#Current Affairs of Pakistan

[chaiaurchaandni]

on mass deportations of afghan refugees in pakistan

pls watch this video, its not exhaustive and ur encouraged to reserach more but this is a v good intro to the afghan refugee crisis in pakistan right now.

not many people are talking about this but this is a gross human rights violation. according to pakistan's citizenship laws, people born on pakistani soil are automatically eligible for citizenship and parents/spouses of pakistani citizens are also eligible for citizenship. however, these laws have not been extended to afghan refugees. now these refugees are being deported to afghanistan, even tho many of them have never been to aghanistan. theyre literally being sent to camps on the pak-afghan border and forced to take classes on how to evade landmines. the police is also targeting and brutalizing documented afghan refugees. any success and wealth that afghan refugees accumulated has been in spite of the bigotry of most of the pakistani population and in spite of the shitty pakistani government. these civilians are in no way a strain on pakistan's economy, neither do they pose a security threat. theyre just being used by the pakistani establishment as a political pawn to get back at the taliban govt in afghanistan and to appease the pakistani population in the wake of intense economic and political instability. the conditons in afghanistan are already horrible and the vid touched upon that. afg has suffered some major earthqakes that have killed thousands of people, in addition to the sanctions + ofc the fact that the country is trying to rebuild after almost half a centruy of violent conflict

also want to point out how sick this is considering that pakistan benefitted a lot from the wars in afghanistan (against the soviets and against the taliban as well) bec of US aid and then bec of aid that was given to pakistan to cater to afghan refugees (ofc this aid almost never made it to the people who needed it - pakistan has p much no welfare programmes for the refugees) and pakistanis are often discriminatory/racist against afghan refugees. the afghan people have suffered a lot due to pakistan's greed and now theyre suffering once again. pakistanis are literally using similar rhetoric thats used against pakistani immgrants abroad (that theyre illegal aliens, that theyre illiterate regressive extremists, that theyre rapists and criminals)

[peghamnetwork-blog]

پاکستانی سیاست کا کھیل تماشا

2024 کے الیکشن پاکستانی سیاست کا کھیل تماشا سے بڑھ کر کوئی اوقات نہیں رکھتے۔ اس کھیل تماشے سے پہلے جو سین ہوئے ان پر ایک نظر۔۔۔ سین1 ”تم روس نہیں جاؤ گے!” ”تم ہم پر حکم نہیں چلا سکتے، ہم ایک آزاد قوم ، آزاد ملک اور آزاد جمہوریت ہیں، ہم اپنے فیصلے اب خود کریں گے! تم اپنے فیصلے ہم پر مسلط نہیں کر سکتے!” ”تم روس نہیں جاؤ گے! اور ہماری (مغربی) نظروں میں اچھا بننے کے لیے DO MORE پر عمل کرو گے!” ”میں…

[multithinker]

Navigating Challenges in Pakistan: A Citizen's Perspective

I am a Pakistani citizen, and I find myself in a precarious situation, facing challenges that extend beyond unemployment and housing instability. My concerns encompass not only the scarcity of job opportunities but also the daunting requirements set by employers during the hiring process. I hold a degree, with 17.5 years of education under my belt, and yet I struggle to secure employment. Many…

[currentandpastaffairs]

Clash Between Police And Imran Khan Supporters

Lahore's Zaman Park has been under siege after clashes erupted between police and supporters of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The violence began on March 13, 2023, when Khan's supporters gathered in the park to protest against opposition parties and demand the resignation of the Lahore police chief. READ MORE....

