In Silence There is Eloquence

It's official: I'm going to Afghanistan!

I just can't believe that in less than a month, I'll be in Kabul. It doesn't seem real to me yet. Maybe because the whole thing came about so quickly, with very little time to plan once the decision was made.

After days of agonizing deliberation over whether I should go or not, I finally decided to throw caution to the winds and sign up for Global Exchange's Reality Tour to Afghanistan. This decision marks a change for me, a split from my usual path of pragmatism and logic. Logically speaking, I should NOT be going on this trip. Partly because of the danger, but mostly because of the money. I knew from the get-go that this would be expensive and I would have to blow both my meager savings and also my expected income tax rebate--leaving me with NO safety nest whatsoever and therefore living paycheck to paycheck again for the foreseeable future, or at least until I head off to grad school next fall--but it actually is turning out to be MUCH more expensive than I had anticipated. So instead of merely spending all my money, I will be spending all my money and going several thousand dollars in debt. So far I've spent $360 on vaccinations alone, $240 on travel insurance that doesn't even cover half my flights, $1500 on airfare, and $1750 on the program fee itself. Although I applied for an internal scholarship within the organization I'm going with, so hopefully that last number will be lower.

Any philanthropically-minded readers out there with some spare cash who would like to donate to my cause? I promise, it's not a purely selfish one. Yes, this is to send me to another country, but it's an educational trip meant to promote connections with Afghanistan and show Americans that there is much more to that country than terrorists and women in blue burqas. You see, the only thing that could make me abandon my cautious nature like this is belief. I truly believe in what Global Exchange is trying to accomplish with their Reality Tours, particularly with this one. Call me a bleeding-heart do-gooder liberal if you must, but I think that this accomplishes much more than guns and bombs and shows of force.

The only news we hear back here about Afghanistan usually involves American soldiers and the war, which is important and should be reported. But there is so much more to the story! There's a whole country full of innocent people just trying to live their lives, and often working to make them better! Never mind that your average American is probably just full of incorrect and insulting stereotypes about Afghanistan. I firmly believe that trips like these are important to correct these errors and educate the people here about the people there. We need to see the human side for something to matter, and that is exactly what this trip will do. I can't wait to come back here and write an article to publish in the paper that I write for, along with my photographs, and to tell all my co-workers about the people I met and the work that they do.

This trip is called Women Making Change, and is all about what women are doing to empower themselves and receive the rights that we take so for granted in this country. They have been through so much, and still work so hard for such little reward. Their strength humbles me. I think that this trip will be eye-opening in so many ways, and not only for me but for anyone I am able to share it with upon my return.