ABE Student Stories

2015 Adult Basic Education Student Stories

Stories from the

Heart

Faduma Muhumed My family is Somali. We moved to Kenya in 1991.

My family came to America in 2013. I came with my husband and one daughter. I want to visit Nairobi, Kenya. I want to see my family; my mom, my father, my sisters and my brothers. I want to go in a few years.

Now, I live in St. Cloud, MN at La Cruz. I go to English school downtown at Hands Across the World and La Cruz. Before, I had teacher Nancy and Karen. Now, I am in teacher Mary’s class. Teacher Mary is my teacher for two classes.

Ruun Ojulu I am Ruun Ojulu. I come from Ethiopia in 2004. I was born there in my country. There was fighting and killing so I left Ethiopia. I lived in Kenya for ten years. I came to America in 2014. I am married. I have two children; two girls. I like to learn English. I work. I go to school in the morning. I have food and a home. I love America because we have freedom.

Halimo Awil I am Halimo. I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1969. I had two children; one boy and one girl. Then, I left Mogadishu in 1991 and went to Kismayo. I had three more children there; two boys and one girl. Then, my husband was killed. Somebody shot him. We were suffering in Somalia. Then, I left Kismayo and I went to Nairobi, Kenya. I married another man. We had three children; one boy and two girls. Total, I have eight children; four girls and four boys. In Kenya, the police asked us every day for money. I did not sleep. They saw me as a refugee and wanted money day or night.

In October 2014, we left Kenya and came to America.

Now, I am sleeping. There is no problem. We are happy living in St. Cloud, MN.

My Family Saido Salat My family is in Africa and America. My mom, two sisters, three brothers, and grandmother all live in Kenya. My brother is in Canada. I live in Minnesota with my husband, three boys, and one girl. I am pregnant with another girl. I am a student at Brianda’s school (HAW). It is good. My teacher Mary is good.

Anisa Hussein My family is big. I have a mother, a father, two sisters and four brothers. All of them live in Somalia. My husband and two of my kids are here with me. We live in Waite Park, MN. I have three children. I have one son and two daughters. My son is six years old. He lives with my mom in Somalia. He is there because he needs to learn the Somali language. After two years, he will come back to America.

I go to School Habsa Ali In Africa, I went to school in 2002 only. Then, I came to the United States March 2014. I started school in May 2014. I go to school downtown at Hands Across the World. I go Monday to Friday. I go to school at 9:00 am. I go home at 12:00 pm. I like school. I like English.

Writing is easy but reading, listening and talking is hard. I like reading and talking. I like the teacher too.

The school helps me learn English.

Luul Adam My name is Luul Adam. I stay in St. Cloud. In the morning, I wake up and come to school at Hands Across the World. I am learning English. School, homework and everything is good. I like learning English at school.

Dahiro Adan I came to the United States 4-28-08. I went to Colorado and worked for a beef company.

I worked there almost five years. Then I moved to St. Cloud, MN in May of 2014.

Ajweo Ogala I like school. My first school was in Ethiopia. I went for ten years. I left Ethiopa and went to Kenya in 2006.

I did not go to school there. My next school was in Minnesota. I came in 2010. I went to school in St. Paul.

Then I came to St. Cloud in 2012. I went to school at Hands Across the World. Now I have a job full time. I go to school sometimes when I do not work. I love my teacher!

Right now I am going to the morning school and then a part time job. I get up in the morning at 6:00 am. Then I take a shower. I have breakfast with my children. My son goes to school at 7:00 am on the school bus. Then I take my daughter to daycare at 8:30 am. I go to school at 9:00 am. I like the ESL classes. I work 4:30-10:00 pm.

After work I take a shower and sleep about 11:30 pm.

Fadumo Abib In Minnesota I have my mom, two sisters, one brother, and two daughters.

My father is in Africa. I have a husband in Africa too.

My country Abdi Ige My name is Abdi. I came from Ethiopia. I want to talk about some information about my country and culture.

Ethiopia is in East Africa. There are 85 tribes and 77 languages. They have the same government for example, I am Somali Ethiopian. I speak Somali, but I am Ethiopian. The Ethiopian people have different religions from Islam and every one respects one another. They live in peace.

Maryama Abdi I get up at 5:00 am. Then, I take a shower, brush my teeth and get dressed. At 7:20 am my children get up. I take my children to school. Then, at 9:00 am I go my school. At 12:00 pm I go home. At 3:00 pm my children come home from school. We eat dinner and go to sleep at 8:00 pm. Last, I go to sleep at 9:30 pm.

Fatumo Mohamud I wake up at 5:30 am every day. I eat breakfast at 8:00 am. I go to school at 9:00 am. I read and write in English class. After school I go home at 12:00 pm. I usually have rice for lunch at 1:00 pm. My child comes home from daycare at 2:00 pm. My children come home from school at 3:00 pm. We eat dinner at 8:00 pm. My children sleep at 9:00 pm. I sleep at 10:00 pm.