[apricitystudies]

what i read in sept/oct 2022 2:

(previous editions) bold = favourite

class, race, & labour

how 7 eleven is ripping off its workers (australia)

orientalism, cyberpunk 2077, and yellow peril in science fiction

what an alabama prisoners’ strike tells us about prison labour (usa)

gender, sexuality, & intersectionality

all alone in their white girl pain

our rage is not sustainable (usa)

what i don’t tell my students about ‘the husband stitch’

iran’s protests are not an angry outburst, but the result of generations of trauma

politics & current affairs

the west is ignoring pakistan’s super-floods. heed this warning: tomorrow it will be you

surviving israel’s bombs to get married

why ethnic malay votes matter and who has the upper hand (malaysia)

rishi sunak does represent a minority — his class of plutocrats (uk)

the us cannot ignore the new ‘pink tide’ in latin america

greenwashing a police state: the truth behind egypt’s cop27 masquerade

an unholy alliance

history, culture, & media

coming into focus

no place like home: my bitter return to palestine

departures (hong kong)

medieval but not christian

[bloghrexach]

🇲🇻 … anything/anywhere/anyone standing up to IsraHell will be bashed/insulted/demeaned!! Makes me think about a spoiled child!! — it’s the Maldives turn now.

By: LaillaB, founder ‘Reclaim the Narrative’, from LinkedIn …

“Pro-Israel social media users are urging a boycott of the Maldives with the hashtag “#boycotttheMaldives" following the Maldivian government's announcement of a ban on Israeli passport holders.

Begs the question if one can actually advocate to boycott something that had already actively been boycotted first?!

Renowned for its beautiful beaches and luxury resorts, The Maldives joined over a dozen countries that do not allowing Israeli passport holders to enter their territories.

The archipelago's minister for homeland security and technology made the announcement to "impose a ban on Israeli passports" at a news conference on June 2, according to a statement from the president's office.

It comes amid rising pressure from political leaders in the world's smallest Muslim-majority country on President Mohamed Muizzu to take action in protest against the genocide.

The Maldives suspended diplomatic ties with Israel 50 years ago, however, Israelis have been able to visit since the early 1990s, when the nation lifted a previous ban on Israeli tourism.

Restrictions on Israeli passport holders are not new.

In 2023, 28 countries did not recognise Israel as a sovereign nation and 14 of those countries would not allow entry to citizens with Israeli passports.

Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen all impose bans on Israeli nationals, including Israeli Arabs. These countries do not recognize the State of Israel, and as such, they do not allow entry to Israeli passport holders.

Other countries have policies which prohibit Israeli citizens unless in certain circumstances. Iraq has a ban on Israeli nationals except in Iraqi Kurdistan, Oman will not allow Israeli nationals unless for transit reasons and Saudi Arabia imposes a ban excepting religious and business purpose. Malaysia also does not allow Israeli nationals unless they have a clearance permit obtained from the ministry of home affairs.

Following the announcement by the Maldivian government, the Israeli foreign ministry advised citizens to "avoid all travel to the Maldives."

In a statement on its website, the ministry said it recommended any Israelis currently in the country to leave, "as in the event of any distress, it will be difficult for us to provide assistance."

The Maldivian government also announced it will start a fundraising campaign for Palestinians and hold a nationwide rally called "Maldivians in solidarity with Palestine."

Who will be the next to take a stand and refuse to normalise genocide? — 🕊🍉 #Maldives — 🇲🇻 #Respect …

🇩🇿 🇱🇾 🇸🇾 🇮🇶 🇮🇷 🇰🇼 🇵🇰🇧🇩 🇧🇳 🇲🇾 🇴🇲 🇾🇪 🇸🇦🇱🇧 …

#reclaimthenarrative … @hrexach

[xtruss]

All That’s Left For Them Now Is To Murder Me – But I’m Not Afraid To Die! The Former Pakistani Prime Minister Writes Exclusively For The Telegraph From His Prison Cell

— BY IMRAN KHAN | 2 May, 2024 | The Telegraph

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently serving a prison sentence for controversial corruption charges. Credit: AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary

Today, Pakistan and its people stand in confrontation with each other. Almost two years ago, an engineered vote of no confidence was moved against my government and a government cobbled together by the military establishment came into being.

