Salam (peace) people.


I continue to be bored at work, the only form of entertainment happens to be my co-workers and the ever faithfull internet. It's the internet that has so entertained me last night. I found this wicked video on you tube. The dude is speaking Somali. Not the interviewer but the white guy in the video.

You have got to see this - even if you do not speak Somali it's funny.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtI3mXcRQHU


This is what they are saying translated to English (you might notice they somtimes speak bits of English):

Interviewer: This is Bashiil in Minoapolus(!) I am asking 5 questions. Tell us what you know about Somali traditions. What's the best thing about the Somali traditions?

White dude: (pause) They are peacfull people. They don't like war (dude obviously doesn't seem to know the history). Mumbles something about the Somalis working and living in America well (!).

Interviewer: Tell us a bit about what you think of Somalis as you have lived among them?

White dude: Somalis are good people but every tradition (does he mean people, don't know) has good people and bad people. So...But the Somali majority are good.

Interviewer: The men? The war lords? How do you feel about the tribal war lords?

White dude: (tuts throughout the question) I don't like any tribes. Because all Somalis are Muslims so if you are Muslim your tribe should be the deen (religion) of Islam (well done brother. This is how I feel all the time when a weirdo Somali comes up to me and says "so, who is your tribe then?").

Phone rings and the White dude answers it in a typical Somali dude way by saying "helllloooo". He then proceeds to tell the person at the other end he is fine "walahi" meaning I swear to/by God"

The interviewer tells him to get off the phone and they return to the interview.

Interviewer: Last question. The last question. What is your favourite Somali food?

White dude: Somali food I like? Um...ootkac and canjeelo (plain pancake and meat that is dried then fried!)



This has got to be the funnies video I have yet come accross. This has very importance usages. You might be sat there scratching your head but think of it this way. What do Somali parents always say to their kids? "Its ok to marry other people who are muslim but how will your gran/grandad understand them?" Well Mum and Dad here is the answer!!

This will enetrtain me for the rest of the week. Hope you enjoy it as uch as I have done.

Peace till next time.

I had a wonderful night shift. If there exists such a thing.

I got to work nice and refreshed cause certain people kept me entertained and talking for most of the afternoon. I was on such a high cause we had finaly achieved one of our goals for our Scouts group - which was to open an account. Alhamdullilah that's done and dusted now.

I spent most of my time at work last night surfing the net and not just foir entertainment purposes but I managed to google a few medical conditions that were new to me.

I also found White African's latest blog piece and I nearly screamed with laughter. WA is absolutly wickedly funny woman. I look forward to this party now even more cause I would like to see how we manage in the end. We are Muslims tho and able tol adapt easily and manage whatever comes our way so I am sure my friends and two sisters will inshaAllah have nothing but a great time at the party.

Again my patients were wonderfull and mostly able to look after themselves apart from 1. If anyone was to search the duties of a nurse you would get a 100 things but I bet what I had to do lastnight would not even make the list if they stretched the list to 1000 duties a nurse may have. I wonder what possesses me when I carry out these jobs - only because it makes my patient feel better or such rubbish!

I was heading home this morning with all this stuff going through my mind when I boarded the bus and realised that there were about 10-15 lads sat scatered around. I mean none of them sat together although they were chatting to eachother throughout the bus journey. Am I missing something? Are lads allergic to one another now? I have brothers and I have never seen this practice before. Enlighten me people! Anyways it gets to nearly my stop when a little lad (probabily would not appriatiate been called this but he looked like my brother - tall, lanky and with lots of attitude!) boards and hands the driver a £10 note and says "50p" No "please" no nothing. Driver turns around and says "no change". The guy then shouts in the direction of the full bus "got any change, I'll pay you back at college". No-one seems to have change and they tell him so. The kid is about to get off when I get and say "it's only 50p". He looks at me and says "I'll pay you back MISS". Cute or what? Iam finaly getting addressed in the manner I want but then the driver feels for me or something and lets the kid off.

I sit back down and the kid comes back to front and says "safe". This guy who so resembles my brother Lahi and even speaks like him then goes to the back of the bus and gets asked questions about how he know me. He doesn't but he pretends to. Why? I wish I knew. Is it easier for him to accept kindness from some-one he knows rather than a stranger? Why did I bother to help even though it was only 50p? To be honest it's cause of the way the driver looked at him as if to say "disorganised black kid. Tenner is a fake anyways" I hate it when the youth are pinalised for looking a certain way or dresssing a certain way. We all do it, including myself. My brothers look like they are up t no good but they are GOOD lads and people just need to stop been obssessed with looks and see what right there infront of them.

