Tuesday, June 15, 2010
birthday bird!
So I aged another year over the past week and as is accustomed to unspecial birthdays I celebrated with a pile of work on my desk and conducting interviews highlighting the plight of Somalia as we do everyday at the VOA. Some co-workers took pity on me and took me out to dinner just so that I can say it wasn't yet another day gone by lol! On a more happier note mother can be proud her daughter is growing and moving forward!
To share the comedy that sometimes takes place in the studios and general journalistic hiccups resulting from ridiculous news, I have uploaded a newspiece that a colleague and I were working on not too long ago dealing with the Somali pirates that were captured by the US. It is the unedited version full of sinus, cold, coughs and laughter! Enjoy at your own discretion...
To share the comedy that sometimes takes place in the studios and general journalistic hiccups resulting from ridiculous news, I have uploaded a newspiece that a colleague and I were working on not too long ago dealing with the Somali pirates that were captured by the US. It is the unedited version full of sinus, cold, coughs and laughter! Enjoy at your own discretion...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
aspiring globetrotters start their travels on a small scale
That small scale being travels within the US. Since moving here I've been lucky enough to see the streets of Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, New York, Elizabeth, New Jersey and more recently the Somali lands of the US also known as Ohio and Minnesota. I spent a few days in each city gathering info on the Somali youth in US prisons and the reasons behind their run-ins with the law.
I was firstly taken aback by the sheer number of Somalis that live in Columbus and even more so in Minneapolis. Communities are well established with many Somali malls, shops, caffees and restaurants as well as various community organisations. Sadly there is very little being done to tackle the problems Somali families are facing. Somali families in those states often consist of single parent households where the mother is tackling everything within the family by herself and more often than not does not speak the English language and has very little understanding of how things work in the US. Their children on the other hand are educated here and have a broader understanding of the US system so the family ends up suffering from a role-reversal syndrome where the child becomes the defacto parent as they have to explain everything to their mothers. Furthermore children often face educational difficulties and struggle to cope with the classes they're put in so a high volume of Somali students drop out of school and the mother wouldn't know until much later.
Many of these children then find comfort on the streets where the local gangs offer them a regular income and a sense of belonging. Soon this membership leads to them committing crime and ending up in prison.
I came across several youngsters who've been in prison and have led a turbulent gang life. Their stories were a mixture of heartbreaking sadness as well as tolerance. The mothers of these youngsters were particularly touching to listen to.
Working on a similar prison report as the one I did on the UK detailing the stories of the different individuals that have an insight on what happens when one breaks the law in this country and how this affects each and everyone of them.
I was firstly taken aback by the sheer number of Somalis that live in Columbus and even more so in Minneapolis. Communities are well established with many Somali malls, shops, caffees and restaurants as well as various community organisations. Sadly there is very little being done to tackle the problems Somali families are facing. Somali families in those states often consist of single parent households where the mother is tackling everything within the family by herself and more often than not does not speak the English language and has very little understanding of how things work in the US. Their children on the other hand are educated here and have a broader understanding of the US system so the family ends up suffering from a role-reversal syndrome where the child becomes the defacto parent as they have to explain everything to their mothers. Furthermore children often face educational difficulties and struggle to cope with the classes they're put in so a high volume of Somali students drop out of school and the mother wouldn't know until much later.
Many of these children then find comfort on the streets where the local gangs offer them a regular income and a sense of belonging. Soon this membership leads to them committing crime and ending up in prison.
I came across several youngsters who've been in prison and have led a turbulent gang life. Their stories were a mixture of heartbreaking sadness as well as tolerance. The mothers of these youngsters were particularly touching to listen to.
Working on a similar prison report as the one I did on the UK detailing the stories of the different individuals that have an insight on what happens when one breaks the law in this country and how this affects each and everyone of them.
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