Spending a week with my parents

The past week, up until last night, I was spending time with my parents. This is the first time I’ve spent significant time with my parents since I moved out almost a decade ago. It lined up nicely with Eid al-Fitr which happened last Monday.

The first half was spent in California, visiting my parents and siblings from Saturday to Wednesday. Then Wednesday evening we flew out to Portland.

It’s odd having to host your parents. I never thought about this much until it happened to me. Kristen hosts her parents often, 2-4 times a year and has done so for at least 5 years now. This was my first time.

The part spent in California wasn’t too much since there was a lot of things going on at the house, Eid preparations happening, and all the nieces and nephews running around.

Starting Thursday morning up until last night, it was pretty hectic. My parents were staying at my new house in Portland for the first time and they had something to say about every little thing. From how there are too many trees near my house to how little room there is in the garage. I had to repeatedly mention that 122 years ago when this house was built, cars were not really a thing. For instance, my house was built in 1900 and the Model T became available around 1908. And I’m sure it took even longer to consider building houses based on cars being a primary mode of transportation. I’m sure horse drawn carriages were a thing but they probably didn’t have the need for multiple of those (I’m just guessing here).

Seeing my parents made me think of the movie The Namesake as it reminds me a lot of my parents’ early years in the US. It really gives me a nostalgia I only feel through the settings in the movie. I feel a strong parallel between the parents in the movie and my parents, especially about the time when they first arrive in the States and misunderstand or misinterpret cultural norms. I feel a strong urge to share photos of my parents’ early life in the US but at this time I feel it might be too much for me to expose their lives and faces to an unknown world of the internet.

Upcoming plans

My parents are planning on visiting Pakistan for a few months. I’m going to miss them and also I feel happy for them to be able to spend more time there this time around. Hopefully, the politics of Pakistan don’t get in the way.