Birthday party

Today I got a good reminder of why we're here. A young Afghan colleague of mine had invited me to her birthday party. It was women only (naturally), and the other guests were all smart, hip, and unassuming. Some worked for NGOs, others at government ministries, and hearing their stories of Taliban days, it's as if they've come out of hibernation and are starting to bloom (some mixed metaphors there, but you get the picture!).

One had just graduated from highschool when the Taliban took over and, banned from work, ended up starting a clandestine school in her house to teach other girls. Once the Taliban fell, she got a series of jobs, eventually ending up in a low-level position at the World Bank. The other young women had similar stories, and they seemed upbeat and hopeful about their futures.

This country has a long way to go. It won't transform from a medieval to modern country in this decade, and probably not the next either. But when I meet Afghans like these women, it doesn't seem completely hopeless.