I was an employee at the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) of Afghanistan. I was tired of working in this department due to administrative irregularities, ethnic tendencies, non-observance of principles, and corruption. Every day, two hours more than the formal hours, I had to work with clients who had been waiting for up to six hours. However, I could not reach a large number of them alone. When I slept at night, I had nightmares of people waiting in long lines, causing me to have a sleep disorder. For this reason, I decided to look for another job.
My dream job was to be a teacher. I was constantly visiting the websites of the Ministry of Higher Education and Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) to be notified of recent job openings. Finally, Baghlan University announced a post at its Faculty of Economics for the fourth time. I was well suited for the job. I submitted my application to the university immediately. After passing the three-step evaluation procedure, I left all the competitors behind. I had been finally selected as an instructor.
At the end of May, I resigned from the National Statistics and Information Bureau and went to Baghlan University to start teaching. It has been two months since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, but I have not received my wages for six months. One month of my salary has not been paid by the National Bureau of Statistics and Information – five months by the Ministry of Higher Education.
At the moment, my savings have depleted. My job security is at stake, and I have no source of income. There is almost no job opportunity, and the future looks bleak. I am stuck in the stubborn grip of impecuniosity. The economic competency of 99 percent of the people of Afghanistan is worse than mine.
Now, right in the time of poverty and impecuniosity, I have fallen in love. Given the situation, however, proposing to a girl is just like a dream. I do not know how and with what money to achieve this dream while I cannot find food to eat myself!
[box type=”info” align=”alignleft” class=”” width=””]Rohullah Hedayat’s Story, Hasht-e Subh Persian[/box]