Ifrah Hassan I live in St. Cloud, MN. I go to Hands Across the World (HAW) English school. I like the school. I like the school because before I didn’t understand any English.

Now, I understand English a lot better. I can write my name, go to appointments, talk to the doctor, go shopping, and drive my car. I like my teacher, teacher Mary. She helps me with English.

My Favorite Season in Minnesota Abdi Takal I have lived in the U.S.A since December 2011. I don’t like the winter and other cold times. My favorite season is spring time. I also love the summer. Spring rains turn plants green.

But winter is good for farmers in Minnesota because farming, fishing and business make money.

Juan Carlos Garcia M. In my country we don’t have seasons. All year, every year are the same seasons with some changes in weather, but just rain or sun.

I came here about one month ago and I felt very cold because still the weather on some days had snow. It felt like winter and it was new for me. I had never seen snow in my life.

In these days the weather has been better. Lately the sun is very nice and the days are warmer. I like that because I have been going many places riding on my bicycle and I have seen very nice places.

I would like to know another season and enjoy it, but until now the spring has been my favorite season.

My Journey Hibo Hussein My name is Hibo Hussein I was born in Somalia 1984 in the city of Qoryoley. I journeyed with my family, my mother and my 6 brothers and 3 sisters. I was a young girl at that time. I don’t remember how we journeyed.

But when we came to Kenya we had many problems.

The Kenyan police gave us a hard time to stay in the city because the police catch us every time we go shopping.

When they catch us they asked for money or where your kitanbolosh were. I was afraid them every time I saw them. I was running and hid from them. Although we were waiting for our sponsor to go to the U.S.A. we were patient make to our goal. Our goal was to travel to the United States to get better opportunities. Now my mom and my 2 brother live in Minnesota. We are glad to be here. We have peace here and we work and we are sending money to our brothers and sister who stay back home still.

Juweriya Mohamed I like to cook. I like Somali food the best. I cook pasta, rice, anjeero, macaroni, and sambusa. My favorite is rice. I cook rice for lunch and sometimes dinner. I put chicken or steak on the rice. I also put on hot sauce and tomatoes. I eat the rice with salad and banana.

A patch of flowers Reyna Mata Surrounded by river’s rocks, like an island floating on an immersed field of grass.

This little patch of flowers with the touch of Autumn’s pencil Is telling me how suddenly things can change and the sleeping flowers are ready to sleep for the winter time.

And like a miracle they would be back In Summer time.

Garbage is the intruder In their place, life is never fair.

My Favorite Season in Minnesota Mary lu Diaz E. My favorite season in Minnesota is spring. I like to see how much the plants and flowers have grown.

The trees grow leaves. The birds sing in the morning. It’s awesome!

I think that the bad part of the spring is the pollen.

Sometimes I have allergies to pollen.

Spring is new for me to see how it lasts only three months and prepares to begin summer. I can feel that the people are happy in this season. I hope to stay here for many years and enjoy it.

I love My Country Saada Abdi My name is Saada Abdi. My country is Somalia. Somalia is a neighbor to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti, the Indian Ocean, and Yemen. Somalia is beautiful place. It has good weather. It has sunny time and rainy time. It has good food: organic fruits and vegetables. Also, it has a cows, camels, and goats. Somalia has ocean and rivers, forests, and wild animals.

Poetry Happiness looks like smiles Happiness feels like a wedding party Happiness tastes like custard with fruit Happiness smells like perfume Happiness sounds like ocean waves with singing birds Bilan Ahmed Happiness looks like butterflies Happiness feels like soft wind Happiness tastes like ice cream Happiness smells like fresh fruit Happiness sounds like salsa music Oswaldo Roche Happiness looks like my baby Happiness feels like when I touch my baby’s skin Happiness smells like a newborn baby Happiness sounds like when my baby first said “Mom”

Veronica Bedolla

Roda Ahmed The only American food I like to eat is Pizza and cereal. I like to eat Somali food only. I like bread, cereal, and tea for breakfast. I like rice, meat, salad and water for lunch. I like sambusa, anjeero, pasta, salad and mango juice for dinner. I like cake for dessert. I like grapes, apples, mangoes, and bananas for fruit.

Love looks like rain and green grass Love feels like crying for happiness Love tastes like sweet chocolate Love smells like flowery perfume Love sounds like hearing nice words

Anab Jibril

War looks like a dark ruined place War feels like never waking up War tastes like a sour, acidic, bitter flavor hard to swallow War smells like death War sounds like someone crying for it to stop

Reyna Mata Freedom looks like birds flying Freedom feels like running with no limits Freedom tastes like abundant food Freedom smells like the sea Freedom sounds like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony Oswaldo Roche Rain Let it rain Rain falling from the sky Rain on flowers Rain on trees Rain on roads Rain on houses Rain on fields Rain on lakes Rain on my head Let rain touch your body Let rain kiss you Let it rain

Warunee Lampher

Mahabo Ali I go to school at Hands Across the World. I go Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The time is 9:00 to 12:00 pm. The class is level one ESL. The teacher is Mary. I write, read, listen and speak English. I love to learn English.

