Pakistan is a whole lot more than what you see on the news

For most of my life, I'd have to say the name of my parents' homeland at least a couple of times before people understood what I was talking about.

I'd say "Pakistan" in different tones and with varying enunciation before resorting to, "You know, it's the country next to India."

Nowadays, people know Pakistan pretty well, although probably not for the reasons that I'd want them to.

It's notorious as the border to Afghanistan and an "ally in the war on terror." It's dealt with internal struggles as well as problems along its boundaries.

But that's just the Pakistan that appears in the news.

For me, it's the place where I had my first birthday. It's where I met my grandparents and my parent's siblings.

It was also the land where I discovered dozens of relatives I hadn't known even existed, ate food that just can't be duplicated in America and bought clothes that I would likely only wear a couple times a year -- all with a sense of joy.

I was born and raised in America after my parents moved here from Pakistan. My dad came to Michigan for grad school and my mom moved here after they were married.

We went to Pakistan pretty often when I was young. Many of our summer vacations were there, primarily in Karachi; in fact, my first trip was when I was just a month old.

I never found it odd that I spent so much time outside the country or that my parents didn't speak English at home -- at least not until I got a bit older.

Most of my classmates had never left the United States and weren't bilingual. They ate spaghetti and casseroles for dinner, whereas it would have been strange to not have Pakistani food waiting for us on the dinner table.

I think my parents balanced our two heritages well. Dinner was your typical Pakistani fare, but I still had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunch.

My parents speak to us in their native Urdu, but my siblings and I respond in English.

My parents didn't force us to be either Pakistani or American; they allowed us to be both while at the same time instilling a pride in where they came from.

And I do feel proud. I love visiting Pakistan, even though I haven't been in 11 years. I'm anticipating our trip this December, treasuring the chance to see family I haven't laid eyes on in more than a decade.

I also love hearing the stories my parents tell me of their childhood.

Since time has worn on from grade school, I also feel like my experience isn't so strange anymore. Thanks to popular culture and movies and books such as "The Namesake" and "Joy Luck Club," people who have lived in America for generations understand what it was like for me and my parents.

There are still those who don't know where Pakistan or Bosnia or Ghana are. But we're getting closer.