Afghan skateboarder Merza Mohammadi finds peace in Philadelphia
Merza grew up in Afghanistan where he learned to skateboard as a teenager thanks to an international program called Skateistan.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- For Merza Mohammadi skateboarding is life - a life that has not been easy.
Merza grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan where he learned to skateboard as a teenager thanks to an international program called Skateistan. He quickly became one of the very best skaters in his country.
Then, his passion became teaching young children the sport of skateboarding.
But the recent Taliban takeover changed everything and skateboarding became viewed as a threat.
Merza witnessed violence increasing every day and he was lucky enough to escape by getting evacuated to the United States.
He arrived in Philadelphia with only the clothes on his back, leaving behind his family and fiancé in Kabul.
His hope now is to raise awareness about the turmoil in Afghanistan and to eventually reunite with his loved ones.
For now, he's adjusting to life in America and hopes to one day get back to teaching the sports that he loves, the sport that taught him the most important lesson: "You fall, you get back up."
From Afghanistan to America, it's a lesson to last a lifetime.
