and gulquand in the betel leaf. I didn\u2019t know this at the time, but I searched it up later on. It tasted weird; nothing that I would have again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ended up getting some McDonalds just beside Jinnah Airport. Why not end a cultural trip with some good old American cuisine? I said my goodbyes and headed to the check-in. It was a good last few days. What I thought would be a boring, dangerous trip turned into an experience I would love to have again.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sohaib is settling into life in London now, and is about to visit Holland. He writes for Hotel Club, reviewing the best of London  and Manchester hotels. When he isn’t around and about, you’ll find him pushing the limits on his bike or stuffing his face with his food obsession.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here is a week-in-the-life of Sohaib returning to Karachi to attend a conference and visit long-lost family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-week-in-the-life-series","resize-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is it like to Return to Pakistan After Living Abroad?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here's a week-in-the-life of returning to Karachi for a conference & to see long-lost family.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is it like to Return to Pakistan After Living Abroad?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here's a week-in-the-life of returning to Karachi for a conference & to see long-lost family.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Professional Hobo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheProfessionalHobo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheProfessionalHobo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-08-27T13:00:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-19T11:25:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/BIO.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"107\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"131\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nora\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@hobonora\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@hobonora\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nora\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nora\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3612a97b585d5fe7ee0d08ec78f05232\"},\"headline\":\"A Week-In-The-Life of Sohaib: Returning to Karachi\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-27T13:00:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-19T11:25:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2200,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/08\\\/BIO.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Week-In-The-Life Series\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is it like to Return to Pakistan After Living Abroad?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/08\\\/BIO.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-27T13:00:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-19T11:25:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here's a week-in-the-life of returning to Karachi for a conference & to see long-lost family.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/08\\\/BIO.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2012\\\/08\\\/BIO.jpg\",\"width\":107,\"height\":131,\"caption\":\"Sohaib\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Week-In-The-Life of Sohaib: Returning to Karachi\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Professional Hobo\",\"description\":\"Traveling full-time in a financially sustainable way\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Professional Hobo\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/Hobo-Lady-Avatar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/Hobo-Lady-Avatar.jpg\",\"width\":250,\"height\":250,\"caption\":\"The Professional Hobo\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/TheProfessionalHobo\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/hobonora\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/theprofessionalhobo\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/youtube.com\\\/norablueskies\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3612a97b585d5fe7ee0d08ec78f05232\",\"name\":\"Nora\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5eb6f0fc0b90a6b5c305e6bee8d8dd5126edc7b6ee125c72785ef2782ea20207?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5eb6f0fc0b90a6b5c305e6bee8d8dd5126edc7b6ee125c72785ef2782ea20207?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5eb6f0fc0b90a6b5c305e6bee8d8dd5126edc7b6ee125c72785ef2782ea20207?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nora\"},\"description\":\"About the Author: As a former CFP (Certified Financial Planner), Nora Dunn has been a digital nomad since 2006. She is an expert in remote work, long-term travel, financially sustainable lifestyle travel, and much more. She is a celebrated author, speaker, writer, coach, and YouTuber.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/TheProfessionalHobo\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/theprofessionalhobo\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/hobonora\",\"https:\\\/\\\/youtube.com\\\/norablueskies\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\\\/author\\\/theprofessionalhobo\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is it like to Return to Pakistan After Living Abroad?","description":"Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here's a week-in-the-life of returning to Karachi for a conference & to see long-lost family.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is it like to Return to Pakistan After Living Abroad?","og_description":"Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here's a week-in-the-life of returning to Karachi for a conference & to see long-lost family.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/","og_site_name":"The Professional Hobo","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheProfessionalHobo","article_author":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheProfessionalHobo","article_published_time":"2012-08-27T13:00:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-19T11:25:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":107,"height":131,"url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/BIO.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nora","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@hobonora","twitter_site":"@hobonora","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nora","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/"},"author":{"name":"Nora","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3612a97b585d5fe7ee0d08ec78f05232"},"headline":"A Week-In-The-Life of Sohaib: Returning to Karachi","datePublished":"2012-08-27T13:00:08+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-19T11:25:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/"},"wordCount":2200,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/BIO.jpg","articleSection":["Week-In-The-Life Series"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/","name":"What is it like to Return to Pakistan After Living Abroad?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/BIO.jpg","datePublished":"2012-08-27T13:00:08+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-19T11:25:23+00:00","description":"Sohaib was born in Pakistan but grew up abroad. Here's a week-in-the-life of returning to Karachi for a conference & to see long-lost family.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/BIO.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/BIO.jpg","width":107,"height":131,"caption":"Sohaib"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/a-week-in-the-life-of-sohaib-returning-to-karachi\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Week-In-The-Life of Sohaib: Returning to Karachi"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/","name":"The Professional Hobo","description":"Traveling full-time in a financially sustainable way","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#organization","name":"The Professional Hobo","url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Hobo-Lady-Avatar.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Hobo-Lady-Avatar.jpg","width":250,"height":250,"caption":"The Professional Hobo"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheProfessionalHobo","https:\/\/x.com\/hobonora","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/theprofessionalhobo\/","https:\/\/youtube.com\/norablueskies"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3612a97b585d5fe7ee0d08ec78f05232","name":"Nora","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5eb6f0fc0b90a6b5c305e6bee8d8dd5126edc7b6ee125c72785ef2782ea20207?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5eb6f0fc0b90a6b5c305e6bee8d8dd5126edc7b6ee125c72785ef2782ea20207?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5eb6f0fc0b90a6b5c305e6bee8d8dd5126edc7b6ee125c72785ef2782ea20207?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Nora"},"description":"About the Author: As a former CFP (Certified Financial Planner), Nora Dunn has been a digital nomad since 2006. She is an expert in remote work, long-term travel, financially sustainable lifestyle travel, and much more. She is a celebrated author, speaker, writer, coach, and YouTuber.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com","https:\/\/facebook.com\/TheProfessionalHobo","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/theprofessionalhobo\/","https:\/\/x.com\/hobonora","https:\/\/youtube.com\/norablueskies"],"url":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/author\/theprofessionalhobo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}