About Me — Mehak Siddiquei
Traveling. Reading. Parenting
If my life were a movie, I would be the weird introvert girl who gives herself pep talks before bracing herself for an interaction with a stranger. I would also be the kind who seems rude and distant at first but surprises you once you get to know them, like Edward Cullen of Twilight. *Cringes*. Yes, I used a Twilight reference, which in my defense seemed cool once upon a time and the novels weren’t bad. I cannot say the same about the movie franchise. I was team Jacob, by the way.
I could also be a Hermoine Granger, with her love for books and impulsive desire to offer the correct response to a question. This probably gives you a hint about my current age. Harry Potter and Twilight references, so not a teen, but definitely not forty either. Anyways, I digress.
How I Ended up at Medium
The youngest of six children, I was born in Pakistan and completed my undergrad there before moving to the US, for my graduate studies, where I currently live. My education is in Economics and International Affairs, and I have worked in multiple positions to conduct economic research. I recently became a mom to a beautiful daughter and am new to the whole stay-at-home mom business.
Turns out, life can change a lot after a baby. Not being able to work and having such a big responsibility, of caring for another human round the clock, can be depressing and hard. That’s why I turned to writing on Medium. I have always loved reading and being able to put my thoughts out there as well seemed enticing. ( A shout out to my sister for introducing me to Medium. Love you Shabaira Junaid)
Interests and Hobbies
When I think back to my middle school years, my most clear memory is of me in the school library. Scanning the shelves, looking for a Nancy Drew book that I might have left unread. My reading interests have since evolved. The books I most enjoy now are historical fiction, books on political economy, South Asian politics, or any other genre that makes me want to keep the pages turning. My all-time favorite book has to be ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ by Anthony Doerr.
Books make me happy. Not just reading them, even browsing books at a bookstore helps me de-stress. This leads me to another interest of mine; exploring quaint book shops. There is something about a place that has shelves lined with books. The smell of books in the air, better yet smell of books and coffee if it has a cafe too. It’s all the more fun if the book shop is in a different city or even a different country because I love traveling. Thankfully my husband does too and the one thing which instantly lifts our spirits is planning a new trip and looking forward to it, even if it is months away.
So far I have traveled to UAE, Bhutan, Nepal, Greece, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Turkey, Spain, Denmark, UK, Portugal, and France. Trying new foods is an integral part of any travel experience for me so I love eating too.
My Medium Journey
I am new to Medium, but as I share my work here, you can expect to hear about all the things I discussed above. In addition, parenting is my current full-time job so not talking about it seems impossible. I will also be sharing my thoughts on economic research, development, and current affairs since that is my profession.
You can check out my profile if any of this interests you and if you would like to hear from me.
Thanks for reading.
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