A Letter from Afghanistan
Inshallah: A Letter from Afghanistan
A general view of the Bamyan Ski Club headquarters in February 2021. The building is usually surrounded by snow at this time of year, but a dry winter provided very little snowfall at this altitude. The ski club is run by local skiers and former 2018 Winter Olympic hopefuls Sayed Alishah Farhang and Sajjad Husaini.
Words: Nazima Khairzad. As Told to: Kade Krichko. Photos and Captions: Rick Findler
My name is Nazima Khairzad.
I am 19 years old, and I am a skier.
I was born in Afghanistan’s Bamyan Province, a year after the fall of the Taliban. Up until a few months ago, it was the only home I ever knew. That’s when they returned. That’s when everything changed.
I’ve lived my whole life in the mountains. Bamyan Province is cold in the winter and the peaks around our villages are full of snow. The wind is always blowing. Temperatures drop to 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. We keep our stoves on in our houses to stay warm.
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