Gurasis: 0:19

So, before I introduce my guest today, I would like to give you a little bit of history lesson of what we are actually getting into today. So Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group emerged in the early 1990s, which swiftly rose to power in 1996 in Afghanistan, imposing a strict form of Sunni Islam. They enforced severe punishments and curbed freedoms. Following the 9-11 attacks, the US-led coalition expelled the Taliban in 2001 and in the subsequent years saw a resurgence marked by targeted assassinations and territorial gains. And in 2020, a peace deal with the US paved the way for the return to power in 2021. The rapid takeover of Afghanistan led to widespread displacement and uncertainty affecting millions. The Taliban's promises about rights and governance are uncertain. The world hasn't accepted their rule and the situation in Afghanistan is still uncertain, especially for things like women's work and education.

Gurasis: 1:21

And my guest today emerged from the intricate tapestry of her homeland, afghanistan, a beacon of resilience and hope, found herself amidst of the Taliban's takeover, a quickie shift that would shape her journey. Growing up amidst the complexities of war, like any child dreamt of a future painted with endless possibilities. In the corridors of her imagination, she envisioned herself as a doctor, or even the president, a leader who would transform Afghanistan into a haven free from pain and suffering. However, the harsh realities of being an Afghan girl unfolded before her eyes and the constraints placed upon her peers became starkly apparent. Her dreams collided with the harsh truths of forced marriages, an experience that would ignite her resolved to challenge the limitations imposed on Afghan girls. Her vision transcended personal aspirations. It became a mission to eradicate the shadows that dimmed the hopes of every child in her homeland. Forced to confront the encroaching war in 2007, her family, along with many others, sought refuge in Kabul, a city, a juxtaposition of opportunity and fear became a battleground for survival. Yet, amidst these struggles, she found slays in education, navigating a space where boys and girls studied together, breaking barriers and nurturing her courage.

Gurasis: 2:44

The fateful day of August 15, 2021 marked the shattering of her hopes and dreams. As the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan, the sun of optimism set, but she defused to let her spirit break In the face of oppression. She sees education as a potent weapon, a tool to resist and defy the attempts to silence Afghan girls. Today, she stands as a symbol of unwavering courage. Founder of Code Green Afghanistan, bridging worlds and amplifying the ideas of Afghan cults. Recognized for her efforts in digital innovation, she exemplifies the spirit that refuses to be extinguished. Join us as we delve into her extraordinary journey, where courage meets domination and where the power of accessible education becomes a beacon for change. Please welcome Mushtaq Akbari.

Muzhda: 3:34

Thank you so much for such a great introduction, and I would like to also take opportunity and send my warm hi's and hello's greeting to everyone who are watching us or listening to us, and also thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to be part of your amazing work, your podcast, and I once again thank you so much for that amazing introduction.

Gurasis: 3:57

Absolutely, Muzhda. It's a pleasure to have you and I feel like people like you needed to be highlighted. And I am actually honored to have you on the podcast. You being just a 17, 18 year old and making that indelible mark in this Canadian landscape or just in this world, I could not skip talking to you and letting my listeners know about you as well. So welcome to the podcast.

Muzhda: 4:21

Thank you.

Gurasis: 4:22

Okay so before we dive deeper into all that I have said, I just want to start a little bit on the lighter note and since in my season two of the podcast I am trying to turn up the fun factor a little bit, I want to start with some fun questions. Okay, so tell us what is your go to breakfast?

Muzhda: 4:42

Oh my gosh, this is is actually. We are part of the northeast of afghanistan, so it's called badash, and in badashan we have this special type of tea we call it sure chai which is made up of like milk and salt. It is like it sounds weird, but it is so delicious I love it. So, like every morning it is my go breakfast. Like every morning I have it. It works like coffee, but it's much delicious.

Gurasis: 5:11

Okay, it's not weird to me because we also have something called the masala chai, and masala itself means like spice and all sorts of like spices mixed together, and so I know what you're saying, like this milkshake of salt and sweetness in it, but do you just eat it like, drink it just like that, or with something, you eat something along with it?

Muzhda: 5:32

Yeah, and just as you say, like so we have different types of it and then, like sometimes, when it's like a special day, we put some nuts in it. We have some like cream in it, and then we sometimes cook some cookies. It's also a salty cookies and then we eat with that. So it has like different forms, but the initial one, like the default version of it, is just like tea. We just yeah, just like coffee.

Gurasis: 5:58

Okay, perfect. So my next question is share a favorite song or a dialogue or a movie and tell us why it's significant to you wow, it's a hard question because, like, um, I'm also like someone.

Muzhda: 6:15

I love music. It is like a big part of our culture too, and mostly, like, I listen to persian or either like farsi songs. So sometimes other people, like in other countries, ask me, like, who is your favorite singer? Like I say, okay, I have to think which one in here because, like, I love our songs better. But then, apart from that, okay, which one is hard to choose. I think I would choose one book.

Muzhda: 6:44

There's one book called the Alchemist, if you have heard it oh my gosh, it literally changed my life because I remember when I was in Afghanistan. Of course, navigating with what is happening it was hard, but when I found this book it kind of changed my perspective towards life. And then the fact that you know whatever you go through is kind of changed my perspective towards life, and then the fact that you know whatever you go through is kind of a lesson, and all of these things will give hands together so they can reach you to the studio of your life so I love this book and I read it in one day.

Muzhda: 7:16

It was my first time to read a book in a day and I've been reading it like most of the time. I think I've read it four times. So I love this book and it kind of changed my life.

Gurasis: 7:26

No, it indeed is an amazing book. I have read that as well. But coming back to the question, you don't have to anglicize your likings, right? And I'm telling you that because I remember in my class, when I came to Canada, people would say, oh, we were actually asked to make like a presentation of our favorite bands or like a favorite stars or whatever, and mine I had no like, literally, I had like no recognition of whatever they were talking about. So I actually end up sharing whatever I liked from India. You know the songs I listened to India. So I'll ask you the same thing again you can share any particular song, movie, whatever you listen to. Share with us that.

Muzhda: 8:08

Yeah, so okay. Then there is one song. It's a Pamiri song. It also comes from our area, which is the northeast area of Afghanistan. So this Pamiri song is a very, very old song. It's like a traditional song that, uh, each generation pass it and then it has a different version of it and then I like, maybe like once or twice a week, I just listen to it and keep dancing. I love this song. So it is very folk. Like they have, we have our own musical instruments used in it so I really love that song.

Gurasis: 8:41

It's like a pamiri version of song okay, and is it like found on spotify or like in youtube? Where can one find it if they want to listen?

Muzhda: 8:49

I think it will be in spotify and mainly in youtube, because I listen it in youtube.

Gurasis: 8:54

Okay, and then I will share the name of it, but it's like a palmiri music okay, I'll put the link to that in the show notes for anybody who's interested. For sure, okay, awesome. So tell us, if you had to teach one phrase in your mother tongue, what would it be and what does it mean?

Muzhda: 9:14

Yeah, one phrase Okay. So in Afghanistan we say it means thank you, and I really love this phrase, I know like. So we mostly like change it different ways. Like it has different versions regarding to a person. Sometimes, when they are, like, mainly formal, we use different version of it but like it means like you, and I love this phrase love that.

Gurasis: 9:49

That's awesome, okay. So, lastly, if you could teleport back to a particular place from your home country for a day, where would it be and what would you do?

Muzhda: 10:04

yeah, I think again, like you know, mostly I mentioned I, although I grew up like kind of, uh, some most of my life not most of my life, part of my life in kabul I love kabul. But my favorite place in afghanistan is my northeast area of afghan Badakhshan, the place I grew up in a village it's like a village for 11 years of my life and I think that vibe that I grew up there was just like movies like those old movies and like whenever I talk with a friend here who don't know anything about Afghanistan, I say you know, whenever peace came to Afghanistan, I will take you to Badakhshan, or come to Badakhshan so I will show you know.

Muzhda: 10:43

Whenever peace came to Afghanistan, I will take you to Badashan or come to Badashan. So I will show you everything. Because that part of the world, like in Badashan, it's totally different to any other part of the world. The culture is different, the language is different, people are different. So yeah, whenever hopefully peace came, I will maybe take you there I will invite you to come, you, and then show you around everything. Yeah, I love that okay, awesome, love that.

