By Aimen Tahir
When I was sent to the United States of America for the IVLP Program 2015, I went with many expectations, both good and bad – but I was surprised to find out how wrong I was about the country.
To be nominated by the U.S. Embassy for the IVLP Program 2015 on “Journalism and Security” was an honor for me. I was excited to participate in the program but was also concerned about the possible mistreatment, being a Pakistani in America.
Finally the day arrived: on 16th of May, 2015, I took my flight to Washington, D.C. from Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore. After a long and tiring flight, I landed in the land of opportunities. To my surprise I wasn’t discriminated against at all at the airport, as I had expected given my nationality.
During my stay at Washington, D.C. I had the opportunity to meet Carlos Aranaga, representative of the U.S Department of State and Alexander Gorev, representative of Institute of International Education who had designed the whole program for Pakistani journalists. We were seven journalists coming from different cities of Pakistan. U.S. Department of State helped us a lot in exploring wonderful America and its beautiful people. Due to their kind input and endless efforts, we were able to find out how American journalists work in different war zones, their security issues and how do they counter them. We visited many newspapers, magazines, radio stations and broadcast stations. We also had an opportunity to visit schools and learn about their education system. We learnt about American culture and lifestyle. I got an amazing opportunity to explore different aspects of American society.
In Washington, D.C. we were honored to see Akram Elyas, President of Captain Communication group who briefed us about the structure of the Government of America and the relationship between the American media and the government. It really helped us a lot in learning about the basic structure of the United States.
We also had the chance to meet many American journalists, but meeting the Senior Foreign Policy and National Security reporter, Guy Taylor, The Washington Times, The Washington Post and Movements.org representative was the best. We learnt how American journalists see different issues of the Muslim World like the Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Conflict, Terrorism and Drone Attacks in Pakistan, Pakistan-Afghanistan Relationship, and the Operation against Bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.
During my stay at Washington, D.C., my visit to the Embassy of Pakistan was a great experience. I was honored to meet the Ambassador of Pakistan to the U.S. The White House, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Newseum, National Mall, United States Capitol, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and various other places were really worth visiting.
I found Washington, D.C. a fast paced but very organized and disciplined city. The people were simply amazing.
After Washington D.C., I along with my Pakistani Journalists group fellows, went to Tampa Bay, Florida. During our stay at Tampa Bay, the visit to Poynter’s Institute was the most wonderful experience. I increased my knowledge about the ethics of journalism, security issues of American journalists who cover different war zones, and the importance of social media in news gathering. FInding out about the life experiences of Kenny Irby, representative of Poynter’s Institute, was truly inspirational for me.
The sailing experience at Dolphin Landings in Tampa Bay during sunset was truly amazing. The beauty of nature, sunset, and singing waves lasted an everlasting impression on me.I found Tampa a very interesting city, especially its nightlife.
Salt Lake City was our next destination. We had an opportunity to visit Deseret News, KSL Television and KSL News Radio that was one of the best experience to explore how American journalists work. I, along with my group fellows were also interviewed by Deseret News. We had an interesting talk about how Pakistani journalists see America and its policies and how the IVLP Program is helping us in understanding and strengthening the Pak-U.S. relationship.
I was also highly impressed by the hospitality of Mrs. And Mr. Michael in Salt Lake City. I am very thankful for their delicious homemade food, their kindness and hospitality.The natural beauty of Salt Lake City was stunning. I found it a calmer and slower paced city.
Then moving towards the last destination of our program, we went to New York. New York was over crowded, very fast paced and the most happening city. A little dirty but still WOW.
In New York, we had an opportunity to visit Women E-News. Editor Corinna Barnard well explained the issues of women and the LGBT community in the U.S. and I also had an opportunity to see Bob Dietz, Asia Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists. I got to know how CPJ is really doing a great job for the protection of journalists around the world. I wish that CPJ will continue its efforts to effectively support and protect journalists worldwide.
My trip to U.S would have been even an greater experience if I would have got the chance to visit CNN, BBC or Voice of America as well, but still it was an awesome experience.
During my stay in the U.S., I also realized that everything that glitters is not gold. I got to know that poverty, inflation, women’s issues, and crime rate is awful even in the U.S. Their education system is good but it still needs lots of improvement. Health care in the U.S. is too expensive but the judiciary is doing a great job. Though the constitution of the United States supports freedom of law, I found the American media a bit biased at times too. I was sad to know that the print media in the U.S. is facing real hardships due to the boom of electronic and social media.
On the other hand, I was never discriminated against throughout my 3-week stay in the U.S. I was always loved, respected and honored by the American people. American people were also really pleasantly surprised to learn about the many great aspects of Pakistan. They were astonished to know that despite all its third world problems, Pakistan is still progressing a lot. They were surprised to know that women in Pakistan are also making a difference in the country. American people also appreciated the bravery of Pakistani journalists who are working in really tough conditions.
Since I am back to Pakistan and have rejoined my workplace, I will definitely try to implement whatever I have learnt from American journalists. I would also like to thank the U.S embassy in Pakistan for letting me explore the wonderful United States of America. Many many thanks to Carlos Aranaga (U.D. Department of State) and Alexander Gorev (International Institute of Education, U.S.A) for initiating this program.
