Today was spent mostly in the guest house, which may sound boring, but was actually a wonderful day. We spent the morning playing games and our constant laughter filled the air. Some of the teachers form the Kabul Street school came over and we were able to teach them how to plant the seeds we had brought. They each seemed so excited to be able to bring this back to their kids at the school because most of these kids rarely get a meal beyond what is provided at the school, let alone healthy fresh vegetables.
As we sat for tea with the teachers we started talking and they started asking us questions about American culture and such. It is in moments like that that you realize how vastly different our cultures our. They were baffled by us having pets, let alone loving them as children. It is difficult for them to wrap their minds around single women over the age of 25, and that not being a negative thing. Mary is over 60, married, but never had children by choice, but to them that is a very shameful thing. You realize that the things that our cultures value are very different.
But there are also so many similarities. They place a high value on education because they know that is the key to making Afghanistan once again a successful, thriving country. They value family and relationships, often more than we do. They value hard work and not settling for the way things have always been. And it is in those similarities that all of our differences fade away and we are just women and men joining together to make the world a better, more peaceful and safer place to be for those we care about.
We head home tomorrow, and while I miss my loved ones at home, I will also miss these amazing people once I have left. I never feel ready to go, but I know that God has these people in His hands. I hope and pray that I will see them again, and if I don't I hope my time spent here made a difference in their lives. They are beloved and I am a better person for having met them.
As we sat for tea with the teachers we started talking and they started asking us questions about American culture and such. It is in moments like that that you realize how vastly different our cultures our. They were baffled by us having pets, let alone loving them as children. It is difficult for them to wrap their minds around single women over the age of 25, and that not being a negative thing. Mary is over 60, married, but never had children by choice, but to them that is a very shameful thing. You realize that the things that our cultures value are very different.
But there are also so many similarities. They place a high value on education because they know that is the key to making Afghanistan once again a successful, thriving country. They value family and relationships, often more than we do. They value hard work and not settling for the way things have always been. And it is in those similarities that all of our differences fade away and we are just women and men joining together to make the world a better, more peaceful and safer place to be for those we care about.
We head home tomorrow, and while I miss my loved ones at home, I will also miss these amazing people once I have left. I never feel ready to go, but I know that God has these people in His hands. I hope and pray that I will see them again, and if I don't I hope my time spent here made a difference in their lives. They are beloved and I am a better person for having met them.
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