do i miss london?

yes, i do. i miss the life i had there, the routine, the independence, and how those two years shaped me. london was very good to me. it taught me things no book, podcast, or instagram reel ever could. it taught me how to handle pressure, how to survive when i had -£50 under my name, and how to keep going when life felt uncertain. those were some of the best and hardest lessons of my life, and i will always be grateful for them.

but living abroad does not magically settle your life. that is the illusion a lot of people in pakistan have. they think once they move abroad, everything will become easier. it does not. the worries are still there, the pressure is still there, and the problems are still there. they are just different. and after experiencing both, i can honestly say that pakistan is better. people here feel more at peace. at least they do not have to wake up at 4:40 in the morning just to make it to a 6:00 o'clock shift.

and if life is going to test you everywhere, and if life is going to test you everywhere, then i would rather be tested close to home. i would rather be near my own people than chase a slightly better income at the cost of warmth, belonging, and presence. and yes i had already made a commitment to a very good old friend of mine that i would be back before june 2026, and even if i loved london, i still would have returned happily because a commitment is a commitment. but somewhere along the way, i also realized that my heart was already here, so delaying it started to make less and less sense.

until next.
take care :)