"أجرة ابوظبي"

نقلاً عن الاتحاد: 20 يونيو 2007

"أجرة ابوظبي"

عاصمتنا الجميلة الزاهية بمعالمها البديعة، والبحر الذي تحتضنه ويحتضنها، تعيش أزمة لا يشعر بها إلا من تضطره الظروف إلى الحاجة لخدمات سيارات ''أجرةابوظبي'' ذات القبة الخضراء الموشاة بالبياض، ممن لم ينعم عليه الدهر بسيارة من حر ماله أو هبة منصب أو من ''راعي فزعات''· وفي هذه الأيام حيث تشتد الحرارة، وترتفع الرطوبة يتضاعف أجر ''ابو الصغار'' الذي يجرهم لتكتحل أعينهم بزرقة اليم، فإذا بهم يغرقون في شلالات العرق بانتظار ''أجرة ابوظبي''، فيقرر العودة بعياله من حيث أتى، قبل أن يصابوا بضربة شمس· وعلى الشوارع الرئيسة في المدينة تشاهد صورا وصورا للأزمة التي لا يريد أحد الاعتراف بها، بما فيهم ''مركز تنظيم سيارات الاجرة''، والذي يبدو أنه يسير بخطى متمهلة في هذا الأمر، وذلك حتى لا نصدم بمستوى الخدمة التي نمني النفس بها، عقب كل هذا الانتظار الذي استغرق زهاء ربع قرن من عمر عاصمتنا الحبيبة· فقد كان من المقرر أن يتم الاعلان عن الشركات المؤهلة للمشروع في ديسمبر الماضي، وإذا بالأمر يتأخر ستة أشهر، حتى كان الاسبوع الماضي، وبدلا من ان ينطلق هذا المشروع الحضاري في الربع الثالث من العام الحالي -كما كان مقررا-، نقترب من هذا الموعد ولا زالت الانطلاقة في رجم الغيب حتى كدنا ننسى أمر المركز المنواط به الأمر· أحد الزملاء ممن لهم باع طويل في التعامل مع ''أجرة ابوظبي'' الحالية، قال ان سائقي هذه النوعية من سيارات الاجرة، فاض بهم الكيل، فقرروا العمل بمزاجية تحقق لهم الجمع بين طرفي المعادلة بالعمل أقل وقت ممكن، وتحقيق أعلى العائدات، وغيروا استراتيجيتهم من ارتياد الشوارع المزدحمة والحارة، الى المرابطة أمام الفنادق والشقق الفندقية، للاستفادة من ''كرم'' السياح و''عشاق الليل''، بدلا من ''حنة'' ''الرياييل والحريمات، والزولات والزلمات'' على الفلس والدريهمات، ولا ندري الى متى سيطول انتظارنا للأسطول الموعود

من سيارات الخدمة الجديدة؟

الفلس والدريهمات، ولا ندري الى متى سيطول انتظارنا للأسطول الموعود من سيارات الخدمة الجديدة؟!

http://www.alittihad.co.ae/details.php?a=1&channel=7&journal=2007/06/12&id=118071

__________________________________________

Yes, I do agree that taxi drivers are moody and they would stop to the passenger they like..

They often ignore Egyptians, and people form the Sham...

Once Dr. Habib Al-Haq Khonder told us that taxi drivers rarely stop for him, he didn'y know why, so once he told a taxi driver about that, and he said: "they probably think you're Egyptian!" lol

I also asked Habib (the taxi driver) about this issue; he said true..many taxi drivers don't stop for Egyptians and Palestinians..

and when I asked him why..he said some of them are really rude, and don't respect us, and sometimes if the price is 5.50, they'll give us 5 !

I heard that from other taxi drivers also,

we can't generalize this of course, but that does happen also...

Many people misunderstand what "modern" is...I didn't like the term "Modern Project" when the writer described the new company, why what's wrong with the current taxis, they've been here for more than 30 years, they're a unique feature of Abu Dhabi's streets, abu Dhabi culture, it's really sad to switch them with the new taxis...

Lunch with Habib

Two days before the deadline!