A little kindeness can open such doors, it amazes me what people consider to be a big thing. Our prophet (SAW) was right that an act of charity, even a smile, has it's own great rewards.

Realy looking forward to this party now...

Well I always knew the Somali people are good looking but his just proves my point.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIEjG3BMCUo




I love how diverse my people are in looks, dress but that they are all the same in faith (I am not saying they are all devout muslims but rather they are all believers in something higher than themselves). I find the Somali people to be extraordinary.

I'll let you be the judge.

This the only picture I have been able to upload (my technical vocab is getting better eh GYW?). You have in the picture The Banker, The Bosnian, The Ketchup and myself in the blue top and scarf. We look quite fetching don't we?


More pictures from Italy coming soon InshaAllah.

What a Difference a Day Makes...



Last night was my first shift back after my holiday in Italy with the girls. It was in a word TORTURE! I felt like a newly qualified member of staff. I had 3 majorly ill men and 1 who needed to have been in surgery yesterday. He was my main problem, as well as the fact that I was very nevous.

I got to finally go home after more than 12hours on the ward and what's the thing that playing on my mind so much so that I have to ring the ward and enquire like a concerned relative? My patient off course!! I needed to know if he was ok, only then did I sleep for a few hours. The first thing that came to mind was him too when I woke but I managed to restrain myself and didn't ring the ward. How do people manage to detach themselves from work and other things when they get home?

I need tips on how to do this otherwise I will end up an exhausted 25 year old who could pass for 50!

Anyways the point is (there is a point after all) that I walked on to the ward realy worried and thinking of ways that I could maybe get out of work when I realise the staff were SAT DOWN. They were SAT DOWN. I needed to repeat that just incase the wonderfull meaning of this got lost. This meant that the place was not hectic and no one was dying (that they knew of anyway).
The calmness of the ward was confirmed to me during handover. My patient had finally had his op and was doing well - he was even eating and chatting way.

SubhanaAllah. How can things change in such a short span of time? I love that in this job you never know what your going to walk into. It's basically life isn't it? Yes it is so I should chill and stop complaining.

Sorry to GYW for chewing your ear off this evening.

Ok two pieces in one day. It’s even worse than buses but it’s got to be done while I feel like writing.

So I seem to have come across this thing where you have to write ten amazing facts about yourself. Well as you might be aware I could be here all day and night writing about my good qualities but we must stick to JUST 10!

Ok, here we go…



1, I would give anything for my family and friends. I am a soft touch, people would say as a bad thing. What’s wrong with been soft – if your heart is hard something is truly wrong and you should try to correct it before it’s too late and no good can enter it. Sometimes I am taken advantage off but it’s not my sin if I am conned.


2, I panic easily. This always provides entertainment for my friends. I like things to be the way I planned. I don’t deal with change well. I especially hate to be late and I always seem to be – even if I leave my home hours earlier!


3, I like hording things. I missed in collecting things while I was younger so I am basically making it up now. I clean my room and home every once in while and just relocate the crap that I collect instead of getting rid.


4, I identify with people so much. I am compassionate. I find that I can cry for both sides! I once did a placement on a ward in gynaecology. I had a patient who was having a miscarriage and a patient who was having a termination. All of the staff were either for or against the termination. I found that I felt for both patients. I was really drained by the end of the shift.


5, I operate the 3 strikes and you are out rule. I will forgive and forget till you do the same thing the third time and you are truly out of my heart. I don’t get hurt easily but what hurts me is if I tell someone what bothers/hurts me and they ignore me and continue with the same habit.


6, I try so much to do the right thing ALWAYS but sometimes the result is not equal to the effort I put in but Alhamdulillah our belief system supports the fact that it’s not results that count rather it’s the effort and intention that matter.


7, I am a good listener – I absorb information like a sponge (it leaks just as easily as it is absorbed) but I am able to give sound advice. I am the supporter of the oppressed at work.


8, I can take criticism well – as long as it is constructive! I hate it when people say “you are a poor cook”. I would rather they said “you can’t cook, but good on you for trying. I know a good cook book if you want”


9, I am indecisive. But once the decision is reached it’s hard for me to go back from it even if in my own heart I know it would be better for me to.


10, I am useless with money. I can’t add up and always am so, so, so, so surprised when my bank statement arrives at the end of the month.



Well that’s 10 facts (not really facts are they till someone verifies them?!) to chew over! Are there any surprises there or was this all known previously?

