Fifth week of unsuccessful attempt for acquiring a passport

Today was the fifth Saturday, I tried to apply for passport. Five weeks and I still could not been able to even submit my application for the damn thing. Truth be told, I am completely and utterly lost. I don’t know what to do. With these religious fanatics in power nothing seems to have order now in the country.

I wake up at 5:30 this morning and was already on my way to the passport department at 6:30 A.M. I arrived there around seven and waited in the line until half past ten. It was extremely crowded and messy. It seemed like the whole city has gathered there to get passport. The passport department is supposed to start its operations at 8 O’clock in the morning. However, the person in charge of the department arrives at nine with in his fancy vehicle, followed by another car as some sort of security. They would not start operation until boss takes a shower and has some long breakfast. At least that’s what I think happened, otherwise why the hell that moron would take an hour to allow the operations to begin. So, they opened the gates at 10 o’clock. Sadly it did not take long for the line to disperse. Three long hours of standing in the line in that freezing weather, only to be pushed away by some thugs who would not care about the rest of people standing in the line and waiting for hours. Sometimes I think, it is not all Taliban’s fault. Some of our people do not seem to have lost their barbaric quality.

The crowd was so huge and so chaotic that they had to announce they would not be accepting any new applications for the day. I was really disappointed to hear that but also kind of relieved, because I knew even if stand there till night I am not going to be able to submit my application. By hearing the announcement it was obvious that waiting there was going to be futile, so I turned around and left the venue entirely. There were a couple of Taliban fighters for the security but they rather stand idle and show off their stupid AK-47s than try to organize the crowd. Not in my wildest dreams I could have imagined this day. I wish there was someone who would listen to our concerns but seemingly everyone has their own problems. Of course, there is God to complain to but he seems to be stuck in some sort of listening mood. He never says anything in return and seems completely oblivious about our troubles. Perhaps he is happier with Taliban with their misguided notion of Jihad.  

I thought I am the only one blaming myself for not renewing my passport when I had the chance, but no, turns out there are a lot people who postponed getting a passport when they had the time and now they blame themselves for being stuck in this bloody country just like me. There was someone standing beside me in the line that I never expected to see him there. It was one of my seniors from school. It must have been eight years since I saw him the last time. I am not going to mention his name here, so for the sake of this piece let’s call him A. A was an excellent student during school, probably that is how he got admission in one of the best medical schools in the country. A finished his degree with honors, I think. However, now he is waiting in the line of passport applicant to get a passport, because he wants to go to Iran. And no doctor from Afghanistan goes to Iran for further education. It was obvious from his insinuations that he is planning to travel to Iran in search of employment exactly the way I am. It was very saddening and painful to witness that situation. We both were good students, we both graduated from best colleges and now we both are trying to escape our country because we could not find work here.

A seemed to be more broken than me. Though he tried it hard to not show his hopelessness.  A couple of months ago I found out from Facebook that he got engaged. I cannot imagine what he must be going through. Broke, unemployed and engaged, I mean, that is the worst situation someone could possibly have these days. He probably was optimist about getting a job or even opening his own clinic after finishing his residency. However, ever since the Taliban overthrew our somehow legitimate government, everyone’s financial resources have been dried up. Therefore, he must not have the means to pursue his second option while his first is utterly un-pursuable; if you know what I mean. Seeing him made me realize that I am not the only one who is suffering from this crisis. I just hope that things would get a little better for the sake of both of us.

Taliban are not providing us with anything plus they are not allowing us to leave their yoke of tyranny either. It appears that they want us to die faster and go to heaven sooner. Just the way God did not bother to ask about our consent before he created us, Taliban do not seem to be in no mood for asking about our permission for sending us to heaven, prematurely. Do not get me wrong I am a Muslim as well but these people take everything very seriously and too literally. As long as we are blind by our devotion to Islam and follow an extreme version of its interpretation, I do not believe we are going to be a peaceful or a prosperous nation. This sentences might be kind of strange even wrong coming from a Muslim. But I have all these questions and no one to ask. If you asked a single question with the slightest insinuation of insult to Islamic believes, they would label you an infidel. And I am nothing but a believer. Sometimes we got to questions our core values. That is human nature. Blindly following something without no proof whatsoever is kind of foolishness. Don’t you agree?

I think I got a little off topic. I was supposed to write about the problems in passport department, instead I am bragging about my personal stuff. I wish I could be able to get a damn passport, since finding job seems to be impossibly difficult. Last couple of CVs which I sent out went completely unanswered and I am not even motivated enough to send some more. There is no sign that this time would be any different. Too many applicants and too little opportunities. U.S’s occupation of Afghanistan did one good thing. It made a lot of young generation holders of university degrees. But as all other U.S’s apparent efforts to build our nation this one was ultimately obsolete. At the beginning of invasion there were too many jobs and too little educated people and now at the end of it, it is the exact opposite. Plus population of Afghanistan with our religious believe and obsession for having more children, has increased remarkably in the last two decades. Now millions of young people all with university education and no employment opportunity seems to be a catastrophe to be unfolded anytime soon. I just wish that when it does I would be far, far away from here.

I suppose there is no point complaining about Taliban and their ridiculous regime. Disappointment happens when someone let himself to have expectations. That is a luxury I do not allow myself. So without expectations there won’t be any disappointment. I want to finish this piece with some positives sentences; apparently sentences are the only positive thing around here.

Success is not Final,
Failure is not Fatal,
It is the Courage to Continue that Counts.

For a better future for Afghanistan.