Returning To Afghanistan After 15 Years
Posted in: An Afghan-American Woman's Perspective
Asma Nemati \| July 7, 2008 \| 10:30 PM	(2 comments)

Asma Nemati graduated from UCLA with a BA in Political Science in 2007. She is currently spending time abroad working on several projects in Afghanistan.

After 15 years I was finally able to come back to Kabul, Afghanistan on June 20. I only vividly remember our house in the Dedana district; our garden was so beautiful, full of luscious apple trees, a variety of vegetables including onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. When my little cousins would come over we would play with wet mud, making little plates and utensils for our make-believe dinner party. One of us would then climb over the storage room to pick a few fresh green apples to compliment the wonderful array of dishes we had prepared. We would do this all day until we were too tired to even talk.

When I returned to the same house on June 20 the only thing left was the house itself. Everything else, including the garden full of fruits and vegetables, was gone and the only thing visible was the edifice of our home surrounded by dried mud everywhere. With the exception of a few grape vines and some other plants my grandfather had planted a few years ago when he returned to Kabul from Pakistan, there was nothing green to see. The garden was destroyed yet the memory remained. The house felt empty yet it was still home. It had amazingly survived the Taliban regime and the US invasion of Afghanistan.

As I saw cousins and new family members a surge of love encompassed me and I wanted nothing but to continue hugging and kissing everyone. The hardships they are going through are visible on their beautiful dusty faces. Even when looking at my little cousins I could hear a sigh emanating from their tired cheeks and lips and eyes, yet they were the nicest children I had ever seen in my entire life.

On my second day I went to visit a school—Maktabe Mehrabuddin—where my aunt teaches a boys’ first-grade class. Nasreen’s class was absolutely wonderful—even more so when I told them I had brought my camera. Each boy started posing for me and asked if I could develop and distribute his pictures to him so he could give it to his family. That was of course impossible but I promised to take everyone’s pictures. One little boy caught my attention right away. He couldn’t see out of his right eye, which was almost sealed. I asked Nasreen about him and she told me he had cancer in his right eye—he just recently was brought back from Pakistan for treatment.

Another boy came in late and I couldn’t help but immediately notice his legs, which were turned in 45 degrees. He must have had something happen to his feet because he could not walk properly. Despite this difficulty, he managed to walk to school every morning.

As the class started and Nasreen went around to check everyone’s homework, I sat in a corner taking pictures. Just then a little boy came up to me and gave me a pack of ball-shaped candies. I refused to take it and asked him to take it back but he insisted and said it was for me; he had already had some.

A little while later the same boy came to me and gave me a piece of bread, presumably his lunch, and I still refused to take it. This time he gave in and took it back. For them I was a foreigner returning to Afghanistan after such a while that I was not only Nasreen’s guest, but also theirs. Similarly, another little boy offered me more bread and yet another one offered me cheese his mother had brought from the Laghman province. I was so touched by these children’s hospitality—at such a young age they are willing to give up perhaps what might be their only full meal of the day to a stranger, simply to make them happy and continue the tradition of Afghan hospitality.

[To be continued]

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Slamu alikum sister Asma,

My name is niamatullah rahmani, an afghani from the Bay Area. Allah has been kind enough to keep me busy and occupied with some doing some work in afghanistan for the past 3 years. When you get a chance take a look at our website, www.afghanistanrises.org.
Perhaps we could work together to help our brothers and sisters in afghanistan. please contact me when you get a chance,
sincerely
niamatullah rahmani

Niamatullah Rahmani | Aug 11, 2008 | 12:51 PM

as salamu alaykum Asma Jaan. We are all praying for you and we miss you. Insha Allah may Allah grant you every good in your return to Kabul, and we look forward to hearing from you. You should start a blog!

Khadija | Jul 08, 2008 | 07:38 AM