Hameed

Hameed is 10 years old and is one of the most charming people I have met here. He has been studying intensive English for 2 years and relished the chance to practice it on real English people. He caught my eye as my group stood in front of a kiosk buying water. He came up to me and said “It is too cold for water. You should have tea.” He is the only one in his family who speaks a language other than Dari and his dream is to go to Canada (I guess the Canadian tourism board must have done something fantastic here). Hameed spends the winter months (like many other Afghan children) playing with friends, flying kites, and trying to make a few extra afs by doing odd jobs (like polishing shoes, carrying your inner tube up a snowy hill,etc). Since most of Afghan’s schools are outside (or in tents), children only go to school in the warm months and have their winters off.