A Journey to "The Other Side of the Sky" in Afganistan

Farah Ahmedi's memoir of her Afghan childhood and subsequent immigration and assimilation to life in the United States provided the basis for a pretty deep discussion of the state of the world we live in. Over some scrumptious cherry cheesecake, we talked of the horrific aspects of Farah's land mine accident and the level of medical care available. We discussed Farah's observation as she flew into Afghanistan after her stay in Germany. She wondered why Germany was so modern and had built so many things when her own country had failed to prosper. We speculated that political unrest, tribal level ethnic associations and perhaps climate has limited modernization in Afghanistan as well as much of Africa. We talked about life as a woman in a socially repressive society where opportunities for education and basic rights are denied or dependant on a male relative. We noted Farah's spunk and resourcefulness. One member pointed out that her mother probably wouldn't have survived without her. We also addressed her expectation of help--that someone should help her. We contrasted this to "Western" thinking that hardship is overcome by the individual. Farah's situation was grim, and she was 14 or 15, a young girl not the woman or head of household she had to become. One member compared the breakdown of services that heralded the Taliban with the precarious state of normalcy here. She mentioned the oil crisis of the 70s and how closed gas stations or long lines at the pump brought the worst behavior out in some people. We discussed what would happen if "the grid went down" and people were stranded and food supplies became scarce. In this way, we are all venerable in the same way whether in a highly developed country or one with little infrastructure. One member mentioned that assimilation depended not just whether you were a foreigner but if you were from a rural or urban setting. Things like understanding a subway schedule, hailing a taxi, going through a revolving door are intimidating to someone from a village regardless of the country they're in. We were touched by Farah's religious experience, something universal regardless of sect. Farah has her own website if you would like to keep up to date on how she's doing. http://www.farahsworld.com/