Part III Girl on the other side of the sky

1. On radio the ruling Taliban announced the conscription of all Kabul men and boys of age
2. Her brothers left the city to avoid joining the army that had killed their family
3. They were never seen again
4. Farah was 11, and her Mom was now in bad shape: suffering from asthma & the psychological effects of the loss of her family
5. But Mom received a letter from a cousin who had gotten out and had a place in Pakistan
6. Although it was now illegal for women and girls to go out without a man with them, and they would be arrested and beaten if found on the street
7. They decided to make the journey to the border
8. Holding no papers they couldn’t cross into Pakistan legally
9. Farah and her Mom walked a smuggler’s mountain trail at night, into Pakistan
10. They had to avoid the big border city of Peshawar, also under Taliban control
11. And travel to Quetta, the city where Mom’s cousin was living
12. Things in Quetta were not good
13. Crowded with other refugee families, the neighborhood was packed with people with no money no work and no food

Part II Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

This is a continuation of true story of Farah Ahmedi An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky.

(See Mar. 5 post for beginning of story! It ended with Farah airlifted to Germany)

1. First surgery took out her knee, but left her right leg in place unable to bend
2. Farah’s second surgery amputated her left leg entirely
3. These procedures saved her life
4. Farah stayed in Germany alone two years & got a prosthetic leg
5. She did her therapy, and she learned to walk
6. At age 9, speaking German but not reading, she was flew to Kabul
7. Reunited with family, Farah had a hard time acclimating to Kabul, 1996
8. Fighting which had been only in the countryside had arrived in their city
9. The Taliban were fighting for control of the government
10. At age 11 her family’s walled compound was exploded by a bomb killing Dad and both sisters
11. Mom, Farah, and brothers (not home during bombing), moved in with relatives
12. Until they could go back home where two buildings of 5 had survived with walls and roof intact (but no windows)
13. Their family was now destitute with no source of income

Girl on the other side of the sky

1. I’m assuming . . . you have the tissues?
2. It was mentioned in previous entry. No? OK . . . I’ll wait.
3. Right, here goes:
4. Farah was selected (ABC Good Morning America) as most compelling story of 2005
5. 20,000 entries
6. So Farah got a national book deal
7. Working with a professional writer as co-author
8. Touring USA on speaking engagements
9. While still a teenager, because . . .
10. In Kabul, Afghanistan in the 90s, when Farah was a little girl in a big family
11. (Mom, Dad, two brothers, two sisters plus aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.)
12. Farah’s immediate family was pretty well-off as Dad ran a successful clothing and tailoring business in Kabul
13. At age 7 she liked school, loved her teacher & was still learning her letters (in Farsi)
14. One day, she woke up late!
15. Farah ran to school all by herself, and took a new shortcut
16. In an empty lot a neglected landmine detonated
17. She woke up and opened her eyes people were gathering around her, staring down
18. Horrified
19. She felt nothing, couldn’t move, but she saw their faces
20. Eventually one man, a neighbor, recognized Farah & sent for her Mom
21. They picked her up, got a taxi and took her to hospital
22. There her legs were bandaged, but nothing else was done as the damage was beyond the capability of the local doctors
23. Days later she was airlifted out of Afghanistan by a German relief organization working with victims of landmines
24. All alone

Try this out

having trouble posting . . .

Bring Kleenex

Finished my first piece for actual publication. I haven’t seen the actual issue of the magazine yet, but still I’m pretty psyched about the entire process.

My subject for the piece that I wrote is a local woman who has an incredible life story that has already appeared in a book. My article is basically an update (where is she now??) piece, but focused on her relationship with her guardian angel who mentored her when she first arrived in the U.S. at age 14.

Her book (highly recommended) is titled The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi and Tamim Ansary (Simon & Schuster, 2005).

Next entry: I will give a few details of her life in typical Gord list format. If you are not at all familiar with this girl’s life story, my only advice is: bring Kleenex, because her story waqs selected from 20,000 life stories when picked out for her book publication.

I’m a writer

I just got an offer for a writing gig in a small local magazine, doing personal profiles of local people of interest.

I guess I’ll take it. I guess I’m wildly excited. I guess I’m nervous. I feel like words will fail me. Like my fingers won’t hit the keys correctly. Like the ink will run out.

She-Wolf’s moon

In honor of tomorrow night’s (January’s) full Wolf Moon, the she-wolf herself:

 

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid10172910001?bctid=31675166001