Peshawar, Kabul or Mazari Sharif?

[hannah94UK]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum.
I've wanted to learn Pashto for a couple of years now but found it near impossible to find a teacher in London. I cannot learn languages online and need face-to-face with a teacher, and so I want to travel out to Afghanistan or Peshawar after I have graduated and learn intensively over a few months.

I've done my research and I've managed to find Pashto classes in a few places

- University of Peshawar, Peshawar
- Koosha Academy, Kabul
- Foreign Language Academy, Kabul
- IAMAfghanistan, Mazari Sharif

Do you know any other schools?

Please comment any information or advice for me (but bare in mind I've done my research and I study the region at university so telling me 'nowhere is safe' is not what I'm asking for haha)
I know Kabul is the least safe for me (an obviously white foreign women) but I believe taking precautions and having respect for the society and culture of those you live with makes all the difference.


Thank you!

[Admin Khan]

Consider looking at freelancer websites, which often times has instructors in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and can teach you over Skype/etc.

[hannah94UK]

Thanks for your response Admin Khan, but I'm looking to learn face-to-face rather than online.

[Insight]

Thanks for your response Admin Khan, but I'm looking to learn face-to-face rather than online.

We can do 1 on 1 classes anytime any day!!!!

[marwat]

Thanks for your response Admin Khan, but I'm looking to learn face-to-face rather than online.

So what happened, did you loose interest, or you still going on. No place is better for a white woman here, find some local pashto speaker

[letmein]

We can do 1 on 1 classes anytime any day!!!!

Are you flirting?

[hannah94UK]

Hi Marwat,

I still wish to learn Pashto one day, but it has not been possible so far.

I looked for teachers here in the UK but have come across many obstacles;
1. Pashtun women have no interest in talking to me. When I have asked for a woman to teach me Pashto, their husbands or other male relatives will offer to teach me instead. I took the offer from one man (but he became innappopriate as soon as we were in private), and so do not want to take that risk again.
2. All the Pashtun people I have met in the UK do not have a high standards of English and so its very difficult for them to teach me.
3. All the universities or companies that advertise Pashtu courses rarely run those courses, because they don't fill the student quota. (They all require a minimum of student numbers and there simply aren't enough people wanting to learn)

I would love to visit Afghanistan in the future, but you are right, it is definetly not safe for a white woman to visit any time soon.
I am considering Peshawar as an alternative.

[Sarbani]

Hi Marwat,

I still wish to learn Pashto one day, but it has not been possible so far.

I looked for teachers here in the UK but have come across many obstacles;
1. Pashtun women have no interest in talking to me. When I have asked for a woman to teach me Pashto, their husbands or other male relatives will offer to teach me instead. I took the offer from one man (but he became innappopriate as soon as we were in private), and so do not want to take that risk again.
2. All the Pashtun people I have met in the UK do not have a high standards of English and so its very difficult for them to teach me.
3. All the universities or companies that advertise Pashtu courses rarely run those courses, because they don't fill the student quota. (They all require a minimum of student numbers and there simply aren't enough people wanting to learn)

I would love to visit Afghanistan in the future, but you are right, it is definetly not safe for a white woman to visit any time soon.
I am considering Peshawar as an alternative.

Why do you want to learn Pashto out of curiosity?

Try Pimsleur. It has Pashto learning resources and can help you easily achieve beginner level.
Next try an app called HelloTalk. Its very good for learning. You use it to chat with native speakers. They have an option to only talk to someone of the same gender.

Best of luck.

[Sikandar.]

Hi Marwat,

I still wish to learn Pashto one day, but it has not been possible so far.

I looked for teachers here in the UK but have come across many obstacles;
1. Pashtun women have no interest in talking to me. When I have asked for a woman to teach me Pashto, their husbands or other male relatives will offer to teach me instead. I took the offer from one man (but he became innappopriate as soon as we were in private), and so do not want to take that risk again.
2. All the Pashtun people I have met in the UK do not have a high standards of English and so its very difficult for them to teach me.
3. All the universities or companies that advertise Pashtu courses rarely run those courses, because they don't fill the student quota. (They all require a minimum of student numbers and there simply aren't enough people wanting to learn)

I would love to visit Afghanistan in the future, but you are right, it is definetly not safe for a white woman to visit any time soon.
I am considering Peshawar as an alternative.

Learn the basics from the people you are able to interact with in uk and once you are able to engage in conversation, the rest will come very easily. If you wait for an appropriate male adult to teach you, chances are low because no serious individual might have the time or interest to commit to something like that. Also when it comes to learning any new language, you get lost with the grammar rules and then years later, you are nowhere near your goal. Learn some basic words and sentences, mingle with Pashtuns and don’t necessarily inform them you are doing this to learn Pashto( they will become self conscious and distant). Alternately, watch shows and news channels that broadcast in Pashto and look for the ones that provide English subtitles. Dramas and serials are the best option for this because dialogue is translated one sentence at a time so you can keep up. Oh, and you also get to learn about the culture as well as the language AND you are not bored in the process.

