Life in Pakistan/Singapore/Hong Kong - Aysha Baqir '95

We are delighted to share a new addition to our Global Lives feature, for a light and fun exploration of living and working in different cultures and countries. This time we are heading back to Asia!

Let's visit Pakistan, Singapore and Hong Kong with Aysha Baqir, class of 1995, as our guide:

Mount Holyoke alum Aysha Baqir shares her experiences as a true global citizen, living between Pakistan, Singapore and Hong Kong, and elaborates on how she has managed to weave different cultures and habits into her daily life and in her writing

1 ) Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a social entrepreneur and writer, honoured to be an Ashoka Fellow and the author of Beyond the Fields, a fiction novel about rape and resilience, which was shortlisted for Best Debut English Novel at the 9th UBL Literary Awards and won the Literature Award of the Ladies Fund in Karachi in 2022. I founded Kaarvan Crafts Foundation in 2004 because I’m passionate about empowering marginalised communities and promoting social injustice for women and children. I am on the Board of Directors at KCF and head the Human Resource and Audit Committees.

2) You are originally from Pakistan, but you have lived in Singapore and currently reside in Hong Kong. What has prompted you to travel and move so extensively?

The immediate reason for our moves was my husband's career—he received job offers that took us first to Singapore and then to Hong Kong. But to simply say that would be to tell only half the story.

The truth is that our decision to leave Pakistan was also driven by a growing sense of grief and fear. I watched my country, which I love deeply, become increasingly unsafe and corrupt. The rise of terrorism in the late 2000s and 2010s was terrifying and a safe and nurturing environment for my children was no longer a given. I remember receiving a call from my son’s preschool to rush over and collect him because the school had received a bomb threat. The drive from the office to his school was a nightmare. I remember thinking: What kind of world am I raising them in?  What kind of future are they inheriting? The Pakistan I grew up in—with its tolerance, cultural tapestry, and fierce intellectual traditions—seemed to be receding.

So, when my husband received a job offer abroad, I saw it as a necessary relocation for the safety and sanity of my family. But I also saw it as an opportunity—a gift of time and space.

You see, moving to a new country is disorienting. You leave behind your work, friends, networks, your familiar rhythms, but there is also a strange liberation in that dislocation. When you are unmoored from the familiar, you are forced to confront yourself and develop new interests. In Singapore, I found myself sitting with the stories I had carried with me—the stories of the women I had worked with at the Kaarvan Foundation, and I realized that I had a responsibility to tell those stories. And so, I took this moment of personal transition and turned it into a professional one.

3) Where do you consider your true "home" and which place or culture has most shaped the person you are today?

I consider Pakistan my true home today because home is where family is - but my time at Mount Holyoke, Singapore, and Hong Kong has shaped me into the person I am today. I am happy to share that I have friends-like-family in both Singapore and Hong Kong. 

4) What’s a typical day for you, and what part of it feels unique to Hong Kong?

My day starts with prayers followed by stretching and a cup of coffee or tea while I answer emails and follow up on work-related requests. I try to put in 2 to 3 hours of writing per day depending on errands and other chores. After lunch I either continue to write or volunteer with a few not-for-profits and NGOs. I love walking and try to make the most of Hong Kong's breath-taking walking trails and bay-area walks before or after dinner. 

5) Are there any favourite local traditions, food, or customs in any of the countries you have lived in that you have learned to love and that you now practice everywhere you go?

In Singapore, I developed a love for Sichuan food and green leafy vegetables, kai lan, kale, and bok choy and I enjoy cooking them in Hong Kong. I also adore the Singaporean and Hong Kong orchids and bamboos and enjoy nurturing potted plants. In Hong Kong, I’m discovering a taste for noodles and the delicious coconut tarts. 

6) Focusing on your experiences in East Asia, what are the main differences in daily life between Singapore and Hong Kong?

The key difference between the daily life in Singapore and Hong Kong is that my husband and I are empty nesters in Hong Kong. My life in Singapore focused on children’s school, our family life, and my writing. We also developed a close community of friends in Singapore. In contrast, Hong Kong’s dynamic and vibrant life offers me an opportunity to not only pursue my writing but also work with not-for-profits in areas of social enterprise and social justice - an important factor affecting many young girls belonging to ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong. Some of our friends have moved to Hong Kong and its lovely to socialise with them. I look forward to making more friends here. 

5) How did your MHC experience help shape your life and dreams?

The MHC experience was pivotal in shaping my life and dreams. In high school I was engrossed in the school/sports life and never really “saw” or “took in” the poverty and deprivation around me. It was in college that I learnt that Pakistan was an underdeveloped country, and this sparked a passion to change the status quo. I joined MHC, thinking I wanted to become a Psychology major, but after a class in Introduction to Development with Professor Kavita Khory, I knew I wanted to study economic development and work at grassroots level to create sustainable impact. MHC provided the nurturing space and support to learn, explore opportunities, and develop strong bonds and friendships. It also taught me to believe in myself. 

6) In 2019, you published Beyond the Fields, a novel that focuses on the challenges women still face in your native country. How close are you still to Pakistan, and what do you miss most?

I’m grateful that Beyond the Fields was published by Marshal Cavendish in 2019 and in 2021 by Lightstone Publishers in Pakistan. I am still close to my home country, because it’s been fundamental in shaping my school life and work experience. And of course, I miss family and friends the most and the food and breath-taking mountains. 

7) In 2004 you founded the Karvaan Crafts Foundation, which impacts the lives of women, particularly in Pakistan. If you could send a 30-second message to the world about Karvaan and women in Pakistan, what would you say?

Kaarvan aims to educate, empower and enable women in low-income communities of Pakistan to improve their economic realities.  We focus on development not dependence and work with over twenty thousand women in over a thousand villages, and twenty-five districts. The women’s determination, strength and humour in times of despair is admirable - with so little they manage to achieve so much.  

8) Do you have any special insider tips for alums who wish to visit Pakistan, Singapore, or Hong Kong?

I would urge alums to tour Lahore’s old city that flourished under the Mughal Raj and the northern areas to see the ancient forts and the majestic Karakorum, Himalayas, and the Hindukush.

Enjoying the Dragon's Back Trail in Hong Kong

If you’re a trekker, do plan a trip to the K-2 base camp or the Deosai plains.  Singapore’s a fantastic destination for a family holiday with young kids and the local food is delicious. I am still exploring Hong Kong but my absolute favourite trek is the Dragon Back Trail. The Central district in Hong Kong thrums with an amazing vibe and eating places. 

9) As a global citizen, what is your vision for the future, and what gives you the most hope?

I envision a future where love and truth thrive over hate and deception and we clean up our earth. The Gen Zs give me most hope because I feel they are more socially conscious and strive to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Answers facilitated and collated by Eleanor Chang '78 and Silvia Maulini '80

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Please get in touch if you would like to share your country, or would like to suggest a feature!