by Afifa Hussain
Dressed in a classic shalwar kameez, she stands on a traditional veranda and takes it all in the towers, the streets, the city she never quite forgot. After years abroad, everything looks the same yet somehow different. The chai tastes better, the air feels familiar, and for a moment she wishes she never had to leave. A painting that captures that bittersweet feeling every overseas Pakistani (or desi!) knows too well the joy of coming home and the ache of knowing the trip won’t last forever.