When I was 11,

我記得一天早上醒來,歡樂的聲音蕩漾在我的房子裡。

I remember waking up one morning to the sound of joy in my house.

我的父親正在聽英國廣播公司的新聞

My father was listening to BBC News

在他的小灰色收音機上。

on his small, gray radio.

他臉掛上個不尋常的大大的笑容，

There was a big smile on his face which was unusual then,

因為那時候,新聞大多會讓他沮喪。

because the news mostly depressed him.

“塔利班都走了!“我父親喊道。

"The Taliban are gone!" my father shouted.

我不知道這是什麼意思,

I didn't know what it meant,

但是我可以看到,我的父親非常開心。

but I could see that my father was very, very happy.

“現在，你可以上一所真正的學校了,”他說。

"You can go to a real school now," he said.

一個我永遠也不會忘記的早晨。

A morning that I will never forget.

一所真正的學校。

A real school.

你知道,當塔利班控制阿富汗並規定

You see, I was six when the Taliban took over Afghanistan

女性上學違法的時候我才六歲

and made it illegal for girls to go to school.

所以在接下來的五年,我打扮成一個男孩

So for the next five years, I dressed as a boy

來護送我那不再被允許獨自外出的姊姊

to escort my older sister, who was no longer allowed

去一個秘密的學校。

to be outside alone, to a secret school.

這是我們都可以接受教育的唯一方法。

It was the only way we both could be educated.

每天,我們都走不同的路線

Each day, we took a different route

所以,沒有人會對我們要去哪兒起疑心。

so that no one would suspect where we were going.

我們會把書用購物袋裹起來

We would cover our books in grocery bags

這樣看來我們只是出去購物。

so it would seem we were just out shopping.

學校是在一棟房子裡,

The school was in a house,

我們超過100人一起擠在一個小客廳裡。

more than 100 of us packed in one small living room.

冬天這舒適,但夏天異常熱。

It was cozy in winter but extremely hot in summer.

我們都清楚自己正冒著性命危險，

We all knew we were risking our lives --

老師,學生和我們的父母。

the teacher, the students and our parents.

學校會時不時地突然取消

From time to time, the school would suddenly be canceled

一週的課因為塔利班覺得可疑了

for a week because Taliban were suspicious.

我們總是擔心他們知道我們的什麼。

We always wondered what they knew about us.

我們被跟蹤了嗎?

Were we being followed?

他們知道我們住哪兒嗎?

Do they know where we live?

我們都很害怕,

We were scared,

但是,我們仍然想上學。

but still, school was where we wanted to be.

我很幸運地出生在一個

I was very lucky to grow up in a family

崇尚教育,珍惜女兒的家庭。

where education was prized and daughters were treasured.

我的祖父在他那個年代是個特別偉大的人

My grandfather was an extraordinary man for his time.

一位來自於阿富汗偏遠省份的特立獨行者

A total maverick from a remote province of Afghanistan,

他堅持認為他的女兒,我的媽媽,

he insisted that his daughter, my mom,

得去上學,並因此不被他的父親所承認。

go to school, and for that he was disowned by his father.

但是我受過教育的母親成為了一名教師。

But my educated mother became a teacher.

這就是她

There she is.

她兩年前退休了,接著就把我們的房子

She retired two years ago, only to turn our house

改成一所學校來接收我們附近的女孩和婦女。

into a school for girls and women in our neighborhood.

而我的父親,這是他,

And my father -- that's him --

他是在他家庭中第一個接受教育的。

he was the first ever in his family to receive an education.

毫無疑問他的孩子也會就接受教育，

There was no question that his children

包括她的女兒們,

would receive an education, including his daughters,

不管塔利班,不管任何風險。

despite the Taliban, despite the risks.

對於他來說,不教育他的孩子們是更大的風險。

To him, there was greater risk in not educating his children.

在塔利班掌權期間,我記得

During Taliban years, I remember

我曾一度因為我的生活而如此之沮喪

there were times I would get so frustrated by our life

以至於一直害怕而且看不到未來。

and always being scared and not seeing a future.

我想過要放棄,

I would want to quit,

但我的父親,

but my father,

他說

he would say,

"聽著,我的女兒

"Listen, my daughter,

你可以失去你生命中擁有的一切,

you can lose everything you own in your life.

你的錢會被偷走,你會在戰爭期間被迫離鄉背井,

Your money can be stolen. You can be forced to leave your home during a war.

但有一樣東西會永遠陪伴著你

But the one thing that will always remain with you

就在這。

is what is here,

並且如果我們需要賣血來付你的學費,

and if we have to sell our blood to pay your school fees,

我們會。

we will.

你還不想要繼續嗎？"

So do you still not want to continue?"

現在我22歲,

Today I am 22.

我成長於一個被幾十年的戰爭

I was raised in a country that has been destroyed

所破壞的國家。

by decades of war.

我同齡的女子中不到百分之六有超過高中的教育

Fewer than six percent of women my age have made it beyond high school,

並且如果我的家庭不那麼支持我的教育,

and had my family not been so committed to my education,

我現在會數她們其中的一個。

I would be one of them.

