ABSTRACT
This case study reports the story of two Afghan women who left Afghanistan and became refugees in the U.S. after the Soviet invasion and takeover in 1979. The fight and flight for life for the refugee women and children have been very difficult, involving countless hazards and complications. The women usually did not imagine that leaving their homes for safety was only the first leg of a difficult journey demanding patience, stamina, flexibility, and strength of will. They continually face personal, social, cultural, psychological, and economic challenges. Their old values clash with different ones in their new environment. In order to deal with these daily dilemmas and conflicts, the women confront a balancing act with values they had taken to be non-negotiable. The current sociopolitical and cultural conditions faced by the Afghan women refugees worldwide are in many ways in total conflict with what they 114perceive as the preferred and perhaps the only way of life. Their lives are further complicated by the wounded pride of the men in their lives.