Gurasis: 11:09

Okay. So, since we're talking about Afghanistan, talking about, you know, uh, badakhshan, that's how you say it. How do you say that? Yeah yeah, so he was talking about that. Tell us a little bit more about your childhood and a little bit about your growing up years yeah, thank you so much for this question.

Muzhda: 11:26

So yeah, I was, uh, I was born and raised in badashan province. So badashan province is a northeast area of afghanistan. It's a mostly like the place that I was born. It's like very kind of, you know, isolated part where we rarely had access to electricity. We, I don't know like, do we had access to internet? No, we didn't, but, like, even like, tv was a luxury thing I think the sun families had. So I was, I was born there and raised there for like 11 years of my life. And I was, I was raised by my grandparents, like not my parents, so I was with my grandparents. It was, um, it was a great experience. As I told you that, the life there was very different. We had, um, we had a very natural life, I would say.

Muzhda: 12:16

I love that um way of my life and that face of my life. And then I was. I was also going to school there. Our school was a little bit strict. Okay, our teachers were like, just like any, I think our afghani teachers and indian teachers have already similar yeah, so I was like studying there and then unfortunately wars came and then wars took place in afghanistan.

Muzhda: 12:43

Then we had to leave that village to the city in Padashan which was the name was Faizabad, and then my family, we spent four years in Faizabad and then we changed the place, we went to Kabul and then we didn't spend that much of time in Kabul, like maybe around three years in Kabul which unfortunately again war took place and then we had to leave it. So we will maybe later on talk about it more. But basically, yeah, the place that I was born and raised was Padakhshan city and I really cherish all the memories that I have made there, the people I have made there.

Muzhda: 13:18

And I think, as I said, it is like that home feel like whenever I hear the name of Badakhshan, I feel like home. So yeah, hopefully peace will come. Maybe one day I will go there back.

Gurasis: 13:30

Hopefully, hopefully, but tell us something, mushtaq, that people might not know about Afghanistan, that you would like to share.

Muzhda: 13:38

Yeah, so when we talk about Afghanistan, I think the immediate picture that comes to the mind is some desert.

Gurasis: 13:46

Yeah.

Muzhda: 13:47

And then, like you, just there is war and then people are killing each other. There's like blood and everything. And I don't want to deny the fact that, yeah, we do have conflicts, we do have wars, and there are people, a lot of people, suffering, but then a big part of who we are is our culture. A big part of who we are is the beauties that we have, we had around us afghanistan.

Muzhda: 14:10

At the same time, it is like it is a very green country, like the place I came is so much greenery. We have beautiful rivers, beautiful weather. The culture is very rich culture. We have different languages. For example, I speak farsi or persian and then my friends in padashan, some of them, were speaking sharnani, which is a totally different language and pashto is also spoken, I believe yeah, even some people speak urdu or hindi and some people speak arabic.

Muzhda: 14:40

So we have, like, different cultures, different diversity. Even we have people from even other beliefs, like we have Sikh people in Afghanistan, where they were Muslim, were our neighbors.

Muzhda: 14:52

So like different cultures in Afghanistan and I think most of people don't know that yeah people think Afghanistan is just one group of people, one background and one picture but, I would say that, no, when you go deep, like when you read more about afghanistan, when you explore it more in a different perspective, you will come across the fact that there is so much more about afghanistan. And even there was one youtuber, very famous youtuber. His name is, I think, andrew. He said that his favorite country is Afghanistan. Oh, wow so yeah, he's a very famous like travel writer so he kind of, like you know, stumped on the things that I said. Yeah.

Gurasis: 15:36

No, I'm sure, like these kind of insights are something which anybody who has lived there can share. You know, we all see like an overview image or sometimes whatever is fed to us by media. Sometimes, you know, we just see that we don't really know what is actually inside. So thank you for sharing that. I'm sure people are gonna enjoy this.

Gurasis: 15:50

Um, so now, mishla, like I have seen that of course we will get into deeper, into more work that you do, but throughout you know my previous conversation also and the conversation that I have heard you and you know know some offline as well. We met in Toronto at an event and now, like in even our previous conversation that we had, you have, you have mentioned many times you know your mother, like your family, at times where and I feel like it correct me if I'm wrong would you say that your mother has been your source of inspiration or the source of encouragement. I wanted to talk a little bit more about that, because I'm sure there is some sort of family support that led you to do the things that you do.

Muzhda: 16:32

but talk a little bit more about that yeah, oh, thank you so much for this beautiful question and point that you brought. I think for me in my life that one person that whenever I think is my mom. She's been someone that because, like you know, growing up in Afghanistan and having three daughters in a row, and then you know, like people, there was a lot of stereotypes around having three daughters in a room and then not being able to give birth to a boy.

Muzhda: 17:03

So I have seen my mom how much she suffered from the fact that people around us were pointing out my mom, that why you don't have a boy why, you'd have all daughters who will take care of your future like life, who will take care of the wealth of your like husband and all those things.

Muzhda: 17:20

So then, like a lot of this type of conversation that even as a kid I was listening to them, like I would see there was a guest who would come and then my mom would spend three hours cooking, cleaning to make his food, and then that guest would come and sit in a conversation and then find out, my mom, that why you don't have a boy, and then, like talking about things that I was like like okay, who are you to talk about these things, these are none of your business. But then they would allow themselves, like everyone would allow themselves, to put a finger on my mom and then me seeing all those things and seeing that still my mom was a strong and not giving up and not take thinking like not seeing as less valuable. That gives me courage, that kind of built. And I see that over like as life went by and I saw times that you know when I would do something good at school and I would tell my mom, mom, I did this at school, and then she would be so proud and so happy she would post my marks in her facebook. She would like post my marks in her Facebook, she would like post my drawings in her Facebook, and I saw that how these things were making her like happier.

Muzhda: 18:29

So you know, that gave me a hope that, okay, I will do the best to prove everyone who told my mom that you have a daughter so you are less valuable, prove them wrong that you know having a daughter is not a shame.

Muzhda: 18:42

It should be something that one day he at me and they say like I wish she was my daughter. So, that being said, like you know my mom, she has been the most courageous woman and bravest woman I know in my life, and even others, being so strong, being supportive, supportive of us, pushing us in every step that go try this thing, go try that thing. As I told you you, you know she would push me, go speak in front of like hundreds of people and I was saying, mom, I don't want to do it, and then she would say, you know you can do it, go do it. So you know, all these things kind of inspired me, seeing my mom and all those things, but at the same time, as I mentioned, she is the source of my inspiration to anything that I do, because I want to make her proud and towards making her proud, I want to make all other women feel that they are not less valuable just because they are women or 100.

Gurasis: 19:35

Yes, you know, there is a saying in uh panjabi.

Gurasis: 19:41

You know we say that, which means which basically translates to they are lucky, who are blessed with the baby girl in their houses, you know, uh.

Gurasis: 19:49

So I think this, this is also something very close to me, because I have two sisters and they are like decade older than me and this was the conversation during their growing up years as well, you know, talking to my mother like why there's not son, and then finally I was born and and all those conversations I've heard growing up here and there as well.

Gurasis: 20:08

But coming back to you again, I think that would be a great segue to something else that you have mentioned that your courage is your weapon, and you mentioned to me that it's not just a statement to you, it's a living experience for you where your family and you were like sandwiched between Taliban and the government, and you needed that courage to live in such sort of environment and get up every day and go to school the next day, right. So talk a little bit more about that and educate us about the time, all that you were going through, including like your high school, and going, and you know, because the things were pretty strict for girls even to pursue education in that part of the country. So tell us about that.

Muzhda: 20:52

Yeah, exactly so I think when you are in an environment where fear and terror and war is a big part of that environment, the life becomes very challenging. Everything becomes challenging. Even life for men become challenging, let alone like women, how much they suffer. So I grew up in that environment where war was a big part of my life. In every conversation there was a bigger like view of war than any other thing. So even like when we had dinner, when we had breakfast, like 80 percent of our talks were about war, were about politics what would happen tomorrow, what happened yesterday, what happened today regarding to bomb blasts, regarding to gun and everything.

Muzhda: 21:37

So fear was a big part of us. And then at the beginning, like when I was in Badakhshan, life was kind of peaceful because we didn't have bomb blasts in Badakhshan. But when we came to Kabul, things changed because right now, life was not guaranteed. You could not hide in a place like you could not hide at home.

