His Blood is not Good Enough

A problem I never wrote about in Somalia is the phenomena of Murder based on Stature . The More successful you are , the more your chances of being killed . Cliche? Behind every Successful man is a pack of haters ? . But see the difference is you are not dying because they are hating on YOU per say . It's not personal you see. It's simply tribal business.
Let me Explain
I remember when my Father [allah yir7amu] first brought me to Somalia, though he wanted to visit his hometown , he would say it was too risky and he would probably be killed as pay back for a crime someone from the same tribe committed years ago .At that time it seemed like another exaggerated fairy tale  and there was no way people could be so unreasonable .
But a few days ago I heard of 2 similar stories . A man who was killed for a crime his brother committed . The problem is the brother who committed the crime wasn't hiding or on the run , he was living just like everyone else , Like he was a man with no blood on his hands - No one wanted him , because his blood wasn't valuable enough.

"He's a Looser , his blood is not equal to my tribesman, No one will mourn his death" .

So instead in the middle of the night , the innocent brother who was minding his  bussiness was dragged out of his house and shot dead .
A Bussiness Man for a Bussiness man , A Doctor for a Doctor , A Sheikh for A Sheikh .
that's the rule .

And what else would make people act so barbarically and irrationally but the mind numbing , ego stroking ideology of Tribalism .
And no matter how many successful people of our nation are born , the laws of tribalism will keep our nation tied down and forever in the shadows of poverty, barbarism, and illiteracy .
You would think Religion ,common sense, and humanity would protect one from shedding blood so  easily , so intentionally , so righteously but it is heartbreaking and frustrating to see how our nation has crumbled to it's knees because of a name - Reer Hebel.

Make A Difference

I remember a few months ago , My friends and I were introduced to a man who would push us to make a difference . A man who forced us to look at things from a new perspective regardless of what the norm was .
I would love to mention his name but I would have to make sure it is okay with him . So for the time being let's call him Prof. A .

Prof A had a philosophy . In arabic: "إن لم تزد شيئا على الدنيا فأنت زائد عليها "  [If  you do not add anything to this world , then you are simply an addition/burden on it] and then he would ask you 

Are you simply an addition or do you have something to add? 

it's a simple statement yet so profound in meaning and very much true . After a 2 hour long conversation over dinner with prof.A . We were all very much inspired to make a difference , to leave something behind in a city that we had no tribal/family ties to.
After much thought we decided the best addition one could ever make was that of knowledge . like the famous quote " Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day , teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime" . At the time we were 5 girls , so we decided to each financially support a child who could not afford education. Surprisingly we did not have to go far to find such children . a few doors away from our own house we found 3 familes with 8 children, all of which were staying at home yet of school age, and some loosing a parent.
Our initial plan was simply sponsoring 5 children , soon we had 2 other girls in and now we could sponsor 7 kids . At the time it was almost the end of the school year , so we decided to enroll them into a Quranic school . After explaining to the dugsii teacher what we wanted to do , he offered to take in the 8th kid as well free of charge .

I know it might seem like a very straighforward , easy to execute kinda plan right ? WRONG!!
In a Country that has been over exposed to NGO's and free handouts , the parents of the children were very skeptical of our intentions and in no time news was spreading of "These Arab girls who were working with an NGO and were offering to pay for tuition".  and as people estimated how much of the funding we were slipping into our pockets and how many thousands of dollars we were selfishly holding back , the clan ideology came into play : on more than one occasion we were told to help our Clan's needy instead of those we were not related to. - "Your people need it first" .

A few months later ,On eid we were able to give out a humble sum of money to the families of the children [3 families in total ] and an exceptional woman who herself raises 4 children by picking up trash from families for less than 25cents per pick up.
 Now we are planning on adding another 5 children to the Quranic School and this time an aunty from Saudi Arabia has taken up their sponsoring and paid an advance for 5 months.

In my opinion this is a very humble addition to a community that has given us personally the chance at a higher education. It is only fair to give back and hopefully InshAllah those of you reading this will be inspired to make a difference as well regardless of how big or small it may be . And in time I hope these very kids grow up and in turn give back to their communities and so forth .
- Contribute within your means , any way you can to your communities . Do it not for the love of fame , or for a name , or even with the expectations of an applause . Do it simply for the sake of leaving good behind and making a difference
 

Africa through my Lens

Why I've been missing and My Year

So a few days ago , I finally remembered I had a blog that I loved so much from once upon a time and as I was going through it I realized I haven't been blogging as much.
 (understatement for 3 posts over 9 months hehe)
So here I am flexing my fingers , dusting off my grammar and punctuation to put together a semi decent post on why I've been MIA. 

