Money Talks, It Even Sings ...

I changed a bunch of Dirhams into rupees for my recently undertaken LASIK eye surgery. Roughly 3000 Dhs, to be precise. (Please indulge me for my oxymoron.)

I got back a WHOLE BUNCH of money.

One of the joys of earning UAE Dirhams and spending Paki Rupees.

Quite frankly, the 3000 Dhs didn't seem like much. It IS quite a sum, but Alhamdolillah not SO big that I have to save for years to be able to have that amount to spend in one go. But once it was changed ot Paki rupees, it turned my knees ot jelly.

There I was with my wad of Paki money: a couple of 1000 rupee ntoes, some odd change AND A FUCKING BIG BUNCH OF 500 RUPEE NOTES!!!

Okay, it was rupees 50,000 to be exact. But when you put it in 500 rupee notes, MAN, IT WAS FUCKING THICK WAD OF BILLS!!!!

I looked at it and was overcome with a medley of emotions: pride that I earned it, thankfulness that i didn't have to think twice before spending it in one go, happiness that it could buy me something i wanted for a loooong time, some sadness/guilt at the thought of how many mouths this money could feed for how many months and here i was using it for a cosmetic procedure.

And lastly, moment of quiet humbleness and odd nostalgia: I imagined somebody walking upto a 16 year-old BakPakChik, telling her that 8 years from that day, she would hold 50,000 rupees in her hand - hers to spend as she pleased, for she had earned it herself. 16 year-old BakPakChik wouldh ave laughed and laughed and laughed. In disbelief.

I've surely spent more money many many times (I own a RED SPORTSCAR, REMEMBER!!)but somehow, holding that bundle of bills was just so different from anything else I had ever experienced.

Isn't it amazing how far we come? I wrote this before in my blog once ... but what are we, if not the manifestations of our own hopes and aspirations? Fears and anxieties? Wishes and dreams?

Here ... I'm spreading the joy ....