Type Afghanistan into Google andsee what you find.
Bombings.
The explosion ripped through a weddingin Kabul, Afghanistan, killing dozens of people in.
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War… Crisis.
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These are normally the pictures that cometo mind when you hear the name Afghanistan.
But are these tragic eventsreally that common? Yes.
Tragedy strikes Afghanistanon a daily basis.
A country at war for40 years.
But is there another side toAfghanistan that is rarely covered? Let's find out.
The world'sdeadliest conflict.
The war should endin Afghanistan.
Hi, how are you? We will smile towards lifebecause life is worth smiling, Not a day withoutviolence.
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We were sure that'sresilience.
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We will not allow people to knowthat we have weakened.
Our families shed bloodfor this country.
♪♪♪ So, this morning we cometo a local family house.
And we going to go in andsee how the locals live.
Should be a few kids and a mother, and maybe a father.
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I'm not sure! And we'll see kind of the general environmentof the a standard house here, in Mazār-i-Sharīf, Afghanistan.
He is Mohamed Taher.
He's 70 years old.
He's been living all his life in thispart of Mazār-i-Sharīf, the capital city ofBalkh Province.
He's grown up here, he's a farmer by profession.
Can I ask what kindof farming he was doing? // Speaking native language // We basically cultivate or farming anything likefrom wheat, to cotton, to tomato.
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Anything that's the season andit's in demand, so we would do that.
Did he ever farmopium poppy? // Speaking native language // The Poppy is forbiddenin our religion.
We would not do it, even if somepeople want to do it, the police will not allow to do it, is eradicated.
So, Poppy is not aquestion for me.
Okay.
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90% of the world's heroincomes from Afghan opium.
So, can you ask him if he knows about the hugescene here and is he ever seen it in action? // Speaking native language // I've been in one ofthe district's here, and I've seen it with my eyes that it's beinggrown there, poppy are grown there, there are a lot of people who aremaking a lot of money out of it, and I've seen it.
I've even seen itwhen they put in into work and extract the whole contentfrom the poppies.
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So.
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Yeah! I have seen that, but it is not a good thing.
Have you finishfarming now? // Speaking native language // Right now I'm still a farmer, an active farmer.
I'm still working and now I'm picking upcotton from the feed right now.
I even have to go today topick them up, so I'm still working.
Is it a hard lifehere? // Speaking native language // It's been mortifying this place, this room, this colaps.
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And since then I've not beenable to build them, 4 years and we're just staying intwo rooms.
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It's very dificult for us.
But still this ishow difficult life is, you have to face that hardshipsin life, so yes, life is difficult .
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And second, can you just explainthis little set up here? This is obviously whereyou get your boiling water.
and you have to come out here all year roundin the winter, when it's extremely cold and.
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// Speaking native language // We use this all year roundfor boiling water, and makes it much easierand cheaper.
So what's the temperature herein the coldest winter? It's diferent drops, 30-35 ºC.
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-Is in Celsius?-Yes! -You mean -30 ºC-Yeah! -30 ºC Okay.
And there's noheating in this house.
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// Speaking native language // So, what they do is that they put a table, and put a big blanket over it, and they buy coal, so they take 1 kg of coal, burn it, and put it under that, and all of them sleep under that until it's morningso that they can save money during the winter.
Did he considered himselfhappy and content? // Speaking native language // I'm alive, and that'sthe reason to be happy.
When I am healthy, that is worth morethan being given an entire kingdom.
// Speaking native language // ♪♪♪ Okay.
So, we just come and meet the daughterin law of the man that we just meet.
She's taking her childrenfor vaccinations.
And have not missedtheir vaccinations.
It's one of the mothers who don't missthe vaccinations of her children at all.
Because measles is quite a big thinghere in Afghanistan, right? That's out of hand.
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Measles is a difficultystill in Afghanistan, is still a virus that needsto be tackle with, It's very important to have that continuation ofvaccination for measles prevention in Afghanistan.
The vaccinations is free, is that correct? // Speaking native language // This is the fifth time I'm takingmy children to vaccinations -and I never paid for it.
-Okay.
So we're going to followthis mother to the clinic and see the baby beingvaccinated.
