Shifting Countries Again
Happy New Year.
It has been some time since I last posted. Forgive me for the delays.
Much has changed (as I seem to thematically suggest every week), but yes.
Since speaking, I have shifted countries once again. I won’t leave you in suspense this time: I am in Pakistan. Beginning December 30th 2025, I began my journey to Pakistan. First I made my way to Chennai, India to recollect my drone that was confiscated at customs when I first landed in India in November. I landed sometime in the middle of the night (so 31 December, now), and a help staff escorted me 200 meters down a desolate foggy tunnel between the domestic and international terminals. We walked up to the arrival gate, spoke with the military on guard, and I awaited by the doorway as they went inside to the customs office. The custom officer treaded back and forth down the arrival hall outside to me and back to his desk inside. Exchanging money, exchanging paperwork, and not yet for the drone— that would be for the next day.
I don’t really want to worry you all about the hectic journey of finding a hotel for the night. Let’s just summarize. I took an Uber (so yes, very safe Stephanie), got to the hotel I thought I had booked. We couldn’t find it for the life of us, the neighborhood didn’t look so well so we agreed to go to some other ones nearby. The next one seemed nice. They turned on the lights to the room. It was nice… until the cockroach scattered across the tiles. Nope. The next room over, a silverfish running along the wall. Nope. We headed to an overpriced hotel next to the airport I had stayed at before. I recognized the manager, but his soul was closed to any empathy. He up charged me as much as he could before I broke into tears.
The uber driver drove aimlessly through the streets before he parked and we were both searching for hotels on our phones. Every one that seemed promising was broken by the reviews or absence of them.
Eventually I found a foreigner hosteled and settled for that.
The hostel:
spent my new years there
They only charged me one night because I came in the middle of the night & the bed was free anyways (now that is customer service!)
Had the most excellent barbecued vegetables of my LIFE! BBQ watermelon? Hello? Actually delicious? I ate bbq pineapple?? And didn’t hate it?! The mushrooms, though. Mega, mega yum.
Happy new years! Sleep.
4 am 1 January 2026: back to the airport!
got my drone
Off to Oman
Sleep
Oman?
What you think you can get from India to Pakistan directly? Ha, distance means nothing to imagined borders!
I spent the day in Oman. Beautiful country. Lovely people. Silent roads with the EV vehicles. Delicious vegan food. So delicious. Incredibly delicious and good price. Wow. So good. Spent the whole day at one cafe looking into the incredible gulf waters. Immaculate. The prettiest water I have ever seen. I walked along the pathways of stones perfectly set that my luggage could roll over with ease.
9pm: Back to the airport!
Got my drone (yes it was confiscated in Oman, again—no problems here. They were chill and nice)
3:45am Pakistan Zindabad!
landed in Pakistan
Collected my luggage
Met my uni friend! So nice. So much fog. Drove home. Immediately slept.
Why am I in Pakistan?
Good question. To travel with my friends from the year below me in uni. To prove that I can come to Pakistan without certain others. To come to a country I loved and understand the parts I wish I had the opportunities to explore before. The biodiversity. The wildlife. The intricate cultural intersections with wildlife, I guess.
I’m so sleep. It’s past midnight. I should sleep and write this another time.
Quick things:
monkeys in snow! Never seen that before. How nice.
Went to the Indian-Pakistan border (Wagah Border). Incredible displays of nationalism. My history girlie AH162 & AH152 mind is going insaneeeeeeee watching these men do their high kicks like rockettes (one kneed himself in the head, lol).
Stomach sickness (not again in Pakistan!); Fear not, I am good now, I think
Most of my time I am hibernating inside. Productively hibernating. I simply want to work and not be distracted by cultural differences and people getting distracted by my different-ness. Some days I go out, but I am also happy to sit on my laptop next to the heater and take breaks to play table tennis with my friend from uni.
Don’t worry, I will go out more, but I’ll leave that for February.
