We had to go to the flat today to discuss with the contractor and architect some decisions and instead of being the usual thing where we stared foolishly as the contractor tried to explain in Turkish, it turned out to be a very useful session indeed. This is because I overheard two of his workers talking to each other in Punjabi, so we set up a chain where they translated the Turkish into Punjabi, I translated it into English and we were able to communicate reasonably easily. They were migrant workers from Gujranwala, and very easily slipped into the sort of interaction I remember from Lahore, with the assurance that so and so would be ‘made beautiful, baji’ etc. I had been mulling over the rigidity of class in Pakistan earlier today, and it was strange it see it play out the same afternoon.
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