Kaddo Veronica Bedolla The story is about a rich man. His name was Kaddo. Kaddo had many people working for him. They worked in the corn fields. Many men and boys prepared the fields, and the work of women and girls was to put corn seeds in the ground. Each season he collected more than he used. Eventually he became famous.

One day, Kaddo called all people of the village for a meeting. He told them, “I am worried because I do not know what to do with all this corn.’’ People listened to what he was saying. A man said, why don’t you give some of the corn to people? In this way, you could help people keep poverty away. Kaddo didn’t like that solution. He said it’s difficult for people to advise a rich man. They were angry and went away. Next day, Kaddo’s workers mixed the corn flour with water to make thick mortar. Then, he commanded people to make bricks.

He thought, I could construct a wall around my house. People thought it was inhuman, but Kaddo was thinking, I’m a rich man and they are poor, I am different. Kaddo began building the wall.

He was very happy. He enjoyed his reputation as the richest man. And then, one year he had a bad harvest. The next year it was the same, Kaddo had to leave the village with his young daughter and a donkey, because he had insulted and mistreated the people. Kaddo’s walls fell down. People didn’t want to help him, because he had too much corn while in the town, the people suffered because they didn’t have anything. Finally, Kaddo died from hunger. People remember Kaddo and they sometimes say, “Don’t build a wall of flour around your house!”

Khadra Jama We saw the garden near to our school and it did not look good.

There was trash in the garden and the flowers were dead, except for one tiny flower. The color of the garden was brown and yellow. I felt sad about the garden, how it used to be and how it is now.

Rain Lovely pure water Coming down from the sky Touching my face Touching my heart Makes me wonder Where you are Sad and depressed, I sit under the rain Wondering how long I’m going to wait

Aremi Severson

COLOR POEMS Red is the color of the sunset Red is the color of blood Red is the color of strawberries Red is the color of roses Red is the color of cardinals Red is the color of love

Claudia Hernandez

White is the color of clouds White is the color of snow White is the color of light White is the color of purity White is the color of peace

Red is a bipolar emotion Running through yourself Heating your body Because red is passion Red is love Red is anger Red is an evolution of intensity Escalating from yellow and orange and frozen By blue

Reyna Mata Brown is the color of trees Brown is the color of the river Brown is the color of chocolate Brown is the color of camels Brown is the color that makes me happy Basra Hassan

Poems of the Seasons

Spring looks like growing grass Spring sounds like rain on the roof Spring smells like flowers Spring tastes like lemon tea Spring feels like happiness Aldo Carillo

Yellow is the color of the sun Yellow is the color of dandelions Yellow is the color of warm feelings for my kids Yellow is the color of charming smiles Yellow is the color of a positive future

Cecilia Nava

Basra Hassan

Spring looks like light in my life Spring sounds like drums when I dance Spring smells like fresh air when I wake up Spring tastes like sweet treats in the night Spring feels like a piece of love from my mom Aremi Severson

Spring looks like walking on the beach Spring sounds like a baby laughing Spring smells like my mother’s scent Spring tastes like the juice of a kiwi Spring feels like the new love born between two young people

Maha Alazzawi Spring looks like a dozing puppy Spring sounds like a hatched chick peeping Spring smells like a newborn baby Spring tastes like garden-fresh celery Spring feels like cotton candy Hyunjin Shim Spring looks like rain and sun Spring sounds like a bird’s song Spring smells like beautiful flowers Spring tastes like ice cream and fruit Spring feels like a gentle breeze

Winter looks like white roses Winter sounds like a sad song Winter smells like wood burning Winter tastes like ice cream Winter feels lonely Warunee Lampher

Summer looks like blue sky Summer sounds like voices in the streets Summer smells like fresh air Summer tastes like party time Summer feels like time to go fishing Aldo Carillo

Summer looks like kids eating ice cream all day Summer sounds like children having fun Summer smells like flowers everywhere Kiin Farah Summer tastes like yummy watermelons Summer feels like swimming in the lakes Cecilia Nava

Winter looks wet and white Winter sounds quiet and silent Winter smells like hot coffee and hot chocolate Winter tastes like fresh ice cream Winter feels cold and wet

Abiqadir Mohammad

Winter looks like white frost Winter sounds like freezing winds Winter smells like fire wood Winter tastes like cinnamon and apples Winter feels like Christmas coming Claudia Hernandez

Summer looks like the sunshine on his highest and longest path Summer sounds like a yellow submarine song Summer smells like salty ocean waves Summer tastes like juicy sweet tropical fruits Summer feels like damp hugs and greasy skin

Reyna Mata

Nahuales Reyna Mata My parents are from a Village in the state of Hidalgo.

There is a story that the old persons talk about it.

“The nahuales”, said the old man. “What is a nahual?” asked the little boy. “Shoos and listen,” shouted the old man. A few years ago there was a farm, where 5 farmer workers spent their days and nights working there, and one of those nights, they heard noises on the roof of the little house where they stayed.

