I am not very good in history. In fact, I felt bored during my history class. Needless to say, I will not be sharing about the history of India or Pakistan nor make squabbles between these two countries but I would like to share about my experience with an Indian and a Pakistani.
In the book of Scott Peck, “The Road Less Travelled,” he mentioned about stereotyping which is a normal phenomenon being practiced or abused by many people. In Dubai, Indians and Pakistanis are stereotyped to be the kind of people who seemingly are not appealing to deal with or work with. When I had a chance to work for few weeks in an educational firm, the Indian owner just blurted out his disgust saying that people of his race apparently have problem with their attitude and he reminded all the Indians present to be very cautious about it. On the other hand, Pakistanis are known to be equally notorious in terms of the way they relate with people. Thus, when people hear the "magic word" Indian or Pakistani, they have a negative stereotyping about them, thus, people think and feel not good about these people.
The first time I met Khadri Ansar who visited the flat of my friend Lolong to share in the space where I stayed, he remarked by saying, “Why are you accepting Indians?” I replied by saying, “Why not?” It was an honest remark from him but at the same time I thought it was quite "demeaning." However, I thought that this Khadri seems to be a respectful man after that short interaction. After few days, another person came to the place by the name of Yasir Umair, a Pakistani dude who appears to be confident and friendly at the same time. Why? When he was invited to join us for dinner he was so comfortable sharing the food with us. Aha! He just ate as if he was with us for a month. When I tried to banter with him, he just reacted positively. Hehehe!
As days passed by, I got to know more these Indian and Pakistani dudes. Khadri is one of the best Indian dudes I have ever met. He shared a lot of things about history, culture, computers, science, geography, religion, God, and especially about this “clairvoyant” Erica Hogg. Hehehehe! You will gain a lot of information from him being a computer geek. More than being a knowledgeable person, he has a very loving heart to people around him most especially his family. He would do everything to be of help to them. Just like Filipinos, he would usually send part of his hard work to his parents in India despite the fact that he has his own family. He even helped his younger brother to come to Dubai to explore for a greener pasture. As a friend, he is very generous, caring, humorous, and loving. He is not only interested about information he can get from the internet but he will also show his interest about you as a person. He would make you feel happy by cracking jokes and when he laughs, you would see Burj Khalifa coming out from his tonsils. hehehe! Peace dude!:) Most of all, I will never forget the time he showed his being sensitive and caring as a person which is quite difficult for many people to display. When I was about to leave Dubai, he called me up just to sing his favorite song, “Ebony and Ivory” in his crazy and whacko way.
When I got to know another friend by the name of Yasir Umair, I was clueless on what to expect since it’s my first time to meet a Pakistani. After hearing grotty comments about Pakistanis, I couldn’t help but think of him in the same way. However, this cool dude proved me wrong. Yasir is the type of person who is willing to give his trust and confidence to people. Even though he has some issues about it, he is ready to make friends because he values good friendship a lot. He is always full of zest and energy to go extra mile to create and share a happy and friendly environment. At a very young age, he was brave enough to realize his plans and prove himself that he can do things on his own. I admire him for taking the courage to think that way and hopefully he would achieve his personal plans in God’s time. One thing I admire most from this cool dude is his way of coping with problems. He would do it by connecting with nature like walking on a beach and from there he is able to find serenity and enlightenment. Most especially, he would make you feel important by magnanimously sharing his time, effort, and resources the best way he can. In fact, he accompanied me the whole day going to the school where I applied until my last minute in the airport. I felt the sincerity and kindness of the person. For many people I have met in my life, Yasir is one loving dude who is not shy to express his thoughts and feelings to a friend. For that, he is surely loved by many.
During my last day in Dubai, Khadri, Yasir, and my bestfriend Lolong toured me around. We had our best pictures at Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa. We had a lot of fun roaming around these beautiful places. It was indeed my happiest day in the Arab country.
I have learned a lot of great things from Khadri and Yasir. One of the most important learnings is to STOP STEREOTYPING PEOPLE! Whether we are an Indian, Pakistani, or even Filipino, we have to remember that we have our own flaws, limitations, goodness, and kindness. What is important is to make the most of the time given to us by God to be with people regardless of their race, culture, creed, or personal history.
For me, Khadri and Yasir have exemplified goodness, genuineness, and kindness as a person. They have made their race very proud being an Indian and a Pakistani!
Mabuhay kayo Khadri and Yasir!
