A kite runner and a Canadian small town girl (the other side)

I have been on this planet for 38 years ( even if it feels longer sometimes!) that's it. I know many wonderful things, and I do not know anything about so many other things.

I have a blog and real life friend named Faiza - who recently lent me a book called "the kite runner" as my mind will do , it settles into a book. Explores and finds referencing from my own life to anchor in and understand the story. This story for me was different.

 I read a beautiful story about a time and place I did not have a reference for. The Afghanistan described ( per war ) was not one  that found reference in my own mind, and the characters relationships with the woman and family was not something I could connect to within the context of how my mind "saw" life in Afghanistan.

 I looked back on the time period in my own life ( the 1970's) and wondered about the differences two human beings ( okay one is fictional but based on the writers thoughts and memories)   could be on the same planet, with the same basic needs  have so completely different lives. (read naive)

As I am a visual thinker I immediately begin flipping through my own "photo" album ( read brain) and cannot find a picture to match the writers description of his home country pre-war. So I just did a mass google search-- (now having finished the book)


Afghanistan 1950's

 Not so different  then the images that come to mind of Woman in North America during that time period the time time period pre- war.

Not what I expected.

A Canadian Model demonstrating the Viso-matic slide show ( early shopping channel!)





Now a few years in between styles - but looking very much the same to my eyes --- move ahead a few more years. I had no idea what so ever that at one time Afghanistan was on the same path ( very western looking in that photo on the left) as we in North American were on. ( I know this is very naive of me - and I apologize for my lack of culture here - but that is kind of the point of this entry.)

Moving on to 1976's ( if I had any pictures scanned I would in fact post me here - so borrowed from a random site - many thanks for whoever you are !)  This could have been me or anyone one of my friends on Halloween in 1976.

December 27, 1979 - the Soviet war in Afghanistan begun. This would have been too early for me to truly understand, however it would have been the news coverage in my home with my mom that would be the starting images of the Afghanistan I have filed in my head. I cannot imagine what  the next 9 years were like or what the Afghanistan people lived through. Nor can I imagine the confused feelings of hope for freedom from war  to oppression of their religious views and punishments based on simple blood line and the rise of the Taliban rule. -  the Taliban controlled some 90 percent of Afghanistan's territory by 1994. ( this is not strict history - just basic fact finding for me at this point)



1988 Soviet Special Forces in Afghanistan



As I read the kite runner I was struck by how much I do not know, how much I take for granted. In the 1980's while I played pac-man and went to the arcade, and pretty much lived a cushioned life ( protected by my parents) and travelling Canada from cost to cost.This entire country was in turmoil, turning against one another, dealing with issues that today are still way outside my realm of understanding. When not thirty years earlier they were on a silimar path as ours.

I guess what it comes down to is i want to erase the pictures / beliefs of this image  ( in no way is this about the soliders I have written about my thoughts on that before in older posts)

Today

And learn more about these below ---

Kabul at night in 1960's

Children with smiles not fear

So Faiza thank you -
So from this small town Canadian girl with a big city  privileged life -- you have opened my eyes - just by giving me a great read. For that I am thankful. Life brings us so much -- we really must appreciate every lesson sent our way.