“Everybody be quiet,” whispered Saul. “What is that?” said Manuel. “Let’s go outside and find out,” answered Juan. So the men went out and they saw a big turkey on the roof, scratching and flapping his wings.

“Oh! It is just a guajolote, let’s go to sleep,” said Saul.

But after several nights, the men were getting impatient about the noises. Finally, Manuel screamed, “I will kill you if you not go away!” The days passed and the turkey didn’t go away.

One night Manuel decided to wait outside, “If I see that turkey, I will kill it”, he shouted to the other men, and that happened. Manuel killed the big guajolote, by the morning he would show the other workers.

In the morning when Manuel woke up, he said, “I killed it I did,” and went out with Juan to the place where he put it, but to their surprise it was not a guajolote, it was the owner of the farm. “What did you do?” Juan exclaimed.

They went to the owner’s house to talk with his family, but the family was not surprised. “We knew one day this would happen,” they told Juan and Manuel.

“My husband was a nahualt, a human who at night turns into an animal and sometimes they kill other animals or people,” Rosa explained to them. She was glad this already had happened.

Finally, the old man added, you have to be at home in time, when it is not too late, dark or past mid-night, because that is the time when the nahuales come out.

My History Ifrah Mire My name is Ifrah Mire. I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1989. I came to America in 2006, and I am now a U.S. citizen. I got my first job in 2007. I worked there for seven years. I got married in 2010. I have two beautiful girls and I’m pregnant with my third baby now. Because I didn’t have time to go to school before, now I want to learn English so that I can read my letters, fill out forms and applications, and get a better job.

My mother

By Nacima Abukar Faduma is an intelligent mother. For example, she tells me to stop doing bad things. She told me not to drive to Minneapolis in snowy weather. Also, she is the best mother ever. She gives me money when I need it. Finally, she bought me the hijab I am wearing right now. In conclusion, I am happy to have my beautiful mother.

My Story Hanan Addow My name is Hanan Addow. I am from Somalia. I was born in 1991. I grew up in Libya. I started school in 1998. I moved from Libya to Tunisia in 2011. I lived in Tunisia for one year. I started my immigration process in 2011. I immigrated to the U.S. in 2012, and came to Seattle, Washington. I lived in Seattle for seven months.

Then, I moved in 2012 to Kentucky, and I lived there for one year. In 2014 I moved to Minnesota. I started English school in 2014.

Hanan Addow

Elizabeth Nyaret Tot December 15, 2013 was a date I will never forget in my country of South Sudan because we had a terrible war in our country. In South Sudan there were 64 tribes. The president of the country, Salva Kiir Mayadit, was from the Danka tribe. After he became president, he decided to kill one tribe in Juba. This was a Nuer tribal community. The South Sudan military (SPLA) was ordered to kill 47,000 innocent Nuer civilians in the towns of Juba, Benhiu, Malakal, Bor, and Mapel. The soldiers also burned their villages. We, the Nuer people from South Sudan, will never ever forget this horrible event! I myself will never forget this time in my life.

Dhagdheer: A Scary Somali Folktale Basra Hassan

Writing about superstitions Abdiqadir Mohammad

Dhagdheer is a Folktale told to children to “scare” them into good behavior. Dhagdheer means large ears in English. Families tell their children: Don’t wander out alone or Dhagdheer is going to get you.

They say she is a cannibal and she roamed the Hargega Valley in Somalia. Her horrific ways cursed a land once green and lush, turning it into a desert, a crumbling dust. The animals grew thin and the rain went away for a very long time. They say she was as strong and swift as the wind. She also had unusually long pointed ears with the strange power to hear even a gait of a camel a half day’s journey away.

In many parts of the world people do have different kinds of superstitions. For example, in Africa some people believe in the morning if you come across a one eyed man you will have a bad luck day. Also a black cat will give you a bad luck day. Others believe in the fall of the night after midnight only Satan moves around and its very dangerous to meet him, while some believe in the evening before the dawn if you see an eagle he brings good luck. Some people believe when your upper eyelash vibrates it’s going to be rainy and when your lower eyelash vibrates you will cry. When your hand palm itches you’re going to get money, and lot more superstitions.

Food I like Ayan Moge For breakfast, I like to eat cereal with milk. I drink coffee. For lunch, I like to eat pasta with vegetables. I drink mango juice. For dinner, I like to eat pizza with fish. I drink pop. For dessert, I like to eat chocolate ice cream.

Thai Folk Tale: Ta-in and Ta-na Warunee Lampher There were 2 very good fishermen. They lived in the same coastal village in the south of Thailand. One man was named Ta-in and the other man was named Ta-na. They became good friends and liked to do things together. They decided to fish together in the bay. They built a small boat and caught a lot of fish. They shared their catches and cooked them for their dinner. After many months, they had bad luck. They caught few fish.

One day the two men had tried everywhere to catch fish. Finally, Ta-in caught one fish. Ta-na didn’t catch any fish.

