Resilience, resourcefulness and risk taking - A Somali grandmother’s story in America

[Jacaylbaro]

Resilience, resourcefulness and risk taking - A Somali grandmother’s story in America

 

 

As Somalis fled their country and scattered into the four corners of the globe from Hamilton, New Zealand, to Hamburg, Germany, looking for a safe place and a better life, they faced the challenges of everyday life in strange lands. Many have faced open discrimination and outright hostility. Each time, they tapped into that indomitable spirit for survival characteristic of their culture. Following is the true story of one proud Somali grandmother I have been privileged to meet and get to know. I thank her for the permission to tell her story.

 

Hawa Shire Abdulle, affectionately called Eddo Medino by family and friends, was living in Mogadishu when the Somali civil war erupted. At the height of the war in 1991, she fled by boat with other Somali families to the city of Kismayo, and then to Kenya. She finally found herself at Utanga Refugee Camp in Mombasa, Kenya, where she lived for three years. Life at the camp was difficult, but she was safe from the violence that was ravaging her country.

 

 

Coming to America

 

Ms. Abdulle was finally processed and approved for resettlement in the United States. She arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth international airport on July 24, 1993. This traditional, pious Somali grandmother arrived in Dallas, Texas, with nothing but the clothes on her back. She was alone, did not speak the language, and was on her own in a strange land.

 

She was taken to a Somali family with whom she lived for two months. As she faced the daunting prospect of surviving in her new home with no professional skills and unable to communicate in English, she was also thinking of two daughters left behind. She knew she had to figure out a plan for survival as quickly as she could. Imagine a Somali grandmother who had never been to school finding herself in America with no money and no one to assist.

 

She rolled up her sleeves and began to map out a plan for survival: she enrolled for evening English language classes, and began to look for work. How does one find a job when you do not speak the language, and have no work history in the US? Surprisingly, she finally found work at a Dallas meat factory, doing backbreaking manual work. She continued to toil at the factory and go to her classes in the evening. Before long, she was speaking halting English. She saved money quickly and moved to her own apartment. In the US only for a few months, she surprised everyone when she installed a voice mail machine at her home, recording a message for callers in her own voice in ENGLISH! Her voice message, “sorry I am unable to answer the phone at this time, please leave a message”, was halting and with a heavy accent but it was clear and comprehensible.

 

Ms. Abdulle continued to work at the meat factory. She was able to pay for her own living expenses and soon began sending money home to family members left behind. Having survived the brutal civil war that ravaged her home country, Ms. Abdulle faced the challenges of everyday life in America with determination. Little did she know that she would soon face new challenges that would once again test her ability to survive.

 

 

The accident

 

In 1995, while working at the Dallas meat factory where she was employed, Ms. Abdulle was severely injured in an accident. A conveyor belt carrying heavy boxes of meat malfunctioned and several boxes fell on her, causing injuries that included a broken shoulder, dislocated knee, and a serious lower back injury. In an attempt to avoid paying workers’ compensation, her employer failed to send her to the emergency. Instead, she was sent to a company clinic. She was given pain relief medication and sent back to the factory. No x-rays were taken to determine the extent of her injuries. She tried her best to do the light duty work assigned to her at the factory, but with a broken shoulder, a dislocated knee, and lower back injury, she could not bear the pain. She was unable to work and filed a workers’ compensation claim. The company contested her claim, and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission sided with the employer, denying her claim.

 

When my wife and I learned of her situation, she was barely able to walk; she had no income and, unable to pay her rent, she lost her apartment. And no one knew the extent of her injuries. The next day, we took her to a doctor who examined her, took x-rays and conducted other diagnostic tests. For the first time in many months, the extent of her injuries was determined. We were outraged.

 

 

The legal battle

 

We helped her find an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who reviewed her claim and took the case on a contingency basis. We allowed her to move in with us temporarily until her case was resolved, and her health restored.

 

The legal battle to fight for her health and her rights began in earnest in early 1996. She had surgery on her back and shoulder in mid 1996. She continued to see an assigned doctor three days a week while she fought her case in court. In April 1997, she won her workers’ compensation case in court and was awarded a modest lump sum payment, full payment of her medical bills by the company, attorney’s fees, and coverage of all future medical treatments related to her on-the-job injuries. She continued her treatment for several more years. While she got better, her injuries were so severe they left her with some permanent physical disabilities.

 

After winning her legal battle with her former employer, Ms. Abdulle moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in September 1997, where she continued her medical treatment. With a small disability check and housing assistance, she continued to fight for survival. She also continued her English language classes.

 

 

Citizenship

 

While on vacation in the spring of 2002, my wife and I visited Ms. Abdulle at her apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We found her in high spirits, sustained by an abiding faith and a determination to prevail despite her difficult circumstances. On a nice Somali dinner of succulent lamb and rice she prepared for us, she informed us that she had been studying for her citizenship test. She asked me to pretest her on a list of the usual 100 US history questions people study for the test. She did not miss a single question! Here was a Somali immigrant grandmother who had never been to school in Somalia, was brought to America and left to fend for herself in a strange land, sustained serious injuries on the job that left her with serious physical disabilities, and yet she refused to file for any exceptions and instead was ready to take the citizenship test.

 

In May 2002, Ms. Abdulle, having passed the required US history test in English, took the oath and became a US citizen. She continues to study the English language to improve her communication skills in her adopted country.

 

Risk taking, resilience, and resourcefulness

 

Today, Ms. Abdulle still lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, enjoying the company and closeness of her two daughters and five grandchildren- one daughter joined her in Minneapolis in 1999 and the other in December 2007.

 

This proud grandmother represents the best of the Somali culture and its people. Hers is a story that illustrates the resilience, resourcefulness and risk taking characteristic of the Somali culture. Given only a passport, a plane ticket, and no money, only a Somali would have the courage to fly away into the world beyond the borders of his/her country and face whatever challenges it throws their way. .

 

 

By Yussuf Adan Kalib

Email: ykalib@yahoo.com