Muzhda: 21:58

You had to live your life, but that unfortunately meant risking your life, because I remember that one day I was going to the school with my sisters, so this was our car, very close to the school, and then a traffic happened, so we were like we were stuck, we were in the road and then five minutes later, a bomb blast took place which was, like, I think, very close to us, like close to school, and then in that one blast five students from our school died. They were killed and then, if that traffic was not happening there, if that traffic did not lock the the route, we would be oh my god so you know, just imagine that this, that was our normal life, that was something that we had to deal every morning.

Muzhda: 22:47

And guess what happened Tomorrow morning we had to go back to that classroom. We had to sit and I remember I was in my classroom and then that window that was like right close to me, it was all broken and I could see outside because of the bomb blast that windows were broken.

Muzhda: 23:02

So that was a part of life and then we had to deal with it. So kind of fear became a big part that you know you couldn't be terrified, you couldn't be scared, because otherwise you couldn't leave. So but then still it doesn't mean that that make you strong in a way that also make you so. So you know to cherish every moment of life. Because whenever I used to go to the school I would look at my mom and the hardest part of the day in life was saying goodbye to mom and then going back to school, like because I didn't know when I come back what would happen at home, what would happen here and there. So that was like so hard saying even goodbye here and there. So that was like so hard saying even goodbye.

Muzhda: 23:48

But then, as we talk about the courage, courage should be like courage was that, that power that would, you know, move us forward. Because, like taking the courage to say goodbye, taking the courage to not cry, taking the courage that after a bomb blast going back to the school, taking the courage after the death of, maybe a classmate, you had to be in that classroom and try to forget what happened, all of those things like, wanted courage not just from me, but from every single person. So even if you're like just the weakest person in the room, you had to be courageous, because if you weren't courageous it means courage would let you down.

Muzhda: 24:25

So I think, courage with the hope was two things that kind of you know keep push us forward to live our lives. So you know, as I told you, it was like a very different experience that, the fact that you know everything would happen, but then tomorrow you had to start refresh.

Gurasis: 24:41

It was just like a game with like ultimate life, you know coming back and coming back, yeah oh my god, this is making me quite, uh, speechless, because I can't even imagine what would be going in the minds of a teenager who is having a fear of even going to school.

Gurasis: 25:03

Not because he or she is afraid of the education or the marks of the teachers. They are in the fair of their life. I mean, the people of that age or I would say like students of that age are usually worried about their studies. They are stressed about the exams. You know, maybe they are stressed about the acne that they had, you know the pimples that they're having on their faces, or maybe they're crushed and reply them back or something like that. And and you were simply stressed about just your life, like whether you don't even know whether you'll be coming back to your parents or not. Um, I I mean, there's nothing else that I can say that can justify in any way, obviously but tell me, didn't you at any moment feel like mushta, not going to school and just staying with your parents whole time and just not pursue the education?

Muzhda: 26:00

yeah. So in my family, like I am the most emotional one, like I used to like be very attached to my mother, like I love my mom, as I said before. So there would be like sometimes that when I was sitting in the classroom and I would miss my mom so much that I was like all thinking about my mom, and then the teacher was like just teaching, because there was a time that my mom started university again. She wanted to, you know, to pursue pharmacy and she wanted to become a doctor, and then knowing that my mom is going outside too was like just making me terrified. Like whenever a bomb blasts place, now it wasn't just me I was like asking oh my, happened there. So like it was a very scary moment.

Muzhda: 26:45

So during that time I hated school. To be honest, as I said, I love my studies, I love the fact that I was able to have opportunity to learn, but then, dealing with all other emotions apart from studying, I just didn't love school. I just wanted to stay with my mom and then be there because, as I said, I was very emotionally attached to my mom. That kind of like whenever like going was going to school was a struggle for over like 11 years of course I, I'm sure about that.

Gurasis: 27:26

So, mushtaq, remember. You also shared this. Another anecdote with me, where, in a class where you guys, there were like 50 boys and just 4 girls in a classroom and you told me that your mom said that you have to be Mushtaq, the ambassador of those girls and you have to stand up and show that you have a voice. Tell us when you did that, what happened.

Muzhda: 27:48

Yeah, thank you so much. I think you know, in Afghanistan there was one very competitive course. It was an English classroom. So in that English classroom there were students from different backgrounds. We had like teenagers, we had a master degree holders, we had like teachers from university, like different people from different parts of like academia, basically, yeah, when I went there so my mom enrolled us in that course because she heard, okay, that's a very good course, and my sister and I we were very like we were the youngest among all other students, so because we were, I think, grade eight or nine, yeah around that. So when we entered to the classroom I just saw that there are 50 boys and there's four girls. It was me, my sister and then two other girls and then all the classroom are boys and then.

Muzhda: 28:45

So I used to go to the girls' school. I mean, I never been exposed to a place where there was so much man and there was so much voice. So it was like kind of very terrifying. At the beginning even I was scared to like read a word or do solve a question, or when my, my teacher would ask something, I was terrified to raise my hand.

Muzhda: 29:06

But then gradually we had conversation about the school to about the course with my mom. And my mom said you know what, like you, shouldn't be afraid. You know, we always had this conversation about how can we, as a girl, prove that we are capable of serving things? So my mom said you know what that place is? A place that you have to prove because in your class you don't have any any boy to prove. But in that classroom then I used to, like you know, work so hard and then practice everything in advance, and then when I'm in the classroom and the teacher asked anything, I would raise my hand. But then in during the week, on thursdays or maybe fridays on thursdays, fridays, we had all of this in afghanistan. So on Thursdays we had to come up with a topic.

Muzhda: 29:54

And then we have to present it in front of all the class Every Thursday, and then during that day you had the chance to either sit in your chair and just read it, or you had the chance to stand up in front of the class and then present it.

Muzhda: 30:09

So in case of our class, the majority of the ones who used to stand up were boys. There were no girls who would stand up and then present their topic in front of all boys. So there was one day I spent one week preparing for this one topic that this time I will stand up.

Muzhda: 30:30

And I was terrified the whole week. So then it was a time and then the teacher said, okay, it's your time, which that? And I just didn't sit and I stand up. And then the teacher said, oh good, you stand up. And then all the class was gone. So then I stand up and I read my topic. And I didn't read my topic, I memorized, memorized my topic. So I just put the paper and then just me and then talking, and the whole class was so silent and then my voice was so loud. I have naturally like this loud voice. So then my voice was so loud and even there were boys coming from other classrooms and seeing what is happening, because it was the first time, like like my hands are like this and I memorized everything. And then my teacher said wow, and then he said to my classmates that learn from her and that kind of inspired me to do that next time and then my teacher was doing the same.

Muzhda: 31:26

Then the other girls were inspired and then after two weeks there were no boys standing up, all the topics were just girls, and it was a very funny thing and even my teacher used to tell our story to other classes that you know, this thing happened in our class, that everything shifted from boys standing up to girls standing up. So in that experience I really learned valuable lessons, for example, my confidence rise the fact that you know I am valuable if I work hard.

Muzhda: 31:56

If I put the work, I can beat boys, I can be the best in the class, I can have the courage to stand up, I can have the courage to memorize the stuff. And it is not my age limiting me. It's not my gender that will limit me. It's not the fact that who I am will limit me if I put the work.

Muzhda: 32:16

I can do whatever I want to do. So that taught me this lesson and then after that, like in every class that I had, I was like just standing up you know, I am not, you know, I found I learned a lesson. So, yeah, that was a very valuable experience for me.

Gurasis: 32:31

Well, I think you said it all, but definitely you paved the way for the other girls and definitely created history in that setting. You know, your professor said for the first time you were there, so loved it, loved it, awesome. But that's not where you stopped. You continue to do amazing things and still doing it today. We definitely dive deeper into that, but I just want to take you back to the moment of august 15, 2021. You know when, literally, taliban took over afghanistan. In that time and you have witnessed it firsthand tell us where were you and what the future seemed to you in that particular moment it was a very summer day of couple, a very hot day.

Muzhda: 33:12

So we used to live in one room together with my sisters. But then, like, because of you know, being with three sister means a lot of talking, a lot of conversation. So I changed my room to a little balcony that I used to collect everything and decor it with my books and everything. So I was sitting in that uh balcony, my books and everything. So I was sitting in that balcony and then right in front of me there was like sticky notes. I put them there and I drew some stuff. I exactly remember in one of my sticky notes I have written never give up. And another one was believe in yourself.