They brought the fish home. Ta-in said, “I will take the head and middle part of the fish and you can have the tail part.” Ta-na didn’t like this. He also wanted the head and middle part of the fish, but Ta-in said that it was not fair as he was the real owner of the fish since he caught it. Ta-in could get the head and middle and Ta-in should be happy to take the tail. They didn’t agree. They became angrier and started to fight with each other. They shouted loudly. An elder man named Ta-yoo came to their house and heard them fighting. He pulled the two men apart.

Ta-yoo said, “Stop fighting!”. Ta-in and Ta-na calmed down. They were afraid. They might hurt each other, so they let Ta-yoo determine their problem. Ta-yoo thought about the problem for a long time. The two fishermen and their neighbors waited in silence for his decision. Finally Ta-yoo spoke, ” Ta-in, you caught the fish so you take the head. Ta-na, you didn’t catch any fish so you take the tail part. I will take the middle part of the fish because I solved your problem.”

The two fishermen were shocked and couldn’t think of any other solutions, so Ta-in took the head, Ta-na took the tail and Ta-yoo took the biggest and best part of the fish. Their neighbors thought was a fair solution and they walked away. The two fishermen were very sad. Ta-in said, How foolish we were! I caught the fish and Ta-yoo got the best part. I should not have been selfish.” “No, I was the selfish one, I didn’t catch a fish, so I should have been happy to take the tail part,” said Ta-na. The two men looked at each other. They finally realized themselves. From that day, they worked together and helped each other. They shared their catches, no matter who had caught fish.

They caught a lot of fish again. They sold most of them. Not only did they become good friends again, but they also became wealthy old men.

Superstitions in Mexico Hugo Hernandez In Mexico there are a lot of superstitions. If you open an umbrella inside of the house it’s bad luck. If you want good luck you need a rabbit foot. Friday 13th is a bad day to get married or to go outside the home.

Also if you have a bad day all the people say you wake up with the left feet. Another common superstition is when somebody needs good luck for something new always say “please cross the fingers.” There are others, like if you break a mirror you will have 7 years of bad luck, or when you walk under the ladder.

But the most common is when you say something bad but you don’t want it to occur, say “touch wood.”

My happiest day Faduma Jaylani My happiest day was when I got my driver’s license.

It has given me a lot of opportunities. When I got my driver’s license I became a more independent person.

When I didn’t have a driver’s license, I used to walk thirty minutes from my apartment to the bus stop.

Sometimes I missed the bus if I was late even one minute, and then I had to wait for the next bus for an hour. But since I got my driver’s license, everything became easy for me.

Flowers Bilan Ahmed

Two weeks ago my classmates and I went outside and saw a flower garden.

The garden was surrounded by a stone fence. The flowers were finished blooming.

The garden was very beautiful.

That night the weather turned very cold.

There was a frost and the frost killed all the flowers. The next morning when I went outside the garden was all brown and dried up. It was no longer beautiful.

The Myth About La llorona (Weeping Woman) Aldo Carrillo

The basic story tells of a beautiful woman who drowns her children. In Mexico the legend is about a woman who had a romance with a Spanish King. They had three children who she loved, protected, and took care of. When the young woman asked the king to marry her, he did not want to. Later the man abandoned her, and he married with a high society woman. When the other woman realized, hurting and completely desperate, she killed their children, drowning them in a river.

After she killed their children, she felt so terrible that she threw herself in the river. Some people said that they had heard a woman wailing by the river. Even some said that when the woman’s wailings are close it is because she is far away, and when it is far away she is close.

Food I like Ayan Moge For breakfast, I like to eat cereal with milk. I drink coffee. For lunch, I like to eat pasta with vegetables. I drink mango juice. For dinner, I like to eat pizza with fish. I drink pop. For dessert, I like to eat chocolate ice cream.

The Flower Garden Maha Al-Azzawi The school garden is big and beautiful There are some trees around it, and the short green grass covers the ground. If you take a look, on the right of garden there is a circle of rocks surrounding different lovely flowers like daisies and lavender. That circle of rocks and beautiful flowers with the colors of sky and shapes of clouds reflect a wonderful painting. You see from it the greatness of the Creator. That picture begins to die because of the winter on the doorstep, but it reflects another lovely picture of nature in spite of the long hard winter. I like the flower garden because it makes me happy when I see it, especially in the morning.

Superstitions in Thailand Warunee Lampher

The Superstitions in my Country Oswaldo Roche

In the ancient Thai culture, there are many superstitions. For example, if there is a barn owl on house making a sound and a patient lives in the house, the patient will die soon. Some people avoid barn owls, they kill them. If you were a single lady, you couldn’t sing songs in the kitchen while you were cooking; if you did you would get married with an old man.

There are some superstitions surrounding numbers in Thailand. Nine is considered a lucky number. It would be a good time to begin any new business and marriage.

When you will turn 25 years old, if you didn’t make merit before you get 25 years, you will get misfortune, destruction and death.

