As Americans, we are often guilty of limiting our view of the world. Although we may watch CNN religiously, we are still being presented the information from a Western point of view. However, the internet gives us the opportunity to actually see world topics from a different point of view. MyScribbles: Write-ups of an Afghan is a perfect example of this opportunity. MyScribbles is a blog written by a young Afghan expat student living in Pakistan. The writer touches on many heated contemporary topics, ranging from the implications of Iraqi Democracy to the reasons why the Taliban are regrouping. MyScribbles gives a young Afghan a voice in a world that may have otherwise overlooked these important contributions.
Upon initially visiting the blog, I was greeted by an attractive WordPress template. The blog is simple, using mostly grays and whites, and fairly easy to read. However, my main suggestion would be to use a darker font and lighter background. The posts are usually quite lengthy, and the white text can take a toll on the eyes after awhile. The blog is well organized and easily navigable. The sidebar includes recent posts, links and my favorite feature, a Flickr photo album containing over fifty photos from Afghanistan. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing unique pictures, instead of the mass produced photos used by the media.
As mentioned earlier, the posts are all of substantial length, and touch on popular issues affecting not only Afghanistan, but also the world. Each one of the posts is well thought out and quite a good read. The writer exhibits a very mature writing style, along with a strong grasp of the English language. Although I only planned on reading a few posts to get a feel for the blog and its author, I found myself spending almost an hour reading through the entire blog.
Overall, I truly enjoyed taking the time to read through MyScribbles: Write-ups of an Afghan. Although the blog has only been online since March 2006, it has already had over 3,000 visitors. I hope this review will help drive more visitors to this informative and interesting blog, which will provide any visitor with a unique reading experience. I wish the writer the best of luck in his pursuit to attend Columbia University to obtain a journalism degree, and hope that the blog continues to be updated regularly.