Gurasis: 33:49

In another one.

Muzhda: 33:50

I wrote the word hope and then colored it because I just love those sticky notes and they were like right in front of me and just like those sticky notes and they were like right fan of me and just like those sticky notes, I wasn't giving up the fact that during that last week everything was so hard because province after province were falling and Taliban would take control of those provinces. So Kabul was the only province that Taliban didn't have control over it. And even during that time I was so hopeful because, you know, I said to myself we have been in war for 40 years. How is it possible that Taliban took Afghanistan once again? Like I wasn't allowing myself to believe that Taliban would take Kabul and this is at the end of the story. Like I didn't, I refuse to believe in that.

Muzhda: 34:36

So I was very hopeful, and suddenly someone started knocking the door and it was a normal knock oh.

Muzhda: 34:40

I knew that, okay, no one knock our door like that. So I rushed up to the door because my balcony was very close to the entry door. I opened and I found my uncle. He's very like, breathless, and telling me where's your mom, where's your mom, where's your mom? I said what happened and he said Taliban are here, taliban took Kabul and then we have to leave Because during that time my dad, he was in India because of some medical conditions that he had.

Muzhda: 35:05

So it was just us, my mom, three daughters, and then, like, we were just in one room, in one house, and then all by ourselves. And then my family had some political background. They were part of the government, working with government. My grandma, she was an activist, so we were in the risk even before the Taliban. So my uncle came and then we said we have to leave, and soon we packed our whole life in school backpacks One cloth, two documents and some maybe money and food to, you know, to just go somewhere. And then everything was there. And then we locked the door and we went to my uncle's house and we spent one week there Like so no one would know where we were.

Muzhda: 35:45

And that day, I think, is a day that I never would forget. That day, I think, is a day that I never would forget and the fact that all the hopes that I had was just destroyed and, as I told you, like I was refusing the fact that I will believe the Taliban would come and take Afghanistan once again, because there was one story that was repeating my mom was struggling, my grandma was struggling with war, my grand grandmother and generations where everyone was struggling, my grandma was struggling with war, my grand grandmother and generations where everyone was struggling, and it was, you know. I was thinking that, no, our generation would have a different life, we would have a different future, but so, that being said, I was thinking of all these different things, but you know, so I remember that during that exact day, august 15, 2021. So we were in the car and then again, a traffic happened and all families, the whole roads, all roads were full of people. Everyone was trying to get into the airport so they can leave Afghanistan, because everyone was terrified.

Muzhda: 36:48

And the other thing was that the president of the country, ashraf Ghani, he escaped the country. Oh, wow, so like, suddenly, he left the country. He just the president of the country.

Gurasis: 36:53

Ashraf Ghani. He escaped the country.

Muzhda: 36:54

Oh wow, so like suddenly he left the country.

Gurasis: 36:55

He just disappeared. All the politicians.

Muzhda: 36:57

Yeah, all the politicians. So we thought, okay, right now there is no government, maybe Taliban will start killing everyone. So everyone was trying to just leave the country, especially the ones who had some political backgrounds or who were activists or who were journalists, like this type of people. So we were in the road and then there's like traffic because there are so many people going to the airport and we were actually trying to get into airport first. Then suddenly gunshots start happening and in that exact moment I got this trauma. I was shocked and I couldn't believe. Like I thought, okay, now they will come and kill us, but then so they didn't. Then nothing happened. But in that like it took us four hours to go to my uncle's house, and that exact moment that the the gunshots start happening, for one exactly year I had that trauma that every night suddenly I would wake up and then I thought, okay, someone is like there is a gunshots. So that really impacted my mental health.

Muzhda: 37:59

But, as I said, you know, that day was the start of very so much hardship for women, especially in Afghanistan, for everyone, but specifically women. Ever since that day it's been two years and then, on September of that month, taliban banned women from going to school, secondary school. Soon after that, they banned women from going to public spaces like parks. They banned women from any type of sport activities. They banned the jams for women, the bathhouses for women, the air salons, all salons, all type of salons. Then, soon after that, on December of 2022, they banded all the universities to women. It means, right now, afghan women, they don't have access to school, they don't have access to university, they cannot continue their education, which means we will not have future women doctors, we will not have future Afghan women who are engineers. Like all the dreams are just, you know, gone.

Muzhda: 39:01

And it is so hard to just think of how hard it would be for women in Afghanistan living there Because, you know, I previously mentioned to one of the friends. I said just imagine how hard is it for a little girl growing up in Afghanistan and knowing that the future she was waiting will never come true. And the future is all bleak Because right now, the only options for girls is, ok, getting married, and that is not something most of girls are wanting and that is not something most of girls are wanting. So, like, for example, my classmates, we used to be the generation that, despite all war, despite all the blood on the roads, we used to go to school, we used to work so hard. And now imagine how hard is it that all those options are banned and now you're just sitting and waiting. So I think it's you know. Ever since that day, everything is like getting worse and worse and, as you say, like there is no word to justify it, how and what will happen. So I hope that something will happen.

Gurasis: 40:00

I hope that peace come or at least girls have the opportunity to learn and to go to school, because that gives them a hope yeah, well, I think once again which that you have left me speechless I um, again, I can't even feel or even even say anything that that I could anyway, you know, even even believe that this all was happening. You know, this is completely unbelievable, living in such kind of environment. And and you being just a tiny child, you were a teenager, you know you were just trying to pursue education and live your life, but you were just not allowed to do that, or you could not do that in such such kind of harsh environments. And so tell us what happened next then. How did you guys decide to go to Pakistan and how did that happen? Tell us yeah.

Muzhda: 40:54

So, as I mentioned before, like my parents, they had like this very governmental background that my dad was a police officer. Like my grandma, she was an activist. So even like before the Taliban coming country taking the control of Afghanistan, we used to receive a lot of like threats, death threats, that they would like kidnap us. They were like so there were like so much things even before the Taliban coming to Afghanistan. So when the Taliban took, the immediate reaction of my parents were like okay, how should we leave the country? When should we leave? We were even hiding for one week, as I mentioned. So then we waited for the situation to get better in the airport, but it didn't. So we decided to go by the border. So we went to. We had the visas, we had our passports, so we went to Pakistan through the borders and I think you know the fact that we had to leave everything and then we didn't take anything from our houses, of course.

Muzhda: 41:51

We didn't take a bag. Even the Taliban took my father's car. The Taliban took the control of my grandma's house for one month, I think, not for one month, for three months that they didn't allow any family member to go there. Because they said, okay, this is a house from government, because you're working with government, it means this house is ours now.

Muzhda: 42:13

So, then eventually, my parents tried to get the house, but they didn't give us back the cars or with them. So then we went to Pakistan and I think the journey being as a refugee the word refugee is hard, because now you have to hold a new life. This is a new chapter of your life. As a refugee, you are not able to go to school. As a refugee, it means that you have to deal with a new language, you have to deal with a new environment, with new people and a lot of other challenges. So I think the shift from Afghanistan to Pakistan was challenging too. To cross the border and then to leaving everything behind your family, your loved ones, your home, your country. It was all hard but, yeah, I think, going. But then the chapter that we started in Pakistan was also so different because we spent one year in.

Muzhda: 43:04

Pakistan. It was a whole life and then during this time I kind of learned a little bit of Urdu, kind of that much that I could solve my problems. Then we used to like we couldn't go to school, but what we used to do was just, you know, helping ourselves to learn some stuff by ourselves through internet, or maybe to go parks and then trying to make ourselves busy.

Gurasis: 43:30

Yeah, how old were you then?

Muzhda: 43:33

During that time I was 16. But then, when I went to Pakistan, I turned 17.

Gurasis: 43:39

Okay, and did you have any family there or anybody there? Whom did you go and live with?

Muzhda: 43:45

No, in Pakistan we didn't know anyone. I remember when we went we used to spend like we got the house. When we went, we used to spend like we got the house, like there was actually one afghan whom whom my dad had a connection with.

