Sohaila sits in a corner of the room, clasping her hands together tightly, overwhelmed by distress. A world of sorrow and pain seems to pour onto her shoulders. Grief ripples in her saddened eyes, as if her dreams have been lost in the darkest corners of the earth, and her aspirations have drifted away from her. I’ve known Sohaila for five years. She’s always been diligent and pleasant. I never imagined a day would come when I’d see her cheerful face and smiling lips troubled and sorrowful.
While others rejoice in the happiness of spring, she remains choked with tears, unable to believe the news of the Taliban keeping the doors of schools closed for girls. She says, “Just a week or two ago, everyone was saying that the Taliban would open the school gates for girls. I was ready to go to school for the New Year. I had bought a black uniform and prepared my new notebook to go to school for the new year, but on the first day of the new year, I heard bad news, and the school doors remained closed to us.”
Sohaila was supposed to enter the eleventh grade this New Year, but the school bell remained silent for girls under Taliban’s rule, leaving her deeply upset by the news of schools being closed to girls beyond the sixth grade. She feels that with this action, the Taliban have distanced her even further from her dreams. She, who had aspirations of becoming a heart surgeon in the future, now finds these dreams seemingly impossible to achieve due to the Taliban’s actions.
Despite the Taliban’s rule and the various restrictions imposed on women and girls’ education, work, and social activities, Sohaila never gave up her efforts, and her desire to become a surgeon intensified more than ever. To keep her dreams alive, she applied to several hospitals to accept her as the most basic assistant, so she could imagine herself in the hospital environment and observe the doctors during surgeries and other tasks. She wanted to add to her experiences. After numerous attempts, none of the hospitals allowed her entry into the operating room area because Sohaila was too young and, more importantly, still a school student.
As she observed the demanding work environment and the struggles it entailed, she came to a stark realization: education was her gateway to achieving her dreams. However, the Taliban’s actions have stripped her of this opportunity. Feeling crushed by their restrictive measures, she constantly reminds herself to muster strength and perseverance. Yet, the absence of education and the distance from her aspirations aren’t her sole worries. The economic burdens burdening her family weigh heavily on her mind, causing immense torment.
Sohaila is the eldest child in the family and feels more responsible than anyone else. She has tried numerous times to alleviate the burden from her father’s shoulders and is always striving to be her family’s support. When Sohaila sees her family struggling with numerous economic hardships and challenges, she does everything possible to help them.
After being rejected as an assistant in a hospital, Sohaila now strives to learn the profession of hairstyling. She learns this trade from her aunt’s apprentices and gets to work. Despite the very little income she earns daily from hairstyling, she doesn’t lose heart and continues to strive because she sees this profession as the only way to overcome her challenges. However, her new job doesn’t last long either; in August 2023, the Taliban, through another misogynistic move, bans the activities of female hairdressers across the country, and from then on, Sohaila becomes confined to her home.
Amidst these challenging times, she finds herself occupied with household chores instead of indulging in her once-beloved books and pens. Tears cascade down her cheeks as she yearns for the dreams now out of reach. She clung to the hope that the Taliban’s stance might soften, that the shackles on women’s work and education would loosen. However, as the new year dawns, a bitter realization settles in the Taliban, and their rigid ideology remains unchanged. She grapples with a deepening sorrow, facing the daunting uncertainty of her future.