Since then, the Corrupt Military Establishment, under direct guidance of General Asim Munir, The Corrupt Chief of Army Staff, has tried every tactic to decimate my party’s presence from the political environment of Pakistan.

The oppression, torture and denial of our election symbol have been extensively documented, but nothing has worked for the military and the powerless civilian leadership acting as its puppets.

Pakistan’s general elections on Feb 8 2024, showed the utter failure of their design.

With no single electoral symbol in a country where the vast majority of voters are guided by a party symbol, the people came out and voted overwhelmingly for candidates supported by my party, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), despite standing as “independents” with a host of diverse symbols.

This democratic revenge by the people of Pakistan against the agenda of the military establishment not only was a national defiance by the people but also a complete rejection of the official state narrative of May 9 2023, when PTI supporters were falsely accused – as a pretext for a crackdown – of attacking military installations.

Pakistan's Corrupt to his Core Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir (left) shakes hand with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi CREDIT: Inter Services Public Relations via AP

Unfortunately, instead of accepting the people’s mandate, the military establishment went into a fit of rage and electoral results were manipulated to bring into power the losers.

The same vote tampering was seen in the recent by-elections.

As a result, today Pakistan is at a dangerous crossroads. The people have shown in no uncertain terms their rejection of state electoral machinations and of the oppression, incarceration and torture of not just the PTI leadership but also of its workers.

The military leadership has been subjected to overt criticism at a level unseen before in our history. The government is a laughing stock.

More Oppression and Violence

The response of the state has been to unleash more oppression and violence not just on party workers but also on journalists and human rights defenders. Social media restrictions have been put in place with a complete ban on the X platform.

Perhaps the most ominous development has been the systematic attempt to destroy the independent functioning of the judiciary at all levels.

Judges have been subjected to all manner of pressures including blackmail and harassment of family members. As a result, our trials on false charges are conducted with no proper defence allowed and no concern for the law of the land and the constitution.

The Corrupt Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and of the Islamabad High Court have been found short of delivering unbiased justice.

But members of the senior judiciary have risen against the attempted destruction of the independence of the judiciary. Six brave judges of the Islamabad High Court have written a letter to the CJP highlighting instances of harassment and blackmail including of their families by intelligence agencies. Specific instances are cited and details given.

This is unprecedented in our history – although, informally, many knew what was happening to the senior judiciary but for such a letter to have come from these judges shows the level of despair, anger and frustration.

The sorry state of judicial affairs is reflected in the hesitancy shown by the CJP, who eventually felt compelled to act but instead of calling for a full bench hearing of the supreme court and summoning those named by the six judges, he has sought to put the six judges effectively in the dock.

With an economy in crisis, spiralling prices and a people politically angry at having their electoral mandate stolen and being economically beleaguered, the state stands isolated.

Unwilling to mitigate its grave errors which have led Pakistan to this precarious juncture and unable to go beyond its mantra of oppression and violence against critics, the State is treading the same path it trod in 1971, when it lost East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

Upsurge in Terrorism

At the same time, it is seeing an upsurge in terrorism and a growing alienation in Balochistan where the issue of enforced disappearances is growing in severity. On Pakistan’s borders, India has already admitted to undertaking assassinations inside of Pakistan and the international border with Afghanistan remains volatile.

The military establishment’s expectation of unquestioning support from the US, in return for the provision of access to airspace and related facilities to the US for military purposes, has been punctured after the publication of the latest US state department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices which highlights the many human rights violations in Pakistan.

Again, seeking salvation by relying on support from the International Monetary Fund when there is a confrontation with the people will not result in any stability for Pakistan. There is no other way out of the crisis but to restore the people’s mandate and release all political prisoners including those being held for trial under military courts. The constitutional functioning of state institutions must be restored.