Well it has been a while so let’s do this in retrospect: Always the best way to do things anyway.

So when I last wrote it was in Ireland. Boy that was such a while ago – so much has happened and its not that I didn’t want to write it, rather I felt I might not be able to stop or that I might hurt someone’s feelings. Someone recently said that just because we write about a situation doesn’t mean that it has to be so obvious what you are referring to so here goes…


Sunday 16th July – we went to explore Killarney town as the girls had seen a carnival in town. They got bikes for the day and I declined as I thought walking might be better for me.
Big mistake! I walked for miles all alone as they tended to ride ahead. It was a fantastic day as the girls spent their £10 in couple hours. We had agreed before we got to Ireland that I would give them each £10 every 3 days so that they need not bother me for sweets and such! God we had so much fun. We headed back to hostel at 7pmish. We had literally spent all day at the carnival. It was wonderful to spend the time just observing the girls.


Monday 17th – Wednesday 19th July – these three days kind of blend for me cause all we did was seeing more of Killarney. We did a tour of Ring of Kerry – would not recommend this the way we did it. We were cooped up in a couch for the better part off the whole day. We had scheduled stops but only for 10-15mins each time. At the end of the tour one lady came up to me and said “you’re a wonderful mother”. I looked her right in the eyes and said “thank you. I do try”!!!! Was she blind do you think or do I just look old enough to be the mother of a 15 and 11 year old girls?! I normally get asked for ID at cinemas for 15 certificate films!


Thursday 20th – Friday 21st July – AD and HD seemed to spend most of the time arguing and I seemed to be NATO to their US and Iraq!!! For all the good it did me anyways. Sometimes they seemed to really get on and at other times they seemed ready to kill each. They are both really mature for their age when they are apart but put them together and you get two 5 year olds! They are also so sarcastic and both have such quick wit. I think they are far too much alike. There are so many problems with extended family especially second marriages and children always seem to be the victims of this. Why is it adults never consider the consequence of what they are doing. What happened to not having favourites and especially not showing it?
I would rather die a thousand deaths than let any of my children see this (I don’t yet have any by the way – talking bout the future ones God willing).

Saturday 22nd July – we woke early and basically packed and got our train back to Dublin and home to HD’s mummy. While we had been in Killarney I had had the responsibility for the girls but once I stepped into Dublin I was myself a kid. I hated feeling like that – I don’t even feel like that at home in Manchester. It was just the effect my Aunt had on me. In Killarney I woke the girls for Dawn prayer 5 out of 8 days. Not bad as I am normally really bad for waking for the Dawn prayer.

While at the hostel the girls really immersed themselves with the locals and talked to anyone. The people seemed to love talking to them and there I sat just watching most of the time. The only time I had a discussion/chat was with a French couple and a Danish guy. Picture the scene – we are sat watching a sunset and watching some kids playing football. We start talking and we obviously get around to the subject of religion. It turns out the Danish dude is an “atheist searching for a true believe system”! It also came round the need for the scarf. The French couple (they looked really young maybe 20’s but I am a bad judge of age) said it personal choice and I said no “it’s like prayer it’s been prescribed by Allah”. That really seemed to end the conversation. Why is it that everyone seems to be happy when you say that you CHOSE to do something but say that it’s part of your RELIGION and they all seem to be sorry for you? Why???? I made the choice to follow my religion!

We got back to Dublin and we were visited by my Aunts family. Everyone seemed to want to see the kids from the “other wife”!! I am not being fair here but who gives a toss. This is how I felt at the time. Like I was on display and my name plate read “Eldest Child from First Wife”. The best time I had was the Tuesday we headed back to Manchester not meaning because we were heading home but because my Aunt took us to the beach and I got to sit and just relax without having to make an effort to have a normal conversation. It’s so hard to concentrate on a mundane conversation when so much is flying through your mind?

Anyway, we got to Manchester and missed the Tuesday circle. Forgot to call my Aunt to let her know we had got home okay. Got a telling off from my dad for it. I felt really angry and disappointed. My Aunt had rang us at least once a day while we were in Killarney and I never once rang her. Why couldn’t she just ring me? She rang all the time I was planning this trip. Why not since my return? I have decided to not ring either. I sent a letter to HD telling her what’s been happening since my return but no communication between me and my Aunt. Every few days/weeks my dad will ask why I have not rang and I say I will InshaAllah. I always mean it so it’s not a lie. I will ring. When I am ready!

Enough about Ireland!
Next Italy...Hopefully I will also be able to upload some pictures from both trips InshaAllah.