Humans Of Coffee World

Living with Tiny Humans

Summer means a lot of things to me.

Summer is mangoes. Lots of them.

Summer is a beach trip, where we all get sun-burns and my mother gets hysterical, trying to keep us from drowning.

Summer is Coke Studio (or used to be, until Rohail Hyatt quit, and they just shifted the seasons to early fall)

Summer is trying to hog the car A/C while my brother yells at me.

Summer is messy rainy days (because Karachi doesn't believe in drainage systems).

Summer is sleepovers with my best friend where we stay awake till 4, imagining 'Could haves'.

Summer is instant noodles (mostly Knorr, but we still call them Maggi, because that's the power of branding for you!)

And ofcourse. Summer is houseguests. Too many of them. Most of them younger ones.

My cousins.

Every year for a month (or more), we get visited by my Aunts, from different cities and countries.

And so...Summer means cousins. Of all shapes and sizes. Literally.

It's fun, and hectic, and crazy at the same time. I can't get enough peace to even think alone.

One of my cousins is a fan of Animes and K-Pop (whatever the hell those are). She is 14, and she follows like 25 anime shows at the same time, I swear. And she gets notifs about her favorite K-Pop bands through an app dedicated entirely to them. As a consequence, I have been unwillingly introduced to way too many pasty looking, skinny dudes with neon hair and questionable sexual orientations.
(Btw, if any of you are fans.... what's up with the eye-liner? And why does every band have like 18 band-members? It disturbs me...)

Then I remember my own teeny-boppy obsessions, and I think to myself; "Was I this crazy over Jonas Brothers?"

The answer isn't something I like to ponder over too much. #Shudders

Living with younger people is enlightening. They have such interesting observations about life.

"I think pooping in a toilet is a waste of my time. It's soooo boring!"--4 year-old baby cousin Hani, says in her support of diaper usage.

"Have you ever been to school?"--5 year-old Hidaya thinks I was born in my Internship.

There is this refreshing honesty about kids that I miss all year round, when I'm surrounded by diplomatic adults.

"How do I look, Hidaya?" I ask her on Eid day (I was wearing pink).

"Like a Princess!" She chirps.

"You too baby!"

*We High-Five, and I give her the Lindt bar she was expecting in return*

See, when a kid compliments you, you don't question her chocolate-driven motives. You store away that compliment like a piece of glowing, golden sunshine in your heart, and you take it out when you're feeling cold and blue, and ugly, and you hold it in your hands, and it warms you up, making you feel fuzzy and beautiful inside.

So when your brother tells you to stop eating his snacks because you've started resembling the rear end of a cargo truck, you just keep on munching on those fruit rollups, and say:

"F$&# that. Hidaya thinks I look like a Princess."

And then there is their imagination!

I fancy myself to be a creative storyteller, but my male cousins are just living in their own little action movie-world!

12 Year Old: "So I went to A's room to borrow some paper, and I see that creepy Candy Doll just sitting there, nodding her head. Like this *Nods his head*"

10 Year Old: "Oh God. Oh God, No. It's starting..."

12 Y/O: "I hate her. It was nighttime then, so I couldn't do anything. But in the morning I went up there, just to punch her in the face a few times. *demonstrates by punching a nearby throw pillow* Creepy faced stuffed toy...."

10 Y/O: "You don't understand what you've done! You've doomed us all! Now we have to burn her, or else she'll kill us in our sleep!!..."

9 Y/O: "I boiled a butterfly once..."

12 Y/O: "...you didn't see her dead creepy eyes...it was like she wanted me to suffer..."

10 Y/O: "...I'm serious, guys! There's no use throwing her in the trash. She'll just come back, and write 'Miss me?' in red, all over our walls, and just hang herself from the fans or something. Trust me. I've seen Annabelle..."

12 Y/O: "...those dead button eyes..."

I died laughing. So entertaining. 😂

Somehow, I don't remember being so worried about my own doll collection coming alive like that. I don't know if it's just overexposure to media, but kids nowadays seem to have hyperactive imaginations, and even more exaggerated reactions! 

Me teasing my Uncle: "Do Darya is a gorgeous place. Why don't you take Aunt on a romantic date there?"

His kid: "OMG. EW. EW GROOOOSSS!! *Gags*"

Me and Uncle: 😂😂

I still have plenty of kiddy time left, but I'm already dreading the day they all leave. The house becomes so much quieter, subdued, diplomatic and boring...

What's your crazy kid story?

(Photo: 30% of my cousins (and a random sibling), at some kiddy playland. I think they're learning how to top pizza with boiled corns...)