UNDERSTANDING PAKISTANI CULTURE

INTRODUCTION There are millions of Pakistanis living throughout the world, and from time to time they will need medical, spiritual, and psychological care. This can only be successfully given if their culture is understood. My thought is that I begin my book, Understanding Pakistani Culture, with an explanation that I am from Pakistan and I now live in the United States. I am a spiritual counselor who visits patients in hospitals to help them, and sometimes I encounter patients born in Pakistan. Because their customs are often so different from US customs, those wishing to help do not understand their needs. My thought has been to write a book about Pakistani customs to bring forward the understanding. Do you know that Pakistanis prefer never to eat alone? There are always one or two people present. One of my friends shared this story with me when she was hospitalized in Rochester, New York. An elderly Pakistani woman who spoke no English was sharing my friend’s semi-private room and the old woman refused to eat. Nurses and hospital staff urged her but she would not. It became a worry. Fortunately, it was pointed out to the hospital staff that someone needed to sit with the woman while she ate her meals. This was an important Pakistani custom. And so, someone sat with her at mealtime and the old woman began to eat. The problem was solved.