My experience in Somalia has been very eye opening. If you are looking for a place to go lay out on the beach and read your magazine, then Somalia is definitely not the place for you. It is still a war zone, so I would highly advise against traveling there to party.
However, if you want to experience a place with rich culture and kind, caring locals, then definitely visit Somalia. I have finally realized that the reason I wanted to travel to Somalia was to experience traveling as a political act. Both my host family and I have left cultural impressions on each other. They have taught me that family is the most important thing in life, not material possessions. I hope that I left with them the idea that all Americans are not a bunch of spoiled rich people, and that we are very accepting of all kinds of people, no matter their religions or lifestyles.
To travel as a political act is to become an ambassador for your culture and celebrate those who have different cultures. One should travel as a political act to make international relationships that help to establish an international community in this millennial age.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Government
The streets I described on the first day are not all that different from everywhere else in Somalia. The main reason for all the violence is the terrorist group, al-Shabaab. In 1991, the last president of Somalia,President Siad Barre, was overthrown by the warlords of Somalia. For the next twenty or so years, there have been countless attempts to seat another president and create a more stable government, but the warlords were too strong and the central government did not have the resources or the influence to take down the established warlords. Paired with severe droughts and widespread anarchy, Somalia fell into despair and some half a million people died from famine.
In 2006, the Islamist terrorist group, al-Shabaab, rose up and dominated most of south Somalia, even claiming the capital city. With a terrorist group in charge, there was no positive change and the region remained under turmoil.
It was not until 2012 that the United Nations established an internationally- backed central government. Since then, the new Federal Republic of Somalia has created sucesss by driving out al-Shabaab, however they continue to violate their people's human rights.
The link below will take you to the World Report 2014 of Somalia. I included this link to demonstrate how, even though there has been little progress in Somalia, it is slowly becoming more stable, despite some human rights violations.
World Report 2014: Somalia
I assume that the members of the United Nations only helped Somalia because they were growing tired of the Somalian pirates raiding trade ships that passed out of the Suez Canal, into the Red Sea, and past Somalia. Geographically, Somalia is a prime area for trading because of its nearness to the markets in other middle eastern countries, but its lack of economy prevents it from establishing trade.
In 2006, the Islamist terrorist group, al-Shabaab, rose up and dominated most of south Somalia, even claiming the capital city. With a terrorist group in charge, there was no positive change and the region remained under turmoil.
It was not until 2012 that the United Nations established an internationally- backed central government. Since then, the new Federal Republic of Somalia has created sucesss by driving out al-Shabaab, however they continue to violate their people's human rights.
The link below will take you to the World Report 2014 of Somalia. I included this link to demonstrate how, even though there has been little progress in Somalia, it is slowly becoming more stable, despite some human rights violations.
World Report 2014: Somalia
I assume that the members of the United Nations only helped Somalia because they were growing tired of the Somalian pirates raiding trade ships that passed out of the Suez Canal, into the Red Sea, and past Somalia. Geographically, Somalia is a prime area for trading because of its nearness to the markets in other middle eastern countries, but its lack of economy prevents it from establishing trade.
Manners
My first night was pretty hectic. After going inside, we all washed out hands, sat down, said a prayer in arabic, then ate a delicious meal of cambuulo. Cambuulo is a traditional, and very common, dish served at dinner consisting of azuki beans, sugar, and butter. The texture was smooth and rich, but very sweet. Along with the cambuulo, we had soor, which is just like cornbread, but softer and richer. Below is a picture of Cambuulo.
One very important thing I had to remember while eating was never to use my left hand. Of the 10 million people in Somalia, almost 100% are muslim. As such, the grand majority of people follow Islamic customs, and in Islam, the left hand is considered inferior to the right because the left is used for cleaning the body. Using the right hand for tasks such as eating and drinking, entering the mosque, saying salaam at the end of a prayer, putting on shoes, etc, all honor Allah . When doing the opposite or less noble activities like blowing one's nose, undressing, exiting the mosque, etc, one would honor Allah by using his left hand.
We also did not use silverware, which was pretty cool. Depending on which area one is in, people may not use silverware. Even though I was staying with a middle class family, we ate with out hands. It's not so much a class thing as much as preference. It is also not a matter of religion because there is no mention in the Quran about eating with or without silverware.
