Experience living in Somali-land
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Life in Somali-land
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Life in Somali-land was a lot less challenging than I imagined. One sees the news on CNN and BBC on countries like these of 'mortars flying around and burning buildings', which creates a certain expectation and anticipation. I felt reasonably safe and our living environment even allowed us certain luxuries. We stayed in a compound which were guarded 24/7. We had a land cruiser with a Somali driver that drove us everywhere and acted as our translator. We did venture out on foot to walk to the nearby orphanage or take a quick jog, but it usually attracted a lot of unwanted attention. Abdi Hakim, our driver took us out into the desert area on the outskirts of Hargeisa to do undisturbed exercising and jogging and some welcome privacy out in nature. The HOPE team shared a house. We all had our own bedrooms, but bathrooms had to be shared. Municipal provided electricity in Hargeisa was limited to 2 hours per day, so we had a generator as back-up, but had to use it sparsely. We had an Ethiopian cook, who cooked three highly enriched carbo hydrated meals every day, so needles to say I picked up a lot of weight. We were invited to many functions by our partners and friends at restaurants. The very colonial thing to do was to have a sunset picnic on top of Hargeisa hill on the outskirts of Hargeisa. We played football with some of the Somali at home during siesta times, as everything in Hargeisa closes between 12pm and 4pm, we were forced to take a siesta. The temperature during siesta was also very high, so it was a good idea not to be out and about in very conservative clothing. We did not have air-conditioning in the house, which was challenging at times. Mosquitoes were a big problem and we had to sleep under mosquito nets. A good place to hang out was on the roof of our house and at times we even took our sleeping bags and slept there. We had a great view of the neighborhood from the roof, which the high walls around our compound blocked us from. The locals always treated us with respect and friendliness. The expat community consisting of other NGO workers formed a close knit community and we received friendship, outreach and support on a regular basis. One’s experiences may almost be compared to the romanticized colonial experiences of the expatriates as portrayed in the film "Out of Africa"
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Experiences in Kenya & Ethiopia |