Muzhda: 43:59

So we went there and then we just got the house on that day on that exactly day the house was all empty, like just there was like two couches, and then, like we used to be there, and then it was at daytime. So my parents went to buy some stuff to just like we used to be there, and then it was at daytime, so my parents went to buy some stuff to just like we could sleep well during the night. And then I think then, just gradually, we start buying stuff and making a home in Pakistan, because our case was a bit different. Some of the refugees who went to from Afghanistan to Pakistan, they were supported by canadian government or by different governments, so it means that they had access to houses, they had access to a lot of supports, but we didn't have that, so we had to support ourselves so like, literally, my parents.

Muzhda: 44:43

They use all their savings to make a life in one year.

Gurasis: 44:47

Wow, like completely uprooting yourself. I should not say uprooting yourself. You were forced to uproot yourself and you were just like kicked out of the country and finding refuge in a new place altogether, with no connections. This is incredible. I don't know how you guys would have managed that, but you did not lose hope, even in that Mishta. In that one year. You didn't have the access to education or anything, but you decided to learn to code, you taught yourself coding and that's how you started, or I would say, the initial seed of Code Green Afghanistan was planted, so tell us all about that yeah, exactly as you said.

Muzhda: 45:30

I think that driving force even I had back in Afghanistan. I've always wanted to do something, especially in case of children and case of girls in Afghanistan. So what happened was when we went to Pakistan, as I said, that we couldn't go to the school, maybe, like the first five months was so hard for us to just adjust the fact, ok, we are in a new country, we cannot do this and that Now we have to deal with X amount of stuff. But then that kind of also had a little bit of depression in it, a little bit of anxiety, the fact that you gradually lose hope.

Muzhda: 46:06

But I wasn't okay with losing hope, because I love the word hope and I wanted to keep myself hopeful for a better future. So what happened was, like I've always was curious about coding like even in Afghanistan but I never tried it. So I said, okay, let's give it a try, why not? And then I remember I started like coding was very fun. I would make one web page and I would show it to all my family members hey, come on, mom, see what I make. You can do it this, you can do that. And then when I would show that to my uncles who were in different countries, I would send a link to them. That was like kind of like giving me that hope that, okay, I'm doing something.

Muzhda: 46:46

Then I started like learning more and more and more. I was watching a lot of courses online, a lot of videos on YouTube, and then soon, I remember there was one day I said, okay, this thing is giving me a lot of hope, this thing is giving me a lot of joy. Why not share it, maybe with one or two of my classmates who are right now in Afghanistan? So I said let's make a brochure to it and then share it in my Instagram and let's see if anyone is interested in learning coding with me and, to my surprise, 30 girls, including 10 refugees in Pakistan, they joined. And then for the next two months I was waking up early to practice, to make everything ready and then to like to study together and then I would record the videos to send it back to girls who were, who could enjoy on join on that day.

Muzhda: 47:40

So for two months we did html, we did css, we did some little bit of a script and some other concepts in technology. We talked about, like, the future of technology. We had some conversation, we used to talk about photoshop and all those things, and then after that, we came to canada. And then when I came to canada, I tried to again keep on going and my skills got a little bit of better. And then there was one challenge called ycm challenge uh, so youth, uh change challenge. So I joined that. There were like over 300 participants from all over the world, which then we had to compete together and then come up with the solution. So my solution was good green Afghanistanorg. I started creating a platform.

Muzhda: 48:26

I spent two months working so hard to make a website, a professional website, and my team working so hard to make a website a professional website, and my team yeah, there, we formed a team and then, out of like all those competitors, we won the education challenge. We got the first position and then, from that day till now, I am working on Qigong in Afghanistan. We have had many collaborations with teachers in Afghanistan. Our math class is currently having around we have registered 200 students, but students come and go because of the internet and everything, but we have registered around 200 students. We are planning to add more courses.

Muzhda: 49:05

Apart from our educational aspect of Kud Kreen, afghanistan, we have one part called the blog session, which we give opportunity to girls to share their stories. We have one part, like we have many WhatsApp groups. One is we share scholarship opportunities. We share different opportunities that we come across online and then we share it with girls. You know, just check out this one, check out that one. So these are the things that we are right now doing, but we hopefully want to keep the work up. We want to add more courses and do more, hopefully, in future that is phenomenal.

Gurasis: 49:40

I don't know how you're doing all that long with your education, but tell us more like how did you find these people, these teachers, or how did you spread a word about this within afghanistan and how did you, like you know, caught more and more? How did you just spread a word about this within afghanistan and how did you, like you know, caught more and more? How did you just spread a word about this? Or more and more people, or more and more girls can come and join your courses. How did that happen?

Muzhda: 50:01

yeah, exactly so. Even in afghanistan I was kind of an influencer not a big one, like not a big one at all, but I had this like social media account.

Muzhda: 50:11

I have like around 2,000 followers. So, like I used to post everything, I used to write a lot and then all those things. So I already had this one like community, like around 1,000 girls maybe. So when I shared that, most of those girls were interested in. So they said, okay, like we know you much there, you've been doing all these things, so we want to join the course that most of those girls were interested in. So they said, okay, like we know you much that you've been doing all these things.

Muzhda: 50:33

So we want to join the course. But then through that social media I had other connections. For example, there were some famous people who used to follow me or from Afghanistan. So when I shared this opportunity they shared it on their stories, so it kind of brought more girls together. And then through that I kind of knew some courses we connected with courses online and they said okay, yeah, we would love to collaborate with you. It kind of happened with networking and connections that I already had okay, okay, awesome.

Gurasis: 51:04

So if any of our listeners would like to, you know, join your mission where they can connect with you yeah, that would be amazing.

Muzhda: 51:12

Find us in linkedin. You can find us on instagram, facebook.

Gurasis: 51:16

We have our email address and all those things so you can check out and if anybody just want to reach out to you, they can reach out to you on linkedin, I suppose yeah, yes, also in linkedin.

Muzhda: 51:26

My. My name in linkedin is mujda akbari. I will share the link with you so you can share it with the audience and also on my instagram. It's also much that very the same name. Yeah, you can find me perfect, awesome.

Gurasis: 51:39

I'll put the links to that in the show notes. So much so let's just talk a little bit about your move to canada. Tell us a little bit about the behind the scenes, that how did that came about, and tell us about your first day when you landed yeah, thank you.

Muzhda: 51:58

So about the canada, I think canada has always been a dream of my mom, especially when we always loved canada. She used to even in afghanistan she said I wished I was born in canada it was like quite funny that that when we came to Pakistan so we tried to apply for refugee programs.

Muzhda: 52:17

So we applied for this refugee program for US actually. But then they emailed us that they said there are a lot of applications for US. Do you want to ask to refer you to Canada? Like, we will refer your application to Canada. And my mom was so happy. She said what Of course I want. I didn't know people would ask Canada. My mom was so happy she said what Of course I won. I didn't know people lost Canada this much. But yeah, she said yeah. So we kind of applied for that refugee program and then, after spending one year in Pakistan, we came here to Canada the first day we landed on Winnipeg. In Winnipeg we spent one night in Winnipeg. It was a very cold day. It was around december. Yeah, it was around december, very cold. And then after that we went to tander bay. We spent three months in tander bay. Uh, tander bay was again super cold, like our first experience from canada was for me.

Muzhda: 53:14

I was like a big fan of snow, because in Pakistan we didn't have snow for one year the coming and all the snow was so. We were so happy and I remember. So we were in the hotel and that day there was a very heavy snow. I told my sisters and some other girls, you know, let's go play snowballing together. And then we said, okay, yeah, why not? Because all of us came from Pakistan and Pakistan was so hot yeah.

Muzhda: 53:41

So we went, we were playing together, and then it was so cold that our lashes was like frozen, yeah, but we were playing, didn't care. And then I remember all the cars would cross and they were like like what are you doing in this cold? And then we went back to the hotel and then I remember all the cars would cross and they were like like what are you doing in this cold? And then we went back to the hotel and then our case workers came and they said you were playing in minus 30 degree outside like we didn't know.

Muzhda: 54:07

It was minus 30 degree, we didn't know. But then she said okay, it's very cold, do not go outside. So after that we were not allowed to go outside because of the cold. So our first experience was experience was cold, this but then like gradually, gradually, like kind of dealing with the new environment, learning how to cross the road, because crossing within here was so different in crossing within pakistan and afghanistan because of the lights, and then dealing with cards, credit cards.

Muzhda: 54:38

It was our first experience of like using credit cards, for example. We have never used credit cards. In Afghanistan, everything was by cash. Even in Pakistan it was by cash.

