February 2018
“Upon returning to Pakistan a second time I was more prepared then before. I felt more mentally on top of my game. I was not merely a young American woman coming to visit this time. I was a woman on a mission. My mission was to utilize my time as effectively as possible. To spend every moment with the children and young women at the center the best that I could. To see different historical and famous sites in case I would never come back again. I accomplished, with Sister Zeph’s help everything that I and us together set out to do”
A famous and ancient fort located in the heart of Lahore
“Though the site of the Lahore Fort has been inhabited for millennia,[2] the first record of a fortified structure at the site was in regard to an 11th-century mud-brick fort.[2] The foundations of the modern Lahore Fort date to 1566 during the reign of Emperor Akbar, who bestowed the fort with a syncretic architectural style that featured both Islamic and Hindu motifs.[2] Additions from the Shah Jahan period are characterized by luxurious marble with inlaid Persian floral designs,[2] while the fort’s grand and iconic Alamgiri Gate was constructed by the last of the great Mughal Emperors, Aurangzeb, and faces the renowned Badshahi Mosque.”
“I had no idea that this was going to happen. At Shahi Qila there happened to be these costumes that they would dress you up in to feel like ancient South Asian royalty. I just had to pay 500 RS which is equivalent to $5. I had so much fun dressing up and pretending that day that I was back in time.”
“During my time in Pakistan, on both trips, I enjoyed and was almost obsessed with going to Bazzars. Of course they also have regular shopping there as well in very nice malls (I went to a mall called Packages mall and it was mind blowing) I preferred the Bazzars because you get beautiful traditional things there for really good prices.”
“While visiting the Bazaars in Lahore with Sister Zeph we encountered the rampant problem of not only street beggars but beggar children as well. Sister Zeph explains in the video why it is not good to keep giving them money.”
“We couldn’t go directly to Sister Zeph’s village in Gujranwala due to security reasons so we visited Murree again. On the way to Murree we stopped and visited Sister Zephs mother and Sister to drop off my luggage and then on the way back we stopped in Islamabad”
The pictures below: Dropping off extra luggage with Sister Zeph’s mother and sister before visiting Murree and Islamabad
“We drove up to Murree but we couldn’t stay due to heavy snowfall and the possibility of there being more”
“I had to visit the famous Faisal Mosque in Islamabad during my second visit”
King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia both suggested (in 1966) and largely funded the Faisal Mosque, which is named in his honor.
Ever since its conception, the mosque has been regarded as the national mosque of Pakistan, and as such it symbolizes the hopes and aspirations of the new nation.
The architect was Vedat Dalokay of Turkey, whose design was chosen in 1969 after an international competition. Constructed was completed in 1986.
references: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/pakistan/islamabad-faisal-mosque
These colorful trucks are seen everywhere in Pakistan
“I put this video together below of different clips of my trip in honor of International Women’s Day but it conveys very clearly the beauty and love that was woven in the fabric of my trip”
“After coming back from Islamabad and Murree we finally visited the center and stayed with the students for some time”
“I gave hugs to as many children as I could during my visits to the center”
“I gave a speech to the girls at the center (most already knew me) to let them know how excited I was to be back and to reconnect with them”
“Traveling in Pakistan, especially as a young American woman, can be quite the experience. I discuss how it is to now only travel as a young American woman but how it is to drive as a women in rural areas of Pakistan”
Click the button below to see part two of my second trip to Pakistan