In search of a home

Kathmandu:

My story is not unique. There are millions of stories like mine,” says Norma Isaczai.

Hers is a story shared by the thousands of Afghans who fled their homes when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and sought refuge and protection in a second country. Norma’s family like so many other Afghan families fled to the border town of Peshawar in Pakistan some 27 years ago.

After the invasion, many who showed discontent with the communist regime were prosecuted, and Norma’s father, a professor at a university, was jailed for a month. After his release, their family of eight had no choice but to sell off everything, pack a few belongings and flee in a rented van from the place that they had always called home.

Recalling her childhood days in Afghanistan, Norma says, “I remember playing with friends, being with relatives and going to my grandfather’s apple orchard.” But all that came to an end.

Their flight was not easy, says Norma, who was then just nine. She remembers how a mine blew the front part of a lorry right in front of their eyes. Frightened but determined to go forward, they sent the van back instead hiring donkey and camel to carry the young ones and belongings. “My father carried my five-year-old sister all the way for four days,” she recollects.

Caught between the Russian soldiers and the Mujhahideen, they dressed like the Kochiis, an Afghan nomad tribe, so as to escape detection. Hiding during the day and travelling under cover of darkness, they went through empty villages. When they could not find any place to stay, they took shelter in mosques.

The only utensil they possessed was a pressure cooker in which they made tea. Surviving on apples and bread they carried with them, the family reached Peshawar after four days and three nights.

They’d escaped, but their future was still uncertain. However, as their father was well-educated, he got the job of a translator in the American embassy in Pakistan. And after nine months, they recieved a refugee visa for America. A new life had opened for them though settling into a new culture and place was another struggle in itself.

The English as Second Language class that Norma attended prepared her for school and life in the US. She went on to graduate in Business Administration.

But who knew that her ties to Afghanistan had not ended with their flight so many years ago. She is married to Ghulam Isaczai, deputy resident representative of UNDP to Nepal, who was once a Mujhahideen.

Isaczai left home when he was 17, joined the Mujhahideen and was with them for two years. But he realised this was not what he wanted out of life. So, he went to Pakistan, took a medical training that gave him practical knowledge to provide necessary emergency treatment during war. His boss at Save the Children told him “without education, you will not be able to rise”.

These words struck a chord in Isaczai’s heart. He decided to further his education and applied for a scholarship. His dream was to become a doctor but the scholarship he received was not for medical education.

“Good that he didn’t become a doctor. I can’t stand the smell of hospital,” laughs Norma.

In 2004, when Isaczai took the UNDP assignment, they got an opportunity to visit Afghanistan for three weeks.

“It was an emotional and exciting experience at the same time. Because of the unrest, people have gone through so much,” says Norma, adding sadly, “Afghanistan is rich in so many ways but the political scene has destroyed everything. It was better off — a liberal and modern country during 1920’s. The Afghan history is replete with so many invasions, but none of them were successful. However, the Taliban and Al Qaeda have taken us back.”

The Isaczais have been in Nepal for the last nine months and live in Bhaisepati with their three lovely daughters Myehar, Wajma and Arian.

The decor of their residence in Bhaisepati looks Afghan in every way. “These small things are the reminders of my country. Through these small things, we try to hold on to it. We eat Afghan food at home, my daughters speak Dari (Afghan language), English and Nepali. I am constantly telling them about their roots. It is all because of my mother that we, her children, know about our Afghan culture and roots even though we lived in the US. I want to pass all that I know on to my daughters,” says Norma.

From fleeing from a home to building another in some strange land, and making it as safe and comfortable as possible for your loved ones, Norma’s life has perhaps come

a full circle.