White Scottish Woman Considering Move to Lahore

Hi there. I'm a 28 year old law graduate from Scotland and I've been offered a law related fellowship in Lahore, but also working in the Kashmir region. It's going to be quite full on work, with an international human rights charity.

I'm still considering my options, but I was thinking about taking up this placement in September, after travelling in India for a couple of months.

My employers will provide me with a place to live and a small stipend to exist off of. So I was wondering, what is everyone's experiences of Lahore, especially for women of non asian descent? Also, if anyone has any experiences of working in the Kashmiri region I'd be most interested.

I'm particularly interested in security issues, integration into the community, opportunities to socialise with other expats and details such as the cost of living, vaccinations, insurance, etc. It's all made a little more difficult by the fact that I dont speak Urdu, although I'm willing to learn once I decide for sure if Pakistan is for me.

Many thanks.x

Welcome on Expat.com StuntGirl :)

hi stunt girl. hope u would be doing great. dear friend u asked and worried about alot of things but its only because of what u see in media. once u reached there, u ll find it totally different. there is no security problem for u dear being white/scottish. about language u ll not have problem in the offices and in public u ll also be able to communicate with the people in english.
and the people there are very friendly and social but definately u need some time to adjust urself there.
about the kashmir area in pakistan, u ll not have any problem, its completely safe n sound. the law and order situation is only in the indian part.
wish u a nice stay in pakistan.

Lahore - its bustling city with lots of landmarks, people are friendly, English is widely used. Most people who visit Lahore love it! Like any city it has its down town areas. Security is perceived to be a risk for us outside of Pakistan, but on my visit in Feb 2011, it was just a great place, no major problems or security issues.

Kashmir - one of the most beautiful places in the world, (as your from Scotland, its the equivalent of the Lakeside - Windermere, Grasmere, Ambleside etc but even more beautiful)
People are very hospitable, they understand English but are not fluent as people in Lahore. No real issues.

In Lahore you can dress as you please, there are people from all walks of life, In Kashmir, you will be expected to dress a little more modestly.

Enjoy

Putting aside exemplary hospitality and modernism favouring expats, it is not advisable to live alone if you arent aware of the locality and people. Society is male dominant and living alone as a single lady can be very challenging and inconvinient at times.
Same goes for working in India as well. I would advise to not to live alone, and if there is no other way then relocating alone then better pursue your ambitions in UAE or APAC.   
Good luck

hi dear,lahore is a wonderful city to live if u hav enough money.no security problem in posh areas,social life is nice here,ppl r 2 frendly,nice restaurants and shopping malls,parties for enjoyment r arranged,u r welcome,come without fear.

bilqees wrote:

hi dear,lahore is a wonderful city to live if u hav enough money.no security problem in posh areas,social life is nice here,ppl r 2 frendly,nice restaurants and shopping malls,parties for enjoyment r arranged,u r welcome,come without fear.


Everything you mentioned is correct, but certainly its not suitable for a single lady. She wants to move alone which is not advisable somehow.

Patriotism shouldnt be mixed up when it comes to human and honest advice.

Hi,

I am from Pakistan and spent much of my life in Kashmir and nearby..

well security problems are there ( i wont say its media propagating everything and bla bla bla).. and besides security problems there are some other problems as well which you may not understand unless you be here on this ground... e.g load shedding, un planned power cuts, Petrol/CNG shortage, transportation problems, police corrupttion and etc etc..


lahore is no doubt a beautiful place and if you can tolerate 300 men starring at you where ever you go (unless they dont know you are alone in Pakistan... if they do then make it 600)....than... do come

OPTIONS:- If you are coming with atleast one male memeber of the family and willing to "enjoy" everything + you feels you have a bit of adventurism then DO COME...


Thanks

right upto some very extent zia, try karachi if you have no constraints but one needs to be careful when roaming anywhere in pakistan, of snatching and loots. else .. its a dirty & a beautiful country. blessed with hospitality and non-educated people.

hi, i am english and i moved to pak almost a year ago, i cant help you in reagrds of your work however i can tell you that i love pakistan, i cant talk urdu either but all the educated people in pak can talk english. i havent had any problems whilst living here, i was scared to come at first because of the media giving us news of terrorists, bombings etc but i found that it was totally exagerrated. pak is a wonderful place to live and i plan to spend many moe years here... hope this helps

that what the media does,it spreads disinformation,and misguide people.

