Nahid’s Story: Lessons that Shine in the Dark
When the Taliban closed girls’ schools, I, Nahid, felt as if they had stolen my future. The days I should have spent with my friends in a classroom suddenly turned into endless days of staying at home. But one day, I heard the news that our neighborhood’s math teacher was willing to hold classes for us in the basement of her house. My heart raced—this meant there was still hope.
The basement was dark and small. There were no chairs or desks; we sat on an old rug. The dim light of a single bulb was our only source of brightness. Every time the sound of a Taliban motorcycle came close, we quickly hid our books under our scarves and pretended it was just a family gathering. Despite all the risks, these classes felt like breathing to me.
Studying under such conditions was difficult, but every time I solved a problem or learned something new, I felt I had achieved a small victory. The Taliban might be able to shut the doors of schools, but they cannot erase the passion for learning from our hearts. We learn in the dark so that one day, we can reclaim the light.