After that we're going to go to anotherhouse and see inside the house because sadly there guests hereso we can't go inside and in film.
But that should bequite interesting.
And then tonightwe're going to a wedding where all the man are going to bepartying and going crazy so.
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It should be a greatatmosphere, so.
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But firstly we're headedto the clinic.
♪♪♪ We come to the clinic, the baby's got an injection.
Was just a short walkfrom the house, luckly.
The inmuniciations it's free, which is great.
It's another UNICEFcovered project.
I think an immunization is afew cents per injection, so.
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Prevents a lotof disease.
When we were in Kabul, we saw a girlwho was extremely sick, and she hadn't beenimmunized and.
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It was quite hard to see, she was gettingput in the back of an ambulance and things.
I will put some information in a linkbelow if you want to read more, and that will be an option to chip ina bit of money if you want to.
Now we're going to headto another house.
And hopefully actually gointo this house.
And actually see the kitchen, the living room, and the general living conditions ofan Afghan person in Mazār-i-Sharīf.
The third biggest cityof Afghanistan.
♪♪♪ We arrive tothe next house but this is apparently a place with reasonablyhigh crime rate, this neighborhood.
So we've had to come accompanied withthe Afghan National Security Forces.
We can see thembehind me here.
So, we're gonna ask them a fewquestions about their job and things, so.
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// Speaking native language // So, Airon.
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Can you ask himwhat he's doing here? // Speaking native language // My name is Isfandiyar.
I'm from the Balkh Province.
Since 12 years I'm escortingUNICEF walkers who go out ofthe secure areas.
We accompanied them so that they cantake the services that are essential for children.
I myself have children, so I realize the partof the work that there are doing.
And I'm always alert, providing the best securitythat I can for them, because they have to do the workthat their are doing, as for their childrenas for my children as well.
// Speaking native language // I'm here for the 12 years and I've not hada single moment of hesitation for what I'm doing because I know that if I providethe good security that is required will be able to do our work andeverybody will be able to do their work and more childrenwould benefit.
And that is why I'm very motivatedand I want to work here.
Over the 12 years ofworking here.
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Has he seen the situation, would you say improve or deteriorate? // Speaking native language // I think that the situationhas been almost the same but over the one-year thingshave deteriorated a bit.
We lost one year, the thingshave deteriorated a bit.
but it's always the same, the same constant insecurity.
But like I said, with security or insecurity we will do whatis necessity for children and provide the securitythat is required of me.
Is he content and happyliving in Afghanistan? // Speaking native language // Well, maybe lifeis hard.
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But what I'm doing is servingand serving in uniform, and that's a pride, that's a happiness for me.
Okay.
♪♪♪ Okay.
So now we're just gonnahead inside this local house here, and see how these people, this family lives.
This room here is forthe guests, this is the usual thing that the guestsdon't come inside the house, they stay here out of the houseand they can stay here the night, and they can have tea and whateverthey want with the family.
We're thinking to haveanother room built upstairs because our familyis big, and we don't haveenough room.
So they're thinking about built a room, that's why they built this stairs, // Speaking native language // So, this here is the tool room, where we put our things here.
This is also our biggest room where we put ourwinter clothes, are summer clothes, anything that we would use laterwe storage here, we put it here.
// Speaking native language // So, we sit here, we eat here, this is the eating place.
And this, on the right, is my children's room, they sleep here, they study here, and this room is theirs.
This is our kitchen.
// Speaking native language // -Thank you!-Long life to you.
Mr.
Doctor.
♪♪♪ We're just headingout now.
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We have to keepthese visits quite quick.
Our security advisor told us that is Talibanwithin a one kilometer radius around here.
So we got to.
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You can't staytoo long on one place.
So I have given you a good glanceinto how locals live here.
Is that quite a standardhouse, Airon? That's a quitestandard house.
Normally are 2 roomswith one guests house, and you can see that there nothave too many furniture.
And is that like middle-incomekind of family or low? This is a low-income familywho are living in a rented house, and the rent here would benot more than $5 or $10 a month.
We just arrived atthe grand bazaar, it kinda looks likethe entrance of a subway station.
