Deqa Mahammed

Hi, I'm Deqa Mahammed. Who am I? Normally, I struggle with answering this question, but i'm going to go as basic as possible. I am Deqa Mahammed, a 1st generation American. I am a Somali female who is also Muslim.

I am going to be posting my first essay, the New Orleans journal, and

Deqa Mahammed

English 367

Journal

1. I think New Orleans should be rebuilt. This city means a lot to America. It is very rich in tradition, socially and economically. New Orleans is a place where many people from all over the world come together to have a good time. There is New Orleans jazz, food, and of course Mardi Gras. These are things that only this city can offer. The people who live in the city have so much love for it and it’s not fair to abandon their home that they love so much. It has to be rebuilt, it needs to go back to the way it was before Katrina, so the people can have faith and so that we can restore the place that they call home.

2. There were many themes and ideas that stood out to me, but there were a couple I focused on. Faith was ever so present in the documentary. Many of the survivors talked about how they lost everything, but they had enough faith in God to guide them through their hardships. There is also the theme of abandonment. Many of the people in New Orleans felt like their own government abandoned them and left them out in the wild to fend for themselves. The levees broke because the government didn’t take precaution and build it to the best of its ability. Many were killed, lost family members, and lost their homes. They are not even able to get insurance for their homes. These are regular Americans, who pay taxes, homeowners insurance, and mortgage, yet they lost everything and the government tells them they can’t get anything back? That is a stab in the back. The nation that they live for and love turned their backs in them when they were needed the most. A woman in the video stated, “We have time to go to Iraq and help the Iraqi’s, but what about us, the ones in this country who need help?” This is so true, the government needs to prioritize, and they need to help their own before anyone else. The woman who had lost her family stated, “My being together broke when I fell apart.” Her family members died, she lost her home and now lives in a trailer months after the hurricane. She fell apart, but her faith gives her strength.

Deqa Mahammed

English 367

Professor Lohre

May 20, 2009

Safia Ismail, Store Owner

Hilliard, Ohio

Essay Two

The Person I interviewed is Safia Ismail, my aunt who I grew up with, basically my mother. Upon beginning the interview she was extremely nervous and told me that her English wasn’t that good. I reassured her, told her she’d be fine and that if it got too difficult, she can continue on in Somali. She introduced herself, but the introduction was cut from the tape. Her name is Safia Ismail, she is 36 years old and resides in Hilliard, Ohio with her 6 children.

Upon beginning the interview, my interviewee was very nervous. I assured her that it would be all right. My Auntie, 36 years old, who raised me, is the strongest woman I know. She has been through the darkest tunnels and with her own will and strength led herself to the light. She came to the United States in 1996 from fleeing from a civil war in her native country of Somalia. She came here by herself, her husband was left behind and she and her 5 children fled to the United States for safety. She explained, “The reason I came here is because there was a civil war in my country. We couldn’t stay in our country because, you see, everyday killing each other, people killing each other.” “You see in front of you somebody’s dying, shooting, it’s very very…I couldn’t even..I don’t even wanna talk about that.” When speaking to her, you could almost feel the anguish and struggle in her voice. She was very sad and hurt about what happened. When she began to tear, that’s when she chose not to speak about it anymore. It brought back way too many bad memories. Throughout the interview, she kept pausing, thinking to herself and nodding in appreciation of what she has around her...a home and children that she is proud of. Safia, struggled immensely when she arrived here. Previous to her arrival, she and many others like her had a pre-conceived notion about America. She revealed, “When I was in Africa, I always thought, oh god…take me to America. I thought I would get a lot of money, that life would be easy, and that I would pick money off the walls and that everything was made of diamond and gold.” She laughed at herself for thinking that, paused, then continued on with speaking, “I was surprised when I came, shocked! I didn’t even think that I would see mud on the floor. I didn’t think I would enter this life, so America’s just a grand name, unless you make something of yourself.”

When she arrived, she quickly had to adapt and be able to provide for her children. She said, “What I thought previous to coming here, and what I discovered were two very different things…when you come and you live here, you realize the reality of life in this country.” She didn’t speak the language, nor did she have anybody to help her out. She was a woman with five children, alone in a world she was unfamiliar with. She had to do something to be able to put food on the table for her children. She explained, “I had children to provide for, so I was constantly working minimum wage, dead end jobs. There was a time, I worked three, I was always on the go.” She found this life very difficult. She was a refugee, her degree that she obtained back in Africa was completely useless, which put her at the bottom of the pool and made her start from scratch. “I was a single mother with six children (she had a son, her youngest one born 2003 in the United Sates), so I get very frustrated and sometimes I don’t even remember what I eat that day, sometimes I was starving and I just don’t know what to do, work, take the kids, drop off, pick up…. now it’s…Alhamdulillah (thank god) much better. My kids grow up and some of them they drive by themselves. I’m so happy now.” She said this with so much pride; she was beaming.