In summary, some people don’t believe, but some people still believe. You can’t get a haircut on Wednesday. Barber shops and some salons close every Wednesday because they believe that bad omens will happen to them, including they will meet misfortune.

In my country Venezuela, we have a lot of superstitions.

First, Tuesday 13th is the day of bad luck. Never get married or take a trip or leave your house. In the farm town in the night, never leave alone at the end of a party because the elder persons say the crying women will take you and you will never come back. On the wedding day the men cannot see the wedding dress, because it is bad luck. Boys that have bad behavior, in the night the “coco” (big and ugly animal) will come to pick them up. When the spoon falls some persons will come to your home, when the knife falls some men will come, when the fork falls it is the women who come.

In the country we have a tale about the “silvon” (whistling person). The man who drinks too much at the party and leaves at midnight, the sound of the whistling will make him lost and he will never return to his house.

One of the superstitions in my country Bilan Ahmed

Some people when they get sick they believe if they slaughter a sheep or goat and they drink that blood that person will be healthy. Also, they use the skin of the animal to cover the person’s body. But those people they aren’t religious and they aren’t educated. Our Quran doesn’t allow people to believe that so other people hate that habit.

Superstitious people they live a hard life because they spend their money to buy a sheep or goat, and they believe if they didn’t slaughter the sheep maybe they will die or something bad will happen, so they must do that once a year.

Samsam Mahamud

My name is Samsam. I am from Somalia. I lived in South Africa for 10 years. It was unsafe for me. I had a lot of problems there. Some places were safe, but I couldn’t afford to live there. So I decided to find a better place for me and my children. In 2009 I went to the U.N.H.C.R. center. I started my immigration process there. Four years later I came to U.S. I started school and I am working now. I thank God we are safe now.

My History Ferdowsa Ahmed My name is Ferdowsa Ahmed. I came from Ethiopia but my nationality is Somali. When I came to the United States, it was June 2011, in the summer season 4 years ago. When I came to the U.S. I felt bored because I left my country and I missed my friends and my neighbors.

THE DEAD MOTHER-IN-LAW Bilan Ahmed

I heard a story that happened a long time ago. It’s about a woman whose mother died. The couple didn’t have any neighbors, only her family, children and husband. So she told her husband, “Take my dead mom into the city to find people to help you.” They had a donkey. They put the mother on the donkey. Then the husband and donkey took her to the city. When the husband went to the city, he found his friends, but his friends were chewing khat, a Somali drug. They told him, “Now we are busy chewing khat, so no problem. We will take care of your dead mother-in-law later. Sit with us and enjoy. Your wife won’t see you.” He said, “Okay,” and started chewing. After that, what happened? The donkey came back home with the dead mother! The mother had been in a coma and suddenly she woke up. She wondered why she was on the donkey. She got off the donkey and went to her room to sleep. She found her daughter in her bed. But she climbed into bed with her daughter. When her daughter felt someone sleeping with her, she thought it was her husband and she said, “Why don’t you go to your room?” Her mother answered, “Which room?” When she heard her mother speaking, she was surprised and screamed! After that the mother and her daughter understood what happened. They decided the mother should stay in her room and the daughter should go to her room to wait for her husband to ask how he buried her mother.

When the husband came back, he lied and said, “We did well with the death of your mom, my friends and I, but when we were busy burying Mom the donkey went into the forest so we couldn’t find it”. After that, mother came out of her room and said, “I am here, but I know what you are!”

Winter

By Fatuma Abdi The winter is very cold. To be safe we need a warm coat and boots. The street may have snow or ice on it, so you should drive slower. One day at work my car got stuck, so I had to call a tow truck. One day I helped my neighbor shovel her walk.

Why is the sea salty?

Hyunjin shim Once upon a time, there was a king who had a precious treasure. That was a magical millstone. When you ground the millstone, you could get anything if you said “Come out!”.

One day many people went hungry because of a poor harvest. The king ground and said; “Rice! Come out!”

He had a lot of rice, and he gave his people rice. Many people said, “Our king is very excellent.”

“He has a magical millstone, so he can get everything he wants.”

At that time, a thief passed by, and heard that.

“A magical millstone? I’ll get it soon.”

At night, he went into the palace, and he stole the millstone. He ran away from the palace, and he went the sea because he thought if he lived in an uninhabited island, nobody would arrest him. When he sailed towards the island, he couldn’t wait.

“I can make anything! Then what do I make first? Ok, I’ll make salt because salt is expensive.”

He ground the millstone, and shouted, “Salt! Come out!”

Much salt came out from the millstone, and he tasted it.

“It‘s salty. This is real salt. Haha!”

He was very excited.

After a while, he wanted it to stop, but he didn’t know how to stop the millstone. The boat began to sink.

“Help! Help!”

He yelled, but nobody was in the sea.

Finally, the boat sank to the bottom of the sea, but the millstone kept grinding. Maybe the millstone is grinding salt now. Do you know why the sea is salty?