“The Corrupt Military Establishment has done all they could against me. All that is left for them is to now ‘Murder Me’. I have stated publicly that if anything happens to me or my wife, Corrupt General Asim Munir will be responsible. But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death over slavery.”

— Imran Khan is the leader of the Pakistan-Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) party. He is serving a prison sentence for controversial corruption charges.

[dhaaruni]

i do support abolishing israel, in the sense that i support a one state solution, and the right of return for palestinians, but i definitely acknowledge that it’s not a popular position, and most Americans are centrists when it comes to israel unfortunately

I mean, you really can't call "Israel has the right to exist as an independent state" a centrist position when it's the position of literally everybody who's not a fringe leftist. The mainstream center-left position is "two-state solution with aid for Palestinians" like Biden appointed a U.S. special representative for Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, the first person to ever hold that position.

I'm very against Israel holding settlements on the West Bank, and the current Israeli government is super right-wing (which is why it's good that the country will likely hold another election in the next few months), but the reality is that Israel in 2023 is surrounded by its enemies, some of whom literally have "murder Jewish people" in their country's charters, and a one-state solution really isn't actionable at this point in time for that reason among many others.

Like, you can't undo countries existing that were founded 75 years ago lol. That's literally not an option that's on the table. Like, if we're going about undoing countries from being founded in the late 1940s, do you want a one-state solution for India and Pakistan too? Or is that just for Israel?

So yeah, I don't really know what you're saying in this ask because that's actually a position which is both unpopular electorally, illogical from a policy standpoint, and massively insensitive to the sociopolitical dynamics of the region in question.

[tahirinfo]

INFOREEL : Limelight On Bolochistan

.

.

Assalamualaikum, namaskar

Today we will limelight on bolochistan.

Estimated 10,000 to 20,000 and more baloch are missing since 2006 after The assassination of veteran Baloch leader nawab Akbar Bugti - he was the first who acknowledges the plight of bolochistan and boloch who was being looted by the army regime of Pakistan , he strive for the equal right for boloch in Pakistan, but what's the end result, assassination he was assassinated by the Pak agency and this led the continues assassinations & abductions of thousands of baloch who spoke for their rights in Balochistan and outside Balochistan the prominent example is the assassination of Karima baloch in 2020 she was the outspoken baloch activist living in Canada for almost five years .

I ask only this? Where Is muslim ummah, where are they , muslim ummah always stands & defend for the rights of muslims - correct ,but when it's comes to bolochistan why are they silence, Are Baloch not enough to be a Muslims ? The struggle is already been for 20 years and more How much will u wait to speak up.

#missingpersons #missing #missingperson #missingpeople #bolochistan #bolochmissingpersons #karimabaloch #nawabakbarbugti #pakistan #pakarmy #humanrights #unitednations #unitednationshumanrights #ngo #modi #imrankhan #biden

@unitednations @gretathunberg

@humanrightswatch

@karima___baloch @pakistanheartmovement @imrankhan.pti @narendramodi @kanganaranaut

welcome to tahirinfo_ 🗺️

This channel is made to spread the national & international information about the Islamic society current affairs from all over the world. We choose the topics which becomes taboo is muslim communitys whether in South asia or throughout the world & we elaborate those topics which are hidden from muslim ummah.

We stand with boloch freedom rights movement, Kurdistan freedom movement, Sindhi freedom rights movement, western Sahara freedom movement & also we stand strongly with those Muslim womens who we're being oppressed & suppressed for wearing hijab & gender inequality in Muslim society.

We also promote muslim womens empowerment. We wholly focus on muslim community's radicalization And also we spread spiritual guidance for muslim community to overcome this radicalization.

The aim of this channel is to show true mirror to the muslim community about themselves without filtering it.

In conclusion - we spread & promote truth, peace and spirituality to all.

