Actually, it was coming from a group made up of four white men, walking past me and a friend, shouting the "P" word and yes I am talking about the word "Paki".

Ironically, I'd gone to Manchester to support a friend who'd recently shared that she had been racially bullied for the past year.

I feel embarrassed to admit to this now but I was sceptical. I wondered whether my friend was just being overly sensitive and thought she just needed some cheering up, and that is how I ended up on the streets of Manchester being faced with abuse.

Despite having the odd encounter myself, I have often been described as naive in regards to the racism that the Muslim community and others still suffer today in some areas, and this weekend it was evident that it could possibly be true.

I was completely astonished that in the 21st century, in England, people who can only be described as racist, have yet to be able to articulate themselves beyond the word "Paki."

I mean shouting out the observation itself is hardly a cause for revelation.

To me, the thought of tackling such issues in such context seems so expired.

But as I watched my very traditional friend having to think twice about wearing an Asian outfit in case she was abused again, it brought home the reality of how such an ugly attitude still exists in some places and can still cause enormous isolation.

As we walked to the train station together, a guy stuck his head out of a taxi window and shouted "go back home".

Luckily for me, that was exactly where I was headed and now, back home in Peterborough, I'm able to reflect. I was once asked whether I would respond in the same way as someone being racist towards me, and the answer is no.

Being bullied, isolated or made to feel like there is something wrong with you, are challenges everyone faces in today's society but perhaps in different forms. The secret is to know yourself, and not to lose sight of the values you hold, just because some people feel the need to project their insecurities onto others.

But that's easier for me to say, sitting in my home city, where the only "p" word I'm used to hearing is pretty or princess!

Okay, that's a lie, but you get my drift.