2012 has definitely been a very tough year for my Family and I . Apart from the regular stresses of Uni and hospital rounds and what not . My dad was diagnosed with a stage 4 Esophageal cancer last Ramadan .

As a medical student we're always throwing out differential diagnosis on rounds and one of the answers you can never go wrong with is Cancer. The resident asks you what's your differential ?
Safest Answer : TB, Cancer. Infection. . Overtime we become desensitized and such horrible diseases are just answers to us .
 We don't really completely understand how devastating it is , not only to the patient but also to their entire family .

I remember once having a patient whose symptoms were so similar to my dad's. Diagnosing him was like diagnosing my father , and I kept subconsciously avoiding esophageal cancer even though his symptoms were classic for the case. 
 I knew that would mean there was a big chance my dad had a similar condition .I was in denial  

How Did I find Out ? 

 Just after Eid ('011) , my family decided to move to kenya after spending 6 months with us ,and I wasn't about to miss the trip so I  tagged along for what was left of my summer break. 
A day before we left to Nairobi , my mom was just going through the luggage and she found my Aaboo's medical reports . Like most moms she just passed it to me and my cousin (also a med student) to look at and maybe learn a thing or two from it .
A chance to test my skills and showoff what I've been learning for 4 years . We walked over to the other room , stood by the window and stared at the X-rays and CT Scans. Instantly my heart dropped but I wasn't about to jump to a disease that meant my dad was dying . So I stayed calm , pulled out the medical report and read what the radiologist had to say . - It was Cancer . 

Fast Forward to May 25th '012
My Uncle calls to let us know that Dad passed away .
After a 9 month battle with stage 4 esophageal Cancer, 2 rounds of chemo, and 2 stent placement surgeries .At the age of 54 Aabo was no more with us. 

So that's been most of my year summarized in a few paragraphs , Oh not to forget being suspended twice from Uni . But that is a post for another day ^_^  

PS: just a quick note I might as well squeeze in . I know how most Somalis neglect their health and avoid check ups and all.  But  I just want to emphasize how important and live saving that hour or two you take out of your day to get a check up could be . 

- Dont take your Health for Granted , It's a Blessing so cherish it ;)





  

  

Have you heard of Xagaag Xalimo ?

It started out as a random statement that came out of nowhere "I hope I do not marry a man from clan X" . Interested I asked " why not ? "
And the response was one of the strangest story I've heard over the years:

Well haven't you heard of the phrase "Xagaag Xalimo (Summer Halimo) " . As I waved my head in response, she said ; See in that part of Somalia , when it get's really hot in the summer, women go to cities where it's cooler, taking their children along and leaving the husbands behind since they're working. While they're gone, some of their husbands marry a second wife and settle her into the first wife's home. Just before wife one comes back from her summer holidays he either divorces wife 2 or settles her in a home on the other side of town , keeping her a summer secret never to be known by his "Formal wife" . Hence the name Xagaag Xalimos - they're a Summer fling.  

Over the years I thought I had heard every kind of Strange Somali story. But this was one that I've never imagined of hearing over my 20 years of living. Naturally my mind started imagining if I was in place of any of those women who went on a summer holiday only to come back and find another woman walking through the halls of their living room. Of all the emotions I imagined feeling, rage would be the one to take control. The absurdity of that situation would be beyond words, and what would follow would range from simple name calling to the death of a man who could not control his lust, and in the most extreme of cases it would include the death of a Xagaag Xalimo as well.

For the Sake of the men in that city , I hope that story is simply gossip mentioned over afternoon teas for a good laugh.
Have you heard of Xagaag Xalimo ? and Do you think it is based on true stories ? 

Eathquake Alert - Aftermath

I think I'll start this post off with a curse . A curse on the idiot who thought it would be funny to pull an April's fool 6 months early. May the Ground split into two and drag you six feet under !!!!.
Yes the Earthquake alert was a huge prank. But it sure had almost everyone scared .


