Belgium Life

17/09/2026

Anyone in the same boat???

Honestly, I wish I had studied the nutrition chapter in school a little more seriously. 😂

Because now, at this age, when I’m actually trying to eat better and build some muscle, I’m realizing how little I understood about what I was putting on my plate.

Now I’m the one standing in the kitchen thinking:
“Okay… where is the protein?” 😂
“Are carbs actually bad?”
“Which fats are healthy?”
“And am I even eating enough?”

So here’s what I’m slowly learning:

🥚 Protein at every meal — eggs, chicken, fish, lentils, beans, yogurt… because muscles need protein to repair and grow.

🍚 Don’t be scared of carbs — rice, potatoes, oats, whole grains, roti… they give us energy, especially when we’re exercising.

🥑 Include healthy fats — nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil… our bodies need them too.

🍽️ Don’t undereat — eating “healthy” doesn’t mean eating as little as possible. Your body needs enough fuel to function and build muscle.

💧 Hydration + regular balanced meals matter too — because healthy eating is not just about one “perfect” food.

And honestly, I’m still learning. 😅
We spent years memorising chapters for exams, but nobody taught us how to actually build a balanced plate for everyday life.

Better late than never, right? ❤️

Tell me I’m not the only one who is learning all this after school! 🙋🏻‍♀️

15/09/2026

14/09/2026

This confusion is SO common and I want to clear it up once and for all 🕌

There are TWO different experiences at Masjid Nabawi and many women — especially first timers — mix them up completely.

🌹 Saying Salam from Outside
Every day, at an allocated time, women can queue up and walk past the blessed chamber of the Prophet ﷺ to say Salam. No Nusuk app. No permit. No advance booking. You just show up, ask the staff or people around you for the current timing, join the queue and go. It is emotional, it is beautiful and it is available to you every single day of your stay in Madinah. 🤍

🟢 Entering Riyazul Jannah — Rawdah
This is a completely separate experience. Riyazul Jannah is the blessed area between the Prophet’s ﷺ pulpit and his chamber — the Garden of Paradise. To enter and PRAY here you need a permit booked through the Nusuk app in advance. There are limited slots, specific timings for women, and you only get 10–15 minutes inside. This is NOT the same as saying Salam from outside.

So to summarise 👇

Saying Salam Entering Rawdah
Permit needed ❌ No ✅ Yes
Nusuk app ❌ No ✅ Yes
Daily access ✅ Yes ❌ Limited slots
Time inside Walk past 10–15 mins to pray

Both are precious. Both will make you cry. But they are not the same thing — and knowing the difference means you don’t miss either one. 🤍

✅ For Salam — ask staff for daily women’s timings when you arrive
✅ For Rawdah — book Nusuk permit before you even land in Madinah
✅ Try to do BOTH during your stay

Save this 📌 Every woman going to Madinah needs to see this
Tag your Umrah partner 🕌🤍

13/09/2026

I thought I’d seen everything Belgium has to offer. Then my daughter came home from school telling me they made smoothies by cycling. 😂

I had to see it to believe it. 🤯

The kids sit on a special bike, start pedalling and the energy from cycling actually powers the blender to make their smoothie! 🚴‍♀️🥤

No electricity. No buttons. Just pure kid energy! 😄

And the lessons this one simple activity teaches are incredible 👇

🥦 Healthy eating — kids choose their own fruits and see exactly what goes into their drink — no hidden sugars, no mystery ingredients!

🚴‍♀️ Exercise is fun — they’re working out without even realising it!

🌍 Sustainability — no electricity needed, pure human power!

🧠 Science — they see firsthand how energy converts into motion!

💪 Independence — they MADE their own healthy drink themselves!

Back home our school activity was colouring inside a classroom 😂 Here kids are literally powering blenders with their legs and learning life lessons at the same time! 🙌

This is what I love about Belgium — even the smallest school activities have a deeper meaning behind them. They’re not just making smoothies. They’re learning that movement is fun, healthy food is delicious and they have the power to make good choices. 💛

And my daughter? She came home and asked me to buy more fruits. 😂🥹

That’s the magic right there. 🙌

Save this & share it with every parent who wants to inspire their kids to eat healthy! 📌

Follow for more real expat life in Belgium 🇧🇪✨
Check highlights “BE FunFacts” for more! 👆

pakistan, india,

12/09/2026

So I was walking through De Wereld van Kina garden in Ghent and I spotted this tree covered in pacifiers. 😮