#tahirinfo_ #india

#india #instagram #love #photography #instagood #mumbai #kerala #bhfyp #follow #nature #indian #travel #delhi #likeforlikes #like #fashion #photooftheday #memes #trending #followforfollowback #bollywood #instadaily #maharashtra #insta #likes #viral #art

[codmw2019-2022]

Modern Warfare® Campaign: Biographies of the Story’s Major Players.

Part 2 (2 of 2): Kate Laswell

October 01, 2019 by Call of Duty Staff

Kate Laswell

Supervisor, Special Activities Division (SAD), CIA

Kate Laswell was born in Annapolis, Maryland. Kate believes that past is prologue, witnessing both diplomatic and military failures in the war on terror, her tradecraft is largely dedicated to breaking this repetitive cycle. Kate has a Master’s degree in strategic intelligence analysis and studied Near East linguistics at the American University of Beirut. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cornell University with a BA in International Affairs.

Laswell began her career as a communications analyst. Her earliest evaluation showed an advanced aptitude for strategic analysis. Kate’s acumen was quickly recognized by the Islamabad Station Chief, and she was relocated to Pakistan, where she served as a “targeter” – a critical support role in the early days of the lethal drone strike program.

On the fast track, Laswell was transferred to U.S. Africa Command at Camp Lemonnier. Shortly thereafter, the base was ground zero for a shocking attack by a suicide bomber. She considered her survival, a calling to serve the greater good and has devoted her career to global security.

As she climbed the CIA ranks, Kate looked for a female mentor who could show her how to retain her personal life and still be respected for her operational judgment. Not finding that role model, Laswell worked with unapologetic obligation to her mission. Laswell has always been hard to manage but brings reliable maneuvers to the table. A retired colleague said, “when it comes to unconventional information warfare, Kate Laswell rewrote the book.”

In 2008, the historically paternal agency broke its glass ceiling, calling on Kate to supervise a Special Activities Division (SAD) “black site” program in Europe, Asia and South America, a post with no official commission. Kate’s leadership post with the SAD was considered controversial, after she refused to testify in open hearing, on the use of rendition. Often polarizing but always respected, over her tenure, Laswell developed detainee information that saved tens of thousands of lives. Evaluation reports credit Kate’s success with not being risk averse.

Laswell currently reports directly to the CIA Inspector General, through an elite category of Top Secret called “Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented” or TS/SCI. This clearance authorizes select special agents, largely unconstrained latitude in responding to critical terrorist activity, at home and abroad. To execute her missions, Kate works closely with the special activities paramilitary ground branch officers under her command (Alex), and has a close professional relationship with Captain Price.

[peghamnetwork-blog]

اگر تم واقعی مومن ہو

عزت مآب محترمی و مکرمی جنابِ اعلیٰ حضرت جنرل سید عاصم منیر حافظِ قرآن  فرماتے ہیں کہ: “اللہ تعالی ہمیں سورۃ آلِ عمران کی آیت نمبر 139 میں یاد دلاتا ہے کہ: مت ڈرو، فکر نہ کرو اور تم ہی فتح میں برتر ہو گے اگر تم واقعی مومن ہو” انسانی دنیا کی موجودہ صورتحا ل کو مدِ نظر رکھتے ہوئے ایک لمحہ بھر کے لیے دل ایمان کی حرارت سے جوش و ولولے میں آگیا کہ دنیا کی ساتویں بڑی اور طاقتورترین فوج اور اسلامی دنیا…

[badedramay]

i haven’t read the novel but some friends have and i’m a bit wary about the false harassment accusation ngl. it feels like that’s being used as a plot point all too frequently in recent years (so recent in fact as to be used in mujhe pyaar hua tha) and at a time when that kind of reception isn’t going to be really helpful in the public sphere i fear what the success of a plot like this may convey. but since you read the novel what do you think about it?

i don't know how this current cast will be able to fit in the story of the novel. like..i just cannot.

anyway SPOILERS AHEAD SO WHATEVER.

