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.
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