1:30 PM:
The good girls are editing in the Lab...& the bad girls went out for lunch...
I asked Habib out for lunch! & Salama went with me!
As we were leaving the class...Dr. Nezar saw us: "Are you guys, going out to film?!!"
Me and Salama were like :/
I can't forget the look in Dr. Nezar face...as if he was saying: "Are you crazy or what?"
while the girls we're working on their final steps of editing...we went out to film!
Yes, that sounds crazy! but that's how we are...two unrealistic dreamers!
I always wanted to eat with Habib...I felt my ethnographic experience won't be completed without it...
Habib suggested Al-Ibrahimi Restaurant, but I’m used to their food, I wanted something different, so we told him to take us to another restaurant...He took us to"Nemat Kadah",, A pure Pakistani Restaurant..

Nemat Kadah !
Nemat Kadah is in Madinat Zayed, behing the Post Office.
"Nemat Kadah was opened 28 years ago!" Mr. Ahmad, the restaurant owner, said it with pride...
Mr. Ahmed is a Kashmiri man with a long black moustache...He's from Lahore...has been in the U.A.E. for 30 years ago...& works in The Defense (El-Difa3)
The restaurant wasn't crowded..3 Pakistanis we're having lunch (all taxi drivers), few Indians, and an Arab man...
"if you came at 9 morning, or at 8 at night, it would be full of pakistanis" Mr. Ahmed
Tahir..the aacountant..& also Mr. Ahmed son..asked us why we're filming?!
"We're making a documentary about Pashtun taxi drivers!" I said it with pride :D
Tahir laughed and noded his head right and left !
We just took some few shots, did few interviews with the people eating their...
Habib didn't enter the resturant first, he didn't understand that we wanted to have lunch with him!
I thought the man must be busy so I didn't ask him to come...
My hopes were broken :(
we went out, got in the taxi, & when we where about to leave, Mr. Ahmed went out and called us, he insisted that we have lunch...
I asked Habib, if he dosen't mind, he said it's ok, & we accepted Mr. Ahmed invitation =D
Mr. Ahmed took us to the second floor, where there’s a special place for families.. We didn't know what to order, so we asked Mr. Ahmad to choose for us...He ordered Biryani Samak, Tandoori Paratha, Haleema (a dish similar to Harees, even better)
The eyes were all over us...everyone passed by gave us a different lOOk... :/ We set up the Tri-pod, and started eating..& Mr. Ahmad sat with us,, we all 4 chatted together..The situation was exciting, new, so overwhelming that i forgot to say Besmellah before I eat.. The food was SO Delicious, much more better than Al-Ibrahimi..or maybe the food tasted better to me because I was feeling better.. Last days, I was so stressed; the exams started, and we weren't even close to finishing the film..That was an opportunity to clear my mind, and remind my self that it's about the experience, not the film... As we were eating we talked about many things, life, Taliban (of course), food, Abu Dhabi, Pakistan, many things,,,In this day, Habib was really open, spontaneous, comfortable,,,We were putting the rice to each other's plates: He kept telling us: "Azmaaa..sohn mal enta mafi akel,,,Salamaaa yallah kool, laish mafi yakol!"
I asked Habib how often he eats here: "in occasions, if a friend invited me, or if i invited a friend" During our chit chat, Mr. Ahmed was calling us my daughters..."you're just like my daughters.." he kept saying...

Talking to Mr. Ahmed was interesting..he was so kind & a good listener, I didn't felt for a second that I'm talking to a stranger...& neither Salama...I asked him many things...& in one of our silent moment..Habib said: "You should've ask him, why he didn't get an Emirati citizenship..that's a question you didn't ask" ...that question didn't cross my mind...& it was interesting that Habib was thinking of it..."If you stayed in Pakistan for 5 years, they'll give you the citizenship" Mr. Ahmed said smiling..I said: "yes...that what should happen"... Mr. Ahmed should get a citizenship..My parents came to the U.A.E. in the 70's, the same time Mr. Ahmed came...How come they got the citizenship as soon as they came, and Mr. Ahmed don't have it after 30 years of residence in the UAE...Is it because he's a Non-Arab?! I thinks it is...& I don't think it's fair...
When we finished our lunch Mr. Ahmed... he said:"My daughters, may Allah, protect you and guide you...remember daughters, no matter what you do in life, don’t forget to thank Allah and cherish you're parents; they're the happiness in your life, your parents"....We wanted to pay for the lunch, but Mr. Ahmed didn't let us: "Shame on You!" he said..."Does a daughter give money for her father when she eats"... ?!"...I was embarrassed, honestly, Mr. Ahmed words & kindness just overwhelmed me...

What a day!

"As if we were a family, Ahmed is our father and Habib is our old brother" Salama said..

I would never thought that I'll be so comfortable, so me, around those once called 'Others' Question after a Question kept flooding in my head:

Why they were so far from us, or we were far from them?

