The flight to the country of operation begins with us being woken from sleep shortly before arrival: a dive through the clouds with the destination Kunduz Airport. Arriving happily on the ground, my assignment begins in a country that I previously only knew from television. War, terror, pain and misery are written on people's faces. But there is something else. Hospitality, humanity and gratitude make me discover a country that I did not expect. Accompany an ISAF soldier while he is deployed in northern Afghanistan.

The time in Afghanistan shaped me in a deeply human way. The longer I was in this distant part of the world, the deeper my understanding of the culture of the country became. New perspectives on a country that is viewed in the media only as a crisis area. But I also saw the beauty and made friends.