In the book of Scott Peck, “The Road Less Travelled,” he mentioned about stereotyping which is a normal phenomenon being practiced or abused by many people. In Dubai, Indians and Pakistanis are stereotyped to be the kind of people who seemingly are not appealing to deal with or work with. When I had a chance to work for few weeks in an educational firm, the Indian owner just blurted out his disgust saying that people of his race apparently have problem with their attitude and he reminded all the Indians present to be very cautious about it. On the other hand, Pakistanis are known to be equally notorious in terms of the way they relate with people. Thus, when people hear the "magic word" Indian or Pakistani, they have a negative stereotyping about them, thus, people think and feel not good about these people.
The first time I met Khadri Ansar who visited the flat of my friend Lolong to share in the space where I stayed, he remarked by saying, “Why are you accepting Indians?” I replied by saying, “Why not?” It was an honest remark from him but at the same time I thought it was quite "demeaning." However, I thought that this Khadri seems to be a respectful man after that short interaction. After few days, another person came to the place by the name of Yasir Umair, a Pakistani dude who appears to be confident and friendly at the same time. Why? When he was invited to join us for dinner he was so comfortable sharing the food with us. Aha! He just ate as if he was with us for a month. When I tried to banter with him, he just reacted positively. Hehehe!
As days passed by, I got to know more these Indian and Pakistani dudes. Khadri is one of the best Indian dudes I have ever met. He shared a lot of things about history, culture, computers, science, geography, religion, God, and especially about this “clairvoyant” Erica Hogg. Hehehehe! You will gain a lot of information from him being a computer geek. More than being a knowledgeable person, he has a very loving heart to people around him most especially his family. He would do everything to be of help to them. Just like Filipinos, he would usually send part of his hard work to his parents in India despite the fact that he has his own family. He even helped his younger brother to come to Dubai to explore for a greener pasture. As a friend, he is very generous, caring, humorous, and loving. He is not only interested about information he can get from the internet but he will also show his interest about you as a person. He would make you feel happy by cracking jokes and when he laughs, you would see Burj Khalifa coming out from his tonsils. hehehe! Peace dude!:) Most of all, I will never forget the time he showed his being sensitive and caring as a person which is quite difficult for many people to display. When I was about to leave Dubai, he called me up just to sing his favorite song, “Ebony and Ivory” in his crazy and whacko way.
When I got to know another friend by the name of Yasir Umair, I was clueless on what to expect since it’s my first time to meet a Pakistani. After hearing grotty comments about Pakistanis, I couldn’t help but think of him in the same way. However, this cool dude proved me wrong. Yasir is the type of person who is willing to give his trust and confidence to people. Even though he has some issues about it, he is ready to make friends because he values good friendship a lot. He is always full of zest and energy to go extra mile to create and share a happy and friendly environment. At a very young age, he was brave enough to realize his plans and prove himself that he can do things on his own. I admire him for taking the courage to think that way and hopefully he would achieve his personal plans in God’s time. One thing I admire most from this cool dude is his way of coping with problems. He would do it by connecting with nature like walking on a beach and from there he is able to find serenity and enlightenment. Most especially, he would make you feel important by magnanimously sharing his time, effort, and resources the best way he can. In fact, he accompanied me the whole day going to the school where I applied until my last minute in the airport. I felt the sincerity and kindness of the person. For many people I have met in my life, Yasir is one loving dude who is not shy to express his thoughts and feelings to a friend. For that, he is surely loved by many.
During my last day in Dubai, Khadri, Yasir, and my bestfriend Lolong toured me around. We had our best pictures at Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa. We had a lot of fun roaming around these beautiful places. It was indeed my happiest day in the Arab country.
I have learned a lot of great things from Khadri and Yasir. One of the most important learnings is to STOP STEREOTYPING PEOPLE! Whether we are an Indian, Pakistani, or even Filipino, we have to remember that we have our own flaws, limitations, goodness, and kindness. What is important is to make the most of the time given to us by God to be with people regardless of their race, culture, creed, or personal history.
For me, Khadri and Yasir have exemplified goodness, genuineness, and kindness as a person. They have made their race very proud being an Indian and a Pakistani!
Mabuhay kayo Khadri and Yasir!
India and Pakistan played against each other for the semis of Crickets World Cup. For me, both of them are winners because more than the game, it's the goodness of the people of these two countries which are more important:) Congratulations to India and Pakistan for reaching the semi-finals:)
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