Journal of a Typical Somali Girl

Chapter 1

"Na Aasho! Kaale Canjeelada doob!" I heared my mother call from the kitchen. Its 8:34 on a Saturday morning. Why must my mother have been so cruel. I only groaned in response but my hooyo didn't seem to Care. I lazily dragged myself out of bed and threw on my dirac. I looked around the room for my massar, but gave up when I didn't find it in my desk drawer.
"Naaya, aabo aa ku soogaayo!" She yelled again, this time louder than before. I quickly ran to the bathroom to bush my teeth.
So it's aabo who wants the canjeelo...

I didn't realize how long I was in the bathroom, until I heard footsteps.

"Are you still here?" She asked heading straight for the closet. I didn't even wash my face, I ran straight down the stairs and to the kitchen, all while making little squealing noises.

When I came down I found my five brothers playing with their XBox and my three sisters cleaning around the house. Yup, that's how it is.

"Aasho, come take my plate" Abdirahman said as he pushed his plate closer to me with his foot.

"Allah gave you two feet, get up and do it yourself" I said giving him a disgusted look, as the three others laughed. I walked into the kitchen and saw the canjeelo batter and pan all ready for me. With a sigh I got ready to make. I found my aabo already sitting on the dining room table, reading his quran. That's his daily morning routine. I scooped up a spoonful of the batter with the giant black spoon and circled it around the pan. Well, it was meant to be a circle.

"Whats with the square canjeelo?" my sister Shukri laughed, leaning over my shoulder at the failed canjeelo. I laughed along with her, becuase she was right.

"You 're supposed to do it like this" She said holding my hand on the spoon and making a circle in the air.

"Oh, I get it now" I lied, because that was honsetly no help at all. Shukri smiled and left the kitchen.

After I was done making aabo four square-looking canjeelo's I make myself three, and sat at the table to enjoy.

"How am I supposed to eat this without shaah? Aabo, ee keen" He says. Personally, I dont like my canjeelo with shaah. It tastes better with sugar and butter and rolled up. I got up and poured my dad a big mug of tea, and sat back down to eat.

"So, schoolkee kawaran?" Aabo asked with a smile on his face. I laughed in my head because I knew aabo's trying to keep quiet about the ugly way I made his canjeelo's.

"It's good aabo. Nothing happened much on friday, what did you do?" I asked sinking my teeth all the way through the soft goodness.

"Misajidka aan iska aadhey" He responded pouring tea onto his food. I nodded and continued to eat. That's about as far as our conversation went, because really, who can talk when you're eating the best food in the world?

After I was done, I washed my dish as well as aabo's, and went to the living room where my brothers and sisters, were now all watching TV.

"What is this?" I asked referring to the TV as I sit down on the floor becuase there is no space on the couch.

"I dunno, some movie" Ayaan shurgged. It looked really boring, but I had nothing to do, so I just stayed and watched.

Half an hour later, Hassan suggested we play basketball over at the court. I didn't think he was taking to me, but I jumped to my feet anyway in agreement and ran to get dressed. I looked in my closet for something to where. I currently own NO pants. 'Wiilasha aa salwaaalo xirto' my mother always told me. But i've gotten used to it. I wouldn't even wear it on my own, anyway. I threw on a black stretchy skirt and my favorite black nike hoodie. Before I could run back down, I heard hooyo caling me from her room.

'Hooyo?" I responded impatiently, as I made my way to her voice. She looked me up and down carefully at what I was wearing.

"Macaanto, halkee aadee?" She asked raising her eyebrows. We both knew I'm wasn't allowed to leave the house without a brother or sister in company.

"I'm going out to play basketball" I answered, my heart racing. I hope she doesn't tell me to stay,  I really need to get some excersise.

"No Aasho, girls don't play basketball." She said in Somali shaking her head, but once she saw how low my face dropped, she added "Laakiin, if it's only with your brothers than waa okay." I happily gave her a hug and leaped from step to step down the stairs.

I'm suprised to see my sisters still watching TV.

"Ya'll arn't coming?" I asked raising an eyebrow. All three of them had their full atention on the TV, and all I got in response was a dismissive wave from Fowsio. 

I guess its just me and the five boys I realized.

They've already left me. I'm the youngest at fifteen and barely get much attention. You'd think the youngest gets everything. Well, not in my family.

I walked alone to the basketball court which was only a block from our house, and before I even got through the gates, I knew I wouldn't be playing. The court was filled with boys, and not a single girl. I couldn't play, as was me and hooyo's deal.

I really didn't want to go back home, but playing ball was automatically out. I decided to just walk around the block. It's was good way to enjoy the weather. Today is what I liked to call a 'Shy Sunny Day', becuase half the sun was out shining down on us, and the other half was hiding behind a fluffy grey cloud.

We are a family of eleven who live in a quiet townhouse. We're not a quiet family though, as you might already know. Our house is the only one different from all the rest. From our untrimmed grass to our designful somali curtains. Even the fact that our house is the only one from a two mile radius that isn't decorated for halloween or christmas. Yup, before you even knock on the door, you'd know we're somali. From the little things like how you can smell hooyo's brees from throughout the neighboorhood.

'WOOF!" I heared, and I was immediately snapped out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a giant black and white dog running towards me. He seemed to have run loose from his owner becuase I could hear someone yelling  'Snook! Get back here, boy!'

You think i'm exaggerating when I say I let out a piercing scream as I literally ran to the nearest house. The house I ran into was opened, and I just dove in. There were only two people in the house from what I could see. The man quickly jumped to his feet and into a defense mode as the woman screamed and ran up the stairs.

I clearly wasn't in my right mind to see what happened. I peeked through their curtains to see if the dog was still there, but I only saw its owner tying a leash aroung its neck.

Only then, did I realize what I just did.

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