media propagates the hypothetical considerations and views to show the viewers what they wanna see. and by the grace of (moderated)US CIA the image of pakistan is not gd. but in real its utterly different. civilised and un civilised pplz are all over the globe but the thing is wt u choose to go with. if u r gd u will find best pplz in Pakistan and if u r bad u will meet the better worst of ur choice :) over all rating for pakistani city life is 8 out of 10 and i must say its far ahead then chicago NY PAris London Mumbai. so enjoy ur time in pakistan with [eace n ease

Happy to know that you have an offer from Lahore.  The city is rich in culture and i don't think u might have any problem there,. Once you familiar with the people you will enjoy life but only in initial time u have to tke cre to understand the culture etc. 
I hope once u became familiar you will prefer to come again and again......the weather is nice in winter in Lahore and u can visit to Rawalpindi and Murree also which is tourist place.   regards

Mospori wrote:

Happy to know that you have an offer from Lahore.  The city is rich in culture and i don't think u might have any problem there,. Once you familiar with the people you will enjoy life but only in initial time u have to tke cre to understand the culture etc. 
I hope once u became familiar you will prefer to come again and again......the weather is nice in winter in Lahore and u can visit to Rawalpindi and Murree also which is tourist place.   regards


The original post is 3.5 years old.....and she never replied one time afterwards.

happyhour wrote:

The original post is 3.5 years old.....and she never replied one time afterwards.


Pity really, it would have been interesting to hear her story.

mas fred wrote:
happyhour wrote:

The original post is 3.5 years old.....and she never replied one time afterwards.


Pity really, it would have been interesting to hear her story.


I believe she never went there at all..... ;)

happyhour wrote:
mas fred wrote:
happyhour wrote:

The original post is 3.5 years old.....and she never replied one time afterwards.


Pity really, it would have been interesting to hear her story.


I believe she never went there at all..... ;)


I refer the honerable gentleman to my answer above. :D

hiya, are you still in Pakistan??

Hi samantha123,

Hiya to who please :) ?

This thread is a bit old here - 2011

Know that if you do have some questions or some of your experiences to share with us - you can start a new topic on your own on the Lahore Forum for better visibility and better interactions please :)

Thank you

Maximilien

Hi, Hope you are still interested in moving to Lahore.  Lahore is considered a safe place for foreigners and the social scene is pretty good, the people are pretty laid back while Lahore is considered famous for its heritage and its gastronomic cuisine. I feel it will be an excellent experience as an expat.

Kashmir is considered among the safest regions in Pakistan , having the highest literacy rate in the country  while a large number of Kashmiris are settled in the UK who have adapted well in the society. I would recommend you to go ahead with your plans.

Regards,
ROZ

Hi I use to live in fife and I was born in Lahore it's cool place to be you would love it it's not wot you see my Origen is Kashmir but studied in Lahore people are very friendly and out going all most like india I know quit few English use to live there and they love it I been hear all most fourty years now it has Chang a lot but for batter if you need any help let me know I am in London but happy to help you it's kind of place not what you who you know lol and even Kashmir any help couse that where my parents are from as for as systems is by European standerd it's not going to be same of course it's therd world country

R u in Lahore already?

@ Chaudhry2015 > To whom are you talking to please?

Thanks

Priscilla

lol.. totally debatable.. shes a single lady and of white foreign national. Obviously you will be robbed every where you go. I.e rickshaw drivers and in local food market unless it's clearly priced.

I am a UK born male and living working from Lahore. I don't really know where to hang out.. how much can one eat every night out, then you can't really talk to people because I find they only have one interest and that's how to get a visa for UK... Its hard to explain to them, I am born in UK and fortunately enough I've never needed to look into a visa and nor am I taking a donkey back that I had a need to...

I live very central to M.M.Alam road and how much can one eat out or do shopping... I find it hard to find friends as I am a very friendly person so technically is shouldn't have been hard...

but I can certainly say that it has become slightly safer and the road conditions have improved.. you will still find an idiot on the road... in fact everyone driving on the roads are idiots... lol. a leopard can't change it's spots.

Another thing... you can't get away from back handers and beggars...   even the professional are leaving there post and becoming beggars due to the high turnover in income they con people out off.

Even though I have never been on it, I think the metro bus was a good move. Its helped the poor to get around and taken loads of dangerous van/buses off the roads..

Pakistan Authority needs to take off the streets dangerous cars and under age or drivers without licences..

