The Other Side of the Sky

Escaping Afghanistan began Ahmedi’s life as a refugee. She and her mother relied on the kindness of fellow travelers in Peshawar, but then they took a train for two nights and days to Quetta. The train went slowly and stopped every few minutes; every moment was trepidatious. They were the only females without male companions surrounded by strange men. In that region of Pakistan, the men all dressed in the style of the Taliban, leaving Ahmedi and her mother on edge the entire trip. They reached their cousin in Quetta, but there was little room for them, and soon they had to move out. They found a small room to rent, but could not earn enough money to keep it, and ended up in a United Nations refugee camp set up outside of Quetta.

The camp was simply a large collection of tents out in the open, and with winter came howling winds and freezing temperatures. Ahmedi’s mother lost weight, and her cough grew worse; Ahmedi repeatedly had to take her into town to the hospital, where she got better having shelter. Her health deteriorated again once they returned to the refugee camp. By the following winter, her health was in decline again, and Ahmedi’s spirits were low.