I am Madeeha Anwar Chaudhry – a journalist by profession, a blogger by passion, a wanderer by choice and a foodie by genes. My close friends call me Chaudhry, a surname that points towards my Punjabi roots. Born in Pakistan, I had an upbringing in Saudi Arabia and finally calling Washington, D.C. home – a place where I find solace, comfort and contentment.
A big chunk of my life (child and adulthood) was spent in Jeddah, along with two younger sisters in an unconventional family. Our parents were cool, ahead of their times and encouraged us to break stereotypes – a rarity in a Pakistani family back in the days. My mom is a renowned poetess of Urdu language and my late father was an avid literature lover and an accomplished traveler. Consequently, and thankfully, they successfully instilled the genes to admire arts, culture, history and traveling to have a better understanding of the world.
Later in life, I pursued my journalism dream, opting for expertise in TV and digital media and began a career in Pakistan before moving to the United States in 2008. I have been associated with Voice of America since then. Currently, I am working as a Performance Review Analyst where I analyze the performance of different VOA entities – a difficult yet exciting task that I do with my heart.
Besides journalism what keeps me going is an early morning cup of chai, going out and about in the city, traveling whenever I get a chance, indulging and rewarding myself with homemade feasts and wrapping up a day curling in the bed with a book in my hand. What can beat that?
This creative digital outlet is to chronicle these aspirations, experiences, hobbies, daydreams, random-rants and to initiate discussions on books and social issues that matter and are relevant and relatable. Topics that are considered taboo in Pakistani society. It is also a space to agree-to-disagree in a civilized manner.
In the coming days, while I will be busy sipping my cup of tea (come day or night) gathering some thoughts and jotting them down on these digital pages, I hope, in some other part of the world you will be busy scrolling through these pages, stories that matter, thoughts that count and ideas that connect.
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Welcome to my happy place!