Under the Veil of Sorrow

1- The Language I see language as the most robust bridge between two cultures, and with how similar two languages are, the bridge can become shorter. In Afghanistan, people speak Farsi with a different variety, but close enough for both communities to understand each other. When I arrived in Shanghai, the first person I chatted to was an Afghan. I noticed he might be Iranian the moment I saw him, and when I later approached him and asked about his nationality in English, we both switched to Farsi without any hesitation. I couldn't be more pleased than listening to someone speak Farsi when I barely have any opportunity to speak my mother tongue here. We discussed our communities in China, the current status of the Middle East, and our desire to live anywhere but a place ruled by a totalitarian regime that forces more rules and regulations every day. Funny enough, we both ended up in here. I had the chance to ask him about the Taliban and the differences since they gained absolute…