Safia had difficulty adapting, at first. She explained “Basically, when I came here it was very hard to adapt. There wasn’t a lot of Somali or Muslim communities.” She didn’t have the support that she hoped for and so desperately needed. It is much easier to find acceptance from those that are most like you and she didn’t have that. She was a one-woman show who had to learn English on her own, while also familiarizing herself with everything around her. She explained, “It’s different now, there is more of both communities, and I have more help and more people to help support me and my family.” We began speaking about America and the differences between home and here. She stated, “I like America because it’s a safe place. I don’t have to worry about my children being gunned down or my house being bombed in the middle of the night.” She paused, “Alhamdullilah, (thank god) I am where I am today.” We spoke about Somalia previous to the war. She remembered, “Before the war, safety was never an issue, I could go anywhere and nobody would have to worry because we took care of each other and there wasn’t any perceivable threats, but after the war everything changed for the worst. Safety became a number one priority; I’m proud because I got that.” She continued on about how some childhood friends of hers are still struggling back home.

With every sad story comes good news. After a few years of working minimum wage jobs, she took on a different job that allowed her a more flexible schedule. She revealed, “I work at Universal Healthcare as an aid to old people.” She had a young son, so she now had to be able to have a job that allows her the luxury of caring for him and that’s precisely what this job provided. Although, it wasn’t her dream job, she settled for what she could get at the time. To Safia, her children are her number one priority and she realized that for her to be able to look after them better, she had to find a job that didn’t consume her as much and she did just that. Also, this was around the time she sponsored her mother and a few other family members to come to America. She beamed, “I’m very happy that I brought them here, my family members who were struggling back home. I wanted to give them the chance to take advantage of the opportunities this country provides and too avoid the bloodshed and the guns.” She brought twelve people here. “This includes my mother, who is an older woman. I used to worry about her every night, she was my biggest worry, then the phone would ring and I would think oh god, is my mother dead or did she get shot…I always had a million thought running through my mind, but alhamdullilah (thank god) she is now here with me, where I can watch over her.” Her mother played a big role on slowing down when it came to all the dead end jobs.

The children of Safia are extremely important to her. They are all she’s got and hopes for the best for them. She struggled for them, She explained, “My greatest accomplishment is alhamdullilah (thank god) the enhancing of my children, I wanted them to be in a stage where they are able to obtain success. I can’t give them, nor provide for them everything that they want, but I can give them, I give. I make sure they don’t lose their religion, culture, and background. I’m so very proud of them.”

Safia was constantly talking about how her children and how she had to provide for them and how she had to take care of her mother, but I was curious as to what it was that she wanted in life and what her dreams were. She revealed, “I wanted to be a teacher my entire life, but I also wanted to own my own business and I have that now, thank god.” She realized that her children were getting older and that she could finally begin her dream of owning her own clothing business. She said, “I began planning, for years I felt like a failure to my kids because I couldn’t provide for them the way I wanted to, but here was my chance to change that. By this time, a few of my kids had jobs and were working their way up. It was the perfect opportunity.” Indeed, it was. Her store was a success; she went into the details of starting up the business. She revealed, “It took months of savings and going into it, at first, I was a little skeptical because I was putting a lot of money into it and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to cover the rent of the building and restocking. Eventually, I co signed on the building with a partner and we were on our way.” Today, the store is located in Hilliard Rome Road on the west side. “I purchased my goods: earrings, Islamic clothing, accessories, shoes, books…you name it, I got it.”

Safia Ismail has lived through tragedy, she struggled, but eventually she came to America, land of the opportunity, where she made something of herself. She also allowed her children and family members the opportunity to obtain success. In the years I have known her, she has always been the one to take care of everyone else. She came here as a refugee, with absolutely nothing. Today, she has a profitable business, children in college, and a home of her own. She did all this by herself without the help of anyone. She revealed, “My American dream came true…maxaa igaa makaan (there’s nothing missing).”