Hello world, how are you all? Today I have a story that was real life. But, before you can understand this story, you need to understand a couple of mentalities that some people in my culture follow. Mental illnesses are virtually unheard of, they exists but no one acknowledges them. The first female psychologist in Pakistan came here in the 60's or 70's. This was a hard interview for both me and the interviewee, things that may seem like nothing mean the world to us.

Everything seems alright, okay - she was happy most of the time. Her parent's were together and they cared about her. She had an aunt and an uncle who adored her but she still felt empty. Nothing could change how she felt. Everything, every day - it was all the same. Wake up, get dressed, go to school, come home. She wasn't good at any of the core subjects or at any of the electives or at sports. She was only really good at one thing, and that was debate. Talking about what was wrong with the world and what we could do to fix it. She had dreams and aspirations. She wanted to the Prime Minister or a teacher. She wanted to make an impact, she wanted her words to mean something.

That's when she found out about poetry. It was a way to write something freely. It didn't have to be as long as an article or essay, and it didn't have to be as long as a full scale novel. I thought that maybe you should read one of her poems.

I stare at the clock
In some ways I stare at time
But time can not help memories
Time just gives you more
That's how I know
That I am not staring at time
I am staring at a clock

You can hear it, the wish for another life. A wish for a dream to finally come true. Then it all came crumbling down. Her life may not have been perfect but then it became even worse. The only people she'd ever felt close to abandoned her. She was left alone for months and months. She had never felt a like this before. Classwork was done with people she barely knew, she had to act older and tougher than she really was - she had to become a whole nother person. Her mother had moved away for the year. A new job in the country's capital was exciting but lonely for both of them. The girls best friend was as far as can be. The bond between a mother and newborn baby hadn't disappeared with this pair and it was agonizing for them to be away from each other.

Yet with time, with patience she grew. The girl learnt about the world she lived in, the world she debated about. In her darkness she saw other people's lights. A chance for the world to start a fresh, a world where people can be themselves. She realized who she was, what she wanted to do and how she was going to do it. She didn't have a best friend, her mother was the furthest she'd ever been but she found a serenity in her own time. And time is all it takes for someone to understand life. Maybe she doesn't understand it fully but she understand enough to get her through it right now.