My first reaction? What on earth is this?! 😂

Turns out it’s one of the most beautiful little traditions I’ve ever come across. 💛

It’s called a Tuutjesboom — literally a “pacifier tree” in Dutch. 🌳

Here’s how it works:
When a toddler is ready to stop using their pacifier, instead of just throwing it away — they bring it HERE. 🎀

They tie it onto the tree — often with a little note with their name and age attached — as a symbol that they are growing up. A real milestone moment. 👶➡️🧒

No drama. No tears. Just a beautiful, gentle goodbye. 🥹

Back home in Pakistan or India — we just take the pacifier away one day and hope for the best 😂 There’s no ceremony, no tradition, no closure for the child.

Here Belgium turns even the smallest moments into something meaningful for the child. A memory. A milestone. Something they can look back on and feel proud of. 🙌

The tree at De Wereld van Kina: De Tuin in Ghent is one of the most well known ones — but you can find similar trees near parks, museums and nature centres across Flanders and the Netherlands too! 🌿

I honestly stood there for five minutes just reading the little name tags and feeling all the feelings. 🥹💛

Would you do this with your child? Drop it in the comments! 👇

Save this — it’s one of those Belgium facts that just makes you smile 😊📌

Follow for more real expat life in Belgium 🇧🇪✨
Check highlights “BE FunFacts” for more! 👆

11/09/2026

The ripple effect is more real than we realise…

What we repeatedly see, we slowly start accepting.

What once looked strange can eventually become normal.

The people we follow.
The content we watch.
The words we hear.
The behaviour we see around us.

Slowly, without even noticing, it can influence the way we think, speak, dress, parent and live.

And as parents, this thought hits differently.

Because our children are watching us too.

They may not always listen to what we tell them… but they are always learning from what we show them.

How we react when we’re angry.
How we speak about others.
How we deal with difficulties.
How we practise our faith.
How we treat people.

Our actions create ripples.

And those ripples can travel much further than we ever realise.

So sometimes I remind myself: I am becoming a reflection of what I constantly consume, while my children are also becoming a reflection of what they constantly see in me.

A little reminder for myself before anyone else. 🤍

What kind of ripple are we creating?

makkah madinah muslims

09/09/2026

instagram and edits having some problems… dont know why….
Aap ki izzat ka review nai post karne de raha mje 🙁🙁

07/09/2026

“Urdu is too difficult for kids.”
“Don’t expose children to too many languages, they’ll get confused.”

I hear this a lot, but here is my 3-year-old learning Urdu through something as simple and fun as songs. 🥹❤️

A huge thank you to for creating such amazing Urdu content for children! 🎶 Because of their Urdu alphabet song, he picked up the Urdu alphabets so quickly.

From the beginning, I exposed him to the languages around him:

English • Urdu • Arabic • Pashto • Dutch 🌍

Of course, he doesn’t speak all of them perfectly — he is only 3! But children don’t need to master one language before being introduced to another. They learn through listening, repetition, play and daily exposure.

When my first child was born, I struggled to find fun ways to teach her Urdu. Now, thankfully, there are so many amazing songs, books and resources that make introducing Urdu to children much easier and more enjoyable.

I truly believe no language is “too difficult” for a child. We just need to keep introducing it and make it a natural and fun part of their lives. ❤️

🎶 Songs
📚 Books
🗣️ Conversations
🎬 Fun content
❤️ Consistent exposure

And now I am looking for fun ways and resources to introduce Pashto to my kids! If anyone knows good Pashto songs, books, YouTube channels or other resources for children, please share them with me in the comments. 👇❤️

06/09/2026

Today, on 6 September, Ghent celebrated Autovrije Zondag (Car-Free Sunday), and we decided to go outside and explore the city. 🚲✨

And honestly, the atmosphere felt completely different!

The streets were filled with people instead of cars. We saw families walking around, people cycling and skating in groups, kids enjoying activities and play areas, and even rommelmarkts (flea/second-hand markets) where people were exploring and selling all kinds of interesting things. 🛍️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🛼🚲

It was so nice to see how a city can feel when the roads are given back to people—even if it’s just for a day. 💚

One of the things I find really interesting about living in Belgium is discovering these little traditions and events that make you experience the city in a completely different way.

🇧🇪 Have you ever experienced a car-free day in your city? Would you enjoy one?