anyway...the major themes of the story were more about sibling rivalry and strained relationship between parents and children. both Sikandar and Liza, the protagonists, ended up having a tensed relationship with their fathers not due to fault of their own. Liza was essentially brainwashed by her sister to hate her father because she wanted to remain the only favorite child of her father. Sikandar ended up becoming the target of his father's anger and disgust that ultimately led to the tragedy that befell him. the story then becomes a story of healing from the traumas family can inflict on you. the false harassment accusation angle is a significant part of it but it's not the big bad evil here. like the accusation wouldn't have stood a chance had Zain not already nurse a one-sided hatred for his brother that had him trusting his girlfriend of few months over his own one true brother of 20 years. if not the accusation then something else would've been the reason Zain would've used to torment his brother.

also honestly, considering Maryam's character, the false harassment accusation is the least of her evils. she's shown to be a highly manipulative sociopath with daddy issues so potent that she didn't even spare her own mother phir Sikandar kya cheez hai? iirc when she's just a teenager she seduces her step father and ends up getting pregnant. while she's in school she gets involved in a sexual relationship with her teacher who she then ends up getting fired once she gets annoyed of his chipkuness. Sikandar is just one of her many targets. even until the present we see her as being involved in illicit affairs with men with no regard to anything else. she becomes so used to getting away with her actions that she doesn't even realize that her father, the one man she truly loved, was already aware of her actions and was only being silent because he was hoping and praying for her to repent. it is only when Maryam threatens Liza's relationship with Sikandar that their father steps in and forbids her from even daring to try that.

personally I think Maryam's character is the meatiest role of the story following Sikandar considering how twisted she is and by Pakistani drama standards, how utterly scandalous. JBHSSL would never work for TV cuz our sensitive audience wouldn't have been able to digest that. whoever ends up getting that role has the opportunity to give a truly strong performance provided the script and direction support the original story.

so yeah..i don't think the existence of JBHSSL will have any drastic impact on the landscape of PakDramas that will end up promoting the false accusation storyline more so than it already is. that damage was done by whatever that Sana Javed drama was that came at the worst time possible during peak MeToo era. at least with JBHSSL there's no doubt left by the end that Maryam was a vile and evil woman with a history of ruining lives and relationships without any remorse. also it's on Netflix so like konnn hi itna dekhega Pakistan mein where the majority of the audience watches stuff free on Youtube?

[multithinker]

Musharraf to Alvi

In Pakistan, the role of the President is largely ceremonial, except in cases where the President is a military general. After the overthrow of Nawaz Sharif, General Pervez Musharraf governed the country for eight years. During this period, there were significant developments such as the media becoming more independent, the Red Mosque incident, civilian casualties in Afghanistan, the killing of…

[currentandpastaffairs]

Pakistani Terrorist Radicalizing Indian Youth on Social Media

Pakistan-based terrorist organizations have long been using various mediums to propagate their extremist ideologies and radicalize young minds in India. However, the use of social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube has added a new dimension to their propaganda machinery. Read more......

[apricitystudies]

what i read in nov. 2022:

(previous editions) bold = favourite

class, race, & labour

leaked audio reveals queensland police staff in racist conversations, joking about violence to black people and protesters (australia)

investors sold somali families on a fast track to homeownership. the buyers risk losing everything (usa)

duplicity and destitution (sierra leone)

how a wealthy cleveland suburb profits from ticketing black drivers (usa)

gender, sexuality, & intersectionality

the bad guy list (usa)

what’s it like to come out as gay to the singapore armed forces?

how western feminism imposed itself on the world

women are not barred from racing in f1. so why can't any crack the grid?