One very important thing I had to remember while eating was never to use my left hand. Of the 10 million people in Somalia, almost 100% are muslim. As such, the grand majority of people follow Islamic customs, and in Islam, the left hand is considered inferior to the right because the left is used for cleaning the body. Using the right hand for tasks such as eating and drinking, entering the mosque, saying salaam at the end of a prayer, putting on shoes, etc, all honor Allah . When doing the opposite or less noble activities like blowing one's nose, undressing, exiting the mosque, etc, one would honor Allah by using his left hand.
We also did not use silverware, which was pretty cool. Depending on which area one is in, people may not use silverware. Even though I was staying with a middle class family, we ate with out hands. It's not so much a class thing as much as preference. It is also not a matter of religion because there is no mention in the Quran about eating with or without silverware.
My New Home
As we approached the outskirts of the city, everything began looking more rural. There was a comforting absence of paved roads, which meant that we were exiting the war torn city.
This map gives you an idea of the layout of Mogadishu and where I was staying. I also wanted to give you an idea of how dangerous Mogadishu is because of all the rival warlords who caused all the violence (this includes al-Shabaab). The green dot indicated the approximate location of my temporary home.
The taxi let us off in front of the apartment building that I would be staying at for the next couple of weeks. My temporary home was painted white, like much of the rest of the buildings in the area, and was surrounded by a nine-foot tall, white wall with a black, iron railing fence that one could enter through.
Inside the fence, small garden grew adjacent to a simple stone patio with a few plastic chairs and a rusty metal table; It was quint, and reminded me of the suburbs back home. It turned out that my entire host family lived inside the four-apartment apartment building. They all greeted me very kindly, there had to be at least fifteen people there, all the aunts, uncles, grandparents and children.
I greeted them by saying, "Is ka warran. Magacaygu waa Morgan," which means "Hello, my name is Morgan" in Somalian. My host sister, Abyan, then added something in Somalian that I couldn't understand, but it was apparently about me because the rest of her family all smiled and introduced themselves to me.
It was unusual that none of them came over and shook my hand or hugged be, but I soon learned that woman shaking hands, or even having physical contact with anyone who is not close family was outlawed in 2011 by al-Shabaab. The terrorist militia t still greatly influences Southern Somalia, even in 2014. I don't think anyone would have ever found out if I did shake anyone's hand in that concealed courtyard, but people still don't want to take any risks. Disobeying al-Shabaab is punishable by whipping, imprisonment, or even execution.
This map gives you an idea of the layout of Mogadishu and where I was staying. I also wanted to give you an idea of how dangerous Mogadishu is because of all the rival warlords who caused all the violence (this includes al-Shabaab). The green dot indicated the approximate location of my temporary home.
The taxi let us off in front of the apartment building that I would be staying at for the next couple of weeks. My temporary home was painted white, like much of the rest of the buildings in the area, and was surrounded by a nine-foot tall, white wall with a black, iron railing fence that one could enter through.
Inside the fence, small garden grew adjacent to a simple stone patio with a few plastic chairs and a rusty metal table; It was quint, and reminded me of the suburbs back home. It turned out that my entire host family lived inside the four-apartment apartment building. They all greeted me very kindly, there had to be at least fifteen people there, all the aunts, uncles, grandparents and children.
I greeted them by saying, "Is ka warran. Magacaygu waa Morgan," which means "Hello, my name is Morgan" in Somalian. My host sister, Abyan, then added something in Somalian that I couldn't understand, but it was apparently about me because the rest of her family all smiled and introduced themselves to me.
It was unusual that none of them came over and shook my hand or hugged be, but I soon learned that woman shaking hands, or even having physical contact with anyone who is not close family was outlawed in 2011 by al-Shabaab. The terrorist militia t still greatly influences Southern Somalia, even in 2014. I don't think anyone would have ever found out if I did shake anyone's hand in that concealed courtyard, but people still don't want to take any risks. Disobeying al-Shabaab is punishable by whipping, imprisonment, or even execution.
Landing and Driving
The first question that came to my mom's mind when I told her I would be studying abroad in Somalia was "Why?" Well, thats an excellent question. I applied for and received a scholarship from the United Nations that would allow me to go on an exchange to a developing country. The United Nations would pay for my trip, but the catch was I would need to document my experience so they could have an inside view of the situation in Somalia. So here I am today.
