Afghan children live in a shattered land. Their country must be completely rebuilt. Until this last year, everyone in Afghanistan who is twenty years old and younger has never known anything but war and danger and hardship. Their culture is very different from the cultures of most of us in America. But, like us, they love music – especially American popular music – and sports. I think because so many young people have had their education interrupted by war they may value learning more than American teens do. They love sports, including soccer, racing, wrestling, kite fighting, and topei-danda (a kind of stickball). Buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan, is a rugged form of polo, played with the carcass of a goat or calf. It’s a game played mostly by grown men.
Although our cultures are very different, we do have a lot in common. We all relate to our families the same way, although perhaps Afghan children are more formal with and respectful of their parents. Friendship and loyalty are very important to Afghans, just as they are valued here. We laugh at the same things, regardless of culture.
When I talk with Afghan women we discuss the same things my friends and I talk about here: food (that’s a big topic everywhere!), travel, religion, family matters, our hopes and dreams.
I think sometimes we over-emphasize differences and judge other people because their ways are different from ours. But if we study the differences among cultures from the perspective of how fascinating they are, the things we have in common become more apparent.