willing to die for. “I was doing i t


because of the visa. If you work for the U.S. military you can get a visa to leave for Amer- ica. I wanted to help my country, but my point was to come to Amer- ica,” he said. Haidari said his


family, what’s left of it in Kabul, was eager for him to get out of Afghanistan for his sake and theirs. Two broth- ers, both engineers, live in Germany and Turkey. A third brother who also worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces recently immi- grated to Sacramento with his family. “My family were


happy for me to get out of there. Because of me, because of my work for the U.S. military they were in trouble. They


said that if the govern- ment ever falls or things get really [screwed] up, the Taliban will come after us as long as you are here,” said Haidari. It took U.S. officials


five years to approve visas for Haidari, his wife, and child. Before that, he also had to get approval from Tamana’s mother to marry her. His mother-in-law did not look on him favor- ably. She told him that if she was going to give him her daughter the tattoo on his arm would have to go. “She told me, ‘If


you’re my son-in-law, I don’t want people to think you’re a gangster. You have to show me that you’re a respect- ful person. People will think you’re a gangster.’ So, I said, ‘Okay, for Tammy I’ll remove my


tattoo,’” said Haidari. He paid $2000 to a


Kabul doctor to have the tattoo removed. The procedure required 380 stitches and left scars up and down his arm. He is here now, but


Haidari and his wife


two jobs as a security guard and delivering muffins. A driving permit allows him to deliver the muffins as long as he is accom- panied by a licensed driver. A man whose name is synonymous


“Hey, man, it’s a job, and I’ve got to start somewhere.”


face serious assimila- tion difficulties. Tama- na’s relatives in the Bay Area encouraged them to move up there, and they recently settled in the San Jose area. Haid- ari was desperate to get a job but could not look for work until he got his green card. He is now working


with fighting spirit, who faced death every day for years is earning a living by delivering muffins. But Haid- ari is not bothered by the contradiction. “Hey, man, it’s a


job, and I’ve got to start somewhere,” he said. Tamana, still a teen-


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homesick and cries for her mother. She does not speak English and most days has nobody to talk to but her husband and their baby. Haidari said she was hospital- ized with high blood pressure that doctors said was stress-induced. Haidari’s plans for


the future include col- lege and becoming a police officer. If that does not work out he wants to enlist in the Army. His fervor for the Army is seen in his email address, which includes “USArmy.” Sossaman tried to


make their transition easier by driving them around and introduc- ing them to different areas of San Diego and to American food. The relief agency that got them out of Afghani- stan flew them to Los


Angeles and was going to put them on a bus to San Diego. Sossaman drove to LAX instead and waited around for eight hours while the Haidaris cleared cus- toms and brought them to his house, arriving in Ramona at around 1:30 a.m. He is determined to help his friend make his life here a success. His e f f or t has


not gone unnoticed by Haidari. “I’m proud to have


a friend like Dave. He thinks that because he invited me to the States he has to do everything for me; take care of me and help me find a job. I came to the States to make my life better and for my boy. I know he’s doing it for my boy, too. I want my boy’s life to


be better than mine.” ■ — H.G. Reza


24 San Diego Reader December 15, 2016


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