Jannat Zahara spent the 2025-26 school year at K-M school as a foreign exchange student. She came here at the start of the school year, nine months ago and I will be leaving on June 11, 2027.
Jannat grew up in Pakistan, a culturally rich country with a vibrant tapestry woven from thousands of years of history, blending Islamic values with South Asian traditions and diverse regional customs. It is a society deeply rooted in family ties, profound hospitality, and a collective passion for arts and sports.
Back at home, Jannat has three siblings. A younger brother, 11 years old, a younger sister, she is 7 years old and a twin sister. Her mom is a house maker and her dad is a shopkeeper. There are 6 people in total in her family and her aunt, uncle and cousin also live with them. They also have a lot of cats, birds and tortoises as pets.
Jannat had a really normal and typical childhood. As a kid she went to school, came home, watched TV, played outside and went to bed. But as she got older there were way more responsibilities. Jannat and her twin sister had to help their mom with house chores. They enjoyed celebrating the festivals back home like Eid because it was so fun hanging out with her cousins and other family members. The whole family all would go to the grandmother’s house.
The weather in her country is not similar to Minnesota at all. They have long and really hot summers and cool winters, but winter is not as intense in Pakistan. Janna thought that when winter started this past fall, it would be fine, but once it actually started to get cold, it was so bad that she couldn’t even step out. The winter here was the coldest temperature she had ever experienced in her entire life. And also, the winter in Minnesota this year was more cold than the entire Pakistan has ever experienced.
Some hobbies that Jannat enjoyed doing were going on hikes, cooking, playing a lot of sports like, cricket, badminton, frisbee, soccer. Growing up she was a really big fan of sports. One of the reasons was of her dad because he was also a big sport guy.
Jannat found a lot of differences between the two countries. The food is different, the way people’s houses are made is different. Schools are different as schools in the United States are lots bigger than schools in Pakistan. The way people dress is also different. The thing that surprised her the most was how every teenager as soon as they turn 16 gets their driver’s license and has their own car. Another very specific difference was prom. They don't have prom back home so experiencing that was amazing.
The similarities are the facilities they have, the hospitality and a lot more. The language English is also widely spoken in Pakistan and is actually the official language of Pakistan. There are also different kinds of stores. They do have supermarkets but the stores for local purchasing are small shops.
Jannat was looking to establish good relationships here. Make friends that will last a lifetime. Find people that she would I love. Experience how life would be in another country. And indeed, she did get meet goals. “I found the best people in my life that I will never forget and the relationships that will last forever” Jannat stated.
Her future plans after getting back home will be to go to college. Jannat plans for a scholarship to a good university for a medical degree and hopefully come back to the United States to get a master’s degree and be a doctor.
