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"Jack" from Afghanistan

‘There was no more hope, it was complete chaos’

 

Till this day, Jack vividly remembers the moment the Taliban took over the capital city in Afghanistan: he was in the office and had to quickly rush to his sister’s house since she was all alone. From that moment onwards, ‘There was no more hope. It was complete chaos’. 

 

Like so many others, Jack was forced to move to the UK in February 2022 following the collapse of the Afghanistan government. Yet his journey to leave the country started a few months earlier in September 2021: first, he moved to a northern province and hid in hotels for 50 days; next he had to spend 40 days walking through Pakistan before receiving help from the British Embassy to get a help; it was only after 2.5 months in Pakistan that he was able to obtain a visa and fly to the UK, landing in a military air base.

 

Once in the UK, he first started work as a waiter and then as a freelancer. He had started to study as an architect, however due to certain financial issues (including the fact that he was not allowed to apply for a student loan) he was forced to put his studies on hold. Additionally, he also works as a translator for SRS and helps his sister who teaches English for the charity.

 

He is extremely grateful for the freedom that he has in the UK, as well as the fact that there is electricity 24/7 (a luxury that was not available in Afghanistan). His principal goals for the future are to complete his degree and then work as an independent architect. Regardless, he continues to miss ‘everything’ about his homeland, especially his ‘classmates and his family’. 

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