Albania: Firooz Mashoof left Afghanistan almost two years ago to escape the Taliban takeover, but his last day in Kabul, when he rode the bus to the airport, boarded a crowded plane, and took off as gunfire resounded throughout the city, is still fresh in his mind.
The mountains surrounding Kabul and the gloomy sunset as Qatar Airways took off were the last things he remembered seeing.
The 35-year-old photojournalist and former employee of the Afghan football federation is currently sulking in warm and sunny Albania, thousands of miles from his home country. His concern about the delay in receiving the promised US visa grows as each day goes by, casting doubt on his hopes for a fresh start in America.
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It's an emotional roller coaster for hundreds of people just like him. Even in friendly Albania, some people struggle to find employment and maintain some semblance of normalcy because they are worried about and afraid for their families back home.
Despite the protracted bureaucracy, they are optimistic and look forward to a new life.
Mashoof frequently takes long strolls by the sea in Shengjin, a town on the Adriatic coast about 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of the Albanian capital of Tirana, where hundreds of Afghans were temporarily housed. He has landed a job at a mall, which is a one-hour bus ride away.
The walks help him avoid panic attacks or the "crazy fear" for his family in the western Herat province.
"I was saved,... and now I am to start my new life in America," he said. "But when?"
In August 2021, the US-backed Afghan government and military fell, and the Taliban seized control of the country as US and NATO troops prepared to leave after 20 years of conflict.
Despite early assurances of a more moderate rule, they quickly began to impose restrictions on women and girls, banning them from public places and the majority of jobs as well as post-sixth grade education for girls.
The actions recalled the Taliban's previous rule over Afghanistan in the late 1990s, when they also imposed their stringent application of Sharia, or Islamic law. An international outcry against the Taliban, whose administration has not received official recognition from the United Nations or any other body, was sparked by the harsh edicts.
Despite efforts by aid organisations to assist large swaths of the impoverished country, a severe economic downturn followed as the Taliban pursued an ever more hard-line course.
Washington made the decision to accept everyone who had worked in Afghanistan for the US military, US government, US media outlets, or US nongovernmental organisations during the chaotic pullout. However, the lengthy visa application process for Afghans who can prove they are at risk of persecution grew more complicated over time.
The Adriatic Sea resorts in Albania have hosted more than 3,200 Afghan visitors. Albania, a NATO member, first agreed to house evacuating Afghans for a year before they moved to the United States for permanent settlement, and then promised to keep them longer if their visas were delayed.
Approximately 76,000 Afghans already reside in the US, where congressional efforts to end their immigration status permanently have also stalled.
According to a senior Albanian government official, if Afghans can find work, Tirana would not be opposed to keeping them in the Balkan nation for an extended period of time. The official spoke under the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter without going into further detail.
A small contingent of Afghans in Shengjin protested last year, pleading with Washington to expedite their transfer. Women and kids were holding signs that said, "We are forgotten."
Mashoof said, "I don't have the heart to protest because of the delay. "I can do nothing about it. In November 2021, Fazil Mohammad Shahab, a senior football federation official from Afghanistan, visited Albania.
He doesn't view the pristine coastline as an unspoiled paradise, in contrast to many of the thousands of visitors who flock to Shengjin and other Albanian resorts.
It's a place of waiting for me," he said.
Afghan women holding scarves gathered in small groups in Shengjin on a sunny day earlier this month as their kids played on the grass. Afghan couples strolled the sand or sat at a café close by.
In September 2021, Farishta Oustovar, a television news reporter who had previously played volleyball for Afghanistan's national team, arrived in Albania. She found employment in less than two months, first at a hotel, then at a shoe factory, and finally at a nursery facility.
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Despite her concerns for her family in Herat, the 23-year-old said, "I need to feel like I can have a normal life."
Qasim Taban, a well-known TV host and comedian, 30, has started making humorous YouTube videos from Shengjin again. He claims that humour gives him courage, and he hopes that the videos will reach his friends and supporters back home.
We need to laugh, he said, adding that Afghans back home in Afghanistan should also.
