Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are those of the author’s and don’t necessarily represent or reflect the views of MangoBaaz.

By: Saman Malik

When you move abroad and move past your personal cultural shock, you will realize that your new goray friends and acquaintances are as intrigued about you as you are about them. They have as many questions, maybe even more sometimes, for you.

And these are the top ‘shocking’ things that will happen when you move abroad:

1. Everyone will be shocked over how well you speak English

“You moved here 2 months ago? Wow, you learned English very quickly”

Colonization sadly left us attaching a lot of importance to angraizi than you think.

2. There will be a lot of confusion over your dietary restrictions

So.. You are vegetarian, right?

No, a big gosht-khor, in fact. Everything basically, just NO PORK. And no, never even been wee bit tempted to try it.

3. You will end up packing heaps of desi clothes to take along thinking you will totally pull off ‘ethnic chic’

But will probably end up feeling OTT and chickening out most of the time.

4. But whenever you DO wear them, you will be showered with compliments

5. You will want desi khaana all the time.

Can’t believe I didn’t want that bhindi roti back home, that mom used to plead me to have for dinner.

6. The realization that cafes ki coffee is consumed between 8 AM-10 AM only and all Cafes close at 4 PM.

Unlike Espresso back home where coffee drinking begins after 6 PM. Yes, thas how we rowwl.

7. Your fear of hating housework turns out to be a reality

8. A trip to the desi store equals Breakfast at Tiffany’s

9. You never realized how much you will end up using Urdu as your secret language in public

How sad must uni-lingual life be?

10. You will realize how little you had used your legs your entire life, back in Pakistan

Feeling seriously sorry for yourself as all that walking has led to sore and blistered feet.

11. Your respect for the Muslim Shower will be immense

Does wiping hands with dry tissue paper clean gravy from your hands? No, right? If one can get that, how can one not… You see that really hot guy with the perfect jaw line and that man bun? Yup, even he has a dirty bum.

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About the Author: Saman is a pricing analytics consultant based in Sydney, a born & bred Karachiite and coffee lover by heart. She blogs at ‘The Pursuit of Silver Linings‘.

Cover image via: ARY Films