Attila Noyan
Province: Kabul
Age: 22
Department at BCB: Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought
August 14 was a semi-hectic day for me. At 9 o’clock in the morning, my friend, Ali Amini, and I went to the Afghan post office to process the Marriage Certificate of my parents which was lost during the Civil Wars. My father was abroad and my mother was occupied with her teaching profession, so I, being the eldest of their children, had to go for it. Entering the Afghan post office, I could not believe my eyes. Afghanpost was decorated incredibly beautifully in yellow and the whole structure functioned in a well-organized manner. In an hour and a half, I was done with the task at Afghan post. Ali and I bid farewell and I went to Lucky Five café and restaurant for lunch, awaiting the advent of a dear friend. I loved the view at Lucky Five: Majid Mall, Slice Bakery, Cabana, ICafe, and the like, all wonderful assembly, discussion, and entertainment places for the Afghan youth where innovations emerged from. This neighborhood was just another glorious manifestation of cultural modernity in Kabul. Later on, arriving home, I spent the whole afternoon filling out online immigration forms for our relatives and the day ended that way.
Around 10:00 a.m. the next day, I was on my way to Green Food Café when my friend informed me of the fall of Kabul. Suddenly it seemed as if there was chaos all over the city. Was I blind to it before? Maybe, but now it was evident. I called home; nobody picked up. I was horrified because such an occasion could incite many other obnoxious incidents. The safety of my family was the only thought that occupied my mind at that particular moment. So, I hurried towards home.
A few days later, my family and I left the country in an abrupt decision for fear of our safety through the Spin Boldak border. We crossed the border to Pakistan overland illegally, bearing unbearable difficulties. All along, however, what broke my heart into pieces was the fate of Afghanistan and those remaining there. Plus, the sight of my beautiful little sisters wearing burqas truly demolished me.
I was in Quetta, Pakistan when one of my professors informed me of a possible admission opportunity for me at BCB. The special BCB application for Afghan students was not released. Hence, I applied to BCB as a transfer student through the Common Application, providing 7 recommendation letters, transcripts, reports of standardized tests, essays, and so forth.
Six months later and having come to terms with the facts, I received my admission letter from BCB. The initial idea of having to start everything from the scratch in Berlin was frightening, but the prospect and possibility of being able to transfer three semesters’ worth of my credits earned at AUAF kept me hopeful. I always dreamed of receiving a quality education and devoting myself to learning, followed by returning to Afghanistan and reconstructing it. Hence, I considered my studies at BCB as the partial realization of that dream. And living the dream has been a nice experience so far. I like the facilities available as well as the courses that I am taking here at BCB. For that, I am sincerely grateful to the people who have made this scholarship for Afghan students possible. They have helped me continue my education which is a huge contribution not only to me on a personal level, but to the future of my country as well. Lastly, I have set my heart upon returning to Afghanistan someday and contributing to its reconstruction. A secure and prosperous Afghanistan is all I wish for.