So At around 2:30 am My phone starts ringing, while I snored away , I could tell something was making a very annoying sound but oh well I just imagined it was the background music to my awesome dream which I can't even remember now . Two minutes later my little sister is literally running circles in the room and yelling out "AN EARTHQUAKE'S COMING ..IT'S COMINGGG OMG OMG OMG" . She tries to tell me that we're all dying and it takes me a good one minute to take in everything she's saying . when it finally got through I ran in circles with her , felt my heart pound right out of my chest and eventually got to waking the rest of the house up. 
By now everyone was terrified , except for my cousin who found it all nonsensical and did not even bother to get out of bed . As we sat contemplating what to do next , we decided to get dressed, grab our passports and money and stand outside the house. I managed to get in a blog post and a facebook status update right before we headed out 

 ( this is to show how social networks have over the years undermined something as serious as possible death )

" Oh you guys pray for me I'm about to die  wink wink kisses :)" 

2 hours later and we're still sitting on our doorstep waiting for some 5.0 devastating earthquake to hit. We were freezing and starving but still terrified of heading back in .To make things worse the city dogs were having a singing choir  and every time they would start howling we would stand and squat a little , making sure our legs were firm on the ground. Apparently the howling of Dogs is an ineffective indicator of an earthquake coming - lesson learned.
 It was only at around 5:30 am when the sun rose that we realized this was a horrible prank . We headed back in and that was the end of it - Just another day in Borama, Somaliland/North Somalia

Earthquake alert

So it's 3:07 am and I just got a phone call that there's probably going to be a really bad earthquake anytime through tonight. I am freaked out and the fact that I've never been through any sort of Earthquake drill makes me even the less capable to deal with anything . I know that hiding under tables and staying away from windows is completely useless in this part of the world . The Only drill I know of is "Run For Your Lives" . The  housing infrastructure is so weak , a mere 3.0 would bring it down to rubble.

To those of you awake at this very hour , Your prayers would be of much value to all of us in Borama and it's surroundings . Keep them Du'as coming please.
Goodnight 

Not fitting the Stereotype - You are a Woman

It was noon , and everyone was tired after a long morning of lectures and studying. We started arguing about the wording of a formal letter written to the dean of the University . Being the one who wrote it I was defensive . My grammar skills were being questioned and I was offended.It started out as an intellectual argument but then out of nowhere the following words were being yelled out 

 " You are a girl , have some shame . Girls do not talk like that" .

  It was the first time my intellect was looked down at simply because of my gender. I could not comprehend what had just happened.It was not the letter that was flawed , it was not my grammar that was mistaken. We were not having an Intellectual argument. This was a Guy that was offended a female could do a good job without asking for assistance. these were a group of guys who were yelling out profanities so as to demean me and break my confidence. What they did not know was I was not about to fall into their stereotype of what a female should be like. I was not going to be forced to change and lower my IQ simply because that was what they were accustomed to .  


I was In Somalia , a failed state where little boys were raised to think that they were somehow smarter, privileged and entitled to more than a female. Sexism was something foreign to me . An issue I would read about or watch other women make a big deal of.  It was heartbreaking to not only see it firsthand but to experience it as well. 
This was where so called religious schools teach girls and boys that women are lacking in mental capability , that a women's place is at home in the kitchen . this is where teachers are shocked when female students are on honor rolls and tell the boys to step up their education and not let "A girl beat you ". 


Fortunately I was blessed to be in a class with 6 other strong females who felt as I did. The first three years of medical school was a struggle. We were outnumbered and constantly fighting for our voices to be heard. 5 years later I am glad to say we did it . We forced them to treat us with the respect we deserved. Our voices are clearly heard and our opinions are held with importance . Over the course of these years a fellow female classmate and I had the opportunity to be Class presidents . And the lower classes have been influenced and have in turn elected Female Class presidents as well .Something that has not happened before.


That day back in 2007 , was the beginning of our journey into breaking stereotypes, defying cultural norms and changing mindsets for the better. I was only 16 years old , fresh out of high school and naive to what being a Somali female really meant back home . I have the highest form of respect for all women who have had the strength to push forward even when everything was pulling them, You are all an Inspiration to everyone.

