Meeting Habib

Today we planned to meet with Zaooul, the old man from Wazirstan, I was excited to meet him, and chat with him, he sounded interesting, when I first saw him in Fa6oom’s film, a Character (شخصية).
However, at 9:00 AM fa6oom called me and said she have called him many times but his phone was switched off =(

So, we had to move to another Character,,
The options I had was Habib , Sayyed Kareem , & Sajed ...
I called Habib, the taxi driver, Dr. Nezar told us about. Habib immediately agreed, so I told him we’ll meet you after 30 minutes, and we did!

Me, Fa600m and her mother went together to his place, we called habib and Fa6oom’s driver talked to him (in Urdu!) as Habib explained the way to his place. After spinning in the car for 10 minutes looking for Habib place, surprisingly, we discovered that he’s also in Madinta Zayed, just behind my house (5 minutes walking).
Habib recognized us first, and shouted: “Sallam Allikum, Nezar mafi yeji?!”

He took us to the building, it was old and the parking areas around it were filled with taxi’s.
As we entered the elevator, Habib said: “It’s an old building, & some days the elevator works, and some days, it doesn’t!”


The Living Room
10:30 AM
Room No. 180
The door was slightly opened. Habib entered first, and as we did, the guys stood up, there were 5 of them, I think. It was the living room they’re sitting in, its size was ¾ the size of our classroom (Y-222). As you enter the living room, you’ll see 3 large windows on the wall that allows enough sun access for a good room lighting. Yet, they covered the windows in the room with bed covers (شراشف), and switched on the lamp! (I wonder why?!)
In the corner, you’ll see a small TV, setting on a wooden desk. And in the opposite corner, there’s another TV, setting on the floor, and a pair of shoes is setting above it.
The walls are pale and beige. Newspapers scrappers & photos are hanged on them, children photos mostly. And guess whose poster is hanged their?!
Nasrallah! Hezbollah leader…

Habib’s Bedroom
As I entered the apartment, Habib took his shoes off, so I did.
Habib led us to his room: “T3aal min hina” he said. As I followed him, with my bare feet, I felt the rug…the rug was a little wet…I wished I didn’t took off my shoes…but later I forget about it.
Habib’s room is actually a shared room…he shares it with 3 friends…for 600 Dhs. a month…and in good times for 500…
The room has one AC with no cover, and two beds (each has two levels, one sleeps up, and the other under him)…
The first thing I noticed in Habib bed is the photo albums above the pillow…
Habib opened the album, and started showing us the photos and talking about them:
“See...see the ice…it’s all over Parichinar…everywhere”
“See the mountain…it’s soo high *** foot”
“When it rains, the fruits, oranges, apples grow everywhere, and you can eat whatever you want, no ‘Baladiyah’...no problem…fruits for everyone”
In one photo, I saw a young guy, holding a video camera, I asked Habib: “who is he?!”
He laughed and pointed at a guy leaning in the door: “It’s him; he bought the camera from here”.
So, I asked the guy, if he has the film right now?!
He smiled saying “I left it in Pakistan”…but he took his mobile from his pocket, and showed us a clip: Him, and other guys, sitting in the same location of the photos, playing, joking, and having fun…The location was so beautiful, mountains behind them, and flowers around them…A heaven on earth!
If it was me, I would never leave this place…but who am I to speak…

As we left the room, Fa6oom’s mother asked them to show us the bathrooms, and they did…The first bathroom (الله يكرمكم)was ‘Western’, it has an antique green washing machine, and a Panio, that had some cloths in it…& the second bath room was 'Arabic' style!... & the smell of was not very nice…


The Kitchen
Then we went back to the living room and sat with the men, Fa6oom started talking to them and filming…I brought my camera-that I left earlier in the living room-…and went alone to the kitchen…the kitchen was dusty…and unclean…
I wanted to enter, but I saw two roaches running around…& I was bare foot…I wanted to go back but I saw a male Sandal in the corner…I wore it & entered…
The kitchen didn’t smell like a kitchen…It smelled like the other rooms, it smelled wet…it has two fridges…I opened them...the first fridge had one opened Rainbow Tea Milk, & one opened ‘Lona’ bean can…The other fridge, had some rapped leftovers, water filled in a pespi bottle, and ice cubes…As I was checking the fridge, one of guy entered the kitchen and saw me filming his fridge…he smiled, looked at the ground and went back to the living room…
It was Embarrassing…it was disrespectful of me, to open their fridge, cause fridges are private places, just as closets are …
Then I thought…if a stranger guest came into our house & opened our fridge…what I would think! I've crossed the limits..shame on me…


