Though I am from Afghanistan, I never spent enough time there. Ath the age of three I had to migrate to Pakistan in fear of getting killed by the Taliban. My father and older brother were both killed there so we had to move out.
After about fifteen years, I finally went back. In the summer 2007, my mother and older sister accompanied me there. Before getting off the plane I was sweating as if I had run miles. I was nervous, scared, and terribly worried.
Since I was raised in different countries, I have a very strong and unique accent when speaking Farsi. So right away I knew I would stand out among the Farsi speakers and they might even think I am worried.
Just a few weeks before my arrival, I saw images on the news that made my hair stand up- suicide bombers. These suicide bombers were known to be as common as homosexuals in America. So here I was thinking, so if I were to go outside there are high chances of me getting killed by the bombs.
This was all playing in mind as I stepped into the fresh air of Kabul. As I reached my relatvies' car, I was literally attacked by hugs and kisses from groups of people I had never seen in my life. Most of them speaking at the same time, they all asked how I was doing and how glad they were to finally see me. I would have to admit, I felt like a celebrity. Everyone was calling my name and smiling at me.
This was pretty much how I got treated most of my time there. They always asked me questions and were so excited to talk to me- I got the attention of my life there. Every now and then, my cousins would take me out .
And I enjoyed every single place I visited. The mountains, the rivers, the caves, the fields, the country side, and city- it was all just so amazing. I honestly had the time of my life. It was such a great feeling to bond with my people, my culture, and of course my land. In my mind, I was like "hmm, I have only seen ruined homes of Afghanistan on TV or internet…never this sight". The green fields and the blue mountains just brought me back to life.
The weather was absolutely beautiful- especially in Salang. Salang was the country side where mountains and fields joined together and created this beautiful scenary. Our lodge was on top of a mountain and every morning I would wake up to beautiful 70 degree weather and birds singing. I felt like a princess on top of the world. The food was just superb! Everything was organic and fresh out of the garden.
If I could, I would travel back to Afghanistan every summer! But since my family has low-income, barely affording to send me off to college- I can't. Though once I become a doctor, with the help of this generous scholarship if I can go to my favorite university, i will for sure travel back and forth.
There are many things that the people of Afghanistan are trying to do to show the rest of the world how caring and loving the people of this country are.
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