"Ta da qoom zie yee?"

The translation is, "Where are you from?" One of the interesting things about this month has been the wide variety of Afghans with which I have worked. The Afghan National Army and the Military Academy is [intentionally] a melting pot of ethnic diversity! Everyone must be represented in this infant republic.

The translation is, "Where are you from?" One of the interesting things about this month has been the wide variety of Afghans with which I have worked. The Afghan National Army and the Military Academy is [intentionally] a melting pot of ethnic diversity! Everyone must be represented in this infant republic.

So the word ځای (or "zie") means "place." Can anyone name all 50 U.S. states? "Of course!" you might respond. You might need a little jingle or a few minutes with a pad of paper, but you can do it. What if I throw 34 new ones on ya? Well, I've been studying this map of all the provinces for a couple of weeks now and it is finally starting to click. So when they say "I am from Badakshan," I will know they are Tajik and speak better Dari than Pashto, and that they might not care for President Karzai because he is Pashtun and has former close ties to the Taliban.

Let me back up. There are three main groups ~ Pashtuns, Tajiks and Hazara. There are others, but that discussion would lead to another blog. Let's just suffice it to say there is enough angst among these groups to last many, many years. Most Afghans are very proud of their heritage and their family's geographic origin. So when I meet them, I ask them, "Where are you from?" That usually starts a good conversation, and gives me a frame of reference to know what language they probably speak best, what their family does for a living and even where they stand politically.

One example. The Hazara's ancestry comes from Northwest China, but the people speak an archaic form of Persian. They have been discriminated against for many years, partly because they belong to the Shiite religion (followers of Shia Islam) and live in a country dominated by a Sunni Muslim population. If you want to get a picture of this discrimination you want to pick up the book or DVD of Kiterunner. I am not saying it is factual, but it will show you one side of the story. Be ready for some disturbing clips of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Ok, now to wrap up. All I am saying is with a bunch of different people groups, another 200,000 foreigners and some outside trouble-causers, you have the stage set for conflict. Welcome to Afghanistan! Now, back to my map...