DIARY FROM NORTHAMPTON
All in a day’s work….
It is a sunny summery start to the Spring in Northampton. The weather here can be dodgy as the winds are still quite chilly even on bright sunny days.
The history of Northamptonshire is rich, colourful and as old as the English history itself. Sulgrave Manor, built by the ancestors of the first president of the USA, George Washington, is located in the county’s quaint little village of Sulgrave.
It is also the resting place of Princess Diana, the queen of hearts. After her sad and untimely passing, her family buried her within the grounds of Althorp House, on the Spencer family estate.
Northampton also served as the capital of England during the 10th and 11th century for about 200 years. We will delve into its unusual historical facts at another time. For now, let me take you to the modern day, permanent capital – London, where I went to collect my important document from the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) in Knightsbridge.
Unlike Pakistan, one has to plan a trip in advance even if it means you wish to visit a family member or a friend. In Karachi, I used to simply see a friend or family members, enjoy a random cup of tea with refreshments without an advance notice. Here, you have to send a text and ask people about a suitable date, time as well as a place. I applied this practice prior to making any plans to visit PHC and only bought train tickets after I received a confirmation from them on the phone.
After an hour long train journey, and several underground trains, we arrived at the PHC only to be told to return some other day as they made a last minute decision to keep the offices closed on that Friday due to Yaum-e-Tashakkur and Jummah. We all know that this is a regular and normal occurrence in Pakistan – you go to a government office or department only to find it closed or on a long break. In London, this is considered highly non-serious. The reaction of my fellow Pakistanis was untranslatable. They had come from far afield to obtain or to submit their important documents on their given appointment date only to be returned for another date and time.
What my British husband, who proudly calls himself an honorary Pakistani, said was simply this: “Well, that’s odd!” It was all so new to him. We decided to make our trip worthwhile despite this abruptly unexpected turn of events. London was beautifully sunny, bright and buzzing. A few moments later, we were having a delightful picnic in Hyde Park waiting for the Speakers Corner to spring into lively debates and discussions. Oddly enough, nobody was present at that time likely due to the Friday (don’t know where the other non-muslim speakers were as they don’t go to the mosques). We listened to some street performers singing Elvis Presley classics. Then we tried to find our coffee spot but by that time it was already time to go home and plan a future trip to London, hoping against hope for the acquisition of my travel document – subject to staff availability upon arrival, of course. Despite these minor inconveniences, I am proud of my identity, for I am a Pakistani!
