1 week left and the pressure builds!!!

1 week left here for me here and the pressure is building for Shakil. What I mean by pressure is - pressure by his family. Since Shakil was forced to come back here in January of 2004, his family has been on his case about making some big money here. Well, we all know that you can't make the big money over night and most people never make "the big money" or whatever that is. It's just not that easy and if it was so easy, don't ya think he'd already have done it?!?!

Shakil comes from a very influential family and most of them think that Shakil has done nothing here. Like he really needs to get up off his ass and make the big bucks to maintain some sort of "status" as they like to refer to it here. Shakil is not a lazy person by any stretch of the imagination. He's worked for and paid for everything he has. Shakil had some big culture shock when he was forced back here in 2004 - it had been over 10 years since he lived here. It took a bit for him to get his bearings and see what he needed to do here. He worked for his grandfathers company for over a year and decided to go out on his own and find something better and he did but just not enough compared to what he was making in the U.S. Since then, he's been working to find something better because he or I really had no idea when his visa would be approved. Here we are over 2 1/2 years later and it's finally getting processed! :)

So the family is really putting on the pressure now because of the visa finally getting processed. They want us to settle here in Pakistan. They feel that Shakil and I will be happier here and financially we'll be making more money here. Well, most don't make as much here as you can in the U.S. But, believe it or not there are people making millions here. You know, it's not just about money with us. We feel we just have better opportunities in the U.S. and that is where we want to raise baby Sara. It's our choice, no one elses.

I knew the family would really start to get on Shakil's ass when the visa came to an end. I feel bad for him because I know its going to get even harder on him once I leave. The family will see that I won't be here to influence him so much and maybe they can pursuade him. They can try but I'm glad that Shakil is able to stand his ground and do what he feel is best forb he, I and baby Sara.

So I leave in 1 week!! Can you believe it!?!?! It's finally here and I'm so excited. I cannot wait to see my family after 1 year. I've looked back on my time spent here and it feels like forever since I've been back home. It feels good to know that I can leave here and I don't have to come back. Well, I don't have to come back and live. Soon, Shakil and I will be able to start our life - a whole new life in the U.S. together as a family.

Until later...

Bye for now.