Update from my Afghan friend Samira

I have kept in touch with Shakofa (I used the name Samira in my posts for her protection) for four years. I recently asked her to create a summary of what has happened in the last four years. Here is her letter. (The fonts are irregular because of the transfer of her letter from a pdf format)

 Dreams Never Die )inside every challenge, there is an opportunity 

Dear friends,

I am writing this story so you can see what your support became.

On the night of 3 October 2021, after nearly two months of living in hiding, I made the hardest decision of my life: to leave my country. I was a mother of three, standing at the edge of an unknown path, with fear in my heart and responsibility on my shoulders.

On 6 February 2022, I arrived in Italy and was placed in temporary accommodation. Life began again from zero. I started working with the University of Turin. I worked constantly, learning, adapting, surviving, because stopping was never an option. While working in Turin, I witnessed the harsh realities of refugees and migrants. 

That experience led me, in 2023, to establish the Afghan Solidarity Association, so I could support others while rebuilding my own life. At the same time, I continued working in academia and supporting my family. During this period, I also managed to bring my sister out of Afghanistan, and later my mother. Today, they live safely in Germany. These achievements came through exhaustion, paperwork, fear, and endless persistence, but family has always been my first responsibility.

Italy gave me safety, but not enough space to grow. The Italian language limited my academic future, and I refused to let migration become a barrier to my dreams. 

In 2024, I applied for visas to Canada and the United Kingdom. I received both and chose the UK, because from here I could finally see my mother and continue my education.

I spent almost one year in Scotland. After six months, my asylum application was approved. Once again, I applied for a PhD. When I nearly gave up because I could not afford the tuition fees, I spoke honestly to my supervisor. The University of Glasgow later waived my PhD fees, and today I am officially a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow.

I later moved to London, where there are more opportunities for work and stability. We are planning to rent a home in central London in January, finally creating a sense of permanence after years of movement.

I want to be honest: there are days when I am deeply tired. Sometimes I feel I have no strength left. But then I look at my children.

My son was born on 12 August 2021. At just two months old, he began the dangerous migration journey with us. More than once, along the way, he came close to losing his life. Today, when he speaks with his innocent words about his dreams, Yusuf wants to become a police officer. I find my strength again. My seven-year-old daughter says she wants to be the CEO of a company. She grows in front of my eyes every day. Unlike girls in my country, she is not denied education because of her gender. My ten-year-old son dreams of becoming a brain surgeon.Their dreams and their future push me forward when I feel empty. The road I walk is not only
mine it is theirs.

Alongside my family, I carry a larger responsibility. In 2023, I co-founded the Mother International
Institute of Education (MIIED) https://miied.com.au/. Our mission is simple but powerful: to support girls who are deprived of education. Today, we educate more than 300 Afghan girls from grades 7 to 12. Every year, one girl is supported to come to Italy to continue higher education. When I feel exhausted, the big dreams of these girls stop me from giving up. Thousands of girls are losing hope, and I cannot turn away.

Just as I supported my sister and brought my mother to safety, I have also supported many other girls on their educational paths. I know that my academic growth and personal success are not only for me. They are tools, so I can become a bridge for the deprived. Recently, when I saw the girls, whose education was supported with the help of Linda, I felt deep happiness. Even if I cannot always help directly, being a link, a connection, a reason for hope, still matters. But my goal is clear: to grow strong enough academically and financially so that I can support people directly and sustainably.

Over the past four years, I have changed my address around 16 times. Not because I was lost, but because I was moving forward, step by step, toward regaining my independence. There were moments when our bank accounts were frozen, and survival seemed impossible. I will never forget Linda and her friends, who supported us financially during those darkest days. Wherever I am, I carry your kindness with me.

Now, alongside my full-time PhD, I am working toward starting a small family business. My husband does not speak English, but he is strong and hardworking. If we can open a small juice shop, he can work, I can manage, and we can slowly build stability with our own hands.

I wrote this story so you would know this:
You did not help just one person.
You helped a mother, children, students, and the future.
You helped a journey that is still unfolding.
If you wish to follow my life, it is not because it is easy—but because it is real. A life built on effort, responsibility, and hope.

Please keep me in your prayers.

And if you ever come to London, I will welcome you with gratitude and pride.

With deep respect and endless thanks

SHAKOFA,

London, United Kingdom

I wrote several blog posts when I first met Shakofa.

https://bagladyinwaiting.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-bag-lady-has-afghan-friend.html

https://bagladyinwaiting.blogspot.com/2021/11/update-on-my-afghan-friend-samira.html

https://bagladyinwaiting.blogspot.com/2022/01/good-news-from-my-afghan-friend-samira.html

https://bagladyinwaiting.blogspot.com/2022/02/journeys-end-for-my-afghan-friend.html

Christmas 2025

The simplest way for me to get back on track with sometimes blogging is to have this post be our Christmas letter. It feels a little bit like cheating, though.

