Just a few months ago, I dreamed of being a professional skier and making a school in Kahmard. I wanted to teach Afghan girls how to ski. In Kabul, I had a team of 20 girls signed up for a ski team. This season, I had plans to take them to Bamyan. Even now, I can’t believe that everything has changed all at once. The anxiety and depression are very hard. I moved in with a family in Pakistan because being alone was too much. I’ve started losing the crowns on my teeth. The only reason my sister, the other Afghan skiers and I are out of Afghanistan is because of our skiing. It was a huge opportunity for us. Still, many of us are worried about our families and want to go back. I hope we all get the chance to meet and ski in Afghanistan again. I miss skiing. I wish I was there on top of the mountains. I miss sports. I miss my country. I miss my mom’s food and her cooking. I miss my dad. We have always been so close. My dad is my best friend. He’s never been skiing. One day I hope we can try together. Inshallah. To learn more about the developing crisis in Afghanistan and how you can help with the ongoing refugee resettlement process, please contact the International Rescue Committee (IRC) or United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). LEFT TO RIGHT Skiers from the Bamyan Ski Club make their way up the mountain at the start of the day for a few hours of training. Without a working chairlift anywhere in the country, everyone must earn their turns. In 2021, Bamyan skiers used a motorbike-turned-rope-tow to make their way up the mountain during ski training. Purchased in the village, the motorbike just needed a little bit of gas and a willing lift operator to get skiers uphill in a frac-tion of the normal hiking time. A Letter From Afghanistan 081
The Ski Journal Volume 15, Issue 4: Page 81
