Last winter, I had the opportunity of making many Afghan friends on a Greek island called Lesbos. When I first arrived at the refugee camp, it was embarrassing how little I knew about the Afghan community. I didn’t know anything about their customs, or even what language they spoke. It didn’t take me too long to find out how amazing, friendly, and welcoming they are. Surprisingly, they are similar to us Colombians in many ways. I want to honor my Afghan friends, and all the other Afghans that have had to leave their land involuntarily by sharing some of the things I learned about them during my time in Lesbos. It would be good for people to know a little more about them instead of the usual, incorrect stereotype.
Here are 5 things you didn’t know about Afghans:
1. Dari (Persian) and Pashto are the Official Languages of Afghanistan
When I encountered my first Afghan family in camp, I didn’t know what language they spoke. If you asked me then, I probably would have answered “I don’t know…Afghan? ” Many people would possibly answer the same thing. Both Dari and Pashto are the official languages of Afghanistan, but Dari is spoken more widely. Dari is the name of the Persian language in Afghanistan, but most people know it as Farsi (“Persian”).
Although the writing looks a little intimidating, learning Farsi is not that hard after all. The way it’s structured is pretty straight forward. By the end of my last trip, I was able to communicate pretty well with my broken Farsi. I would say the pronunciation is an interesting mix between Spanish and German.
2. Afghans are Incredibly Friendly and Welcoming
Pretty much everyone in camp refer to volunteers as “my friend,” and once they know our names, they always greet us by name whenever they see us.
For them, guests are a blessing. This means they are always ready to welcome people into their homes and share with them. Everyone in the house will make sure to make the guests feel at home. They will make the most of however much they have.
Even though the Afghans in at the refugee camp deserve a more appropriate space to live, and their current conditions are far from ideal, this doesn’t stop them from inviting people over to share a meal or a cup of tea.
Since food options are very limited in camp, they get very creative with their cooking, and it’s soooo good. Meals are an event, an experience, ideally where everyone eats from the same big dish in the middle. Thanks to them, I had the best omelet I have ever tried in my life!
3. They Have a Different Calendar Than Ours
I spent new year’s in camp, and nobody in camp seemed to care much about the date. It was a regular day for everyone. I realized then that they had nothing to celebrate, since their new year is on a different date. So, when do they celebrate and what do they do?
Afghans take celebrations seriously, and they know how to have a good time. Their new year’s celebration lasts 3 days! Nowruz literally means “new day” in Persian and is the name of the Persian New Year. March 21 is the date that marks the beginning of a new year and the first day of spring. They start their celebrations around March 19 and feast with friends and relatives for 3 full days! Some even celebrate during the whole week. Later in the year, they have two even bigger celebrations where they get together with family, friends, colleagues, and share meals together. Children usually get money from all their relatives during these celebrations, so they also get their share.
Their week starts on Saturday شنبه (pronounced Shambe) and ends on Friday جمعه (pronounced Jom-a)
4. Afghan and Colombian Timing Works the Same Way
Let’s say you have an appointment with someone at 2:00pm:
If you arrive at 2:00pm you’re early.
If you arrive at 2:10pm you’re on time.
If you arrive at 2:30pm you’re a bit late.
If you arrive at 1:50pm you’re not from around there.
Being 15 minutes “late” is totally fine. So even though our calendars are different, our minutes are the same!
5. Afghans are High-Contact People
Like Colombians, Afghans come from a high-contact culture. This means that they keep a close interpersonal distance, make more eye contact, and tend to touch each other more often. They greet each other with a kiss on the cheek (or three) or with a big hug. It may surprise you that this only happens between men or between women. Normally, there is no physical contact between men and women, unless they are married or siblings.
BONUS!
- Colombians (especially those from Bogota) and Afghans look alike.
- They have a great sense of humor.
- It’s normal for Afghans to have middle names.
- Ali and Fatima are very common names because of their religious connotation – like Juan and María in Latin America.
- Tea is always special, and they drink it all the time – after dinner, lunch, with guests, after working out…
I’m psyched to tell you that I’m going to work with these amazing people for three more months this fall! I’m heading to Greece tonight to work in the same camp as I did last time and I’m thrilled to reunite with some of my Afghan friends!
