Recalling a Different Afghanistan

Editor’s Note: Nancy Stokes Saumsiegle, formerly of Newtown, has shared the following reflections about her summer experience living in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1966. Mrs Saumsiegle now lives in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

When Afghanistan is mentioned now, what comes to mind is a country where a repressive government called the Taliban exists. This evil government has stripped all rights from its citizens, and there appears to be no quality of life. Their only interest in ruling is for the benefit of their interpretation of the Muslim religion and religious Jihad. We have heard of the atrocities the government has forced on women, children, and foreigners. But I want you to know Afghanistan has not always been this terrible place.

I was fortunate enough to have been the Newtown American Field Service exchange student to Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1966 when I was 17 years old. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a summer in a country a world apart from my suburban Connecticut town. Afghanistan in 1966 was a very different country from what you now read about. It was indeed a land of contrasts, as it was struggling to become more western after being so geographically isolated for thousands of years.

The family I lived with was one of the educated and financially well off, who were anxious to learn more about the United States and Europe. The children were encouraged to become educated and travel the world. Many women, including those in my host family, did not wear the veils, and in fact throughout the capital of Kabul a large percentage of women was wearing western clothing and adopting western ways. There was a great deal of culture and one could hear French, English, and German spoken throughout the city. There were museums and fantastic historical sights to see, which my host family was so proud to show off. There was hope that Afghanistan with its rich history would indeed become a leader in the Middle East. That was not to be.

The Russians invaded Afghanistan and the hope for a better life ended. The educated and “good people” desperately fled the country in any way they could. Many Afghans, like some members of my host family, escaped by camel over the mountains at night to a safer place. Eventually, many of these people were allowed to settle in the United States and for the last 25 years have lived as “Americans.” My “natural family” has remained good friends with my “host Afghan family” attending their weddings. Members of this family all have become American citizens and have become successful, highly educated professionals. They have always mourned the country they had to flee and have been saddened with each new government that has ruled.

With the beginning of the Russian invasion in 1979, Afghanistan became war torn and the devastation of the country was visible everywhere. The unstable governments that succeeded have done more to destroy a country that once was so proud. The disgusting act of blowing up the huge 1,300-year-old statues of Buddha in Bamiyan this spring is an example of the sick people in the Taliban. There have been many articles in newspapers and on television about the horrendous conditions women and children have had to endure. The wars have ravaged the countryside and have made the people desperate. We know through the United Nations that the quality of life is terrible in this country and perhaps an invasion at this point to rid the country of this evil government is the right thing to do.

For me, I will always remember my time in a country where the people and their culture were far different from what we see on television and read about today. War is a terrible thing and Afghanistan has been at war for almost 22 years. It has destroyed an entire generation of Afghan people. The Afghans living in this country, who remember the way life used to be, are so sad as they remember a proud people with a rich history. Perhaps you may be lucky enough to talk with one someday about the way life used to be…before the wars.