For those women in Somalia. Where there is no law to protect them and no culture to stand by them. I pray for all of you and may you have the strength to not give into stereotypes and cultural bullshit. Someday your story will be heard and your struggle will be a source of empowerment for others. 

African Union - friend or foe ?

Muhideen Mohamed, who works with the charity, said troops from Amisom - the AU peacekeeping force which was patrolling the city - fired on the journalists as they travelled to the airport, where they were based.

“Amisom killed a Malaysian journalist and injured another between the K4 road junction and Mogadishu airport on Friday,” Mr Mohamed, the aid group’s local coordinator, told Reuters.

The claim could not be verified and AU officials were not immediately available for comment. 

So al-Shabaab pull out of Somalia for the first time in years . they have been out of the capital for almost 4 weeks now. And the news headlines says : Malaysian journalist shot dead in moqadishu . The first thing that came to mind was :AL - SHABAB ARE BACK !!! IT HAS TO BE THEM !! I KNEW IT !! . But surprisingly it’s the African Union . I don’t fully understand why the very people who were brought into the country to help uphold peace would shoot a journalist to death . I remember Many Somalis being against bringing in the African Union in the first place . But the question is : Is this a one time incident ? Or has the African Union been doing this for a while , all under the Cover of Al- Shabaab? . I’m just really interested in what their statement is going to be regarding this situation. 

Could it be the African Union is just as bad as Al-Shabaab?? Do they really have a role in Somalia’s 21 year long Civil war ? 

Deportation and the Inhumane process - Stories from those who experienced it

 -He was a resident in the country for 60 years , taking refuge in a place he believed would bring him closer to the house of God. Today he spends his days behind prison in the uttmost humiliation and embarassment. He is heart broken and too depressed to express how he feels . his words - 7asbi Allah wa Ni3m Al wakiil. 7asbi Allah wa Ni3m Al wakil and so he repeats . His wife and children share a similar faith , with thoughts of famine and poverty and a return to a place they have not seen , They have lost hope in those they once called their brothers and Sisters in faith.

- She was unconscious and in need of medical help , an old woman too sick to understand what was going on around her. After being refused admission from at least 4 hospitals , simply because she is a citizen of a failed state . She is treated at home with an NG tube down her nose being her only feeding method . Her son , sheds tears of blood . you can see the anger in his eyes. He asks rather shocked: How do you people live ? Animals are treated better than this . Ina lillah Wa Ina Ilayhi Raji3oon , Ina Lillah Wa Ina Ilayhi Raji3oon !!! are all he can utter before he breaks into a sob . 

- It’s 3:am in the morning and their door is forcefully broken down , it is only a second before they are being dragged out of their bedroom in their night gowns . the 2 month old baby cries at all the noise, the mother has no chance at grabbing a head scarf or guarding her modesty. The husband in a moment of rage asks : Why are you treating as like this, are we not muslims like you ?. His reply is a beating that will leave him bruised for weeks . the next few weeks are spent in jail , followed by a forceful deportation without a chance for goodbyes or the likes of it. 

- She went out with the intention of getting groceries from the local market but she did not know it would be the last time she walked those streets again. With her two infants at her sides, she is stopped in the middle of the street and jailed. I wonder why it was her that was stopped and not the woman or man right beside her . It must’ve been because she looked african or was it because she was not flashing the latest abaya or handbag ? Was her rather modest look what gave her away ??. It’s been only 2 years since she made that dreadful journey in a fishing boat and through the arabian desert. She regrets choosing this country as her destination. But I guess it’s only a lesson learned and a mistake not to be repeated. 

- He was stabbed by a national in broad daylight.After 3 weeks in a hospital in critical condition. He recovers and gives his statement to the police and with witnesses present , he is sure to get justice. a week later and he hears his offender is released and free to run the streets. In a moment of rage he takes justice into his own hands . An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth . But he is no national , and justice is only served when seemed appropriate . He is deported with a criminal record and content in his heart. Justice he has truly served . 

They all fled a country that was burning in flames , only to be returned to it with heavy hearts and their remaining dignity burned to ashes.They hoped for a better future and now those simple dreams have been beaten down and shattered. They laughed at those who ran elsewhere , thinking their brothers would be more merciful of their circumstance but today they regret the choices they made and vow to only return to such a place when their passports puts authorities at unease.

