\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s wrong with your generation, Abdirahman.\u201d\u00a0 Adeer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve become globalists and have forgotten your dhakan\u201d<\/p>\n
I wonder if it\u2019s ironic he\u2019s speaking to me mainly in English? <\/em>But we both knew why. Being able to speak English is a high indicator of status in this area.<\/p>\n I got comfortable for my lesson, having similar discussions with other Adeers. The waiter brings our drinks. A perfect time. Perhaps a small pity from Eebe.<\/p>\n He turned fully towards me now. We were sitting on the patio at a caf\u00e9 that\u2019s frequented by diaspora. A conversation Swedish over there, courting in German there. And what sounds like Dutch over here.<\/p>\n The sun was finally giving way after a long day, and the cool breeze of the evening was now a welcome relief.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t even know the troubles that inflicts your own people.\u201d He continued. \u201cYou\u2019d just as likely side with Ethiopia, one of our oldest rivals. The ones who would keep us divided and docile.\u201d<\/p>\n I tried to interject, offer some debate; but I was quickly brushed aside. My time in Canada apparently stripped me of knowledge regarding my ancestral home and the complex geopolitical situation ailing our people.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how much khat we buy from them? We give them three million dollars a day! A DAY! US DOLLARS! His voice raised with passion and indignation at the prospect of having Ethiopia be our betters and have the ability to dominate us.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a waste.\u201d he trailed off as he shook his head.<\/p>\n He took a couple of sips from his tea, smacking his lips each time.<\/p>\n A quick relief from his tirade and reenergize.<\/p>\n I did the same, no longer completely shocked at the incredibly sweet concoction. Perhaps I\u2019ve gotten used to the astronomical sugar to tea ratio of this broadly loved drink.<\/p>\n A friend once joked that making this level of sugar illegal would half the serious condition that\u2019s plagued us.<\/p>\n He began again, the tea working its magic.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how much they interfere in our internal affairs! Haa dheh.\u201d<\/p>\n A statement I was simply meant to acknowledge.<\/p>\n \u201cHaye\u201d I meekly said, hoping that was the proper response.<\/p>\n \u201cGiving financial support to one group. Providing intel to another. Quelling the growing influence of the more powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways sowing discord. Constantly Destabilizing. With the idiots falling for it and fighting each other e-v-e-r-y t-i-m-e.\u201d tapping the table with his index finger to each syllable.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd where is your beloved UN in all this? World governments that are meant to help us? Halkee?\u201d<\/p>\n Another false question.<\/p>\n \u201cAnaa kuu shegayo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey give us food when it rains.”<\/p>\n \u201cAnything they teach and give is to dull our self-sufficiency\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n As he was continuing, a young man in his mid-twenties came to our table. His striped blue shirt neatly tucked under his belt. Crisped, creased, black pants without the tell-tale red sign of someone who walks. Only his shoes giving away his still lowly status of not using a car.<\/p>\n How does he manage to keep all that dust from him?<\/em> I wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cAdheer, waakan wixi aad rabtay.\u201d<\/p>\n Placing the familiar bundled green plant on the table. His gift acknowledged with a nod.<\/p>\n He looked at me. The cultural convention of acknowledgement in play.<\/p>\n \u201cSidee aad tahay\u201d putting out his hand for me to shake.<\/p>\n \u201cWaan fiicanaha\u201d I responded as I took his hand.<\/p>\n With a slight smirk, he turned back towards Adheer. My subterfuge apparently ineffective.<\/p>\n \u201cMawduuci aan ka wada hadalnay, side ayay u socotaa?\u201d Adeer was asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWFP waxaad bilaabeysa Isnintan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026\u201dLaakin haan iloobin cidda ku keenay. Ma fahmeysaa? The young man was now asked.<\/p>\n He nodded knowing what that meant.<\/p>\n Adheer took a large sip of his tea and stowed the bundle for later enjoyment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s wrong with your generation, Abdirahman.\u201d\u00a0 Adeer said. \u201cYou\u2019ve become globalists and have forgotten your dhakan\u201d I wonder if it\u2019s ironic he\u2019s speaking to me mainly in English? But we both knew why. Being able to speak English is a high indicator of status in this area. I got comfortable for my lesson, having […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-91","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-short-story","tag-contradictions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94,"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91\/revisions\/94"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handulle.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}