The mention of “Afghanistan” itself raises quite a few eyebrows, let alone in the context of crossing it by car. Here's my account, as a woman, of that travel.
Merci, Lisa, de nous avoir fait découvrir l’Afghanistan et son peuple opprimé sous un nouvel angle. Tes paroles étaient très touchantes et m’ont profondément impressionné, surtout lorsque tu as raconté comment, inconsciemment, après seulement une journée passée là-bas, tu parlais déjà du fait d’avoir passé ton temps à te rendre invisible. J’imagine combien il a dû être difficile pour toi, née libre – comme il est naturel et juste de l’être – d’accepter de ne pas être considérée même comme un être humain. Et j’imagine ta douleur pour les femmes afghanes, contraintes chaque jour de s’annuler elles-mêmes. Une peine infinie mêlée à un grand sentiment de révolte qui doit pourtant être étouffé… Je partage également l’espoir d’un avenir libre pour le peuple afghan.
I was worried about you and Xavier, and I'm glad to hear that. Indeed, there are many awesome Afghan people. I wish you a fantastic trip ahead, full of joy.
I felt deep your story, the fears, the anger, the desire to experience a new country so repressed at the same time. The fact of having to give in to the clothing imposed on women because you know that your rebellion would only make their conditions worse... The feeling that you are useless, that you can't do anything more for the people, for the women... Thanks for sharing. Take care and keep living the adventure.
P.S. I wonder if you knew already so much all the history and politics, or if you read and educate yourselves on the way. It's amazing how you narrate about characters that I've read so little or nothing about...
It’s a difficult country, it’s hard for me to even grasp it fully - let alone write about it! I’m happy my attempt resonated with you :) and regarding the characters, I learned most of it by reading Ghost Wars - one of the most entertaining history/journalism books I’ve ever read; can highly recommend.
Tack för denna intressanta text om detta land dit inte många åker. Afghanska kvinnor har aldrig haft mycket rättigheter och de flesta har alltid gått runt i burka - långt innan talibanerna tog makten. Tyvärr har det blivit ännu sämre nu, och man hoppas att det afghanska folket någon gång kommer att få ett styre som tillåter både män och kvinnor att ha ett värdigt liv.
Faktisk så kan man hitta bilder på afghanska kvinnor i kjol, circa 1960. Dom hade det mycket bättre då. Och tills 2021 fick dom ju studera… Nu får ingen doktor ta hand om kvinnor eller hjälpa med att föda barn. Detta blir problematiskt.
We’re already in Pakistan. You’re not the only one against traveling there, everyone and every state recommends against it. But after doing research, it felt safe enough to us. We learned a lot and met many awesome people - we’re really happy we went.
Merci, Lisa, de nous avoir fait découvrir l’Afghanistan et son peuple opprimé sous un nouvel angle. Tes paroles étaient très touchantes et m’ont profondément impressionné, surtout lorsque tu as raconté comment, inconsciemment, après seulement une journée passée là-bas, tu parlais déjà du fait d’avoir passé ton temps à te rendre invisible. J’imagine combien il a dû être difficile pour toi, née libre – comme il est naturel et juste de l’être – d’accepter de ne pas être considérée même comme un être humain. Et j’imagine ta douleur pour les femmes afghanes, contraintes chaque jour de s’annuler elles-mêmes. Une peine infinie mêlée à un grand sentiment de révolte qui doit pourtant être étouffé… Je partage également l’espoir d’un avenir libre pour le peuple afghan.
P.S. Félicitations, Lisa, tu écris très bien !
I was worried about you and Xavier, and I'm glad to hear that. Indeed, there are many awesome Afghan people. I wish you a fantastic trip ahead, full of joy.
I felt deep your story, the fears, the anger, the desire to experience a new country so repressed at the same time. The fact of having to give in to the clothing imposed on women because you know that your rebellion would only make their conditions worse... The feeling that you are useless, that you can't do anything more for the people, for the women... Thanks for sharing. Take care and keep living the adventure.
P.S. I wonder if you knew already so much all the history and politics, or if you read and educate yourselves on the way. It's amazing how you narrate about characters that I've read so little or nothing about...
It’s a difficult country, it’s hard for me to even grasp it fully - let alone write about it! I’m happy my attempt resonated with you :) and regarding the characters, I learned most of it by reading Ghost Wars - one of the most entertaining history/journalism books I’ve ever read; can highly recommend.
I will add the book to my "to read" list! :)
Tack för denna intressanta text om detta land dit inte många åker. Afghanska kvinnor har aldrig haft mycket rättigheter och de flesta har alltid gått runt i burka - långt innan talibanerna tog makten. Tyvärr har det blivit ännu sämre nu, och man hoppas att det afghanska folket någon gång kommer att få ett styre som tillåter både män och kvinnor att ha ett värdigt liv.
Faktisk så kan man hitta bilder på afghanska kvinnor i kjol, circa 1960. Dom hade det mycket bättre då. Och tills 2021 fick dom ju studera… Nu får ingen doktor ta hand om kvinnor eller hjälpa med att föda barn. Detta blir problematiskt.
Hi there! I would not recommend traveling there because I know it is extremely dangerous. Be super, super careful! and happy adventure by the way:)
We’re already in Pakistan. You’re not the only one against traveling there, everyone and every state recommends against it. But after doing research, it felt safe enough to us. We learned a lot and met many awesome people - we’re really happy we went.