Poor people live in the mountains, rich people get four hours of energy per day, says speaker
When Tallmadge Middle School students dressed up in Halloween costumes to “scare away drugs” as part of Red Ribbon Week, students also welcomed Humayoon Chakhansuri, a Fulbright student from Afghanistan, who was not scared away. He visited the 6th grade students as an international speaker who is a part of the program “Know Your Community – Know Your World.”
After discussing his native country, 6th grade student reporters sat down with him to ask him about life in Afghanistan. Here are these reporters’ favorite questions.
Are the United States and Afghanistan different? Can you give examples?
Afghanistan and the U.S. are very different in many ways. One way is the holidays they celebrate. They have many different holidays than us. Another way is their living standards. Finally, they are most different in their culture.
What city did you live in? What was good and bad about your city and why?
In Afghanistan, the capital is Kabul. If you are poor you have to live in the mountains because you can’t afford the homes on the ground level. If you need water or food you have to walk down the mountain to get it. However, if you are wealthy you can afford to live in the homes in the city at the bottom of the mountains and you would have enough food, water and supplies.
We asked Humayoon what Afghanistan used for energy (heating homes, electricity). Is renewable energy an issue in Afghanistan?
He said that Afghanistan mainly gets its energy from water dams. We also asked if renewable energy is an issue in Afghanistan. He replied that people who are rich get four hours of energy a day, but the poor struggle to even get two hours.
What kind of music do you like? What is Afghan music like?
In Afghanistan, their music is very similar to the U.S., but not exactly like it. For example, they listen to rock, rap, folk and classical as their main genre, but country is not popular there as it is here. The most popular music in Afghanistan is classical.
