Chapter One: Surrounded by Disorder

The date is August 15, 2021, at midnight. I am behind the closed doors of Kabul Airport, which is controlled by the international forces. Today, the capital has collapsed, and the whole country is in anarchy. Thousands of people are gathered in front of the airport, seeking a chance to leave. We were among the fiery clash. There wasn't any chance to go back at midnight. My only concern was to save my family's life in that situation. I have gathered our belongings, kept our heads down, and spent the whole night outside the airport.

But what was I doing there!?

Chapter Two: First Life

I celebrated my graduation from Economics university in 2012. I started my career in a German NGO as an English and Computer teacher, and soon after, I was promoted to project officer and project manager. I worked in this position until 2019, and I could improve my communication, management, and budgeting skills. Soon after, I worked on a short-term project as a Finance Mentor and assisted five companies in transitioning their paper-based financial systems into Excel and QuickBooks. And my last job in Afghanistan was as a project supervisor in a Danish NGO. Working for about ten years with international NGOs in Afghanistan put my life at risk. After the collapse of half the country, my name was on the list of people evacuated from Afghanistan.

Chapter Three: Second Chance

After 15 days of planning, we safely arrived in Hamburg, Germany. Homesickness, cultural shock, socio-economic, and language barriers were the primary challenges soon after I arrived. But I didn't want to lose, and I set my premier goal to learn the German language. In one and a half years of learning about 8 to 10 hours of German language daily, I passed the German B2 working level. My goal of learning the German language knows no bounds, but at that moment, I needed to assemble my life and choose a path to start my career. It was very difficult for me to choose the right path. After months of research, I had to choose between Accountant and Data Analytics. In September 2023, I visited a Job Fair and was introduced to The Data School, an encounter that changed my whole life!

End of part one!