Who Said Strangers Do Not Care?

Let me be authentic, and engage from my heart.  Despite human beings’ competitive nature over scarce resources, they do care for one another.   In 1991, Somalia had descended into a disastrous civil war, and people were running anywhere they could to seek safety.  We made an attempt to escape the conflict once before, and ended up going back to it because the condition of the refugee camp that we were in, was unbearable.  As a final escape from the endless war, my family and I boarded a ship that headed toward Kenya.  It was an old cargo ship carrying scrap metal, operated by crews from the Philippines.   This ship would break down in the middle of the ocean every few hours, and the crew members would start to work on the ship’s engine again and again.  We were running away from Somalia’s tribal militias, which were encouraged, and armed by corrupt leaders.  And we were unknowingly running toward strangers who have showed a remarkable care toward us.  It is important to know that strangers do care.

It was such a long journey that even a few pregnant women delivered their babies inside this cargo ship.  Upon arrival at the port of Mombasa, the Kenyan authority refused to allow the ship to dock because they did not want to accept any more refugees from Somalia.   The ship, with everyone inside, stayed at sea for close to two more weeks.   Miraculously, this episode had caught the attention of the media including Cable News Network (CNN) of the United States.  This media attention was a blessing.  I still recall the media crews and the fresh bananas that they delivered to us.  Those strangers gave me the first glimpse of how strangers care.

Upon the media publicity of our plight, Kenyan authority allowed the ship to dock at the port and unload all the refugees along with the scrap metal.  They took us to a nearby refugee camp called Utanga.  Utanga refugee camp was on uninhabitable land in Mombasa, Kenya.

In hindsight, the life in the Utanga refugee camp could be described as deplorable beyond belief.  But, at the time, it was the best thing that ever happened to us.  We were given tents and hot meals.  The United Nation started to distribute weekly rations such as flour and corn oil to the refugee people at Utanga camp. Moreover, there was no sound of gun fire to be heard anywhere.  Anyone who has experienced war can tell you, the sound of gun fire never leaves your memories.  Even after many years of living in the United States, the sound of guns sometimes replays in my head when I hear any random bang. Although people were dying of Malaria, I felt quite safe there.   For the first time, we did not have to think about where the next meal would come from.    This was yet another reminder how people do care for one another.

Once Somali refugees were settled there, they were dying of all kinds of diseases including Malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease.   I shared my tent with five other guys.  Two of these guys got a severe form of Malaria.  I remembered one of the sick guys, Shafici, telling me that if he recovered from his illness; he would dedicate his life to serving God.  Of course, he, along with another sick guy, died a few days later.  While I was there, I got Malaria and I was very sick.  I recalled asking God not to kill me because I did not want my family to leave me behind.  Besides, I had an incredible desire to come to the United States.

For one year, I stayed at the Utanga refugee camp and survived its appalling conditions.  I became so weak with Malaria that I could not even walk a few blocks away from my tent.  Despite these harsh experiences, I made it to the United States with my family in July of 1993, and Utanga refugee camp finally closed in April of 1995.

Once settled in the state of Massachusetts, I enrolled at Bedford High School where I met many people who had showed an amazing care toward me.  At the time, I was the only immigrant student in the high school.  They dedicated enormous time and efforts showing me around and welcoming me to their school.  As a welcoming gesture, the school officials bought a Somali flag, and displayed it among other flags in front of the school.  As if those efforts were not enough, the school even hired an ESL teacher just for me.

Around the same time, I met Mr. and Mrs. Melvin.   Mr. Melvin dedicated a huge amount of time, and effort in order to help me assimilate into this new culture.  He used to take me to the hospital, and encouraged me to stay in school.  And every time I did well in school, he would reward me with his kind words or he would buy me some gift to display his satisfaction in my academic performance.

Mrs. Melvin treated me and the rest of my younger brothers and sisters well.  She helped me with school work, bought me many things, and even enrolled me into a very expensive SAT class during my junior year in high school.  In the summer of 1995, I was able to attend Phillips Academy summer program, thanks to Mrs. Melvin.  Phillips Academy is located in Andover, MA.  It is an independent, coeducational boarding high school.  Through the Melvin family, I met a wonderful lady name Maxine who helped me open up my first bank account and ensured that I had a fabulous experience at Phillips Academy.  She spent many hours counseling me and making me feel welcome among the rich students at Phillips Academy.

In 1996, I was going into my senior year in high school when my family moved from Bedford, MA to Malden.  I started attending Malden High School.  I could not get used to the new high school system, so my grades suffered.   Nonetheless, I had accumulated enough courses to graduate from Malden High School.  I still had an incredible desire to attend a four year university.   However, my accounting teacher tried to sabotage my dream of going to college.  Despite being a great student, he told me that it was not important for me to pursue a higher education because I will not make it.  Instead, this Caucasian man advised me to get a job.

Another Caucasian man, who was a counselor, called me into his office, and gave me a roadmap of how to go to college.   This roadmap was so critical to my life’s achievements.  As I was sitting in his office, this man looked in to my eyes and told me that he saw in me an incredible desire to succeed.  Of course, I believed him and his words had empowered me.  He proceeded to tell me to go to the Boston Public Library and apply for financial aid through a program called ACCESS, The Action Center for Educational Services and Scholarships. ACCESS has an office within Boson Public Library, in Boston, MA.  It helps students apply for financial aid.  Then, he advised me to apply to Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), and that there is no SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) required there.  He counseled me to obtain an associate degree from BHCC, Charlestown MA, and then go on to a four year university.  I followed his advice until I obtained a bachelor’s degree from University of Massachusetts Lowell.  While I was at BHCC, I met many extraordinary people; some of them became my mentors.

These two Caucasian men held different assumptions and demonstrated different approaches toward advising me.   I assumed that one looked at me through the prism of race, and thus tried to hinder my desire of an intellectual inquiry.  The other man saw me as a capable young man who was in search of the right guidance.   People are different as showed by these two men.  I chose to highlight those who have contributed to my life in positive ways while recognizing that there are those who intentionally or unintentionally harm others.

I am from Somalia, Africa.   The people, who were part of my life’s achievement, are from the United States.  Despite this, they treated me as if I was part of their family.  They epitomized an extraordinary people, and are a great reminder to all of us that human beings care for one another.  With the selfless generosity they have showed me, they will forever remain in my heart, and memory, particularly the Melvin family.

In closing, I am unrelated to these terrific people including wonderful Maxine and the Melvin family.  And yet, they were willing to help me succeed.  As I mentioned before, they are important human beings.  Of course, they are my inspiration to helping others as they have helped me. I understand that human beings share similarities and require the same basic needs.  I am part of the human family, and as a young person I needed to be guided as others currently need the same guidance.   This story explains how I developed my attitude of treating everyone as if they were a part of my family.  I was helped by many people, and I just want to pass this legacy on to others.  I was reminded again, and again throughout my life that strangers do care, and thus I care for them as well.  So, remember it is indispensable for me and you to pick up the torch where others, like the people above, have left off.  These kinds of efforts will help to alleviate the pain of those in need, and help them realize their full potential.

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

For the sake of humanity, let us teach people how to live a productive life through education.