I was not too surprised to learn that the United States had an air traffic block on Somalia, seeing as the Somalian terrorists do not take very kindly to Americans. Instead, the United Nations benevolently payed for my flight, which would have cost around $1,500 for a round trip. So, 24 hours and two layovers (one in London and one in Ethiopia) later, I am finally here. For someplace that was supposed to be right next to the ocean, Somalia is sure dusty. It has all the wind and salty air that Alki Beach has back in Seattle, but less lacks vegetation and the welcoming atmosphere.
Another thing that was really different for me was having to wear a hijab. A hijab is a headscarf that muslim woman wears to, in simple words, remain modest. The majority of people here are Sunni Muslim, and according to the Quran (the Islam holy book), women must remain modest in public at all times. They must cover their hair because to prevent either gender from having lustful, and therefore sinful, thoughts (because hair is the most seducing part of the body. I am not required by law to wear one, but I prefer to, just to help hide the fact that I am a pale ginger kid and allow me to blend in.
One might think that wearing full body clothing in the middle of summer in 90 degree heat would be hot. Well they would be correct. However, the heat was dry, not sticky and sweaty, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Anyway, my host family picked me up from the airport and a taxi drove us through the capital, Mogadishu. I was stunned to find so demolished buildings (demolished in the sense that they were bombed, not a construction project). Sure, many buildings were still intact, but a thin layer of dust from the destroyed buildings engulfed them. A rusty, blown up car lied on this one street. Its the car's roof was about a block and a half south of the car. People just walked by like it was a regular occurrence. It probably was. Rival war lords have ruled Somalia for many years, and often violence breaks out in the streets, especially in Mogadishu.
To better understand how I was feeling, I have included a video of a drive through Mogadishu in 2013 that was almost identical to mine:
Note the tents outside some of the buildings. Those are people's homes because their old ones were destroyed by the violence. The government does not provide insurance or assistance to help them back on their feet, their only possible source of aid is the United Nations. Also, compared to downtown Seattle, Mogadishu was pretty quiet. People talked amongst themselves and cars drove around, but there was no roar of any freeways or honking from cars. I hoped that it would stay that way.
I was not too surprised to learn that the United States had an air traffic block on Somalia, seeing as the Somalian terrorists do not take very kindly to Americans. Instead, the United Nations benevolently payed for my flight, which would have cost around $1,500 for a round trip. So, 24 hours and two layovers (one in London and one in Ethiopia) later, I am finally here. For someplace that was supposed to be right next to the ocean, Somalia is sure dusty. It has all the wind and salty air that Alki Beach has back in Seattle, but less lacks vegetation and the welcoming atmosphere.
Another thing that was really different for me was having to wear a hijab. A hijab is a headscarf that muslim woman wears to, in simple words, remain modest. The majority of people here are Sunni Muslim, and according to the Quran (the Islam holy book), women must remain modest in public at all times. They must cover their hair because to prevent either gender from having lustful, and therefore sinful, thoughts (because hair is the most seducing part of the body. I am not required by law to wear one, but I prefer to, just to help hide the fact that I am a pale ginger kid and allow me to blend in.
One might think that wearing full body clothing in the middle of summer in 90 degree heat would be hot. Well they would be correct. However, the heat was dry, not sticky and sweaty, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Anyway, my host family picked me up from the airport and a taxi drove us through the capital, Mogadishu. I was stunned to find so demolished buildings (demolished in the sense that they were bombed, not a construction project). Sure, many buildings were still intact, but a thin layer of dust from the destroyed buildings engulfed them. A rusty, blown up car lied on this one street. Its the car's roof was about a block and a half south of the car. People just walked by like it was a regular occurrence. It probably was. Rival war lords have ruled Somalia for many years, and often violence breaks out in the streets, especially in Mogadishu.
To better understand how I was feeling, I have included a video of a drive through Mogadishu in 2013 that was almost identical to mine:
Note the tents outside some of the buildings. Those are people's homes because their old ones were destroyed by the violence. The government does not provide insurance or assistance to help them back on their feet, their only possible source of aid is the United Nations. Also, compared to downtown Seattle, Mogadishu was pretty quiet. People talked amongst themselves and cars drove around, but there was no roar of any freeways or honking from cars. I hoped that it would stay that way.
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