Afraid and Alone

My name is Mehria. I am from the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, where I was born. I am married with two kids, one son and one daughter. I came to the United States after the Taliban captured Afghanistan in August of 2020. My husband was working with the US in Afghanistan.

I was in the process of obtaining a Special Immigrant Visas (SIV). My husband’s SIV case was accepted and he was eligible to come to the United States. During that time, the Taliban came and took over the government in Afghanistan before I had obtained my SIV which meant I couldn’t leave Afghanistan.

I was shocked and in distress. I worried about how I could get into the airport and be able to get onto a plane. I felt very sad for my kids. They could hear the fighting and shooting and the older one knew something was wrong. I had a document that showed that we were in the processing office and because of that, I tried going out of the line to show the police and American soldiers. They saw my documents and they let me through but my husband was left behind.

So I came to America alone but my husband was able to come after a year and a half.

My children and I were able to leave for Qatar after three days at the airport. Then from Qatar, Germany, then the United States. We stayed in a New Jersey military camp for three months. After that, my kids and I were flown to the Nashville airport, where we were picked up by a resettlement agency and taken to a motel. We stayed there for a day until we were moved into an apartment. My husband tried two more times to go through the airport in Afghanistan but he couldn’t. The next day, the airport was bombed and many people were killed. He wasn’t able to go through the airport anymore so he traveled to Pakistan and was able to get processed there and leave.

I lived next to many single men, which is something strange for me and where I am from. I fought with my caseworker. She stayed with me late into the night and it made me feel calmer and more relaxed. My kids were in school during that time when they told me that there is an organization called Refuge Bowling Green that helps refugees. I was introduced to Maggie there and I found out that she had English classes. She has helped me so much. The classes were very good and useful at the beginning. I came regularly for classes but then I found a job and started working and I haven’t been able to come as regularly. My husband knows about Refuge Bowling Green. They helped him enroll for a job. He isn’t able to go to English classes because he is busy working and we send money back to Afghanistan for our family. He needs to come to English classes but he’s too busy with work. He works in a plastic company.

In Afghanistan, I was a makeup artist as my profession. I had a following in Afghanistan because I did beautiful work. Now here in Bowling Green, I work in housekeeping as well as laundry. My goal is to one day continue my profession here and open a beauty parlor but I first need to learn English and then obtain a GED and the certificates needed to open a business.

When the Taliban came into my country, it was very bad for me. I just thought no, I can’t stay here because of my children’s futures. My advice for others like me is that we are here now in America. We have everything: freedom, education, a good life, opportunity. Homeland is homeland for each one but the situation in Afghanistan is dangerous and it is not a good future for our children. If someone comes here to the United States or another country, they will find a good future for their kids.