ePluribus Media: Can you talk a little about why you went to Afghanistan to work with the University of Herat and what you hoped to achieve there?

Beth Richards: I went to Afghanistan as part of a partnership between my university (University of Hartford) and Herat University. Our primary goal was and is to help Afghans rebuild their country’s infrastructure through improving and updating their engineering curriculum. Since students at Herat use English-language texts for all science, math, and engineering courses, my job was to evaluate these courses, develop improvements, and implement them.

What would you like to see as the result of your work, say in 10 to 20 years?

Beth Richards: Most important is that in 10, 20, 30 years, the higher education system in Herat and Afghanistan as a whole is self-sustaining, appropriately organized and self-sustaining, and that it has parity with other programs around the world. Right now the most pressing issue, other than financing, is organization. Educators and leaders struggle with how much centralization is necessary, and how much autonomy individual institutions should be able to exercise. It’s something that we take for granted but there are many many details to iron out in Afghanistan. Another key goal, parity, is that students from Afghanistan’s universities will receive an education that allows them to move seamlessly into graduate-level work, whether in Afghanistan or in other countries. Right now there is a shortage, especially in engineering, of people with advanced degrees. Our partnership has focused on chipping away at that deficit. 

In your letters, you talk of many of the historical sites around Herat.  Many remember the Taliban blowing up architectual treasures throughout Afghanistan, such as the huge buddhas.   Did you see much evidence of the destruction of historic sites?

Beth Richards: In the city itself, I did not see destruction on the order of the Bamijan buddhas. Many of Herat’s historical sites also have religious significance, which may have spared them. Of course, many of the sites are deteriorating just due to age and the lack of funds to devote to them.

Shortly after you returned to the states, there was an increase in both the insurgency and the American military's activities.  While you were there, did you ever feel in danger?  Did you see much evidence of military activity on either side?

Beth Richards: In general, Herat Province is quiet—it’s far from Qandahar, which is the region of greatest instability. We saw a significant increase in security measures after the jail break in Qandahar, but didn’t hear of any incidents. I certainly had to get used to the level of security. The police in Herat (and elsewhere) don’t carry sidearms—they carry machine guns. And there are armed guards everywhere. It’s a fact of life. Only once did I experience some anxiety (along with everyone else in the line at the airport) when the airport security truck (with mounted machine gun on the bed) roared out of the compound and let loose with several rounds of gunfire. We never found out if it was a drill or not.

You talk a lot in your letters about daily life and the simple cultural issues that fascinate many of us -- such as the food, the chador and women's attitude about it and the burqa, even the cost of things in Afghanistan.  Are there other important cultural issues that would help our understanding that didn't make it into your letters that you could tell us about now?

Beth Richards: I think those of us in the U.S. get stuck on cultural issues because we assume our Western version as “the norm” and then extrapolate everyone else’s “deficiencies” by comparison. I knew, rationally, before visiting Aghanistan that it is not Western. Nor does it really want to be, as hard as that may be for us to get our brains around. And that’s not automatically bad. It’s just different. Maybe it’s a difference some of us wouldn’t want to live in, but we can’t assume that we know what the people of Afghanistan want. They know that best, and are the ones who should decide. And they’re a young republic, so they’ll make mistakes. So did we. Lots of them.

If you could correct one misrepresentation of Afghanistan in the American public's understanding, what would that be?

Beth Richards: The first misconception I’d like to dispel is that the entire country is a scary and dangerous place. As I’ve told people, the only danger I was in was getting worn out by students who wanted me to stay in my office and talk and read and discuss grammar points when the office was 90 degrees and I was tired and thirsty and just wanted to go soak my head in the shower. In public, such as in the market, I certainly was the object of some curiosity, but not disrespect and certainly I was not in danger.

The second misconception I’d like to dispel relates to the cultural issues question above. Again, we in the U.S. have this habit of assuming that our way of thinking or doing is the only way (even if we’re not conscious of such assumptions). Would I like to wear a chador all the time? Not really—but not because I consider it a symbol of oppression. Rather, it’s just not part of my cultural upbringing. It is part of the cultural milieu of the women in Afghanistan. Since it’s their culture and their country, it’s not my place to barge in and tell them whether or not they should wear it, or to tell them that they are oppressed because they do wear it.

When you returned home, what was the first thing you noticed you missed about Afghanistan?

Beth Richards: I missed being awakened by the day’s first call to prayer. In Herat City I was able to open my windows at night to let in some cooler air, and so was able to hear the call each morning and again in the evening. I can’t say that the music was melodic but it resonated with me and formed a lovely frame to the day. Hearing my alarm clock just isn’t the same.

I also missed the students at the unversity and the teaching and writing routine I’d developed there. I still miss that and look forward to returning to it next year.

About the author: Beth Richards wrote a series of letters from Afghanistan during her stay in May and June, 2008. They provide snapshots of her daily life in Herat and Kabul. Richards is the Director of Rhetoric and Professional Writing at the University of Hartford.

Photo Credits: DariusMonsef, “Afghan Woman sitting beside her tea room” istockphoto. Beth Richards by Beth Richards © 2008

Discuss this article or to post questions or information for the author, leave a comment on the community!