[Lila]

Hey Sikander yr photo resembles that of a traditional Bollywood star - villain or good guy? !
i actually am forbidden from viewing cinema but ive seen a few films and i must say definitely that that’s one particular Bollywood phenotype or “look”. Ties with shirt r too formal and boring most of the time whereas yr photo is a more relaxed approachable nonego type of informal casualness that captures the spirit of Mithraic heartland, immortal undivided Afghanistan. Ja varun too - presiding deity of aNURadha stellar system in western zodiac sign Scorpio. Scorpio can be scorpion eagle/falcon or Phoenix rising from Own Ashes ja.
ive been dying to comment on yr phenomenal photo for a while now and I apologize to the forum if this an inappropriate comment, but it had to be stated.
elsewhere on this forum rightfully personages have commented on the invaluable priceless artistic genius of immortal undivided Afghanistan - today’s Bollywood is not up to par with standards of original Afghanistan cinema - the original Bollywood.
intresting name Bollywood - it’s not just portmanteau of Bombay (“mumbai “) and Hollywood but rather it is a slur of the subcontinent females - Bolly is an adjective for non threatening crazy woman. usually bolly female is beautiful but crazy -connotative definition - nevertheless it’s a slur to belittle and defame - usually it is wrongful defamation as bolly female is not actually crazy but perceived as such- so sad.
hollywood of today ain’t no match for original Marlene Dietrich or Audrey Hepburn Hollywood. Holly is a type of wood out of which are crafted magicians wands, and holly is an adverb or adjective whatever for “softly” and its female name in the SoCalled west - west arya lands of Germany brittania etc the pronunciation varies but is similar.

[Lila]

I’m assuming it’s thy photo because that’s brave putting up ones photo online -but thy photo is good likeness of Bollywood circa 1970’s or earlier?

it would be so good for new superior entertainment complex to emerge from the stinky ashes of bollyHollywood.

axiomatic truth~ when weapons speak the muses fall silent ~ hey ram ki kariey

[hannah94UK]

Why do you want to learn Pashto out of curiosity?

Try Pimsleur. It has Pashto learning resources and can help you easily achieve beginner level.
Next try an app called HelloTalk. Its very good for learning. You use it to chat with native speakers. They have an option to only talk to someone of the same gender.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I study Afghan history at university and did an internship at Turquoise Mountain (an NGO based in Kabul) so that really sparked my interest in Afghan culture, and have since wanted to learn to language

[hannah94UK]

Learn the basics from the people you are able to interact with in uk and once you are able to engage in conversation, the rest will come very easily. If you wait for an appropriate male adult to teach you, chances are low because no serious individual might have the time or interest to commit to something like that. Also when it comes to learning any new language, you get lost with the grammar rules and then years later, you are nowhere near your goal. Learn some basic words and sentences, mingle with Pashtuns and don’t necessarily inform them you are doing this to learn Pashto( they will become self conscious and distant). Alternately, watch shows and news channels that broadcast in Pashto and look for the ones that provide English subtitles. Dramas and serials are the best option for this because dialogue is translated one sentence at a time so you can keep up. Oh, and you also get to learn about the culture as well as the language AND you are not bored in the process.

honestly, the issue with interacting with Pashtun people I meet is that its usually single men, who can sometimes get the wrong idea if I speak with them alot. I'm not typically in a Pashtu speaking environment.
Thanks for your suggestions though!

[Lila]

NGO and MNC r mlecch organizations who exist only for the sole purpose of swindling noble nations.
india- civilization state- but why the desperate apeing - vile foul imitation- of the west? Real west is Plato Odin Thor Dionysus not Semite binary thought - never forget xtianity entered Germanic lands thru violent force- sword point- pagan times at today’s uk Germany Russia were true to spirit of rigvedic India- still alive while xtianity mercifully is in death throes - good riddance to bad rubbish as embryo is not a born sinner .
china - supposedly civilization state but persecution of uigher nation belonging to ummah shows that china is no longer a noble nation
AryaAfghanisthan v hold in highest esteem- please kirpa karkai don’t become “victims” of ne’er do well ngo- usually some sort of unsophisticated espionage or semite xtian proselytizing of defective binary thought of the Semite.
best to be unemployed than cash paycheque from criminality of xtian mlecch ngo - all funds of so-called west go to so-called overhead and never a cent for anyone in actual need.
private religious charity of panth jansangh is ideal.
ultimately it’s family responsibility to look after family - had i any true real political power the first step I’d take is expulsion of bloody ngo - go help the negroidal ghetto queen or trailer Trash emulating ghetto queen such as Eminem- whatever that screeching is it ain’t music
anotheir stupidest job is that of teaching nonindoeuropean the beautiful English language - finest love poem is about the foul flea by xtian preacher iirc

~
ive always been treated respectfully (offline if not always online..) by the menfolk- thnx - I have brothers uncles divine father grandfathers so I don’t need a hebrewangloUSA self help book on how males and females differ. Lolz at men are from mars etc nonsenses- plus I know it’s best to not make eye contact- it’s a softer warmer look to make contact at third eye biend point of forehead- thanks puranic ancient rigvedic Hinduism.
It’s disrespectful to insult the menfolk of afpak hindosthan or the Anglosphere commonwealth- at least we have an atomic arsenal - scalar weapons r the newest frontier - thanks to arya religious art i feel I’ve experienced divine reality of scalar waves.
the ethnocentric crank of kerala vadakayil blogger has written on scalar waves and warns that during war it’s stupid to acquire arsenal from colonial enemies

indigenous designed manufactured arsenal is a must to decisively defeat all enemies of South- Central Asia and the immortal Indian subcontinent.

I’m a great babysitter - I’ve changed enough diapers nappies to never (hardly ever) take males seriously - lol at feminism scam- I’m kanyadevi definition of which is not online
mixing sanscritic concepts with semite soaked englis language of xtian binary thought never does justice to Arya ideals east or west north or south

facts beliefs opinion - this is how retards of mlecch world “think”. - deep thought of philosophical personages is light years beyond this puerile description of thought

even Yogananda is bit of fraud - thinking a thought is not the same as physical enactment of the thought - where does one thought end and another begin?

[Lila]

What’s wrong with thinking negative thoughts one will never pursue in real life - it’s strategic method of dealing with unwanted thoughts