Manal Khawar

Pakistan

Divided By Borders, Connected By Hearts

With bundles of nervousness and a pinch of excitement, I hopped on the plane from Pakistan on a scholarship program to the USA. As I landed, the horrifying stories of racism and Islamophobia started echoing in every part of my brain, making me numb. It was overwhelming. I hardly spoke to anyone and kept having panic attacks, desperately requesting to go back home. Amidst all this, an American lent his help, a help that still pushes me ahead and overcome my fears. “Stop. Pause. One step at a time,” he said. He made me realize how intimidating life can get, and that’s okay. It’s normal. One should never let it get to them, Instead focus on how far you’ve come. That was the moment I realized that I brought something heavier than my luggage: my preconceived judgements of these people. From that moment onwards, I opened up myself with them and realized that no matter how different we look or what we speak, when our hearts are at the right place, we’re all the same.