Muzhda: 54:47

So we had to learn how to manage credit cards and then learning how to like order stuff, like so many new things like everything was and the funny part was like my sisters and I we were in charge of controlling everything because my parents, they don't know English, so like we had to take care of the credit cards, we have to take care of the documents, we have to. Like we literally became accountants, lawyer, everything that you just imagine like, because even like we were teenagers but we had to learn all these things because my parents, they didn't know all those things. So that was like the beginning, but then, yeah, later on, I think. Then we moved to here, mississauga, right now, from Thunder Bay and then we right now we are in a school and again everything. There were a lot of culture shocks, there was a lot of things that we had to like, adapt, but overall it has been so far a very good experience.

Gurasis: 55:48

Wow. So you are working on this mission, you know, to empower Afghan girls, girls. You are mere 18, who is studying as well, and then you are also sort of playing all these other roles and helping hand to your parents. So that's a lot of things that you are uh doing in a day. But tell me, uh, misha, do you find it like it's like additional responsibility, or or I would like to define it, how would you define this? Like you really assisting your parents for everything, be it like groceries, be it like all these other services that they have to access to, and they have to do it through you? How do you feel about that? Do feel like additional pressure, or or how? How is it for you tell us?

Muzhda: 56:38

oh my gosh, it is so much pressure, like so much, because like um one part is like, of course, like in our culture and maybe in india too.

Gurasis: 56:48

Yeah, I can really I'll do the same, for sure, yeah exactly like we really value.

Muzhda: 56:53

It's not the question of like, should I do it or no, like we just want to do it and then we have to do it. But then in one point you will be, you find yourself in a position okay, I cannot deal with all these things, but I also cannot do it. You know, like I just can't say, okay, I don't want to do it, because if I don't do it, who do it? Who will do it? So you kind of have to do all these things and managing your time, managing the energy. But then the other hard part is like okay, you are dealing with very important documents.

Gurasis: 57:23

Yeah.

Muzhda: 57:23

With very important work. What if I miss up something? What if something goes wrong? And then there were, like so much pressure, I think in the very first stages, that we came to Canada Because, as you know, like you have to get your new documents, you have to translate everything you have to go to the school, enroll yourself, take appointments, get doctor, family doctor and all those things.

Muzhda: 57:47

So it was very hard and I think there was a lot of pressure and then there were times that I just wanted to say no, I don't want to do it. But then we had to do it and I'm happy that I have my sisters with me, so one of my sisters. We have one year each gap, so we kind of try to share the work together, but I think it is challenging for each one of us. But then another part of it is that, okay, I'm happy that I am able to help my parents even in this situation, and I think it's gonna teach us a lot of lessons in future that yeah, later on, like I think there was a very funny thing in our school, my teacher started asking my classmates like have anyone ever got an appointment?

Muzhda: 58:31

I said is it a question?

Gurasis: 58:34

well, look at me.

Muzhda: 58:35

I've been setting up appointments here and there I was like, oh my gosh, is it a question? So even that, like you know, you kind of learn a lot of things.

Gurasis: 58:46

Maybe they've got to push you ahead but, still, it is no, I think it's incredible, at the same time, that it's preparing you for your future. So that's good, but I'm sure there would be times much that you would have messed some things up. Do you have any examples of that?

Muzhda: 58:59

share us, share with us that oh my gosh, there was a lot of time, like I remember that there was very important, a very important document and then we had to fill that out and then in the in the name of my mom, I, instead of writing the first name, I wrote the first name and the last name together, like Mujgan Akberi, like together. And then in the last name I wrote Akberi again, like the last name again twice, and then these documents were printed.

Muzhda: 59:30

All the names are correct, but my mom's name has two last name and now that two last names in every document that we have, like in all the documents, my mom's name is oh my god, oh my god, my dad is what happened? Why you did that, my mom, why you have, why this happened, and I'm like I don't know what happened.

Gurasis: 59:51

Cut me some slack.

Muzhda: 59:52

I'm helping you in a different language that was so hard and then we had to go to our caseworkers and change that from all over again and then it means there was a change in all the documents so that and then sometimes missing the appointments, like you have an appointment but you are in school and you miss that. Oh, I had an appointment who my mother had appointed my dad, so, yeah, there was. There's a lot of this kind of experiences oh, wow, oh amazing, amazing love these stories.

Gurasis: 1:00:24

Um so, before we get to the final segment, uh, mushta, is there something that I have missed and you would like to share with our listeners? There's something, some topic that you would like to cover?

Muzhda: 1:00:34

I think there was one experience that I wanted to share with our listeners. There's something, some topic that you would like to cover. I think there was one experience that I wanted to share with, maybe with your audience.

Gurasis: 1:00:41

Sure.

Muzhda: 1:00:42

So when we were in Vander Bay the one day, our caseworker she came, her name was Michelle. She came and she said you know, there is a business hackathon, a business program, in the University of Lakehead, in the Lakehead University. So I was like, okay, what type of competition is it? And then she said, okay, there's a business competition. You have to come up with a business idea, you have to compete with university students. The university teachers will be the jazz and the list goes. And I was like what? University students in a university and ads like teenage girls Afghan teenage going there. And then she said just go and try it. And I was like no, I'm not trying. So in one week I was navigating the fact should we go or?

Gurasis: 1:01:29

shouldn't.

Muzhda: 1:01:30

So I told my sisters, you know, just let's give it a try. Why not, like, just give? So I told my sisters, you know, just let's give it a try, why not Just give it a try? Maybe we will meet new people, we will improve our communication, our language, all those things. So we went there inside the Leket University and I see all these university students, university teachers and me and my sisters. We are like the teenagers and Afghan girls. So we went and said, ok, why are you here? And I said we are here for the competition. So the competition was we had to come up with a business idea and then the price was $4,000.

Gurasis: 1:02:07

OK.

Muzhda: 1:02:10

So $4,000 is a lot of money in Afghanistan you can literally buy a house with it. So, with my sisters, and then we came, and then the first round was okay, we have to make a pitch, one minute pitch, and then we have to present it in front of everyone. And then I was in charge of giving the pitch and I told my sisters you know what? I'm not doing?

Muzhda: 1:02:30

it, I'm not doing okay and then they said no, you have to do it. So like dealing with that emotion. So I just did that one minute pitch and then the reaction was so good and then we went to the second phase of the competition and then we had to make this business idea. We made the business idea and then the final day came, which which the professors, university professors, some of them from the business school, all of them came and now we had to create a five minute pitch and then present it in front of everyone. There were a lot of guests, judges, teachers, everyone Very professional program.

Muzhda: 1:03:08

It was my first time being in a sector program. I was in charge of the pitch because I had to do the pitch. I was in charge of the pitch because, yeah, I had to do like the pitch. I was the. I had the rule of see you in that competition in our team, oh my gosh. So I am here and I'm presenting the idea and then so the competition ended on that. There was a two-day competition, from eight in the morning all the way to eight on the night, so it was a very long time. And then the winner. It was the time for announcing the winner. And guess what happened. Out of all the teams, out of all the university students, we were chosen as the first place. Not just the first place, but we also got the People's Choice Award. Oh, wow, it was like the like group of refugees who were in the hotel. Everyone was like surprised what happened, how you guys won because, like, we really worked hard and then we tried to make it the most um out of that program.

Muzhda: 1:04:07

But that experience taught me a lot of lessons is that I think most of your audience also comes from international students, and I am also like a refugee and we are immigrants. What I want to say is that you know, when you come across this type of opportunities, don't think that you are not capable of doing it. Just give it a try. Just because you're a refugee, just because you're an immigrant, just because you're an international student, just because you have language problems, just because you don't have the age requirements or anything, don't stop yourself. Yeah, like, just go and do it and you don't know what happens.

Muzhda: 1:04:46

And then on that experience we won four thousand dollars. So it was like a very big thing for us the fact that we are just we just came to canada and then all this thing happened. That was like. That taught me a lot of lessons and that also gave me that courage that you know, even if I'm in a new country, if I put the work hard, if I believe in myself, I can do anything. And I just wanted to give that message to your audience too that don't stop yourself when you just try something. Put believe in yourself, even if you're terrified. You know, even if you're scared, be scared, be terrified, just do it.