Why it's just now that I’m noticing them, knowing them?
Why I didn’t care to get to know them before?? It's not like they're hidden somewhere, they're all over the city,,,

Why I kept myself away from all the others? Why I shut my eyes from seeing them, from seeing anyone other than my family & friends?
My eyes weren't closed...it was my mind...
Questions, me and Salama asked our selves...as we left Nemat Kadah...

This Day!

"This day, will enter the history!" Salama says!
This day, I didn't care about the film or the editing..

This day, opened my eyes, mind, & heart...
This day, I didn't care about the film...the editing...the deadline
This day, I felt satisfied with my ethnographic experience…

This day I can truly say: "the Others are no longer others; they're now fathers & brothers.."

This Moment !

This moment...I don't know if our film will be completed by Monday...
This moment...I comfort my self with my favorite phrase: "Everything is okay in the end,,& if it's Not okay, then it's not the End !"
This moment...I'm pray to Allah..Most Gracious..Most merciful: To bliss our work, and help us completing it "... Ameen

Meeting Habib

Today we planned to meet with Zaooul, the old man from Wazirstan, I was excited to meet him, and chat with him, he sounded interesting, when I first saw him in Fa6oom’s film, a Character (شخصية).
However, at 9:00 AM fa6oom called me and said she have called him many times but his phone was switched off =(

So, we had to move to another Character,,
The options I had was Habib , Sayyed Kareem , & Sajed ...
I called Habib, the taxi driver, Dr. Nezar told us about. Habib immediately agreed, so I told him we’ll meet you after 30 minutes, and we did!

Me, Fa600m and her mother went together to his place, we called habib and Fa6oom’s driver talked to him (in Urdu!) as Habib explained the way to his place. After spinning in the car for 10 minutes looking for Habib place, surprisingly, we discovered that he’s also in Madinta Zayed, just behind my house (5 minutes walking).
Habib recognized us first, and shouted: “Sallam Allikum, Nezar mafi yeji?!”

He took us to the building, it was old and the parking areas around it were filled with taxi’s.
As we entered the elevator, Habib said: “It’s an old building, & some days the elevator works, and some days, it doesn’t!”


The Living Room
10:30 AM
Room No. 180
The door was slightly opened. Habib entered first, and as we did, the guys stood up, there were 5 of them, I think. It was the living room they’re sitting in, its size was ¾ the size of our classroom (Y-222). As you enter the living room, you’ll see 3 large windows on the wall that allows enough sun access for a good room lighting. Yet, they covered the windows in the room with bed covers (شراشف), and switched on the lamp! (I wonder why?!)
In the corner, you’ll see a small TV, setting on a wooden desk. And in the opposite corner, there’s another TV, setting on the floor, and a pair of shoes is setting above it.
The walls are pale and beige. Newspapers scrappers & photos are hanged on them, children photos mostly. And guess whose poster is hanged their?!
Nasrallah! Hezbollah leader…

Habib’s Bedroom
As I entered the apartment, Habib took his shoes off, so I did.
Habib led us to his room: “T3aal min hina” he said. As I followed him, with my bare feet, I felt the rug…the rug was a little wet…I wished I didn’t took off my shoes…but later I forget about it.
Habib’s room is actually a shared room…he shares it with 3 friends…for 600 Dhs. a month…and in good times for 500…
The room has one AC with no cover, and two beds (each has two levels, one sleeps up, and the other under him)…
The first thing I noticed in Habib bed is the photo albums above the pillow…
Habib opened the album, and started showing us the photos and talking about them:
“See...see the ice…it’s all over Parichinar…everywhere”
“See the mountain…it’s soo high *** foot”
“When it rains, the fruits, oranges, apples grow everywhere, and you can eat whatever you want, no ‘Baladiyah’...no problem…fruits for everyone”
In one photo, I saw a young guy, holding a video camera, I asked Habib: “who is he?!”
He laughed and pointed at a guy leaning in the door: “It’s him; he bought the camera from here”.
So, I asked the guy, if he has the film right now?!
He smiled saying “I left it in Pakistan”…but he took his mobile from his pocket, and showed us a clip: Him, and other guys, sitting in the same location of the photos, playing, joking, and having fun…The location was so beautiful, mountains behind them, and flowers around them…A heaven on earth!
If it was me, I would never leave this place…but who am I to speak…

