My name is Mahmood. I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2007. This is my real-life story about living in Afghanistan and coming to America. 

 I'm from Panjshir of Afghanistan. Panjshir means “five lions” in Dari language. Dari is my language. In Panjshir, it was a good time in my life. Panjshir is a beautiful  state of Afghanistan. Any break of my school i'm going to Panjshir. In summer I have very good time because in summer i am swimming and walking in the mountains. My family has a beautiful house in Panjshir.  

My parents born there so it is a special place for me. Panjshir has so many mountains. They make a circle around the city. Also Ahmad Shah Masud,a great resistance fighter in 1980s and 1990s he is from Panjshir.His son Ahamad Massuoud is the leader of the National Resistance front of Afghanistan and important anti Taliban man.

Eid celebrations with my cousins, 2021

Panjshir valley

    My family is mostly from Panjshir and Kabul. Half of my family live in Panjshir and  we have houses in Panjshir and Kabul. On the weekends we would go to Panjshir to relax and enjoy the countryside. My young uncle lived with us in Kabul. He worked in Kabul as an engineer. He is important in my life. He  helped me so much. I have three sisters and one brother. I'm the second oldest. In Afghanistan I was outside all the time. My uncle would be so angry because he worried about my language with my friends and something bad happening to me.

    I have so many memories of my life in Afghanistan. Every day except Friday, I would go to the Mosque after school and then my friends and I played soccer and other sports from Afghanistan. Every day this was the same and I loved it.

Me as a little kid

Me outside my house in Kabul, 12 years old

My favorite thinking spot in Kabul, 12 years old

    In March 2020, COVID 19 came to Afghanistan. Everything closed like school and my friends close to my house everyday we were playing lots of sports and running around. It was a really good time for me but the problem in 2020 was Covid-19 and lots of people died. For me, I had lots of time in Panjshir but I did get sick from the virus.

    In August 2021, there were big changes in Afghanistan because the Taliban took control of the country.The girls didn’t have school. I was in the last days of my tests of 6th grade and first day of the Taliban everyone was so scared. We could hear the guns in the city. I saw the bearded men of the Taliban with their big guns. In the first days of the Taliban they were saying “don’t worry, everything will be fine!” But right now, we have big problems in Afghanistan.