377a repeal: singapore turns page on dark lgbt history

politics & current affairs

‘i hold china accountable’: uyghur families demand answers

israeli police kill palestinian as violence surges in west bank

how to move a country: fiji’s radical plan to escape rising sea levels

indonesia set to penalise sex outside marriage

what happened to rezwan (usa/afghanistan)

history, culture, & media

gazawood dreams

the unbearable lightness of buzzfeed

pakistan's lost city of 40,000 people

the three lives of warsaw’s neon (poland)

to see beyond

the fifth element (paraguay)

[aonoexpat]

🇳🇱NL to NZ🇳🇿

15-12-2022

Soooooo, here we are. The very first post of AoNoExpat with some background information is ready for consumption! It's been a long time coming, and a lot has happened since I first started entertaining the idea of traveling to Aotearoa, also (colonialism-ally) known as New Zealand. The option was offered to me by a couple of great friends, who have emigrated there a while ago. I have been unhappily searching for my place in the Dutch job market for a while now, and haven't been able to find it. Combine that with an increasingly unstable and unpleasant political climate, and you'll surely see why I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since that conversation.

The deciding moment happened on June 21st, when I declined a job offer in The Netherlands in favour of taking the leap. I'd wanted to travel again ever since my gap years after high school, and would have done so again after getting my bachelor's degree in AI, had it not been for Covid-19 making it virtually impossible. Now I'm getting a new opportunity, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.

As soon as I'd cast the proverbial die, my friend gave me a to-do list:

Get your driver's license; public transport in Aotearoa is not the same as in Europe;

Get your Working Holiday visa.

The driver's license would be a challenge, but luckily the application process for a WHV was quick and painless. I applied July 6th, and got approval on July 13th. A WHV allows me to stay in the country for up to 12 months from my arrival date onward, and while I'm there I'll be legally allowed to work to support myself. I've traveled with a WHV before in Australia (lmk if anyone knows a non-colonial name), and my reviews are tremendously positive. I'm very happy Aotearoa offers the same opportunities.

After some summer holiday activities, it was time to start with driving lessons. Turns out I have both a fear of driving and a fear of failure, and my verbally violent right-wing self-opinionated neurotypical cis-het male driving instructor didn't seem too bothered by that. After a gruelling total of 58 lessons and many an afternoon spent crying out of pure stress, I took the final exam on December 6th and PASSED. December 14th saw me picking up my license and driving home all by myself for the first time! I just need to convert it to an international license and then I'll be good to go.

Apart from the driving lessons, I haven't been sitting still these past few months. I consider myself an avid climate activist, so the thought of taking a plane to travel to Aotearoa didn't sit well with me. So, I promised myself I would try anything and everything in my power to get there some other way. Let me take you on the journey that was figuring this out:

My first thought was: FINALLY, a great excuse to take the trans-Siberian express! I'd heard about this 6-day train journey from Moscow to Beijing for the first time in 2014, and had been dying to take it ever since. However, then it hit me: the vast majority of this journey takes place in Russia. Russia, a country that The Netherlands currently aren't the best of friends with. But, who knows, perhaps it's still fine to travel there? I consulted the website of the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs, which quickly and aptly crushed that dream for me: "Are you currently in Russia? Leave. Are you living in Russia? Move out. Still want to go there? You're on your own, pal. We can't help you."

OKAY, so, not the trans-Siberian express, I suppose. Maybe I can duck underneath Russia, then? Take some trains, buses, hitchhike for a bit? I'd always prided myself on having a good sense of geography, but had not realised this would force me to travel through a selection of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria. Seeing as I'm a solo female traveler, my friends and family weren't too thrilled about this.

Very well, traveling over land didn't seem like it was going to work out, and I hadn't even gotten into the mess of getting tourist visas for all of the countries I would have to pass through.