Back to the living room
After filming the kitchen…I went to back…Fa6oom was talking and filming…I start filming too, from another angle…
We asked them to play some Pashtun music, and they did!
One played a music tone from his mobile...the pashtun music is different than the music of South Asia, a little bit similar to Punjabi music, but you can tell the different...
Then, they brought a cassete for a Pashtun female singer from Parichinar, she looked pretty in the cover of the Album, they said she's famous & they like her, her voice was nice too...
I asked: "Is it ok for pashto women to sing?!!"
Habib: "Yes it is, Parichinar people are sociable, they like to sing, they're not like others, Waziri, and others, they don't allow women to sing, but with us it's ok, we're sociable you know"

We asked them soo many questions, personal questions, silly questions, serious questions…I forgot half of them…
I'll write the one’s I remember right now, (now : is 4:20 PM & I still didn’t eat lunch)
We asked them about their life in general:
They’re all Shiaa from Parichinar, all working in AD, all married except for one who came 1 week ago…
He’s the youngest, 18 or19 I think, Habib said that he couldn’t afford completing his study, so he came here, to work…to drive…
Another young guy, was a newly wed…Habib said that his wife always calls him and cries...the guy blushed and smiled…‘how romantic’ ^_^ The newly wed was in early 20s, he came 4 months ago, leaving his bride with his parents…He’s shy…he didn’t talk a lot…perhaps cause he didn’t learn enough Arabic yet…I asked him:
-“you like it here, or in Pakistan?!”
-“Pakistan” he replied smiling…
That was silly…I knew the answer…but I wanted to create a conversation & that stupid question came up :/

Then there was the OCD hair…a guy who's so obsessed with his hair…he was constantly combing it with his fingers…taking it back to the back...to the sides...& then back....& then sides...continuely, since we came…
but I understand …with a black shiny silky hair like his…I would’ve done the same thing…
He also looked like Bashar Al-Qaisi (The Iraqi singer from Star Academy season 2)…
I told him that…
-“your face look like an Arab singer” I said…
they all laughed, he laughed too, and I think felt embarrassed :D


Then there’s the quiet electrical engineer…He looks like Detective Conan…He works in Spectrum Company...
I asked him what did he study, he said B.S. in Engineering…
(A pashtun with a degree…what he’s doing here?...living in an apartment like this…he could have better chances in his home country…or doesn’t he!?) I thought...!
I asked him:
-“Aren’t their any jobs in Parichinar?!”
-“Yes!...but the salaries here are better”
Fa6oom then told him: “You must be earning the highest salary among them all…Aren’t you?!”…They laughed…he smiled...
Then she asked:
-“How much do you make Khan?!”
-“5000 Dhs” he replied, smiled and looked away…
He was quite and mysterious, I can tell that he know more than all the others does, but he just listened, and only answered when we directed the question to him…

And while the engineer was laying at the door as I was talking to him…suddenly…the door behind him opened…and a sleepy man appeared…scratching his head
We all laughed…He had no clue… the look in his face said: “Who the hell are you?!”…He looked funny…& he is funny…

Then there’s the smiley…he’s was always smiling…he’s a taxi driver too…

And there’s the Frowny…he didn’t smile since we came…not even once…his features was the sharpest..he was the tallest…the darkest…& I didn’t like him…

Then there’s Habib himself…he’s between late 30’s to mid 40’s, married with 1 boy (or is it two girls?!), & a Taxi Driver…

Those were the personal questions, however, we asked serious quetsions also:
I asked Habib: "Why you're hanging Hezbollah posters?"
-"I like Hezbollah, Hezbollah are strong, and fair, they're not doing anything wrong, they're defending they're country, all together, no difference between Sunna, Shiaa, or even Christians..."

And when we asked about Taliban:
Habib said: "No, I don't like what Taliban do, it's unjust, & i don't love unjust...why if there's an issue between me and you, keep it between me and you, don't bomb yourself and kill others...what's their fault!"

And that what I could remember, without watching the video !
I'll watch the video, & if i missed an important thing, I'll write it in the next blog...

The Others
Those are the ‘Others’ I grow up watching everyday…
Different names…yet I called them all with one name… ‘Pattanis’…
Different faces...yet to me, they looked the same…gave the same impression… same same…
Not anymore…Now I can tell the difference…
That is Pakistani…and that’s Pashtun…that’s from Parichinar…& the other is Waziri… mafi same same!
Different names…Different faces…Different impressions…