ESL 6
My Story from
Afghanistan to the U . S .
by Latifa H .
M
y name is Latifa . I was born in a central province of Afghanistan . I lived in our village for 10 years . After 10 years , we went to Kabul , the capital of Afghanistan , and then I grew up there . I grew up in a religious society . When I was 11 years old , I attended karate class with my two brothers . After 6 months , they left karate class but I continued . Afghanistan is a war-torn country . Due to that , people go to other countries to work . My father was a refugee in Iran for 9 years . When my father went to Iran , I was a kid . My father and I only talked on the phone , we did not see each other in person . We did not even see each other because at that time cell phones did not have cameras and we used old cell phones . He had plans to come back and buy a house for us , but before he came back to our country , he passed away . My father died of a stroke . I had been waiting for my father for years to see him up close again but the circumstances and the economy did not allow me and my father to do so . When I lost my father , I was 12 years old .
After that our life totally changed . Our economy was too weak . I had to work alongside karate and
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