Sunday, March 15, 2009

My friends are few and spaced between


A choraha is a meeting or gathering place in small villages in countries like Pakistan. It's usually an informal setting: a couple of chairs, maybe some straw beds to lounge in, and a smoking pipe accompanied with some snacks. Mostly the town elders or the household men gather in these chorahas every evening or so and discuss events, the latest news, and any social matter. Back in Miami, my friends and I used to have our own chorahas here or there, now that we're all separated and miles apart, I've decided to make this blog as a way of keeping that choraha alive. So grab a chair and take part in our Amreeki Choraha - American Choraha.

First and foremost is India. I made friends with India in 2007. India speaks fluent French and I'm exposed to it everytime I log onto facebook (seriously, India, you can write some posts in English too!) We solidified our friendship in Morocco on a journey we were sent on to learn Arabic…pfftt learn Arabic. India has a certain coolness about her and no matter what is troubling you, she’s there to listen and help you with your stupid problems and ideas. She is the only friend who has joined me in “The Married Club” and we’re living two time zones apart now! India moved to Los Angeles.

Jameelah is my first university friend who I met circa second week of freshman year. She is a strong-minded, silent but deadly type. She keeps quiet and can kill you and your weak opinions with one strike of her confident and thorough answers. Her on-campus apartment was the scene of many-a-sheesha’d discussions. She is very hospitable and very hard to reach through a phone. (Dude, why do you have a cell phone if you don’t pick it up?!) She makes a mean lasagna, though. Jameelah is currently in the northeast.

I met Carlos sophomore year. Carlos is the friend every girl (every cool girl) needs. He’s a party all by himself; set up a couple of chairs, some ginger ale, a sandwich, and the Frenchest dessert and you lack nothing if you have Carlos there. He is a walking culinary encyclopedia and will give you the era by era history of the cheese you just ate and why it’s not posh enough. (oh Carlos, how I miss thee). Carlos stayed back in Miami. Although Carlos was a great friend during my years that I knew him, our friendship couldn't stand the test of time. I wish you well wherever you are Carlos, and I hope one day in the future we can pick up where we left off.

India is my co-author on this blog and on Amreeki World Adventures. Prior to my figuring out how to add another author on blogger, India posted from my account which is why all the first 88 posts show only Baji as the author. Anyways now India is an official co-author and she will be posting as Zarga.

As for Jameelah and Carlos, well, Jameelah is a hermit and hates "putting herself out there" so I just force things out of her: like the banana bread recipe! And Carlos wrote a couple of posts in the first few months such as the Desi Party he went to and Hairstyles in Miami.

Oh and me. Well I'll be known to you all as Baji. What's a Baji, you ask? Well a Baji is a big sister, usually younger siblings will refer to the elder sisters as Baji and even strangers will refer to older women as Baji (I'm not old, I swear.) So you guessed it, I have younger siblings (both beautiful young ladies, Mash'Allah) who call me Baji and to add more pudding to the pie that is my life, ALL OF MY DAD'S FRIENDS call me Baji. (sigh) I don't know why they do, but till this day I have men in their 40s and 50s (well only men that are my dad's friends) call me Baji. So ta-da! Also, I'm married to a wonderful man (Alhumdulillah) and apparently now he, too, has a blog (what's next? my grandmother in Karachi starting a blog, too?) Anyways, in real life I call my husband Poops, so it's only natural I use Poops when writing about him. Poops and I live in/near Chicago.

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