但是，我作為明德學院的一名自豪的畢業生站在這裡。

Instead, I stand here a proud graduate of Middlebury College.

（掌聲）

(Applause)

當我回到阿富汗時，我的祖父

When I returned to Afghanistan, my grandfather,

那個因為敢於給予他女兒教育而被逐出家園,

the one exiled from his home for daring to educate his daughters,

是第一群前來祝賀我的人之一。

was among the first to congratulate me.

他不僅誇獎我的大學文憑

He not only brags about my college degree,

但也是因為我是第一個女子,

but also that I was the first woman,

也是因為我是第一個女子

and that I am the first woman

駕駛他穿過喀布爾大街

to drive him through the streets of Kabul.

（掌聲）

(Applause)

我的家庭信任著我。

My family believes in me.

我的夢想很大,我的家庭甚至比我夢想得更大。

I dream big, but my family dreams even bigger for me.

這就是為什麼我成為了10×10的全球形象大使,

That's why I am a global ambassador for 10x10,

一個教育女子的全球運動

a global campaign to educate women.

這就是我爲什麽創立了SOLA,

That's why I cofounded SOLA,

阿富汗第一和也許是唯一的

the first and perhaps only boarding school

女子寄宿學院,

for girls in Afghanistan,

一個女子上學還有危險的國家

a country where it's still risky for girls to go to school.

令人欣喜的是,我看到我學校裡的學生們

The exciting thing is that I see students at my school

帶著夢想,抓住一切機會。

with ambition grabbing at opportunity.

我還看到她們的家長們,並且她們的父親們

And I see their parents and their fathers

和我的父親一樣,就算在面對

who, like my own, advocate for them,

使人恐懼的阻礙時,也擁護她們。

despite and even in the face of daunting opposition.

比如Ahmed。這不是他的真名,

Like Ahmed. That's not his real name,

我也不能給你們看他的臉,

and I cannot show you his face,

但Ahmed是我一個學生的父親。

but Ahmed is the father of one of my students.

不到一個月前,他和他的女兒

Less than a month ago, he and his daughter

在從SOLA回到他們的村莊的路上,

were on their way from SOLA to their village,

驚險地躲過了死亡的危險。

and they literally missed being killed

因為在幾分鐘內,路邊的一顆炸彈爆炸了。

by a roadside bomb by minutes.

他們一回到家的,電話就響了。

As he arrived home, the phone rang,

對方警告他,

a voice warning him

如果他膽敢再把女兒送回學校,

that if he sent his daughter back to school,

他們還會這樣做。

they would try again.

“如果你願意,現在就殺了我吧”他說。

"Kill me now, if you wish," he said,

“但是我不會僅僅因為你陳舊落後的想法

"but I will not ruin my daughter's future

而葬送我女兒的未來。”

because of your old and backward ideas."

我認識到的有關阿富汗的事實,

What I've come to realize about Afghanistan,

雖然它經常被西方忽視,

and this is something that is often dismissed in the West,

那就是在我們大多數成功者的身後,

that behind most of us who succeed

有一個正確認識自己女兒價值,

is a father who recognizes the value in his daughter

並且以女兒的成功為自己的成功的父親。

and who sees that her success is his success.

這並不表示母親不是我們成功的關鍵。

It's not to say that our mothers aren't key in our success.

事實上,她們經常是天生令人信服的,

In fact, they're often the initial and convincing negotiators

為女兒美好未來而努力的談判者。

of a bright future for their daughters,

但是在像阿富汗這樣的社會中,

but in the context of a society like in Afghanistan,

我們必須有男人的支持。

we must have the support of men.

在塔利班的統治時期間,去上學的女孩

Under the Taliban, girls who went to school

數量僅為幾百人,

numbered in the hundreds --

提醒一下,這是不合法的;

remember, it was illegal.

但是今天,在阿富汗有超過三百萬的女孩們在學校接受教育。

But today, more than three million girls are in school in Afghanistan.

（歡呼）

(Applause)

從美國的角度來看,阿富汗非常不同。

Afghanistan looks so different from here in America.

我發現美國人看到了變化的脆弱性。

I find that Americans see the fragility in changes.

而我害怕這些變化在美軍撤軍以後

I fear that these changes will not last

不會長久地持續下去。

much beyond the U.S. troops' withdrawal.

但是當我回到阿富汗的時候,

But when I am back in Afghanistan,

我看到我學校裡的學生們

when I see the students in my school

和始終支持鼓勵他們的家長們,

and their parents who advocate for them,

我看到了未來的希望

who encourage them, I see a promising future

和持久的變化。

and lasting change.

對我來說,阿富汗是一個充滿希望和無限可能的國家。

To me, Afghanistan is a country of hope and boundless possibilities,

每一天,

and every single day

SOLA的女孩們都讓我堅信這一點。

the girls of SOLA remind me of that.

像我,她們都有遠大的夢想。

Like me, they are dreaming big.

謝謝你們。

Thank you.

（鼓掌）

(Applause)