Sheikh Where it all started
Sheikh, where it all started♡
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Sheikh, also known as Shiikh, is a town in the northwestern Sahil province of Somaliland. It is situated 70 km north of Burao.
From Sheikh, the Son of a Nomad!
Jamal Raabi
May 30, 2019
When I travel, I prefer to congregate some books before packing some clothes. Because books are good friends when no one is there for you.
Books are for me what knights are for the kings. This time, my trip is to Sheikh of Sahil region — my birthplace.
This is a great odyssey to me. And for the books that accompany me, one specific title typically reflects the very essence of the journey: Nelson Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom”.
Deep in it, my journey is one towards freedom. Touching the lucid ‘ciidda cas’ with its scene and scent, makes me free from the effects of urbanization and modernism.
Free from the depressed world and its daily, stressful hardships. I even have deactivated my Facebook account, to get some quality time with the open space.
It is a journey to reclaim my identity. An identity that has been shaped by the fresh air and crystalline sand, but was almost polluted by the digital, capitalist world. And an identity that has been nurtured by the teachings and guidance of my family. An identity that is threatened by the hurly-burly city life which has its way of erasing the past.
So, it was a great opportunity for me to have Mendel’s book with me during this very personal trip of mine. Though it was not my first time to open Mandela’s autobiography, it made more sense this very time than the one it made my first encounter with it in 2017.
My family consists of 6 members me with three other siblings two girls and our oldest brother called "Curad" in Somali.
My parents Dekka and Omar May Allah swt bless them in everywhere are my role models nearly all my life with my mom, dad and my siblings We were raised to respect others, value education, and get all that we could out of life. "You can be anything you want to be," my parents always say. "Work hard and the world is yours," is often quoted in my house.
My parents are never without a helpful word of advice or a bit of encouragement when life gets tough.
My parents Dekka and Omar May Allah swt bless them in everywhere are my role models nearly all my life with my mom, dad and my siblings We were raised to respect others, value education, and get all that we could out of life. "You can be anything you want to be," my parents always say. "Work hard and the world is yours," is often quoted in my house.
My parents are never without a helpful word of advice or a bit of encouragement when life gets tough.
During my time in Sheikh, I have to go to the woods of Dariiqo (the Sahara part of Sheikh), roughly 2 km go and back of walking to the west in every weekend for my Highschool.
Every time I call home to tell them about a grade I received in Chemistry, Biology or Physics or whichever class it is that I'm working hardest for at the moment, they tell me how proud of me they are.
I know there are friends of mine in my school out there that have no one to call home to when they get an 'A' on all the subjects and I feel incredibly blessed to have my parents.
The open air inspires my imagination, and gives me a first-hand sense of belongingness.
Every time I call home to tell them about a grade I received in Chemistry, Biology or Physics or whichever class it is that I'm working hardest for at the moment, they tell me how proud of me they are.
I know there are friends of mine in my school out there that have no one to call home to when they get an 'A' on all the subjects and I feel incredibly blessed to have my parents.
The open air inspires my imagination, and gives me a first-hand sense of belongingness.
I find myself surrounded by familiarity in the sand, the trees, the animals, the sky, and the people.
Almost each and every person I meet with in here is somehow related to me. In addition, early in the morning, a fresh camel milk is served to me.
And in Somali culture, drinking the milk of ‘Ramad’ (the newly she-camel mothers) is deemed healthy and refreshment, and that was what I exactly have got from it.
After all, this is the only place on Earth I unapologetically call ‘home’. And that is why this was a homecoming to me.
So, I can proudly say the rules of my personal life were extremely shaped by the philosophy of my mum and my father, together with the nature of our surroundings.
They taught me what any school can’t offer.
It's the place I started the basic education (Madrasa) until Secondary school.
I owe everything I am to my parents. Without their constant love and encouragement, I wouldn't believe that I can change the world.
My parents taught me never to settle and to always fight for what I believe in. And so I'm working toward something really great and can only hope that I continue to make them proud.
Jamal Omar Haji Raabi
Facebook: @EngJamal Raabi
Instagram: @raabi_uk
Twitter: @h_raabi
I owe everything I am to my parents. Without their constant love and encouragement, I wouldn't believe that I can change the world.
My parents taught me never to settle and to always fight for what I believe in. And so I'm working toward something really great and can only hope that I continue to make them proud.
Jamal Omar Haji Raabi
Facebook: @EngJamal Raabi
Instagram: @raabi_uk
Twitter: @h_raabi