One yr after the fall of Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of Afghans stay trapped in poverty and starvation. However a lot of those that escaped are beginning new lives in international locations like the US. CBS Information tech and politics reporter Musadiq Bidar is aware of precisely what that's like. His household fled Afghanistan within the Nineties, when the Taliban first dominated the nation. For "CBS Mornings," Bidar displays on his personal experiences as a refugee, and what it means to be Afghan-American.
The pictures of Afghans chasing after a U.S. navy aircraft and clinging to their ultimate hope for freedom jogged my memory of my household's battle to flee the Taliban almost 30 years in the past.
I used to be born within the basement of our residence in Kabul in 1992. The Taliban was simply starting to beat Afghanistan.
Rockets and bombs exploded exterior whereas my household sought shelter underground in the course of the civil struggle.
My mom, an airline attendant, and my father, a radio journalist who'd been reporting on the Taliban's human rights abuses, grew to become targets as soon as the group took management of Afghanistan in 1996.
A grenade meant to kill my father took the lifetime of my grandfather and injured different members of our household. We discovered ourselves in the identical state of affairs that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are in now: Keep residence and face potential loss of life, or go away every part behind in the hunt for freedom and alternative.
We left Kabul in the midst of the evening, hiding within the properties of household and pals for months earlier than arriving at a refugee camp in Pakistan.
I used to be 6 years outdated when my brother and I began working 10-hour days to assist put meals on the desk. We weaved luxurious carpets which might be bought in America and Europe.
My dad's polio limits his bodily mobility so he homeschooled us at evening. My mother waited exterior numerous embassies in Islamabad, desperately making an attempt to submit a refugee visa utility.
We slept on the ground and shared easy treats like birthday truffles however continued to work towards a greater future.
In Might of 2003, we obtained a life-changing name: Pack your luggage, you are going to America.
I used to be 10 years outdated, and will barely say "howdy" or "how are you" in English, however quickly discovered myself translating authorities paperwork for my mother and father.
We resettled in a small two-bedroom house in Harmony, California. My mother would roll sandwiches at Subway in San Francisco in the course of the day and take English courses after her shift.
I placed on my Staff USA jersey, watched reruns of "Full Home" and "The Recent Prince of Bel Air," and carried a basketball round to slot in.
For me, training was the catalyst to success and America gave me the chance to grab it. The group within the Bay Space offered a welcoming setting and gave me an opportunity to proudly name myself Afghan-American.
Scholar volunteers right here on the Athenian Faculty tutored me on the weekends and took me to Giants video games. It was at this highschool, whereas on a full scholarship, the place I found my ardour for reporting and telling tales.
I studied journalism in Washington, D.C., a spot I stayed for 10 years.
My dad usually says coming to America was like successful the lottery. However he additionally jogs my memory that prosperity is not assured. My household's success is the success of America and the numerous mentors, lecturers, pals and colleagues who've supported us at each step.
I adopted after my father and pursued a profession in journalism, the identical profession the Taliban tried to kill him for pursuing in Afghanistan.
Final summer season I used to be driving from California to Washington, D.C — a quintessential cross-country street journey as a part of an American dream realized. The fantastic thing about the Nice Salt Lake and the wonders of Yellowstone Nationwide Park have been a straightforward reminder of the enchanting values and beliefs that symbolize America past its borders.
Twenty-five years in the past, rockets and bombs drove my household out of our place of origin in Afghanistan.
Right this moment, my youngest brother is getting ready to review engineering in school. My sister just lately graduated and began her personal enterprise. My center brother is a doctor's assistant, caring for aged sufferers.
Collectively, final yr, we purchased our first residence. A slice of earth we will name our personal. As a household.
That is what the Afghan refugees who got here to the U.S. within the final yr are working for now. That is what households reached for final summer season at Kabul Airport after they chased after a aircraft.
They have been greedy for the hope and freedom the world is aware of America will present.