Misbah

Misbah arrived in the United States in 2016 from his native Afghanistan. It would not be his first time fleeing the country. When he was a child, he and his family had fled to a refugee camp in Pakistan. He had spent his childhood in that cramped, flimsily constructed camp. Nonetheless, he received an education in Pakistan and later used that education as a project manager for the US Army Corp of Engineers in Afghanistan. He remembers his work for the Corp fondly, saying, that he “loved being part of a team [that] supported the people of Afghanistan.” As a member of the army, Misbah had worked to bring electricity across Afghanistan. However, the work and living conditions were becoming too dangerous and Misbah realized he and his family needed to leave.

Now he was coming to America to start over again. It would be the first time he and his wife and daughter would be living completely on their own, without extended family. But Misbah remained optimistic, and to this day has a great hope for his family’s future. “If you think too much about negatives it makes life so much harder,” he says. His challenging experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan have made him “ready for anything.”

Misbah’s greatest hope for the future is seeing all of the opportunities that await his wife and daughter. Both will be able to go to school and learn English. Further, the fact that they can go out shopping and go to events in the city without having to fear for their safety on the way home is a great relief. He says that the citizens of the United States have always been “welcoming” to all peoples, and he doesn’t believe that that will end any time soon.