One of my goals for my break was to have my Chaikidor’s wife, daughter and some of his other female relatives over for lunch. Because of sickness in the family and his wife is pregnant which I found out later, he asked us to go to his house. So on Monday, Winter, another Pactec lady and I went to Mirwais’s house for lunch. We spent most of our time with Mirwais and his aunt talking and then eating the best mantu I have ever eaten. His aunt is single and is kind of like a second mom to Mirwais. She has worked at a hospital for over 30 years. We talked about her sister, Mirwais’s mom, who has high blood pressure and blood sugar. Mirwais also brought in his daughter who is nine months old. He is a good father and we could tell that his daughter adores him. She has started to crawl some and loved exploring. She even let me hold her for a bit. After lunch, we had tea and it was then that we were joined by other women in the family and were finally able to see his wife. I was glad to have my fellow teammate with me whose dari is better than mine to help with translation. Each year I understand more than I did the year before but still feel like I have much to learn. It was nice to reconnect with Mirwais’s family and to also see his little girl for the first time. One thing I enjoyed about Mirwais’s family is how the women seemed to get along and enjoy being together. This would not be the case in many Afghan families. Even though the picture of Mirwais’s wife shows a serious face, she had a smile on the whole time we were with her except when her picture was taken. We are glad that Mirwais values his family and cares for his wife, child and the other members of his family. Here are some pictures of our time there. Sorry I didn’t get a picture of the Mantu.
Today is the last day of Winter break for the kids and I. It has been a good break full of family time, rest, getting together with our Afghan friends and also our teammates. I will miss my slow mornings but am ready to be back with my students. Teresa