Stories by Mansoor Ali Khan

Me and my fellow journalists who had arrived in the U.S. as part of the U.S.-Pakistan professional partnership program for journalists were planning to take the journey back home when I was asked by my channel to stay back in the U.S. and cover the elections. 

Whenever one visits a foreign country, you always get a list from family members and friends which tells you about the things you are supposed to be carrying back for them. I, just like everyone, was also handed over that list. I won’t go too much into what I bought and what I avoided, but for the past couple of days, I was looking to buy a cell phone here.

It’s my third week in Chicago now, and the homesickness is beginning to creep in. Last night, I watched the final presidential debate and just to sum it up in few words: it disappointed me a lot.

It’s been a week now in the WTTW station and I’m feeling lucky to have met some wonderful people here. I had my first chance to go on-air, on the program Chicago Tonight, on Thursday. 

So far, there are some interesting observations that I would like to share about the American way of living.

So, this morning I decided to journey the American way, as I wrote in my last blog. I put on the headphones and started the 50-minute journey from the hotel to the TV station, and you know what? I liked it.

I am over the jet lag now, sleeping properly for eight hours. Initially, I used to sleep at 11:00 pm and wake up at 4:00 am, but now I finally have been able to adjust to the timings. Finally, I’ve been well-accustomed to the rail system, and reaching my office and back to my hotel is now a piece of cake.

Passion, Positivity and Punctuality: these are the three things which center around the people of America which I have observed since the day my plane landed in Washington D.C. on 2nd October. I am one of the 14 journalists from Pakistan chosen for the sixth batch of journalists’ exchange program for three weeks, funded by the U.S. State Department.