December 2025

Hello, Family and Friends!

Art and I are in Tucson, our winter residence for the last 13 years. We got here a little early this year – on October 18 – because we’re planning to go on a barge cruise in France in late April and we’d like to get home to Seattle a couple of weeks before we leave. All because we want our cat, Dutchy, to be resettled first. Four years ago we remodeled the daylight basement in our Brier house to create an ADA-compliant apartment. With knees and hips needing special care as we’ve gotten older, we wanted to live on only one level. So our downstairs apartment is just right for us. Upstairs we have a tenant – son James and his dog Augi. When we’re in Tucson, they are in Brier, watching out for the house and yard as they experience the gloomy Washington winter. Once we get home, Dutchy will resume her quasi-friendly relationship with Augi, and James will be there to watch out for her while we’re in France.

So we’ve been in Tucson for just about exactly two months. The days have gotten shorter, of course, but the sun shines nearly every day and we have glorious sunsets. The roads here are quite potholed and the drivers are oblivious to speed limit signs and red lights. But we know how to get to just about anywhere in the city. And we have wonderful friendships here. It feels like home. So does Brier, but mostly because that’s where our family home is and close to many of our kids.

Our activities have slowed down some this year.

Linda is still playing handbells – her 12th year – but the Nurse Practitioner she volunteered with for eight years has retired. The asylum seekers’ shelter where she and Art volunteered for six years has closed. And she no longer plays cards on Fridays because the rest of the card players decided they wanted to play mahjong and she doesn’t! She is now facilitating two support groups for people doing caregiving for partners with mild to moderate memory loss. She’s lucky to be doing this with that same Nurse Practitioner as teacher and expert.

Art is learning how to let go of projects like climbing ladders, cutting down tree branches, sliding under cars and golf cards to fix whatever ails them, hauling uprooted barrel cacti to the trash bin, installing holiday lights on palm trees, and changing out over-the-stove microwaves. He’s decided he’d rather travel than spend time recovering from falls or straining his back. Last summer in Brier, though, he planted and nurtured a splendid garden of fruits and vegetables. At the end of the summer he gave most of the produce away. A garden is his man cave, I think.

Here’s a brief summary of how our eight offspring are doing:

Melissa (and Scott) Flaherty own a dive shop in West Seattle and they’ve built the business into one that takes clients to multiple international dive destinations. Last week they were in the Philippines. Melissa is a manager in some level of hospital pharmacy. (My mother used to say, when people asked what I did, “She works with computers.” That’s how I describe Mel’s work. She’s pretty impressive in my book.)

Jason Myers lives in Lynnwood, Washington, where he continues to grow his business, Jason S. Myers Concrete. He’s a construction contractor specializing in concrete work such as flatwork, driveways, paving, foundations, and other concrete services. Jason’s son Kyle, our grandson, is 25 and works with his dad. His son Kaleb is 16 and in high school. I can’t remember what his current job is, but I know he is saving for a car!

Karl Myers lives in Loveland, Colorado. We haven’t seen him a while but we keep in touch. He has extensive experience as a roustabout working in the oil fields.

Russell Granholm lives in Cottage Grove, Oregon. He’s a charge nurse for the PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Emergency Medical Center. He loves working nights! His twins Ethan and Ky are 25, live in Spokane and work for Amazon.

Laura Myers lives in Pilesgrove, New Jersey. She works as a Senior Reactor Operator at PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group), the company that operates the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants in New Jersey. She’s responsible for operating and monitoring the nuclear reactor systems to ensure safe, efficient power generation. Her success seems remarkable to me.

James Granholm lives in Brier, Washington. He is our upstairs tenant and concierge for the elderly people who live downstairs. He owns Evan James Remodeling. All of his customers have found him by word of mouth. 

Peter Myers lives in Mill Creek, Washington. He’s a nurse at Pacific Medical Oncology Infusion, which is part of the Pacific Medical Centers healthcare organization.

Greg Myers lives in Georgetown (Seattle) and is a sous-chef at RockCreek Seafood & Spirits in Kirkland, Washington.

It has been nine years since I’ve written a holiday letter. I thought it was behind me, but Art asked this week if would do one. I think his reason for asking is that family members told him he never let them know what was going on. I said I would do it if he would make his famous, fabulous biscotti this year for the first time in several years. I am expecting him to spend the day tomorrow in the grocery store in the kitchen!

We wish you all the best and most loving of holidays.

Linda and Art