From Secret Studies to Aspiring AI Development
I remember when I was eight or nine years old when I used to see my ideal people behind computer desks in movies, their glasses reflecting the light of the computer screen and writing successive pages of tiny writings. It seemed like a difficult job, but I loved these difficulties. My interest in computers and programming started from that time. Of course, there was no such thing in Afghanistan; we didn't learn computers in school, and few people even had computers in their homes. Studying in Afghanistan was not an easy task when the whole nation spent days in dirt alleys and nights in bed thinking about getting a bite of bread.
And yet, at least that time was better than now. After the Taliban takeover there were no more schools to go to. This situation forced some girls to sum up their future life in the kitchen and be forced to marry at a young age. I feel that I am a lucky person, however, because I am able to study secretly. Government schools are under the supervision of the Taliban, but out of all the private schools in Afghanistan, Pegah is the only school that has been able to continue teaching away from the eyes of the Taliban. There were days when our teacher sent us to our homes with a worried face, lest the Taliban who came to inspect the boys' classes would see us studying secretly. We took refuge in our homes in complete silence with tearful eyes. It is a very big risk, but at least our situation is better than the girls who have to be imprisoned behind the gates of their homes and submit to the unjust orders of the Taliban.
I'm happy that despite all the problems I've had, I still have courage left in me to fight for my future. Sometimes I read books to feel better about my situation, like Homeira Qaderi's Dancing In The Mosque, On the Foot of Love, The Kite Runner, Millat Eshq, and Man in Search of Meaning. I was assigned to teach a literacy class as a substitute teacher for about a month, and during this process I learned how to communicate with people of different age groups and with different ways of thinking in one place for a common goal. I have also been a proctor in school for several years, where my responsibilities include dealing with students' academics and discipline, giving classmates academic help outside of official time, administering study hours in the teacher's absence, and weekly meetings and reports to teachers. Likewise, at home, I take care of my two younger sisters.
With the Taliban takeover, when our schools were closed for a long time, I got to know a little about programming by watching videos. All I did during the day was watch videos and practice on my computer. For me, working on programming, which I knew nothing about, was like a toddler walking. Sometimes I visited websites to get information about how to program in different languages because I didn't know anything about it at all, but I was very interested. As a result of what I did during this time, I was able to finish the code of a ping pong game and a snack game with the help of videos, and later, with the unofficial start of our school, I was able to unveil it at the school's annual exhibition.
In college I want to work in the development of artificial intelligence to bring comfort and technological independence to my country. I am happy that I gave my life to freedom and did not summarize it to just living and breathing. I imagine myself as a wounded bird that is no longer in a cage, but if it wants to, it can reach freedom, because flying with a broken wing is an art.
By Morsal
