Food & Fun

Never been much of a cook but I’ve made a few tasty dishes this weekend; and they were pretty great.

I’ve never really had an omelet. The way Somalis make eggs is sometimes a thin version of an omelet but I’ve never had an omelet in the American sense. This morning, I woke up and decided to make breakfast for my family and made my first omelet. I did not have all the ingredients for the recipes I found online and decided to prepare the vegetables inside my way. It came out better than I’d hoped for!

The for lunch, we had Salmon – seasoned with a variety of spices. It was salty – salty = tasty! It came out really good. This is usually served with rice in our family and various veggies.

Then for dessert, we had chocolate cake filled with chocolate chips. I did not make this, my younger sister made it. AND it was delicious too!

I am definitely going to try to make more Somali-American recipes. Hope to learn new ways to make same recipes!

Heart’s Depth

It is often said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  But what of the emotions it entices.

At first glance, my lips parted as my heart smiled and my body filled with joy. My mind conjured up the innocence of children’s laughter and the carelessness of childhood. Immediately I thought, “how I miss the good old days.”

Unfortunately, my heart’s smile is betrayed by the very real possibility that this picture carries with it insurmountable sadness. Possibility that they are running in fear. Away from  gunmen who’d long forgotten the enemy - aimlessly shooting. Men who’ve turned killing into a sport.

Their parents preach of lineage and seek to instill in their children pride of such lineage. This pride has enabled warlords to take the lives of thousands YET no one seems to recognize the cost.

Those lucky enough to escape the suffering stupidly continue this crippling legacy of lineage. They fight for a disease that has forced them to live in foreign lands their hearts don’t recognize.

While we allow this disease to permeate every aspect of our lives, these children – their innocence, their future, their hopes their lives – are sacrificed.

‘Somalia Deep in My Heart’ and I vow to end the disease that has too long consumed us;

so that our children can once again experience childhood!

Our Children. Our Future.

Miracle Baby

Yesterday, I became an auntie for the second time – a beautiful, healthy and extremely energetic baby boy sneezed (literally) into our lives. It was my first time seeing a – less than a minute old  newborn.. It was absolutely awe-inspiring.

Like many, I have never liked hospitals but my nephews helped create fond memories in this hospital so much so that I have spent majority of the last two days here.

It is amazing how the body produces a baby – how extremely complicated yet simple, pleasurable it is to help bring a life into this world.

I pray for a life filled with love and happiness for him. I can’t wait for all the ’firsts’ to follow this one.

Welcome to the family beautiful. We love and cherish you. Always <3

Glorified Roman Holiday – Columbus Style

As I grow older, it is becoming more difficult to  what I learned through school and experience. I’ve always been driven by a social conscience that often dictates the way I react to situations that perpetuate racist or stereotypical attitude. As a result, such attitude tends to anger extremely fast. This is not to say I never succumb to stereotypical or even sometimes racist remarks; although I am doing my best to eradicate such poor use of language and misconstrued ideology.

This morning, during while speaking with a classmate, the subject of Columbus and his historical significance arose. This is a an African-American Politics class in which we were discussing the legacy of black inferiority in the United States. I pointed out the absurdity in celebrating and worse declaring Columbus Day a national holiday. While I understand and give him the credit for being on of the first document European sailor to come the Americas (not discover because there were other human’s who lived here before his ‘discovery’).  However, recognizing his influence in the birth of the US as a nation and celebrating him are quite different. Recognition is to affirm a historical fact. To celebrate is to honor, glorify or commend. We recognize Hitler’s leadership and impact in German as well as Jewish history. We recognize Martin Luther King’s leadership and impact in American history. However, majority of the people in Germany do not celebrate Hitler’s rule. On the contrary, majority of American’s celebrate Martin Luther King. For this reason, I associate Columbus’s ‘discovery‘ with extinction of millions of people indigenous to the America’s. We – meaning everyone who is not  a direct descendant of  the natives of this land – are benefiting from their loss as it has become a place to call home. A nation that has  become known as the most powerful nation in the world.

There is a dichotomy in the significance of Columbus in US history.

• As children we are taught everything depicted in the following image.

His glorified discovery of savage land. Ironically, teachers throw in a few lectures of the ‘noble natives’ that helped the settlers.

• As we get older, we learn the misery caused by his supposed discovery.

Recognizing Columbus’s contribution to this nation is legitimate and important. However, celebrating him inadvertently celebrates the cost of his ‘discovery’. Millions of Natives died at the hands of European settlers. Celebrating Columbus seems to me like a way of quite literally shitting on their graves. I commend Hawaii, Alaska, and South Dakota who choose to not recognize Columbus Day as a national holiday.  It is hard to fully understand.

– This is my opinion & not meant to offend anyone.