Koddur Kazimizada is playing with his seven year old daughter Nargay's in their temporary

home, a spacious apartment in central Rome. They have been living in Italy for about

a year and the children are learning the language. They are picking it up more easily than

their parents, who fled Afghanistan after Kabul filled to the Taliban. Koddur and his family

made it out and ended it up in Rome, where they are trying to start a new life in a new country

and a new culture. From the intercept a new America, this is no way home. In this four-part

series, you are here stories that were found, developed and reported by Afghans like me,

who have been forced into exile. Our stories reflect what we saw with our own eyes and

what we another Afghans have experienced first hand since the US military pulled out.

The Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took over last summer. This is episode

3, born again.

I'm Mariam Barak, an Afghan journalist. I left my home, my identity and everything on

August 23rd, 2021. But still I consider myself more fortunate than many other Afghan refugees.

I'm with my family in Italy. What I'm about to tell you is a different kind of Afghan

refugee story. It isn't about struggle to get out of Kabul or a dramatic life and death

journey. Instead, it's about adapting to life in a new country, about finding hope, despite

all we have left behind. These quieter stories are just as common. They are stories of resilience.

I met Khadr Khazim Isada, as I was also trying to learn Italian and integrate into this

new society. Khadr already spoke English when he arrived in Italy with his family last

fall. But he struggled to learn Italian. He soon realized that other Afghan refugees

were having the same problem. He created a WhatsApp group to communicate with them.

So I created a group and found them. How you ready? Do you need my help? I want to have

...