THOUGHTS OF A SOMALI GIRL

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. ...

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...