My name is Nazima Khairzad.

I am 19 years old, and I am a skier.

I was born in Afghanistan’s Bamyan Province, a year after the fall of the Taliban. Up until a few months ago, it was the only home I ever knew. That’s when they returned. That’s when everything changed.

I’ve lived my whole life in the mountains. Bamyan Province is cold in the winter and the peaks around our villages are full of snow. The wind is always blowing. Temperatures drop to 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. We keep our stoves on in our houses to stay warm…

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