Here goes 2012. Apparently, the apocalypse didn't happen this year. But my personal life did face some tremors and I am still feeling their after-shocks. 2012 started with a bang. In December 2011, I resigned from Telenor and decided to relocate to Australia with my family. So at the start of January, I wrapped up everything from Islamabad and moved back to Lahore. Islamabad is a beautiful and nice city. But personally, I would still prefer Lahore over it at any cost. Anyway, on January 24th, I flew to Australia along with my wife and son. The initial few weeks were very exhausting for me mentally; settling up in a new country; looking for a place to live; buying household stuff; getting familiar with the new environment and system; and starting a whole new job and company. Apart from all this, the very fact that I didn't have any acquaintances or friends in the new city to help me out, so to make myself accustomed to everything was the biggest challenge of my life. Luckily, by the grace of Allah, I didn't face much difficulty. Thanks to an office assignment, I got a chance to live in Sydney in April or May. During that time, I came to know that my mother was suffering from Hepatitis C. Apart from that, I have faced an awful personal experience in my life. The whole month of June and afterwards became very tough for me emotionally. I got homesick and, at times, regretted coming to Australia. It took me a few months to find ample peace to live with it. I visited Pakistan in October and there I almost forgot that I had not been living there for the past 9 months. After coming back, I went back again to that old feeling, but after a few weeks, I again found peace. As I said, I could still feel the after-shocks at times.
Overall, it was a challenging year for me and my family. It was an emotionally very tough year for me, and it was my fault that I let my emotions drive me. This year tested me on many personal grounds. In spite of all those tests, I am still here, steadfast and rock steady. I guess now I should now wait for the rewards of those tests.
The previous year has also made me realise how blessed I am by Allah for having such a fortunate family and friends.