So, we're going to go downand see the bazaar in here.
So, this is more of the kindamiddle-class shopping areas as you can see.
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It's not the most interesting thing, it's just a shopping mall, but I think is quite cool to showthat here in Afghanistan there is still shopslike this.
There's a H&M up here butI'm not convinced if it's real or not.
// Speaking native language // ♪♪♪ We're actually heading to thatAfghan wedding that I mentioned tonight, but we should gonna drivearound the Blue Mosque here.
We going to go there inthe morning and have a look inside, but just on the way backto the wedding we're gonna drive just in front of it andyou will see how beautiful this big mosque is.
♪♪♪ Later that evening atthe wedding hall.
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This is the main entrancewhere guests are coming in, and then they divided intomale and female section.
-Is this the owner here that we're with?-What? -Is this the owner?-He is the manager of the hall.
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-Woao!-It is beautiful? Very beautiful! They can accommodate25, 000 people at one time.
And it's a flourishing business, right?They get a lot of weddings? // Speaking native language // It's good! Yeah!It happens like.
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Nowadays there's a biteconomic problem, and people is not financiallythat strong as before.
So there is not manyweddings but.
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Yeah! It happens!And the business is fine! -So we are the aliens right now from the wedding.
-Oh! Yeah! For sure.
So this is how the bridegroom comes, the vehicle come.
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Right from here and they godown there on the stage, where they are receivedby the people.
-Drive down on to the stage.
-Yeah! On the stage.
Woao! Well, I think youget the idea.
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This is one of the most elaboratethings I've ever seen.
It's crazy! ♪♪♪ -This is the kitchen!-Okay! Where they getting the fruits, salad food, here.
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I've never seen anythingso extreme in my life.
I haven't seen myself, seriously.
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-Really?-It's the first time that I see this.
My wedding it was about like ahundred people at most, the love ones.
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But this is crazy! This is.
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Woao! And so.
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This whole thingis $ 10, 000 USD.
This is, I guess, more than $ 10, 000 USD, could be $ 25, 000 USD.
A wedding at this capacity in the westwould run into the hundreds of thousands.
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Exactly!It's worth! You saw before all the locals dancing andabout them the groom was on the chair.
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And then they startedthrowing money at him.
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Real Money is thrownat the groom! There's 1, 000 peopleinvited tonight.
And then 1, 000 woman areinvited tomorrow.
So, it's all men here, and tomorrow will be all women.
All women.
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So, when it's the actual.
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When the bride and groom come together.
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They do, they do.
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It's different in eachprovince.
In Kabul you have evenjoin weddings.
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They do everythingtogether.
-All this pots here are like this pot.
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-Yeah! Like this.
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♪♪♪ So another huge day here, in Afghanistan.
I spent the day by meetingthe local families, and then look aroundthe house.
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Quite interesting to seehow people live and how much they pay for rent, $10 for that house.
And to join the securityforces there.
We see the whole measles process work.
That was interesting.
Like I said I'm going to leavesome information below if you want to check it out or if you wantto donate a little bit of money.
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And thenthat wedding was.
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One of the most strangething I ever seen.
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A guy hanging about theirfriends dancing.
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While they throwmoney at him.
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Fascinating! And then they cameand serve us so much food.
It was.
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No way to explain.
I hope by showingthat wedding, that you see that is notall negative here, in Afghanistan, there are positives, there are positives.
It's not all domming and gloom.
The locas are veryfriendly.
It's very important tofocus on this parts.
Obviously is importantto acknowledge the conflict, and the diseases and the mal nutrition, and things like that.
But also is very importantto hold on to hope.
And I hope you can see the positive sideof Afghanistan through this videos.
Tomorrow it's gonna be extreme, getting up super early, super early.
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Going for more adventures here, in Afghanistan.
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Kinda explore more, so.
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Join me! If you want to seethe photos from this trip, feel free to look atmy Instagram.
Here are some ofthe photos.
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I'll leave a linkdown below.
And if you want to follow alonein a picture version.
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You can alsodo that! In caseI don't see you! Good afternoon! Good evening!And goodnight! ♪♪♪.