Lost Decency by Atta Arghandiwal

Author:Atta Arghandiwal [Arghandiwal, Atta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780997887006
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Attamoves
Published: 2016-08-23T00:00:00+00:00

In Pursuit of the American Dream

ACOUPLE MONTHS INTO OUR STAY in Mahlberg, and after facing various challenges, I realized Germany was not a place for me to live. Afghan refugees in general lived and carried on with their lives through lots of frustration; despite having more adequate living conditions than in Afghanistan, they would prefer living with their families and seeing their country be free again of oppression, mass killing, and atrocities. The majority of us remained in Germany; some found their way to Austria, Italy, Holland, and other European countries; and others managed to apply and immigrate to the United States, but they could do so only if they had a close relative or if an international organization offered sponsorship.

My friend Homayoun had informed me that he and his family had been sponsored and accepted by a church and would be leaving for the United States within a few months. I asked him to take me to the same church in Frankfurt so I could apply for immigration to the United States as well. He had by then established an excellent relationship with the church, and was able to make an appointment for me. I went for an initial interview—which went very well, as I spoke good English and answered all their verbal and written questions—but they informed me that I should find a sponsor in the United States, since I was single and church and other human-rights organizations were mainly sponsoring families. I was actually quite happy to hear it, as I had several friends who had moved to the United States during the past few years. I thought of a very good friend of my brother who had lived in the Washington, D.C. area for a long time and had previously offered to sponsor me.

I happily called Younus and informed him I had made it to Germany and wanted to know if  he would sponsor me. He graciously agreed and told me to apply right away, and he provided me with his address and all necessary information to fill out the forms. Within a couple days I was back in Frankfurt and officially applying for immigration to the United States. This was a big relief, until I realized that, sadly, this move had to be kept secret from my group of Afghans living in Germany. There were too many conflicting stories of abuse, sabotage, and espionage around, so it was best to just keep quiet until I was officially accepted.

I returned to our village to find that a big contractor had come to our home and informed the group that he would help us find jobs at his farm and in other farming areas. Most of the villagers were quite frustrated and did not agree with the government’s plan to place all refugees on government aid. In several conversations, they had said they thought it would be best for us to work and earn income and not be a burden on society and taxpayers. We had also

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