After the collapse of Afghanistan by the Taliban, thousands of Afghans fled the country. Among them, Khalid Wardak, 37, evacuated to Germany. “I was shocked by the whole collapse of Afghanistan. It is just like a faded memory. Coming from home to a refugee camp was stressful. Getting used to a camp was very different. I did not know what the future held for me.”

His new journey started with working in a coffee bar, “The biggest challenge was the language. My best decision was to start working as soon as I got my work permit. I have not been in language school because I work full-time. I learned the German language mostly in my work environment. There are still a lot of challenges, but I am taking them step by step,” he says.

Khalid was born in a large family of seven siblings. He is the only breadwinner of the family. “I have a roof over my head and food to eat. Life is full of challenges. I learned to embrace them and move forward. I am worried about my family’s safety and protection. I try to help them financially, but still thinking about the future of my siblings annoys me most of the time.”

With all Khalid goes through, he still has ambition and dreams to pursue. “I would like to establish and introduce my Afghan-inspired clothing line to the market. The Calid clothing brand infuses urban flair with vibrant Afghan motifs. This brand epitomizes cool and cultural fusion in every stitch. Hopefully, 2024 will be a year where I can do what I love.”

Leaving everything behind and starting from zero, Khalid finds himself at peace. “I cannot talk about the whole of Germany, but Hamburg is calm and peaceful. Sometimes social anxiety is challenging. In Afghanistan people were happy; little things mattered, plus family bonds and friendships. Here everyone wants to compete, and I have not figured out what they are competing for.”

The lessons Khalid shares with new arrivals in Germany, “Be spontaneous, and face it, there are no shortcuts.”

“I wish Peace for humanity in every corner of this world.”