From West Virginia to Kabul

Note: I found it as a draft written on 10 Feb 2021, don't remember why didn't publish it before. 

Last week I watched The Devil All Time movie, directed by Antonio Campos. The movie reminded me of Kabul and my forgotten memories...

Willard Russell coming back to his home town in West Virginia after serving in World War II. On the way, he met a waitress named Charlotte in Ohio. He married her and had a son called Arvin. 

Even though I was born on 1985 during Iran-Iraq war (22 Sep 1980 - 20 Aug 1988) in Iran, I didn't have a clue about war. Or maybe being born on a foreign land, was a war mark on my life. After I went to school and could read the streets' names, I realized they were named after Iranian martyrs who lost their lives during Iran-Iraq war. Also watched so many Iranian tv series & movies about Iran-Iraq war. But I never had any classmates who was an orphan of a martyr because as their father's contribution to defending the land, they had special schools called Shahed schools. 

I grew up with a paradox in Iran. In school, we learnt the martyrs are forever alive human beings. Their bodies leave their loved ones but their souls and memories live forever. Despite going to heaven and having unlimited joys there, still people mourn after their depart from the earth. Iranians wear black shirts & dresses and held big ceremonies each year. They said: tears for martyrs were awarded by god in world after life. So everyone tries to cry as hard as possible. Some people try to seek help from onions. I couldn't cry and thought maybe I'm a cold hearted person. Actually my friend believed me as a cold hearted person. It took me years to realized I just was a strong person. 

Then 11 September attacks happened in U.S. me and my family didn't have any ideas that those attacks will lead the American government to invade Afghanistan for hosting Bin Laden. I even didn't know my poor country was hosting a rich Arab guy like Bin Laden. He must be a hippie not a jihadist who traveled to a poor country. 

That time I was in 9 grade and imagining myself study in one of Tehran universities and starting an independent life like Oshin and Hanako. I wanted to go to Tehran International Book Fair and buy lots of books and drowned myself in reading them. I wanted to go to Iran parliament and listen to parliament members arguing with each other on development of their cities. I wanted to visit some Iranian famous news papers offices but in my surprise, 2 years later we returned to our so called post-Taliban country. 

We spend one night in Dogharoun's Ansar camp. It didn't have electricity and my mom turned on the oil lantern before sunset. One of UNHCR staff saw our lantern and told us: "you proved yourselves as real Afghans". In his opinion, traveling with oil lantern to Afghanistan was an indicator of Afghan identity. My mom always saying: "there's no electricity in Afghanistan". That's why we didn't take any of our electrical stuff except our dad big tape & radio. Another UNHCR staff advised us to not drink water without boiling. On our way to Herat, I saw lots of houses destroyed by bombs and nobody built them again. I wasn't shock by the roads because I saw same roads every summer in Iran on our way to brick kiln. 

But nobody listened to her except me and all of them had to suffer from dysentery for few days. 

Charlotte wasn't lucky like my family to suffer from dysentery. Doctor diagnosed her with cancer. Willard and Arvin urged to god to save her life. Even Willard sacrificed their dog to god, god rejected their prayers. Consequently, Willard took his own life to be with Charlotte. Then Arvin continued his life with his grandmother and adopted stepsister called Lenora. 

I entered Kabul university in few months as my family stayed in Herat province and my dad built a house for us there. After graduation from university, I heard the story of Shirin Gul and her husband who killed 27 taxi drivers, buried their bodies in their yard and sold their taxis. Shirin Gul's husband was pimping her as Carl was doing with Sandy in the movie. 

Corruption, violence, religion extremists is much worse in Kabul compare to the cities in the movie. Police in Kabul are corrupted as much as Sheriff Lee. If Roy believe god gave him the ability to resurrect the dead and he kills his wife for testing his ability, Taliban believe god sent them to take people to heaven by suicide attack. Many Mulla like Preston seduces girls in mosques and rape them.