Growing up is hard enough, but growing up as a Pakistani kid in The United States of America was probably not an easy task.  At times it may seem like you have the best of both worlds – but sometimes the ignorance can overwhelm you. Whether you were born and raised in the states, or you moved there later on in your life, here are some struggles you’ll definitely relate to.

1. You’ve been called an ABCD multiple times.

American born confused desi ~

2. Every time someone from the homeland calls, your parents make you talk to every.single.person.

3. You have two names, one that is correctly pronounced and one that is a butchered gora version of your name.

Sometimes you’ll be given a nickname like Mike…when your name is Ahmed. And you definitely have a different name that you use at Starbucks.

4. People are always asking you the same question: “Do you like living in Pakistan or America better?”

Ya’ll have to start being more creative with your questions.

5. Everyone in Pakistan makes fun of your Urdu/Amercian accent.

6. And people in America always ask how you speak English so well.

ummm I was born here?

7. …Or if you speak “Pakistanian.”

and you’ve told them a hundred times that it’s “Urdu”. They’ll never get it.

8. You probably have a secret Bollywood/desi song playlist on your phone.

And you have to change the song super fast when you’re in the car with your gora friends because ummmm……

9. You were probably super tight with the Pakistani community in your city.

I mean you probably had no choice – everyone knows everyone.

10. According to your parents, trips to Pakistan every summer were necessary to keep you in touch with your roots.

you spent ALOTTA time at airports.

11. You were probably bullied in school for being hairy.

Kids were always asking you why you have a mustache so you had to invest in hair removal at a young age.

12. You kind of feel like you don’t really belong to either country.

Where is home? Where do I really belong?

13. You really miss American fast food when you’re in Pakistan.

ugh Chipotle ily!!!

14. But then you really miss biryani and gol gappay when you’re in the states.

Nothing beats desi khaana.

15. You feel like you’re a completely different person in both countries.

You have a Pakistani personality and an American one.

16. Your parents are super chill in the states but as soon as you step foot in Pakistan…”log kay kehin ge?”

But you’ve learned to live with it.

17. It’s super hard keeping in touch with your American friends when you’re in Pakistan and your Pakistani friends when you’re in America.

It can be super tough trying to schedule Facetime sessions and to respond to everyone’s messages all the time.

18. No matter what, you wouldn’t trade being a Pakistani American for anything.

You got a taste of both of the amazing cultures.

19. But like…where are you really from?

What struggle did you relate to?

cover image source: thenews.com.pk/ Rafay Ali Khalid