THOUGHTS OF A SOMALI GIRL

So I came across this scene from Jesus of Nazareth : Look at the women...and how they're dressed. OH MY GOD! THEY LOOK LIKE MUSLIM WOMEN!!!! WHAT IS GOING ON?! Please, have a seat. Have a cup of tea and allow me to enlighten you. Be honest with yourself. Do those women from the film look any different from  these   women?:  Admit it. You know they don't. Yet...the hijaab is such a strange concept for many non-Muslims when it shouldn't be - especially for Christians and Jews.  Sometimes when I walk down the street people stare at me. Sometimes people will ask me why I wear it and it's just so foreign and alien to them.  When I was 10 years old, my family moved to a small city that wasn't very multicultural. Forget the fact that there were very few Black students in the school. My sisters and I were the ONLY students in the ENTIRE school who wore the hijaab. I remember my first day of school like it was yesterday. My classmates kept

Okay so super serious conversation today... So I was watching a video (you can watch it   here ) uploaded by MyInvisibleChyrsalis, one of my fave YouTubers, where she talks about struggling with depression for months. She'd been uploading videos during her depression and I never would have guessed she'd been going through something. I really took it in how you never know what someone is going through on the inside. On the outside, they're cheerful, happy, and have everything going for them. It's all a facade...because inside, they're going through some serious shiz and you would never have even thought it. This is why you gotta ask people how they're doing and truly mean it. They could be smiling at you and it seems as if things are normal, but inside, the simple and sincere question of "How are you doing?" has made their day. I remembered the time when I was going through depression. I hid it from many people including my family. I di

From worldofpctures(dot)com Hi y'all! Asalamu alaykum (peace be upon you)!  The new school year has finally arrived! YAYYYY!!! So happy summer is finally over!  JUST KIDDING!  I'm sad summer is over but I gotta admit, I'm a little excited to be going back to university, mainly because it's my last year of undergraduate studies (yay me!). Since the new school year is already here, here's my advice for newbies starting university/college! I've put together some of the things I've learned over the years. ACADEMICS 1. Course credit exclusions* When you enroll in courses be sure to look out for course credit exclusions.   That information should be in the course description when you're choosing a course to take. For example, let's say you want to take a Social Science course. In the course description, it says that a certain Humanities course (they will be specific about which one) is a course credit exclusion. You wonde

Hi everyone! I'm back in Canada safe and sound! Alhamdulillah! I'm so happy to be home. I've never missed my home so much. Neither have I missed nor appreciated food in Canada, my bed, my stove, and yes, even my washing machine! My trip to Mogadishu with my family was definitely a humbling one. I've never appreciated the life we have as much as I do now. You only come to understand and appreciate your life when you put yourself in someone else' shoes. I was already somewhat aware of what life in Somalia was like. But actually living there was what made me have more appreciation for the life I had.  I could never live in Somalia. The family I have there would always ask me whether I would move there. Whenever I'd politely say no, they'd say the same thing: "This is your home, it's where you are from. You're whole family is here." I'd feel conflicting emotions. On the one hand, Canada is where I grew up. I consider

Road Trip to Baadiyo Visiting baadiyo or the bush/savanna/rural area - or whatever you want to call it - was the best part of my trip. I absolutely loved it! With my three maternal aunts, some of their children (all couldn't go with us, there's too many!), and maternal grandmother, my family decided to spend a day visiting my cousin and her family. All together, there was 20 of us visiting my mother's niece. We all managed to fit in my second cousin's minibus. Along the way we were stopped at several security checkpoints (where you have to pay to pass through) before we could finally get to my cousin's home which was actually close to the city. It was just mesmerizing. There was no pavement, just dirt, which was a reddish-brown colour and some patches of grass here and there. My cousin's home was fascinating. It looked like something straight out of a National Geographic magazine. She lived in a small compound that was enclosed by a fence made of t

Ramadan in Somalia Several things to say about fasting during Ramadan in Somalia. There's the good and the bad as with all things. The good thing about Ramadan in Somalia? It's easier to fast in Somalia than in Canada: the fast is shorter with the sun setting earlier (around 6 pm instead of around 9) and there is no temptation to eat; everyone is fasting and if they aren't, they're not open about it. In addition, all the restaurants are closed until it's time to eat so you won't see anyone eating when you go outside. Furthermore, there isn't any food in the house to tempt you - people buy fresh food everyday from the market. I also love hearing the multiple aathans (call to prayer) at every prayer from the mosques in the area. There's no need to check the time to see if it's time to pray or set an alarm to wake up for Fajr. I found that I'm able to pray on time more. On the flipside, despite being in a Muslim country, I don't feel

