My Trip to Afghanistan
Crystal Siasang
In March 2006, my mom, two sisters, Qafia and Susan and I went to Afghanistan. We stayed there for almost the whole month. Even though I was born in Kabul, going back, everything was new to me.
When we first reached our destination, my uncle, cousin and a couple of my aunties met us at the airport. I hadn’t seen my cousin in almost five years. We used to be best friends when we were younger (before our family moved to Canada). At first, I barely recognized her. I was expecting a little girl, but by then, she was already almost sixteen.
We got a taxi and I remember Qafia yelling, “Watch out! The door is taped?!” We all squished into the taxi cab; the younger ones sitting on the laps of the adults. No seatbelts or streetlights! Driving was very dangerous in Kabul. It was a long drive to my grandmother’s house, which was located on a mountain side. That was where we stayed for the month.
We were doing different things every day. Visiting with family and friends, going to the parks. I especially loved the place called “Bagh-e-Zanana”. My sisters and I swung on wooden swings that hurt the back of our legs and probably fell so many times while chasing each other around the park, but we still had a great time. We also went to the Qargha Lake and took a ride on a motorboat. We even went shopping!
I loved shopping at ‘Kabul City Center’, the new indoor mall in downtown Kabul, and enjoyed visiting relatives. I met some of my dad’s friends as well. On one of those days we visited Zohal Sahar (not real name) at her house. Another friend of my dad’s, Kaka Sohrab Kabuli, came over a few nights. Our family enjoyed his company; he is a really great person and spent lots of time playing with Susan who was three at the time. On the first evening, he brought fish and Jalabi, which everyone loved. I also know that he is an expert on the computer. And I remember once he was featured on the MSN homepage back in 2008. I enjoyed meeting new people and catching up with my cousins.
Besides the family reunion and get-togethers, the city of Kabul was wonderful. Every other night our side of the city would get electricity for a couple of hours. During the nights in between we used candles, lanterns and flashlights throughout the house. It was a beautiful site, looking out the window at the lit up part of the city…
We all enjoyed our trip to Kabul. I had so much fun. Of course, it seemed fun to me because I knew I would be going home after the trip was over. I didn’t have to worry about living there. Life in Afghanistan seems to be quite difficult. I think some people who do live there don’t find it fun at all. They don’t have somewhere else they can go to take a break. After my experiences, I realize how much we take things for granted. For this reason, the simplest things mean a lot to me. I know most people in places like Afghanistan would love to have the things we take for granted like education, transportation and other entertainments.
I am very glad I went back to my hometown. I had some great impressions. One of my favourite songs I heard in Kabul that I very much liked was “Biya Janam” by Tawab Arash. (If you would like to listen to the song, please click on the link below).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDOl8LWRU8E
We went through a few ups and downs but this was probably one of my most memorable trips ever. I always write about my travels; they are great memoirs to read and think back on for myself.
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Canada, April 15/ 2001
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ادبی ـ هنری