THOUGHTS OF A SOMALI GIRL

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