By Betty Zhang
For the average UBC student, going abroad during their time as an undergrad isn’t uncommon. A vast number of resources are available, whether students wish to study abroad in Europe, teach English in Asia, or volunteer in South America.
For 4th year History student Brian Platt, taking ten days off from school in October meant traveling to Afghanistan with Lauryn Oates, human rights activist and Project Director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Platt’s trip didn’t arise from lengthy applications, nor was he “chosen” for any special programs – it was a result of years of interest and involvement in Canadian-Afghanistan affairs. When the editor of the National Magazine of the United Church asked him to write about Afghanistan in return for trip funding, Platt gladly jumped on the opportunity. He’s also writing for the Canadian University Press and the Ubyssey.
“The trip was awesome because I could walk around and get a sense of what it was like to live there,” says Platt. Other Canadians that step foot on Afghan soil are affiliated with either the military or aid organizations. For them, security is heavy, and they don’t have the opportunity to just “hang out.”
Of course, Platt did a little more than just hanging out in the streets of Kabul and Khandahar. Weaving through the crazy traffic, Platt visited museums, talked to locals, and even attended an Afghan wedding. “Afghans love hosting company,” Platt recalls. “They were angry when we tried to leave the wedding because we were jet lagged!”
The most memorable parts of his trip, though, were the numerous schools that Platt visited. When a girl in Khandahar goes to school, he explains, she literally puts her whole family in danger. “When you walk into a classroom and see the students care about learning as much as they do,” says Platt, “that’s what sticks with you the most.”
With such a unique experience, it’s no surprise that the blog he wrote for the Ubyssey generated some 2000 unique visitors each day. Now that he’s back on Canadian soil, he’s more motivated than ever to be vocal about the issue, starting with the false impressions about Afghanistan on university campuses.
“The impression you get of Afghanistan is the impression you get of Vancouver if journalists spent all of their time in downtown east side,” says Platt, who is also currently the President of the Arts Undergraduate Society. He wants to let people know that most Afghans don’t view Canada as an occupying force; they’re more worried that the international community will forget about them and leave.
Platt hopes to convey these messages through his writing, and also find funding for projects to support the schools in Afghanistan. “It’s the kind of work that I’m never going to complain about, because I love it.”
