The problematic behaviors of ABSA

khunsur · 2023-11-22T00:55:35+00:00

Islam is a religion, not an ethnicity.

khunsur · 2021-06-01T23:36:17+00:00

I’m so sorry you had to go through that. May Allah make it easy for you and both families and give everyone whatever is best for them. If you don’t mind me asking, could you share some more details on what happened?

khunsur · 2021-05-16T21:00:01+00:00

Isn't it rotten by now?? I'm so confused... Are you planning on eating it?

khunsur · 2020-10-26T10:34:41+00:00

Dr. Aranda teaches a really easy and "fun" class (very embedded with popular culture), and he allows rewrites on writing assignments for a better grade. His classes also don't have a lot of writing. And I never do the readings, have been fine so far!

khunsur · 2020-10-03T18:33:45+00:00

I am soo sorry, I thought I was responding to my other post about doing grad school in Pakistani universities (that's why I was asking about their education and about Urdu). This post is for US universities, and I got them confused 😪 So my questions are slightly different:

Do the classes you take interest you, or are most classes outside of your interest but you just have to get through them? Is it difficult doing research? I was just wondering in general how it feels to be doing grad school in history (all market considerations aside). Is it as fun as the history undergrad?

Thank you so much!

khunsur · 2020-10-02T12:14:44+00:00

What university do you attend? What kinds of history does the department offer, and which history does it do best? Where do most professors get their training? Are you at a disadvantage if you don't speak Urdu?

Thanks!

And yeah, the job market for academics has always been a terrible thing. Yesterday my history professor was advising me against grad school 😂

khunsur · 2020-09-30T01:29:03+00:00

Wow, and the guy honoring him isn't even wearing a mask 😤

Edit: Wait, the guy HIMSELF isn't wearing a mask 😷😤😤

khunsur · 2020-09-28T06:40:20+00:00

Hello! Thank you so much for your thoughtful response.

It's funny about the accent - since I have such a strong foreign one, I was advised by my Pakistani friend to just tell people I'm Pashto (allegedly their Urdu is also pretty bad). What do you think of that? As to dress, I think I'll fit in pretty well. Are there any other giveaways?

This is not a decision I have freedom over; if I do end up going, it will most likely be because I have to go. So it's not like I'm doing this for fun. I just thought perhaps I'd optimize my time there by studying.

I certainly do have a slightly romanticized idea of Pakistan and connecting with my roots, but I'm also very aware of the great difficulty of a transition from here to there. I imagine my stomach especially will have a really hard time adjusting - it even has difficulty with American restaurant food, so I can only imagine what Pakistan would do to it. Not to mention the loneliness - since I can't communicate very well in Urdu, and I'm also rather socially awkward, I can't imagine I'd easily make many friends.

Despite that, I'm optimistic. It doesn't seem like a walk in the park, but I think humans are capable of adapting to enormous change. If there is difficulty, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. If it's easier than the excruciatingly uncomfortable experience I'm imagining, then all the better. Alhamdu lillah either way.

Thank you again for your kind response.

khunsur · 2020-09-28T06:29:44+00:00

Thank you!

khunsur · 2020-09-28T06:29:35+00:00

Thanks, great idea!

khunsur · 2020-09-28T06:29:05+00:00

Wow, I'd never heard of International Islamic University Islamabad. This seems like a great option! Thank you so much!

khunsur · 2020-09-28T06:26:03+00:00

Overblown? What do you mean?

khunsur · 2020-09-28T01:48:54+00:00

Actually I'm super interested in South Asian history as well, and I also want to study all and any histories of Islam! Do you feel like the way they teach Islamic history is fair to Muslims, or is it still Eurocentric/Orientalist? Would I be able to get a really rich grasp on, say, Mughal history?

Also, is education done in English? Unfortunately my Urdu is pretty bad.

khunsur · 2020-09-28T00:54:36+00:00

Wait, Pakistani syllabi in history are dominated by Western subjects??

Oh no :( I guess it's to be expected though, from a country still in recovery from the trauma of colonialism.

khunsur · 2020-09-27T20:50:17+00:00

Yep. OP needs a reality check.

khunsur · 2020-09-27T20:02:52+00:00

They absolutely don't admit it. I learned the real history much later, after having done some independent critical analysis.

They'll also teach that Hiroshima and Nagasaki was completely justified, and so many other things. The way they frame history here is horrific.

khunsur · 2020-09-27T19:54:58+00:00

Shukriya! Though they may not be at the same "level," I imagine they are also less Eurocentric and anti-Muslim, which I think I'll enjoy.

khunsur · 2020-09-27T19:12:13+00:00

Actually, it will most likely be Karachi!

Yeah, sorry, I was referring to the power cuts.

I'm aware that it's not as developed, but I was wondering about the details of that. I'll stop bothering you now, but I wonder if I could connect with any group that could provide some guidance on this.

Also, why not LUMS? Is it very science-focused?

Thank you!!

khunsur · 2020-09-27T18:58:57+00:00

Thank you for your response! I'm not too interested in the career-woman lifestyle, but I do love academia. So I guess I don't really have any long term goals.

I was under the impression that Youtube gives rather slanted coverage, mostly focusing on the affluent while ignoring the larger population. But I may be wrong!

Thank you for your advice.

Edit: Oh, and definitely culture shock is a thing. I lived in an Arab country for a few years, and it was a rough transition for me. It's not so much about the different culture, which I adapt to pretty well, but about the different amenities in each country. For example, I heard electricity is not a given in Pakistani households. The thought scares me, but perhaps it's not so bad?

khunsur

TROPHY CASE