Nathan Hangen

A Little Bit About Afghanistan

Life in Kabul

Obviously you know about the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, but I’d venture to guess most people don’t know much about the rest of the people here. Although I am in a heavily Pashtun area, most of the people here speak at least some English as well as Dari and Pashto. They are some of the most polite people I have ever met and will go out of their way to greet or entertain you.

The city of Kabul itself is less developed than I expected, however they are making great amounts of progress here. On every street you will find hundreds of workers building; some new buildings and some being rebuilt after a blast. The children are delightfully friendly and hard working as well. You’ll see them (just as in many other poor towns) trying to sell jewelry or photos, but if you make it to some of the outer roads you will see children as young as 5 filling potholes in hopes that some trucker or contractor will throw them some change for them doing their part to rebuild Afghanistan.

Commerce seems alive and you’ll see plenty of restaurants and street vendors among the army and police checkpoints. Although it is difficult now, I can imagine Kabul in 10-20 years thriving with business and growth. There are several reasons why Afghanistan hasn’t prospered in this or past centuries, but currently it is painfully obvious that a thriving economy requires a stable infrastructure, which is difficult to achieve when security is such an issue. Still, having met many Afghans in my short stay I can see the strength in their eyes and the glimmer of hope that radiates from the inside. The giant victory they earned against the USSR years ago and the victory they will soon win against the Taliban will further fortify their posture of patience and courage. I look forward to seeing Afghanistan do well.

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