- Is it not funny how respect is given based on a document and not because of your right to one…. 

Rape, Teen Pregnancies and Society

Last night as my mom , the maid and I sat watching tv. My mom mentioned how 2 girls were raped a few days ago by 3 guys on their way home .The maid instantly jumped in and said

 ”They knew the guys , they didn’t just get kidnapped and raped , so they deserve what happened to them”.

 Before I could respond , my mom was already at it :

 ” Just because they knew them does not give them the right to rape .Would you be okay with getting raped just because you were out with a guy ?.  No one deserves to be raped and those men should be sentenced for life”.

It was only then I realized how Rape and teen Pregnancies have become fairly common over the last few years in this part of the world. 

I cannot even begin to put my frustration into words when it comes to rape. But when in Somalia, Rape takes on a whole new dimension. Rape in Somalia is a quick way to make money for some. You are probably wondering how ? . Let me Introduce you to the Clan Ideology : If any harm happens to you , your Clan serve as your Justice system.There will be a meeting with the victim’s clan Seniors and the Offenders clan seniors. They will discuss the amount of damage caused and the most suitable ruling. Usually the only suitable ruling is a certain sum of money set by the Victim’s Clan. So when a girl does get raped , the rapist does not get punished in any way or form. However the two clans have a sit together and decide on the number of dollars to be payed as a form of compensation.Now here’s the interesting part .This so called compensation for the girl never makes it into her hands , However it is divided among the Clan members and the closest it get’s to the lawful recepient is through her father . A mere 2-4% of the actual compensation.the offender always walks away free of charge with a simple scolding not  to repeat the offense so as his Clan do not have to pay anymore money. Behold the Clan/tribe Ideology!!!!. That is only One of the many reasons why Rape is so frequent around this place. Another reason being that very thinking so many people share ; TURNING THE VICTIM INTO THE CULPRIT.  

“Oh why was she out after 9pm” .

” why was she with a guy in the first place” .

” Why was she walking in that part of town alone” .

” Why was she dressed in that manner” 

She brought it on herself ,SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT , SHE DESERVES IT !! SAY NO TO SYMPATHY , SAY NO TO LOGIC , SAY NO TO REASONING!!!

I just don’t understand these statements. Nobody wants to be raped . It could happen to anyone really . It could happen at 12pm noon, to a woman dressed like a ninja. It is society that is messed up for trying to make excuses for such kind of people. Why not make excuses for the victim instead. Why not Question the offender’s behavior. Why not for once put aside all the sexism and Just say right from wrong.

About a year ago I did a post on teen girls burning themselves for what I considered silly reasons .[ here’s the post ]. Back then Rape was not so common, However there was a reasonable number of teen pregnancies.

Back in march this year I was assigned to the Gyn/Obs ward at the general Hospital in town , we did 6 days a week , 7 hour shifts for 3 months. The one thing that caught my attention during that period was the number of little girls that were coming in pregnant. Before this time , I was only familiar with the daily gossip that went around town but what I was not aware of was the actual scale of this issue.But what made this even more interesting is how when they were asked about the father of the child , Most of them responded in the same manner :

He refused to claim responsibility for the child and is in no way planning to be a part of this.  

Most of these girls were lured in with dreams of being married and finding her happily ever after. They were all promised love and support , only to be used and dumped. For those of you that are sitting there thinking “Oh well she did consent to it ,She should take responsibility for it .” Isn’t the fact that she is going through with the pregnancy while still in school enough proof of her owning up to her mistake. But my question is why not place the same harsh stigmas on the other person involved,Afterall it was not a pen that impregnated her. It is that guy you make excuses for time and time again

” Oh he was young and naive” .

” He will grow to be a fine gentleman” .

“She seduced him into it , he would never have done it otherwise” 

NGOs in Somalia and the Rip-off

Over the past 20 or so years , the number of foreign NGOs in Somalia have increased noticeably . Now with so many non-governmental organisations in the region, you would expect to see a real visible positive difference in our society . Instead every once in awhile you see an unrealistic statistic pop up about the number of young mothers who die in child labor , or how 80% of the Somali youth are illiterate . 