As we left the room, Fa6oom’s mother asked them to show us the bathrooms, and they did…The first bathroom (الله يكرمكم)was ‘Western’, it has an antique green washing machine, and a Panio, that had some cloths in it…& the second bath room was 'Arabic' style!... & the smell of was not very nice…


The Kitchen
Then we went back to the living room and sat with the men, Fa6oom started talking to them and filming…I brought my camera-that I left earlier in the living room-…and went alone to the kitchen…the kitchen was dusty…and unclean…
I wanted to enter, but I saw two roaches running around…& I was bare foot…I wanted to go back but I saw a male Sandal in the corner…I wore it & entered…
The kitchen didn’t smell like a kitchen…It smelled like the other rooms, it smelled wet…it has two fridges…I opened them...the first fridge had one opened Rainbow Tea Milk, & one opened ‘Lona’ bean can…The other fridge, had some rapped leftovers, water filled in a pespi bottle, and ice cubes…As I was checking the fridge, one of guy entered the kitchen and saw me filming his fridge…he smiled, looked at the ground and went back to the living room…
It was Embarrassing…it was disrespectful of me, to open their fridge, cause fridges are private places, just as closets are …
Then I thought…if a stranger guest came into our house & opened our fridge…what I would think! I've crossed the limits..shame on me…


Back to the living room
After filming the kitchen…I went to back…Fa6oom was talking and filming…I start filming too, from another angle…
We asked them to play some Pashtun music, and they did!
One played a music tone from his mobile...the pashtun music is different than the music of South Asia, a little bit similar to Punjabi music, but you can tell the different...
Then, they brought a cassete for a Pashtun female singer from Parichinar, she looked pretty in the cover of the Album, they said she's famous & they like her, her voice was nice too...
I asked: "Is it ok for pashto women to sing?!!"
Habib: "Yes it is, Parichinar people are sociable, they like to sing, they're not like others, Waziri, and others, they don't allow women to sing, but with us it's ok, we're sociable you know"

We asked them soo many questions, personal questions, silly questions, serious questions…I forgot half of them…
I'll write the one’s I remember right now, (now : is 4:20 PM & I still didn’t eat lunch)
We asked them about their life in general:
They’re all Shiaa from Parichinar, all working in AD, all married except for one who came 1 week ago…
He’s the youngest, 18 or19 I think, Habib said that he couldn’t afford completing his study, so he came here, to work…to drive…
Another young guy, was a newly wed…Habib said that his wife always calls him and cries...the guy blushed and smiled…‘how romantic’ ^_^ The newly wed was in early 20s, he came 4 months ago, leaving his bride with his parents…He’s shy…he didn’t talk a lot…perhaps cause he didn’t learn enough Arabic yet…I asked him:
-“you like it here, or in Pakistan?!”
-“Pakistan” he replied smiling…
That was silly…I knew the answer…but I wanted to create a conversation & that stupid question came up :/

Then there was the OCD hair…a guy who's so obsessed with his hair…he was constantly combing it with his fingers…taking it back to the back...to the sides...& then back....& then sides...continuely, since we came…
but I understand …with a black shiny silky hair like his…I would’ve done the same thing…
He also looked like Bashar Al-Qaisi (The Iraqi singer from Star Academy season 2)…
I told him that…
-“your face look like an Arab singer” I said…
they all laughed, he laughed too, and I think felt embarrassed :D


Then there’s the quiet electrical engineer…He looks like Detective Conan…He works in Spectrum Company...
I asked him what did he study, he said B.S. in Engineering…
(A pashtun with a degree…what he’s doing here?...living in an apartment like this…he could have better chances in his home country…or doesn’t he!?) I thought...!
I asked him:
-“Aren’t their any jobs in Parichinar?!”
-“Yes!...but the salaries here are better”
Fa6oom then told him: “You must be earning the highest salary among them all…Aren’t you?!”…They laughed…he smiled...
Then she asked:
-“How much do you make Khan?!”
-“5000 Dhs” he replied, smiled and looked away…
He was quite and mysterious, I can tell that he know more than all the others does, but he just listened, and only answered when we directed the question to him…

And while the engineer was laying at the door as I was talking to him…suddenly…the door behind him opened…and a sleepy man appeared…scratching his head
We all laughed…He had no clue… the look in his face said: “Who the hell are you?!”…He looked funny…& he is funny…

Then there’s the smiley…he’s was always smiling…he’s a taxi driver too…

And there’s the Frowny…he didn’t smile since we came…not even once…his features was the sharpest..he was the tallest…the darkest…& I didn’t like him…

Then there’s Habib himself…he’s between late 30’s to mid 40’s, married with 1 boy (or is it two girls?!), & a Taxi Driver…

Those were the personal questions, however, we asked serious quetsions also:
I asked Habib: "Why you're hanging Hezbollah posters?"
-"I like Hezbollah, Hezbollah are strong, and fair, they're not doing anything wrong, they're defending they're country, all together, no difference between Sunna, Shiaa, or even Christians..."