If land wasn't an option, how about sea? Traveling by boat? For example, maybe I could travel to the Americas, travel across to the other side, and try to get another boat to Aotearoa. Right? Sounded pretty easy at first, but that too turned out to be a lot harder. For traveling by sea, I had three options:

Sailing: I signed myself up at findacrew.net, a place where people who want to work on a boat and people who have a boat that need people to work on said boat can connect. Seemed like a great opportunity at first, but I quickly lost hope this would help me get there. Most people who have a boat do not casually travel from Europe to Oceania, and the website has some unfortunate restrictions that make it difficult to find the right people. For example, a lot of boat owners only want to be messaged by verified members. Very understandable, but to become a verified member you need to pay a monthly fee (not the biggest problem) and upload a scan of your ID (YES A BIG PROBLEM). I appreciate what they want to do, but I'm very big on (online) privacy and my ID is way too sensitive a document to share with some website that says nothing about how they will protect it. Besides all of that, these trips are long, and many boat owners are retired men that are looking for 1 person to help. I like to think I see the best in people but the thought of being alone at sea for 60 days with Philip the middle aged stranger didn't strike me as super safe. I've had my share of bad experiences with travel companions that turned out to be a lot different than they seemed at first glance. So, unfortunately, I chose to abandon this option.

Cargo ships: I heard that these huge sea monsters often make some extra cash by transporting a handful of passengers. I didn't think this option would be pleasant, but after watching some videos from people who have done it I was HOOKED. This seemed like a dream, the views from the ship looked fantastic and the rooms were very decent. Yes, cargo ships are also big polluters, but they don't make significant money off of passengers, like planes and cruise ships. The argument 'it'll go without me anyway' actually works for these. Sure, it's expensive (about €100-€150 per day), but it would be worth it, right? Right, but here's the catch: ever since Covid happened, cargo ships no longer take passengers. Because these trips can take a long time, there's too much risk that the destination country changes its Covid regulations while the ship is at sea. This can leave these ships stuck with passengers that are no longer allowed to disembark. I've emailed with Hamish from freightertravel.co.nz, and he told me cargo ship companies might start taking passengers again around 2024. Not an option at the current time, unfortunately.

Cruise ships: my last resort was trying to get a job on one of these. I didn't want to pay for a cruise because pollution-wise they're not much better than flying, but how cool would it be to be a lounge singer B99's Doug Judy style and earn my way across an ocean that way? I talked to a former Holland-America cruise ship musician, who put me in touch with two USA-based talent agents. I contacted both of them, but neither got back to me. After that I sent emails to 14 different cruise ship companies, offering my services as a musician or cleaning staff. I was willing to do any menial job, I told them I was not interesting in getting paid or gaining access to any facilities other than some food, a bed and a bathroom every now and again. Only 6 responded, out of which 1 was interested in having me audition. However, their first ship would go on its maiden journey from Belgium to Norway in July-August. Not the right journey for me, and any later ones would be too late. Sadly I had to write this off too.

As a final attempt, I made a post on LinkedIn asking my network for tips on how to get there, but this too yielded no results. Since I had officially run out of options and I knew that planes would get more and more expensive closer to departure, I finally admitted defeat and booked a plane ticket. It hurt my soul, but I have to draw the unfortunate conclusion that at this point in time, my destination does not lend itself well for any other modes of travel. I'm hopeful that by the time I will head back, some of the above options will be available again!

The plan is now as follows: early February 2023, I will fly from Paris and arrive in Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara (Wellington) 29 hours and 35 minutes later, which is relatively short for this journey. The flights cost me a total of €1.287,90. I'll still have to get to Paris so the price and duration will both increase a little in the end.

WELL, that's about all I can share right now! I'm hoping to update this blog whenever I can, so feel free to follow me to keep track of my journey :) Just a fair warning: I'm not making any promises that I'll keep this up as time goes on, if I no longer enjoy this I won't hesitate to stop.

I'd love to answer any asks you might have, I'll be honest and open about my experiences, but I will strictly not share any personal information.

I'm very open to feedback, please tell me if anything on this blog strikes you as offensive in any way, I'm continuously learning and my ego is not easily bruised.

I'll also be using this blog as a place for people from home and people I meet along the way to leave little messages or pictures for me. I look forward to building a lovely collection of wonderful memories! <3