South Africa Mohamed Abdi Adan First, I want to talk about my journey to come to USA. I was living in Africa, specifically in Kenya, from 1992 up to 2013. After that I came to South Africa. I was living there from 2013 up to 2014. South Africa was a large country with many immigrants living there. I liked it there because there were more economic opportunities.

South Africa has the Atlantic and Indian oceans, rivers, and farms. There are different animals there like foxes, rhino, water buffalo, and wolves. After, I got a visa from the United States embassy. When I got that I felt happy because my family was living in the USA, specifically St. Cloud Minnesota. It was a good day for me. I was alone, now I am living with my kids and my dear wife. The reason I came here was to live with them.

My Family Zahra Mohammed My name is Zahra and I have a wonderful family. My mother, my husband, and my son are nice and lovely. I feel happy when I’m with them and I’m very close to my family.

My mother, Suad, helps me all the time. When I want ideas in my life, she gives me good advice and she helps me with my son; she is my daycare. My mother takes care of me and my son. When I was young, she taught me how to cook and to be a nice person and strong. My mother is the best mother.

My husband’s name is Ali. He works hard and takes care of me and my son. My husband encourages me to go to school and be successful. He works for the St. Cloud school district. My husband is also a college student at St. Cloud State University. He will graduate this year.

I have a nice son. His name is Haadi. He makes me happy when I get home. He is 18 months old and he is excited when I’m with him. He laughs all the time and he is always happy. He loves his father and grandmother.

He is a lovely boy. I’m proud of my family. They are always willing to help me. I feel I’m the luckiest person in the world. What a wonderful family I have.

“Mom My Hero” Cecilia Nava

My mom was a single parent of four. It was hard for her; she did not have a lot of time to be with us because she would always be working. We saw how she struggled and wanted the best for us. The time she would be with us was the best time ever because we were all together. I would always ask my mom, “Why can’t we go on trips like my friends?” Her response was always “Ay mis ninos if only you knew how hard is life”.

I can say I have the best mom ever. She has always been there when I need her. My mom has been my friend, teacher, and the only person I can really open my heart to. I can never have secrets with my mom.

I now have my own kids and with all the good things that my mom has taught me, I can say I’m a good mother.

It’s been a year since my mom left to go back to Mexico. It’s been really hard for me not seeing her or giving her hugs, but one thing she would always say is, “I want the best for you. If you listen to me and follow my advice, you will always have success in life.

My Family’s Weekday Schedule Sahra Wais Every morning I get up at 4:22 a.m. Then, I pray and make breakfast. I wake up the children at 6:05 a.m. They go to the bus stop at 7:05. The children get home from school about 2:30 p.m. Then, I help my kids with their homework and reading.

I spend a lot of time with my kids and I cook. I like to go shopping and clean my house. I like to play with my kids, too. I enjoy taking care of my family.

Do people have the right to choose when they will die?

Maha Al-Azzawi The answer for this question needs a breath from us before answering, because we can give an answer but they cannot! I think that people have the right choose to end their life, and they do not. They have the right because no one can imagine or feel what they are suffering from; most of them fall in to the bad health and psychological problems or emotional problems. Then they become weak and the negative thinking dominates their minds and souls, that leads them to lose hope. Then their life becomes different from others’ lives, and they look at life from the dark side, so they choose to end that dark world and their suffering.

If they found hope or a vigilant family member who gave them the support, maybe there would be an opportunity to give them what they need to see the real meaning of their life.

At the same time, they are not right to choose when they will die. When they look at the bright side of life and think of their families, and realize that God loves the humans, so God doesn’t want anyone to die in this way! If they become strong maybe everything will change again and they will get a life filled with happiness and hope for the future.

In the end, I think everyone in this life is responsible for keeping his life or her life and others’ lives, even if only by a little smile to implant hope in a soul that needs it to still exist in this hard life.

My Hometown Junjie Mao

My hometown is Qingdao. Some people say Qingdao is similar to Chicago but no. Qingdao is a unique city.

Qingdao is an international metropolis. It has two airports, two train stations and a subway. Qingdao is a beautiful city. It has red tile roofs and green trees. The sky is always blue and the city is on the sea. Qingdao is North China’s largest foreign trade port. Because of its special location, Qingdao rarely has natural disasters.

In spring you can go to the Laoshan(Mountain Lao), because you can see plant growth and animals. Laoshan has bridges, lakes, waterfalls, forests, and strange stones.

It has rabbits, squirrels, foxes, monkeys, and birds.

Laoshan is the birthplace of Taoism. In summer there is cool weather. You can go to the beach to swim and BBQ. In autumn you can go to China’s largest beer festival, and eat delicious seafood. In winter some people stay at home because the seaside’s winter is very cold.

My journey to America Ewel Abdi My name is Ewel Abdi. I would like to about my journey to America. I arrived in the United States of America on April 24, 2013. The first airport of United states I saw at that time was the Chicago airport at 5:30pm. My final destination was the RDU airport which is located in North Carolina. I had new neighbors. There were not Somali families around me. After one month I decided to move to Minnesota because my relatives were there.