Hello world. Peace be upon you all. So last night we went to visit my cousin's cousin (I know, a bit of a mouthful huh?). Her 6-year old daughter was sick. For 2 days, the little girl had diarrhea and was vomiting everything she ate or drank. We went into her room to see her. She was on a mattress on the floor shivering. When she saw us, she whispered hello and weakly lifted her hand for us to shake, despite her frail state. It was a strange sight to see her like that. Usually full of life and energy and a great help to her mother around the house, my cousin's niece was now quiet and aside from her shivering, lay still. When we were leaving, I shook her warm little hand and said, "Mac salaam, Illaahay ha ku caafiyo".   Goodbye, and may God heal you . She gave me a little smile and went to sleep. When the family was eating suhuur (meal eaten before dawn when fasting) her condition seemed to have improved and she had the strength to go to th

First Day Hello everyone! I think I've gotten used to life in Somalia. I don't hate being here as much as I first did (but seriously, life with no internet at home sucks!). I still wouldn't choose to live here. Anyways. Here's a little something about my first full day in Somalia. On our first morning in Somalia, my sister, cousin, and mother got to making breakfast for the rest of the family. My aunt was fast asleep. I took the wooden bowl thingy with the charcoal to the outdoor hallway. People in Somalia usually cook inside the kitchen where there isn't proper ventilation for the smoke. We made anjeero and y'all it was hard! Besides being used to cooking on a stove, I was used to using a metal ladle to make the circular shape of anjeero. We had to use a little metal cup for that. My mother cooked at first so she could show us how it was done. My grandmother ordered my mother to stop cooking and said my sister, cousin, and I had to learn to cook.

Arrival The journey was LONG and exhausting. Annoyingly, our flight didn't go straight to Somalia from Dubai where we stayed for a night as transit. I felt like I was on a bus. The plane first stopped by Hargeisa, where people got off and others got on. Then it went across the border to Djibouti, where again, people got off and others got on. THEN we finally landed in Mogadishu, where my family is from. I felt this feeling of wonder when the plane first flew over Hargeisa. From above, I saw red sand and those "African" trees you always see in National Geographic. I couldn't believe I was actually here! Anyways! Back to landing in Mogadishu. With the hot sun on my face, I couldn't help but look around in wonder as I stepped out of the plane and onto the stairs waiting for the passengers. There were palm trees around, and to my left, I could see the Indian Ocean. Inside the airport was chaos. Past security where the bags are (there wasn't the bagg

Hello world! Peace be upon you all. THE TIME HAS COME Y'ALL! As you've probably guessed from the title of this post, the time has come for this Canadian gal to visit the land of her ancestors - for the very first time! The past few days have been a whirlwind of packing, buying things for the trip, and of course, gifts for the family.  I'm feeling a bit nervous actually. My Somali is pretty good but I can't help add in a few English words here and there. And to be completely honest, I'm also a bit nervous about walking out in the streets among people who have seen nothing but war and violence. I've heard countless crazy stories. Their mindset and ways are different than my own. Maybe my thoughts about them will have changed at the end of my travel. But despite all the nervousness, I'm actually very excited now that I'm waiting for my flight. The reality that I'm going has finally sunk in! I'm looking forward to meeting my gra

Hello world!  Here are some old photos I found of Somali people. The Somali culture is a nomadic one which unfortunately isn't really practiced today.

Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? Say yes, say yes Cuz I need to know You say I'll never get your blessing 'till the day I die Tough luck my friend, but the answer is no! -"Rude", Magic Sound like your situation?  *Sigh*  The abuse of wali/guardian power. What a huge issue in the Muslim community. Many fathers reject a potential husband for their daughter for reasons like he's not of the same ethnic or racial background, he's not educated enough, he's not rich, etc. Serious ridiculousness. One of the duties of a Muslim father is to make sure that his daughter(s) get married to a suitable God-fearing man.  "The Messenger of Allah said: "When someone whose religion and character you are pleased with come to you, then marry [her to] him. If you do not do so, then there will be turmoil (Fitnah) in the land and discord (Fasad). If you do not do so, then there will be turmoil (Fitnah) in the land and disc