I have been in Somalia during the past 4 years , for 10 months each year. Not once did someone knock my door and ask me to fill out a questionnaire , Not once was there a census conducted, Not once did i see an NGO put together an event to educate the public as a whole. Instead what i keep seeing is these very NGOs who claim to help pregnant women waste money that could have bought enough iron tablets for 9 months for at least 10 women .

A few months ago, we were called for a seminar that was about Postpartum hemorrhages and its effects on women. I am not going to deny that it was rather informative ,and i did learn something new . But what bothered me is why hold a luncheon for all the attendants when that same money can be utilized elsewhere. I can manage to eat lunch at home, I can bring along my own pen and paper for the seminar , I do not need a file to hold my papers, I will do just fine without all that .As long as i brought my mind with me , you have nothing to worry about. Your message will get through

Now with all that i have said , I am not pointing fingers nor accusing Every Single NGO of ripping people off. there's always the good and the corrupt , and this post is directed at the corrupt , financially draining NGOs that have done us no good , yet accept large amounts of donations in our name -Somalia.
Donations large enough to send some of their employees on a completely prepaid trip around the world.

Hopefully someday we will all realize how much harm has been done to our society through these so called non-profit organizations.

To all my viewers

Its been a good 4 months and a half since i have posted on this blog , It is not because i have forgotten about it but life has kept me very busy . When i first started this blog, it was for the purposes of letting people know there is more to Somalia than just Al- Shabaab ad pirates, it was my perspective on things , random ventings,  my opinions and it was mostly done with a sense of humour .Some of my Somali readers may have found my style of writing offensive, and I am sorry if it was not to your liking , but like i said this is MY perspective and opinions and i will not change anything about it . To all of you who have enjoyed my blog , I hope i was able to make you smile at some point and hopefully this is not the end of this blog .
Ill broaden the objective of this blog more so as to include MY opinions on recent world affairs, a few recipes that i love and anything that might be of use or entertaining to all of you . I will still be posting about Somalia though simply because that is where i come from [ patriotic moment]


Thank you all for stopping by :)

sleepy thought

"GO YE AND CAUSE MAYHEM"... the title of a Youtube video that had me laughing, confused, frustrated and thinking.

So at the end of a long day, feeling bored and tired,in an attempt to entertain myself as i eat my laxoox, i click on youtube. now my hands aimlessly type in Somalia, and the results are as expected
the words "AL-SHABAAB, CIVIL WAR , PIRATES and FIGHTERS" play over my screen. As i scroll down, this video catches my attention, double-click, and its loading . few minutes later here i am, sleepy, skeptic, and a little more repulsive to Kenyans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxXyai80BFQ

now this is a video by a so-called "NTV Kenya; a Kenyan premier TV station for news and general programming", Whats amazing about it is ..HOW ON EARTH WHERE THEY ABLE TO GET HOLD OF SUCH NEWS ??. I've watched the video twice, and there was not one second of that video that clearly showed AK-47's being given off as prizes .
and why would a 100+ residents attend such a ceremony??, some regions of Somalia may be in war but that does not mean the public are approving of little boys running around with guns and grenades, shooting and killing innocent civilians!!!...not only is it absurd, it is unbelievably frustrating how such a story is fragmented to make Somalis look bad.

now thats not the worst of it , as i scroll down to read the comments , this is the response of a person to some one who said " I want to go to Somalia and form my own country... Who is with me?"


THE UGLY REPLY :

"@tomrichardson83 yeh....then go live live
there.....and try to avoid genocide, aids,
rape, and starvation....then tell me you still wanna live there asshole"

its funny how everyone just assumes we have aids and starvation and all kinds of horrible problems. he might be right about genocide, but rape??.
of course there is that occasional incident that has everyone shocked and in disbelieve . but AIDS AND RAPE ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST OF OUR INTERNAL ISSUES!!!!...


but sadly that seems to be the impression the world has created about a country that was once known as "PARADISE IN AFRICA".


....too sleepy to type, the words of a friend pop in my head

"I've got sunshine in a bag, no wait its piss"..

final words : zzzzZZZZZZZzzzzz lo0olzzz

Somalia - A Lifetime experience

3 years ago, on a sunny sad day , i was told of a place called Borame,and that i would be doing my degree there. The first question that popped in my head was " where is that??". i was in disbelieve when i heard it was in "SOMALIA". i was so sure i wouldn't come out of that trip alive!! . words from the news kept playing in my head " al-shabab, Islamists, UN, Somalia ". i was heartbroken, depressed, and mad at the world. i prayed for forgiveness and repented all of my sins, [ since i knew my clock was ticking].

