Displacement

Hello there. Thank you for coming to this refugee simulation. Imagine with me that you're one of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced. Your story represents millions of people who left their lives behind to start from scratch in this land called America. For the next few minutes, meditate on your past and walk through the four stages as I mention them. At the end, you can walk through the stages again. 

Stage one.

Your name is Samandar, a friendly, kind, and respectful Muslim guy from Kandahar, Afghanistan. You lived there your whole life with your parents, brother, and sister. During your childhood, you learned the spiritual connection with Allah, and this made you value family, friends, and all the non-materialistic stuff. Your favorite month of the year is month nine of the Islamic calendar. Why? Ramadan. The fasting month that requires intense devotion and discipline. The prayers and communal fasts help develop a sense of unity, humility, and empathy. If there was something you had abundantly during childhood, it was love. Your mom was there teaching you how to be a great man, and the example of your dad will stay with you forever. Remember that moment you wanted to be a doctor or a nurse to follow in your family's footsteps and you paid close attention to your family's conversations while playing doctor with your teddy. Eventually, you learned English, and right after high school, you started teaching English and computer basics to children to help your family pay for necessities. This is how you were selected to work as an interpreter for the U.S. Marines. You worked hard for the American Marines, for two years in Helmand, Sohrab, Marjah, and Delrin, gathering unforgettable memories and making good friends there. 

Kandahar, the second largest city of Afghanistan, was a heavily defended city. During 2021, the Taliban led brutal attacks on the city, wearing down the defenses and causing many to desert and flee. Everything changed when the Taliban took over. People lost their jobs and homes. You saw people leaving the country and you began to worry.

You ask yourself,

Samandar: Why is this happening to me? I was not able to leave my house. I was afraid of being recognized by the Taliban. But they found me and threatened me. And I had to leave. My family and I did not think twice. And after picking a few items, not really thinking through the process, I left my family.