And when we asked about Taliban:
Habib said: "No, I don't like what Taliban do, it's unjust, & i don't love unjust...why if there's an issue between me and you, keep it between me and you, don't bomb yourself and kill others...what's their fault!"

And that what I could remember, without watching the video !
I'll watch the video, & if i missed an important thing, I'll write it in the next blog...

The Others
Those are the ‘Others’ I grow up watching everyday…
Different names…yet I called them all with one name… ‘Pattanis’…
Different faces...yet to me, they looked the same…gave the same impression… same same…
Not anymore…Now I can tell the difference…
That is Pakistani…and that’s Pashtun…that’s from Parichinar…& the other is Waziri… mafi same same!
Different names…Different faces…Different impressions…

chitchat with Gulam

Today I went to the university in a Taxi, with my mom and our maid…
It was 10:00 AM, when we entered the taxi; he was listening to Quran from the radio. He’s in his 40’s, and his name is Gulam, I read it from the Identity tag stacked in the back of the front passenger seat.

With out any introductions, I asked Gulam:
-“Are you from Parichinar?!”
>>>I always start my conversations like this with this stupid question! I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing…
-“No, I’m from Soat (spelling?!) ”

I didn’t asked Gulam about his village (which I regret now)…Instead I asked him about Parichinar...He said the majority there are Shiaa Pakistanis’, and about Peshawar, he said it’s mixed but the majority are Sunni’s...

Then, I asked him about the issues between Waziristan and Parichinar people; he nodded his head (up & down) and said laughing:
-"Yes, there were always problems between them" (nodding his head left & right)

Then I asked Gulam:
-“Are you Shiaa?!”

He smiled, and after 20 seconds said:
-“No, I’m Sunni (smiling)...Are you Shiaa?!”

- “No, we’re Sunni”

-“Oooh, (smiling), I thought you’re Shiaa…ha ha ha…everybody in Madinat Zayed is Shiaa!”

And then Gulam begun talking about Shiaa! :
-“So now, are Shiaa Muslims or not?! I say they’re half Muslims (laughing)”

Me: =D

-“I don’t know how are they?! They act different, pray different! They’re different Muslims!”

Me: =)

“Do you think they’ll go to heaven?!”

Me: =\

Abu Dhabi Co-op Supermarket

Today, I went to Abu Dhabi Co-op Supermarket in Al-Buttain with my father. And as I was wandering around, I saw a Pashtun worker, talking to perfumes salesman, I came closer to them, and heard him saying:
"كل شي في غالي الحين..خبز في غالي..حليب في غالي..الحين ما في اجازه كل شي غالي..بعدين يجي اجازه..هذا كلش فلسطيني سوري انجليزي روح بلاد مال هوا..بعدين كل شي يجي رخيص"..
the Arab Salesman was listening and nodding his head..then the Pashtun worker smiled, and walked away...
I followed him...he was moving around the supermarket...he took a milk bottle..checked its price label...then took another bottle with his other hand..checked its price too..he looked at the one in the left & the one in the right, then returned both bottles back...he passed by the canned food shelves...did the same thing and returned the cans back...I wanted him to notice me, so I can start a conversation...but he just didn't notice me, his head were somewhere else...
After wandering around the supermarket for 10 minutes, he walked toward the exit door, and left...
I wanted to stop him...talk to him...but I couldn't...I didn't know from where to start..
"Enough asma, enough, not everything is a project, those are people in the end, & they have their own private lives, wallah" me telling myself..

I told my father in the car about him, he told me: you should've stopped him, not for your project, but to know if he needs something..In the Holy Book a verse says (what means) ...the ones who deserve charity the most are for those who hide their needness...and in a Hadith, prophet Muhammad -pbuh- said we're the ones who should look out for the needy, to not make them the beg in the first place...I don't know how this connect to the blog, but this is what my father said...

Reflections on Encounter 2

Feelings
I'm getting more comfortable talking with the Pashtuns working, which is good...