A month later : as i stepped out of the plane , the weather was UNBELIEVABLE !!!!.being from the middle east where airconditioning pretty much keeps us alive ; the cold breeze and the cloudy sky was just breath taking!!!!

my first reaction inside the airport was : OMGGGG LOOK AT ALL THESE SOMALI PEOPLE!!!!! , my dad quickly hushed me, and told me " people can understand, you know !!!" [ i was used 2 using my somali as a secret language , now everyone around me could understand it, and they were all staring like i was an alien!!!!! ] . 4 hours later , i saw A GOAT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE , 2 min later , BACAC!!! OMGG LOOK AT THE BACAAC!!!! [ bacaac = sheep], i had no idea what they were called in somali and i honestly believed that was a real name for it.



i was like a little lost child, in a different world . i would stare at everything and everyone. and i had so many questions, and no one was being helpful .







the one thing that had me thinking, was why everyone was chewing "GREEN LEAVES JUST LIKE GOATS " .. LIKE EWWWW ...SPIT IT ALREADY!!!
when i finally got to my new home, i was a bit relieved, things were starting to feel better.. the house had a huge balcony and WE HAD A MAID!!!!!! [ we have never had a maid before , so this was 5 star treatment], i was thrilled at the weather i quickly changed into something lighter and sat outside . one thing i didn't realize was going to meet my enemy : "THE MOSQUITOES".. apparently these tiny lil insects were feeding on my sweet, fresh blood all along ,, 2 hours later, i was swelling up like a pumpkin, and i didn't know why... i was having an allergic reaction and it was so bad, i had to get shots at the local hospital .
ever since that day, long sleeves and mosquito repellents were a must!!

3 years later : I AM STILL ALIVE !!!!!!, and living life to the fullest.
i wont lie and tell you, "SOMALIA IS THE AFRICAN VERSION OF HAWAII!!!" [ I'm sure most of you heard that from aabo or hooyo] , but its definitely a trip everyone has to take once in their lifetime . your whole perspective of life will be changed forever. the little things that most of us take for granted are Blessings we should be grateful for every single day of our lives.

FROM A 16 YEAR OLD , SPOILED LIL BRAT WHO WAS FULL O CRAP, TO THE WOMAN I AM TODAY, . I WOULD MOST DEFINITELY DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

Somali pedophiles???

about a week ago. the city of Borame was put in shock, as two young girls were raped.
Now the reason why this story was even more unbeilivable is the circumstance in which this horrifying crime took place.

the 2 girls were of ages 3 and 6. yet thats not the worst of it at all
what makes this even worse is the fact that the 6 year old was raped at a QURANIC SCHOOL!!!. yes thats right...and by who?? her teacher!!!!.
and if you think it doesnt get any worse than this , GUESS WHAT ..it does..
this teacher was a married man with two wifes and hitting the age of 40+. the story of the 3 year old is still not clear but sadly the child has passed away. may GOD rest her soul in peace......
now alot of you might think this is just another somali storyy spiced up to ruin the image of "sheikhs". but this is straight up facts . both men are in prison at the moment and this situation is under investigation
i am personally outraged that these men are even still alive. as our religion says raping is a crime. and the ruling on this crime is DEATH!!! and even if there are those irrational indivituals who like to argue that it was by consent...THEY WERE LIL KIDSS!!!!!....an innocent child who has to suffer from the trauma, a mentally sick **** has inflicted on her.
honestly the only punishment fair enough is hanging at a public place. let those who contemplate an act so0 horrible consider it a lesson , "whoever does disobey the laws of the Quran, they shall be punished " , not only would it discourage further incidents, it would bring peace to the families of the little girls, and reassure the society that we do take crimes seriously and those who cause them, will not be left unpunished.
3 cases of rape in 2 weeks time is an alarming no. in a country that is known for its 100% muslim population. i mean where has our religion gone?? where are the beliefs that were so0 highly held??.what happened to the days when u could walk the streets in peace, without having to worry about theft or abuse???