20th February
Today had a wonderful afternoon at Quaid Azam University. Again a very successful session on the topic of Code Mixing in English Cross Cultural influences for the Linguistic department and related it to my work and life’s experiences in writing, translation and use of two languages. Wonderful staff and students (so interactive) and marvellous organisation and hospitality. Even the Vice Chancellor spent over an hour with us having tea and posing for lots of photos. A very smooth affair!
Afterwards my wonderful host Prof. Mubina Talaat took me for an evening shopping spree in her favourite mall where I bought a lovely bag and we ate a wonderful meal at Usmaniya in the Blue area, whilst talking about the Cappodocia caves in Turkey and ‘Multani chumkay’ (possible presents for me to buy for my sisters- in-law in England) amongst other topics. Tomorrow I am visiting Fatima Jinnah Women’s university in Rawalpindi. I last visited it 11 years ago; I am looking forward to a session entitled Women on Gender issues at Islamabad Islamic university and an evening dinner with one of the leading poets and most respected Pakistani poets Prof. Ifthikhar Arif, former chairman of the Academy of Letters.