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My parents’ high school years were in the late seventies. The late seventies was a time of global unrest. There were many wars going on in the Middle Eastern countries. Wars such as the Iran-Iraq War and the Arab-Israeli War were the only topics being discussed at the time.
Not only were wars going on internationally, there was also a war atmosphere in Pakistan. In the 70’s, Bangladesh gained it’s independence from Pakistan, during the Pakistani Civil War Era and also, India and Pakistan were at war. With wars going on internationally and nationally, a very cynical view of the world was developed. My Mom describes her high school years as a competition between teenagers mostly to gain political stands. Since Wars was the most sought out issue, the young men wanted to be a part of government and have a say in National issues and policies.
Both of my parents were born in Pakistan and stayed in Pakistan until 1987, when they came to America. Both of my parents describe high school as an unorganized institution in the late 70’s in Pakistan. My dad describes his experience in high school as, “very memorable; the best years of my life.” He was one of the political leaders for his school and therefore enjoyed debates and priorities given to leaders. My mom, on the other hand, was a quiet student in high school who took part in no extra curricular activities. For her, going to high school was just a way of escaping her over-protective life at home.
Since both of my parents teenage years were in an era of political unrest, they became very cautious and over-protective parents. When we came to America in 1987, I was only one-year old but my older siblings were raised with very limited freedom. My parents didn’t want their children to mix with any political parties or hang out with “wrong” crowd. As a result, all of our friends were approved by our parents. Furthermore, a very strict and rigid schedule was put forth for us to follow.