Gurasis: 1:05:21

You know, just do it yeah, no, I love that very, very powerful uh, message, very powerful words, mushta, and I'm so glad you shared the story with everybody because it's exactly what our vision is. You know through podcasts that just because you're an immigrant, just because you are of a certain gender, you know in our conversation in this case and just because you're of a certain age or you have a certain experience, it does not define you or it does not limits you to try something new. Go for it. Go for it if it works for you, great. If it takes you somewhere else, great.

Gurasis: 1:05:54

If it does not, it was a learning experience and just learn from it and apply the experience in somewhere else. So it's absolutely okay to go ahead and do the things and don't limit yourself just because you're an immigrant here. So, thank you, thank you much for sharing that. Yeah, so much before we get into the final segment. I have introduced this new segment in the second season of the podcast and I call it know your host, where I give my guests an opportunity to ask me any questions you might have yeah, I would like to ask you a question.

Muzhda: 1:06:28

So what was the your favorite? Like what was your first day in canada? Like what was your favorite? Like what was your first day in Canada? Like what was your experience in Canada when you first came here.

Gurasis: 1:06:39

Wow, I was waiting for somebody to ask me this question, because I have asked this question to all my guests and I do have an answer to that. I have a really long answer, but I'll try to shorten it up and I'll share that with you. The short answer is it was terrifying, it was hard, okay, so okay, I'll tell that with you. The short answer is it was terrifying, it was hard, okay, so okay, I'll tell you briefly. So when I landed, a taxi was supposed to come and pick me up at 8 pm, 8.30 pm, and I was supposed to go to like a distant, random person I found on Facebook Messenger, who was very sweet and who said sure, you can come and stay with us for the initial days and by the time you find your house, you know, I was like sure. So I packed my bags, I landed here at 8.30pm and when I checked, like my taxi is not coming, which was supposed to come, which was a taxi given to us by school or something was there which I don't exactly remember now, and that taxi was supposed to come and pick me up. That didn't show up and I was like man, how am I supposed to go anywhere? And even my internet is not connecting for some reason. I don't I. Even if I want to order an uber, it has to be like through credit card and everything. So how am I supposed to do all that? No, you were just. You have like so many other things going on in your mind when you just land, um. So I called those, that person whom I was supposed to go to the house to. I called him on messenger and somehow my internet connected and I called him and he said oh, I don't live that far, so I'll come and pick you up. So he was so sweet that his name was peter. I mean, shout out to you amazing person, amazing human being. I'm still in touch with her.

Gurasis: 1:08:12

It's been six years and he came and he picked me up, along with his friend, and then he took me to his house and I remember their house was on the fourth floor of the building, so so you can imagine a lot of stairs, and I had, uh, three big 23 kgs bags. They were not 23 kgs, mashta, I can assure you. I was trying to pack my life in those three suitcases. They were not 23 kgs, they were at least like 25 each, or maybe more than that, and one of them was even close to 30. I remember I paid extra for that.

Gurasis: 1:08:47

When I landed here that this the actual guy whom I connected with. He went to his work and his friend was there to welcome me to the house. His friend helped me to carry those three big bags to fourth floor and he was so nice and he helped me do all those and that was tiring. And when I was, I remember moving my bags upstairs and I was like, okay, this is Canada, welcome to Canada. This is where your struggle starts. And yes, that was my first night, so to say.

Gurasis: 1:09:22

And what happened the next day? I think I'll keep it, uh, for another episode, for sure, but yes, that was my first night. And I remember when I reached the place, you know, when I moved everything upstairs and that guy was very nice, he ordered a pizza for me, you know, and he. So that was also the first time I got to know that you can order a pizza which can be half vegetarian and half non-vegetarian. I didn't know that you could do that and because he could, he didn't eat non-veg and non-vegetarian and he ordered a pizza which was like half veg, half non-vegetarian and he ordered a pizza which was like half veg, half non-vegetarian. I was like, oh, you can do that, I I didn't know about that. So he ordered a pizza that for me, and along with that he served me juice, and his name was heart breathe, I remember. So, yeah, amazing people, I came across on my very first night and I can't be more grateful for that. And yes, so that was my first day, first night in, uh, in Montreal, canada yeah, that's good.

Muzhda: 1:10:22

So you went to first to Montreal and then came so I am, I'm still in Montreal.

Gurasis: 1:10:27

I landed here in Montreal and when I met you in Toronto, I was just visiting Toronto for like 10 days or so.

Muzhda: 1:10:36

Yeah, oh, that's great. Montreal is such a beautiful city.

Gurasis: 1:10:41

I just went there once. Indeed it is. It is very beautiful, lots of things to do, very exciting place for sure. Yeah, okay, well, thank you. Thank you for that question, loved it. So now we're in the final segment of the podcast. I call it beneath the accent because we are knowing each other beneath the accent. I'm going to ask a couple of questions. You can answer them in one word or a sentence, or how. So you feel like the idea is just to know more about mushta, so ready yeah, of course so what advice would you give to mushta, who is in the initial months of landing in canada?

Muzhda: 1:11:18

don't go outside that much because I got sick okay, okay.

Gurasis: 1:11:26

Describe a moment when you experienced like a significant cultural shock in our school.

Muzhda: 1:11:32

I was in first day of school. My sister and I we were. I was so prepared and serious like I took my notebook, my pen and I was staring at my teacher. And then the teacher said okay, do your work. And then one one of my classmates is playing video game, the other one is watching movie okay and the other one is, oh my gosh, talking very badly.

Muzhda: 1:11:54

I was like, oh my gosh, what the teacher is here, why you're talking like that. But then I realized that it's just normal. Then even one student was sleeping and then I said, oh, this is the class wow, what kind of classroom was that?

Gurasis: 1:12:07

that's crazy, yeah it was physics class okay, what's that one dish from your home country that always brings you comfort and nostalgia?

Muzhda: 1:12:21

It is mantu. Oh, I love mantu. I even love the name of it. It's like mantu when you break it down, it means me and you. Oh, okay, and then it is a dish. So it is like oh my gosh, such a delicious dish. We cook it like not often, but dish we, we cook it like not often, but like sometimes we cook it and I love it what?

Gurasis: 1:12:39

what is it?

Muzhda: 1:12:39

tell me more about that yeah, it is uh kind of like. It has uh meat onion, some spices, and it is. It has the shape of dumpling, like the chinese dumpling, but it's like quite different. It's like not similar, it's quite different. When we cook it like all together, especially when my mom cook it, it is the most delicious one. I just love it awesome, sounds great.

Gurasis: 1:13:04

Is it that available in canada? Do you think I can buy and try okay?

Muzhda: 1:13:09

exactly like whenever you saw a afghani like, just ask them like Mantoo or Mantoo, yeah, mantoo, they will like, they will probably have it for sure, okay, perfect, are there any funny story related to misunderstanding around the accent or English that you have?

Muzhda: 1:13:28

Around English? I think yeah. So most of the time like I mix up the words, like I mix up a lot of like the words when it comes to the school, like when I talk, I keep like different words. And then there was like very funny experience with me is that my best friend, so she is Afghan, so we always talk Persian together, like we always talk like Farsi. Then sometimes I'm in a classroom and then my Canadian classmate or my Indian or Pakistani classmates are with me and I'm just talking with them and then they say like what, what are you doing? And then I realize that I'm speaking Farsi with them and they say like what are you speaking? Sometimes even with the teacher. Like I'm talking with the teacher and the teacher is like, are you okay? And then I realized that I just spoke Farsi with the teacher Because like I'm so much exposed with my best friends.

Muzhda: 1:14:24

So, we talk in Farsi a lot.

Gurasis: 1:14:26

I miss up like the whole language.

Muzhda: 1:14:27

Yeah, a lot of forgetting words in this moment.

Gurasis: 1:14:31

No, I can relate to that. I remember initially, in my initial year, my translator would just completely stop my my brain would stop. I wanted to say something and I would end up speaking in punjabi and they were like what, what do you? What do you mean by that? And I'm like, okay, give me a moment, I'll get back to you. I don't know exactly. Yeah, okay, so what's your favorite cultural festival or celebration in canada?

Muzhda: 1:14:56

in canada. Oh, in canada I think I've never been to any like big culture program till now, but there are some like. In mississauga we have celebration center. Sometimes there's like a lot of like cultural programs. They have like food. There was one time I went there was like international food festival where countries, different countries, was bringing their own food and I'm a big fan of food, so that was like my favorite and I love the fact that.

