Omar Ahmadi, 26 years old
I was born in 1996 during the dark days of the first Taliban regime in Afghanistan. My father was the chief of the Kabul Bureau for DailyExpertNews. When the family was in the most difficult economic situation, my father could have sent us to work hard to support the family, but he chose to raise us. My life path was shaped by his choice.
My brothers, sister and I all went to school. After graduating from high school and earning an associate degree in technology, I decided that I wanted to study international relations and diplomacy, to try to understand what was going on in my country in the name of war and terrorism.
My dream was that my homeland would go to the light of peace and prosperity. It is a dream shared by thousands of my classmates in Afghanistan.
To help support the family, I worked for a telecommunications company in Afghanistan during the day and went to university in the evenings. I remember staying up late at night to study and then waking up early in the morning to go to work. It was a difficult time, but the dream of a better future motivated me to work hard.
Then, in August of last year, everything collapsed. Despite the 20-year struggle against the Taliban, my family and I had to emigrate for our lives.
I graduated from university in exile. I had my diploma in hand, but I had lost my homeland.
Whatever happens, I still hope and believe in a better future for my homeland, so I will continue my education. As an international relations student, I learned that regimes such as the Taliban, which impose themselves on nations, will not last. From my understanding of the contemporary history of Afghanistan, it is clear to me that these times in history will pass and people will one day redefine their own destiny.
