ASLEBEGIM

MEANS "A TRUE COUNTESS"

SHEGHNAN VILLAGE, AFGHANISTAN

Aslebegim is 48 years old. She has six children: five sons and one daughter. She is considered very brave because when her parents married her to a man she did not love she left him. Now she is married for the second time. Her husband is a teacher but works far away and they rarely see each other. Two of her sons are in Kabul, but it has been hard for them to find work after finishing school. Aslebegim is sad about being separated from most of her family and she very much enjoys visits from her sons. She worries about them because the situation in Kabul is not stable. Her biggest joy was the wedding of her youngest son. She also loves to knit.  When she starts knitting she sits down with her back against the wall and her children say: "Mom is again starting to do her thing." Aslebegim is very thrifty and never wastes a penny. She used her income from spinning to repair her house and to buy scarves and fabrics for her son to give to his bride before their wedding.