Observations
After watching the video tape, I noticed things, that I didn’t notice while filming:

- I noticed that nobody there had a long beard, even the old men, I wonder why?!

-Also, I recalled a strange thing: When the ‘Aasr’ prayer started, my father told me I’ll go pray, and you finish your filming…The prayer ended, my father returned, & the men came out from the masjid & I was still filiming THEM !
No one of them (about 20 men) entered the Masjid to pray!!!

I wonder why ?!!! Well, I have 2 assumptions:
1. they’ll pray later because I’m filiming them now!
2. they’re all Shiaa’ and they either don’t pray ‘Aasr’ on time, or at all!
I think assumption 2 might be racist, so I'll go with assumption 1 for now...

Hope
I won’t forget my promise to the men, so I thought of something that might help the taxi drivers among them:
Raising the charge from 2 Dhs, to 2.50 Dhs
I'm sure this idea has been suggested before to someone, somewhere…
but it still not enforced, and it should be…
To us…50 fils is nothing…50 fils is a gum… a Tofi.. chips oman
But to them…it might help a lot…it might accumulate to be a radio…a toy for a kid…a new pair of shoes…something valuable to them...

I'll do what I can to help ... & if I couldn't do it now with the project...I'll try to pursue it later...

Encounter 2: Emirates Post

I was going back home from the university, when I saw two Pashtuns sitting on the road's grass, immediately I asked my father to stop so that I can interview and film them, but he said: "If you want to meet Pattanis, I know just the best place". And he took me to the area between the Emirates Post and Madinat Zayed Center. It was about 3:30 PM & the area was full of Pashtun workers...

My father told them about my project, and just when I was turning on the camera, I found my self surrounded with about 30 Pashtun, who were looking curiously.
I was overwhelmed; I didn't know where to start, and who to ask first, so I directed the questions to everyone:
-“where are you from, khan?!” “Since when you’ve been in the UAE?”… & those questions…
>>>I don’t know what happened to me, I prepared good questions, but in that moment I forgot them :(
Most of them were from Parichinar, few from Peshawer…Most has been in the UAE for more than 10 years… Their complains were about the housing conditions, increasing rental prices, & overall products...

And while they were complaining, a guy entered the crowd, and interrupted them all...

"! أنا بعد يريد صورة" He said...

"شو في مشكلة؟" ...so i explained to him!

"أنا مافي مشكلة...أنا شغل زين..كفيل زين..راتب زين"

"أنا في شغل في شركة أرباب مال أنا فلسطيني...واجد زين"

"اوكي الحين أنا في شغل..باي باي"

And he left...!

Then, among the guys, I saw an interesting Pashtun...

He had a style..a look..
He was brown, tall, wearing a red tupi (hat) decorated with golden threads, putting one hand on his friend’s arm, and swinging a bead with his other hand...

I pointed the camera at him, and asked:
-"Khan, what’s your name?”
- “Saddam Hussein”
-“Saddam Hussein!” =O
-“Aiwa, Saddam Hussein” (smiling)

-"Saddam, What you're wearing in your head?!"

-"This (pointing to it)?! This is tobi"& he laughed...

I asked Saddam more question…and many times the other men would explain or translate the questions to him. After few questions, one guy said something and the other started laughing, Saddam laughed and blushed…
I assume that the guys noticed that I’ve been focusing on Saddam, and that I liked him …so I guess they were teasing him about it…
Honestly, I did liked Saddam lol and I wanted to interview him more, and focus on him, but sadly, he didn’t not know Arabic well =(

So, I walked around looking for new faces to interview...And then an old Pashtun man called me:
"تعال...أنا يريد خبرّ إنتَ..."
He looked at the camera’s lens and said:

"شغل مافي..إيجار في غالي..أكل في غالي..كل شي في غالي..كفيل مافي زين..مافي سوي مساعده..انا شو يسوي؟ "

& as soon as he said those words; the quiet one’s start talking...& everyone was nodding their heads (up & down)..

They thought I was coming to ask about their living conditions and offer help...
I don’t know why they always assume that…that I’m here to help them…
I felt bad...I couldn't walk away with out giving them something...not after all those complains…so I gave them hope... :SI said: “Inshalla…I'll do what I can to help…We are all Muslims and we should help each other…” "sah, sah, haza kalam mazbout" The old man said…
I waved my hand, and they waved back smiling…

I know this is not a human rights project, but I should do something to help them...I told them I’ll try…so at least I'll try…