I arrived in Minnesota specifically in St. Cloud on May 21, 2013 and I have met a lot of Somali families. Some of my relatives are helping me now. My family and I live happily. I have also two perfect teachers who I like a lot, Emily and Joe.

October Garden Cecilia Nava October is the month when the smallest breeze gives us a shower of autumn leaves, where bending asters and milkweeds are blown by the heavy breeze. A cold morning will soon fill the garden with heavy snow, and the garden will soon be forgotten in the deep snow. I stare at the garden and ask myself, will spring ever come again?

I Rhyme all the Time!

Janet Schleper One summer night when it was still light, Bill and Jill went up the hill. They were very thrilled. They had a cup of coffee but it spilled on Bill’s lap and Jill laughed.

The next morning Bill went to work at the mill until Jill came to pick Bill up from the mill. One summer eve Bill and Jill went on a vacation to Brazil. They had a lot of fun in the sun. They ate a bun. One day Jill said, “We are having a little son named Dan.” Dan grew up so fast and became a man. Later Dan got married to Jan and had twins. They had a boy who loved to play with toys, they named the boy Roy and the girl Joy. She loved to play with boys so they had to buy a big van. They lived in a house and had a pet mouse. The mouse had mice and that is very nice, and they had a rat, but no bat. The cat ate the rat. The cat was very happy so she was not hungry anymore. The cat slept very well until she heard the bell. Guess what? Bill and Jill became grandparents

and Bill said, “We are not that old, are we?” Jill told Bill, “You are an old man so you better sit in a can.”

My Journey Hibo Hussein

My name is Hibo Hussein I was born in Somalia 1984 in the city of Qoryoley. I journeyed with my family, my mother and my 6 brothers and 3 sisters. I was a young girl at that time. I don’t remember how we journeyed.

But when we came to Kenya we had many problems.

The Kenyan police gave us a hard time to stay in the city because the police catch us every time we go shopping.

When they catch us they asked for money or where your kitanbolosh were. I was afraid them every time I saw them. I was running and hid from them. Although we were waiting for our sponsor to go to the U.S.A. we were patient make to our goal. Our goal was to travel to the United States to get better opportunities. Now my mom and my 2 brother live in Minnesota. We are glad to be here. We have peace here and we work and we are sending money to our brothers and sister who stay back home still.

SNOW TIME AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR IT FARHAN GURE Put your winter jacket on before you leave the room or apartment building. Start your car and return to your apartment building. Stay inside for at least five minutes. If it is really cold because it is better for you and your car to give it time to warm up so you can drive without feeling cold. When you hit the road, make sure you are driving slowly. When you approach a traffic light or stop sign, don’t hit the brake so hard because the car can skid and turn in the other direction by itself so you will not be able to control it anymore. Be aware and don’t let that happen to you. I know we are human beings, so that we cannot prevent everything from happening even in our own lives. I am just urging you to take care of yourself and others. All in all, this is winte r so you need to keep that in mind.

Think about yourself and others. I wish you all the best.

Tales of Mango Oswaldo Roche This last week, I went to Miami, and I found a mango tree. It has been a long time since I saw a mango tree. This is my favorite fruit because, in my country, the mango tree is the most popular of the trees. Why? First of all because is the fruit that we have in every house. We are born with a mango tree in the garden. Second, there is not only one kind of mango tree, we have different kinds.

Sometimes, the mango tree is combined with other fruit. For this reason, when this happens, the flavor is different.

it

We have an apple flavor, a pineapple flavor, and the natural flavor; they are called hilacha, vocado, fino. Third, ten years ago, our mango was exported. When I saw the mango tree I felt so happy, because I remembered my family.

My grandfather always taught us that the mango tree needs time, water, and care, resulting in a fruit that is sweet because it is grateful. Finally, although I couldn’t see a mango because is it in flower, the most important thing was that seeing the mango tree made me happy.

A Horrible Night to Remember in my Life Abdiqadir Mohammad

It was late afternoon when four of us left for our normal routine trip for fishing. We departed from the island where we were based. After a while the night had fallen, and it started getting dark before we reached our destination. While on the way to the island we were heading to, we had a shark attack. The boat we were traveling on was a small boat. After the sharks attacked we tried to escape from them but they started chasing the boat. It was a miserable moment. Unfortunately, the sharks managed to jump, and they hit the boat several times while they gripped two of my colleagues. Both sides of the boat were attacked by the sharks. Finally, two of us were remaining and one had to drive the boat, so I and my colleague started arguing, you must drive and I must ride. While we were still arguing the shark jumped and ripped my colleague’s hand off and it fell in the boat, then my colleague fainted. Now the sharks were still attacking us and we had to find a way to escape from them. I was the only one left unhurt and I had to save my life as well my injured colleague’s life. Finally I managed to escape from the sharks, and I safely reached the island we were heading to. My colleague and I survived. That was one of the scariest moments I’ve ever experienced in my life.