Anyway I would say to anyone who's thinking of moving to Pakistan, you really need to visit and decide. Pakistan has dramatically improved so much and for the better.. Insha'Allah once the electricity problem has been resolved, bent coppers taken out off duty and office workers doing there jobs right without bribery then it's a lovely place to live...

now someone tell me where the party is yaar...lol.

Hi,

Nice to read your mail.

We too being an expatriate feel hard to live there while we are basically from Pakistan.

It is great that  by your  mail encourage us to come back and to think how to live there and to start new life with some kind of business.

regards,,
Gul

living local and doing local business i'm not aware of but I work on the international market and it's very good..
You need to find ideas abroad then bring them into Pakistan or do something from Pakistan that you can supply people in Saudi..

Vasahmad,

I beg to differ from you in most respects.

I too have lived in the UK for decades but none of my friends and acquaintances  have ever expressed any interest in getting a visa for the UK , as if it was a ticket to the heaven. :sosad:

I honestly believe that Pakistan still has a lot of opportunities for business and professional if you are from Pakistani ethnicity and you are comfortable with the cultural and religious mix.

Can I also request at this point that the original thread is more than 5 years old and the "White Scottish Female" who started it will be  living some where in the west with a few kids. I suggest this topic should be closed now.

riazcdki bjai

I think we chatting and agreeing on same reality..

I never moved to the UK, I was born in the UK so didn't need a visa... lol instead I needed a visa to come to Pakistan... either you have mentioned it wrongly or your point is.. regarding your friends living in Pakistan and visa and about heaven...
UK isn't heaven... it is a working place where people still think money grows on trees until you actually go there and realist you don't even get time to go to the toilet...

I travel once and month, every 30 days either in UK or Pakistan.. I can hand on heart say I love Pakistan but down fall is the people here.. ( not everyone ) my labourers .. its like they are my bosses...lol everyone knows everything and anything but in reality nothing..

When in UK I actually miss Pakistan but when in Pakistan.. it's ok and I nothing much happening due to not having any friends here... but I don't miss UK..

anyway I can go on and on and it's regarding my life and experience and obviously everyone's circumstances are different... it's true the white lady probably did settle here and maybe not and also like you said having kids..  I hold my hands up and didn't really look at date stamp on request for information.

anyway Ramzan Mubarak to everyone and hope roza are going well for you all... lol this is for year 2016 well-wishing...   :lol:

Vasahmad,

Thanks for the detailed insight of your experience and comparison between the lives of UK and Pakistan.

This is the beauty of expat.com that we rethink about our experience and expectations and realize where we had gone wrong if we have gone wrong.

I think we will stray away from the original topic if we continue here and I suggest if you want we may start a new tread on " British Pakistanis returning to Pakistan or Issues of  Pakistanis settled in the UK" :)

Vasahmad slaam hope you are in best of health I am thinking of moving to Pakistan from UK fedup with life style in the UK you probably know what am talking about do you approve of UK guu moving to Pakistan? Could I have you phone number if its possible.thanks

Hello K23,

Welcome to Expat.com.

You may not receive a response from vasahmad since he has not been active here.

However, you may create threads of your own to obtain answers to your questions.

All the best,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

You don't need Urdu unless you are working with locals in villages

Absolutely ridiculous argument and pretty lame.

You will have no problems living alone as a foreigner. Infact you will be welcomed by everyone

malisohail wrote:
bilqees wrote:

hi dear,lahore is a wonderful city to live if u hav enough money.no security problem in posh areas,social life is nice here,ppl r 2 frendly,nice restaurants and shopping malls,parties for enjoyment r arranged,u r welcome,come without fear.


Everything you mentioned is correct, but certainly its not suitable for a single lady. She wants to move alone which is not advisable somehow.

Patriotism shouldnt be mixed up when it comes to human and honest advice.


What world are you living in? Its not about patriotism. Single women get raped in the streets of London so does it mean that single ladies should not be living alone in London. Get a life

This city is basically a touristic destination, not exactly a place where lot of job openings are given especially for professionals like business, accounting, and marketing fields. there are a lot of local small businesses in this city and people prefer to distribute the earning chance to everyone who wants to own their own business. if you have a bachelors degree in business then you are capable of starting a small business in this city. to let your business make money you should have a new idea of product or service which is pleasant in taste and pleasing service helping your business gain attention in the market.

if you are just here for some time, you can hangout with your friends or those whom you trust, it will be a good experience as in winter there are calm winds and nice warm afternoon for tea and biscuit.