Muzhda: 1:15:25

How diverse canada is so when I was there, I could find food from all over the world, so I literally tried food from all the way india to china perfect experience okay, share a quick tip for fellow immigrants who are trying to adjust to a new country yeah, I think sometimes we tend to think, okay, I'm just going to learn everything by myself. I think this is kind of illusion. We should not be like. Yeah, I think, asking questions, trying to talk with friends, ask, just simply ask the question what are your advice for a new immigrant?

Gurasis: 1:16:03

what are your?

Muzhda: 1:16:04

advice for a new. I think asking these questions will help you so much. The fact that sometimes, you know, even I find myself not asking and then spending two weeks trying to find a way for something. But if I ask someone it will just solve in one hour, so why not ask? So I think my best tip would be always ask questions and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Gurasis: 1:16:28

Love that. Yeah, absolutely. Tell us about your first friend that you made in Canada and where did you meet them. Yeah, your first friend that you made in Canada and where did you meet them?

Muzhda: 1:16:36

Yeah, my first friend, okay, I think the first friend I met here was also Afghan. No, no, no, no, afghan. Yeah, actually, yeah, I have a very good story. Sure, the first friend I met was an Afghan refugee in Tander Bay. She was also from Badakhshan and we kind of got very close.

Muzhda: 1:16:55

What happened was my family we are a big family, we have big family members, we are five, seven people and then our room. We had two rooms, but we used to gather all in one room, we used to come together and then there was a lot of noise. My little sister and brother. There was so much noise and everything. So what happens is I met this friend and she said you know what? I am all by myself, I'm alone. Why you do not join me in my room? And then it's an amazing idea. And then I spent that three months in Tenderbee with her. I used to sleep in her room and she was an amazing chef. She used to cook so delicious food and then I was having the best time. I was having the best food. We used to watch movies together, we used to go explore the city. So I think my first friend her name was Mushteri that I met her in Tander Bay, and ever since then we are even friends. I was part of the MUN in.

Muzhda: 1:17:53

Toronto. The cost of the mu in in toronto I, the cost of the house, the hotel was 200. But because I knew my friend I went to her room. She, she has her roommates but just because of that friend I went to her room and she had been super helpful, like a sister for me.

Gurasis: 1:18:09

Wow, love that, love the story. What's something that you ate for the first time in Canada?

Muzhda: 1:18:14

Yeah, I tried poutine. Oh, that was like, yeah, when I came here I started to search okay, what are the most famous foods in Canada? And then it started like poutine and some other food. So there was two Canadian women in Tenderbed. They said, okay, let's take you to try poutine. And I was expecting a very like different food, a canadian food, but I just found it's just fries and cheese, which I said okay, okay, you didn't try afghani food ours definitely.

Gurasis: 1:18:46

I would say you know our indian, even afghan. You know our brown food, so to say, is really good. It's full of flavor and good, you know.

Muzhda: 1:18:57

It's quite different. It's just like fries yeah.

Gurasis: 1:19:02

Okay, if you had to describe yourself as any creature, animal or a bird, what would it be and why?

Muzhda: 1:19:10

I love this question. My favorite animal is cat and I love cats and I think I would definitely be a cat and I think, if there's, like there's one theory that we say, okay, in the previous life I was some animal, I think I was a cat, I was a cat and I will be a cat. I love cats okay.

Gurasis: 1:19:29

Do you own a cat right now or no?

Muzhda: 1:19:33

oh, I have been insisting my mom that I want a cat but she says no, no, no, because I have one little sister. And my mom said you already have one cat and we don't need anymore. But definitely, whenever I have a chance to be with myself, I will get not one cat but 10 cats.

Gurasis: 1:19:50

Okay, okay. These are like classic answers from our parents. You know, we already have a dog, we have you why we need a dog, we already have you why we need a cat. It's like classic answers from our parents yeah, yeah, okay, okay. So much that if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Muzhda: 1:20:10

wow, I love this question too. I think superpowers. I love the superpower of being invisible. No, no, no, not invisible. I wanted to have one invisible friend like one creator, maybe like just one invisible friend who would be so like intelligent, so smart, and then that invisible friend would help me in everything.

Muzhda: 1:20:33

And then that invisible friend would help me in everything, because I wanted to have one. I used to watch movies and I thought maybe there are some invisible creatures even in the world, and I was even one time trying to connect with one, which is very scary. What I was so scared, yeah, do you know that they say there are creatures are creatures that we can see like ghosts, and okay I was thinking, if I connect with one and that ghost would help me with my exams, they would take the exam papers and everything.

Muzhda: 1:21:03

But no, that's a bad idea. But I wish I there was like an opportunity like that to have one invisible friend who can do everything and then can help you okay, don't, don't try that ghost thing again.

Gurasis: 1:21:15

I don't, I would not recommend that okay if you had to create this one law that everyone has to follow, what would it be?

Muzhda: 1:21:25

I think everyone should own their own businesses, like just everyone doing what they want to do and not trying to sneak out on other people's like life in a way that it is not like comfortable, because even in this world right now we can see that people are just okay with giving opinion and I think it is not okay to just give opinion.

Muzhda: 1:21:48

I think freedom and democracy does not mean that you should be so much okay to get into other people's rules, beliefs, because we're just different. Like you know, people come from different culture and if you are expressing your culture in any way, either it is dressing in a different way, either it is speaking in a different way. I think no one should be allowed to like stop you. So I think that one rule would be respecting everything. Everyone, and just everyone, should own their own businesses yeah, perfect, love the answer.

Gurasis: 1:22:20

Okay, so much that the home is where the heart is, you know, and if you had to choose one thing that makes you feel most home in canada, what would it be?

Muzhda: 1:22:30

uh, I love like poetry sometimes. No, no, afghan, afghani music, afghani music. Yeah, I think whenever I play Afghani music, they just like bring me back home and I don't know. Like that's a great feeling and also I have, I want to show it here. It's just in my table so I have this kind of like carpet like little carpet. Yeah, I got this from afghanistan, so it is like a piece of home.

Muzhda: 1:22:58

I have it like in my room so it's kind of always when I see it, it's like giving me that vibe of my country. I love culture so I love like uh carpets, so it's kind of give me home amazing, yeah, okay, so describe canada in one word. What a sentence peaceful, I think peaceful, yeah. I love the fact that, how people are living in harmony, the fact that we knew when I was in a country like afghanistan I thought like, let's say, christians or muslims would never live in a classroom together or live in a place together.

Muzhda: 1:23:33

but when you come here and then like in our school, in one class, like I have a classmate who is Jew, I have a classmate who is like, for example, hindu.

Muzhda: 1:23:42

I have a classmate who is Muslim, like all people together, like different skin colors, different cultures and everyone is okay Like this teaches something that you like all the politics how politics can be scary that you know people are trying to stop us to be together, but when you go in a classroom you see people don't have any problem. Like people are just people. So I think I love the harmony and peace in here absolutely can't agree more.

Gurasis: 1:24:11

So if you could leave me Mushtab in one piece of advice, what would it be?

Muzhda: 1:24:17

I think I really love the fact that you started this podcast. Like my take accent, and I want you to keep doing this. I think it is, as I just mentioned before, like our cultures, our things that are differentiate us from others. It does not mean that it make us to be like so separate us, but cultures can bring people together. Like if I am from afghanistan, it's it's very important that how can I learn to deal with other cultures, learn from different cultures, and I really love the work that you are doing. So I think just keep doing it and you are doing amazing awesome.

Gurasis: 1:24:54

Thank you. And finally, how would you describe your experience of being on this podcast?

Muzhda: 1:25:00

amazing, wonderful. I think I was previously in one podcast but I wasn't maybe like that comfortable in a way that, because it maybe was my first experience, but I've had like the most amazing conversation and it was like the questions, the way you speak, everything you ask, very amazing. So, yeah, thank you so much for that awesome thank you. Thank you for your kind words.

Gurasis: 1:25:24

Uh, much time. Thank you for being on the podcast, or how you taught me initially, you said tashikor, right, tashikor, whichor, which means thank you. So thank you. No, I'm not that smart. I have my notes here. But yeah, if you say, yes, I did remember that. So Tashikor, and thank you for adding value to my listeners.

Muzhda: 1:25:47

Thank you, Thank you so much for that.