06/09/2014
Fadlan Aqri Waa Sheeko Cajiib Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anaa Hortiin Yaabay........
My name is Ifrah
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My name is Ifrah, I lived in Somalia until I was 17. I did not attend school in Somailia because of the war but I learned Koran. I left Somalia because of the war. My mother, brother and sister are all dead – they were all killed in a war incident. My Father and brother were not at home when the soldiers came and I was left for dead. We grieved for our family members. My father, brother and I lived in the house for a while. My father and brother have been taken away by the soldiers since then and I do not know if they are dead or alive. Now I find it hard to talk about family. I was very unhappy without my family.
When I left Somalia I did not know about Ireland. I left Somalia intending to go to America. My aunt who lives in America paid a man to get me out of Somalia and I met this man, Hassan, in the bus station in Addis Abba. He knew me because I was the only person left in the bus station. I stayed with his family, he had two beautiful children and I loved to play with them. But all this time I was very sad, scared and lonely and I did not know what was in store for me each day let alone in the weeks or months that lay ahead. I was collected from this house by another man and he told me that he had come from America and that he was taking me back to my aunt in America.
We took a plane from Ethiopia and he warned me not to speak to anybody. The plane landed in another country and then he told me to get off the plane and he gave me a passport. He said that I was not to talk to him and if there was any problem that I was not to say that I knew him. There were five people in the queue between us – I was ahead of him.
When I got through I was booked onto another flight and I did not know where I was going – the next thing I knew I was landing in Dublin Airport. Dublin was unknown to me I had never even heard of Dublin or Ireland. I did not know about U2, Westlife, Roy Keane or Riverdance .
I got off the plane in Dublin on January 29th 2006 in the late afternoon it was pitch dark – I was frozen stiff. I was wearing a Somalian long black dress and sandals. I had never experienced such cold weather. I thought I was in America.
I went to a hotel with this man somewhere in Dublin city, he wanted me to share a room and to sleep with him. He told me that if I would not sleep with him that he would call the police and I would be sent back to where I came from. I begged him not to come near me – I told him I could not sleep with him I was crying and I told him the troubles I had already experienced and he just went to another room.
The following morning I could not eat I was just scared and frightened the people all around were white. I was still wearing the clothes I arrived in. We took a taxi and he told the taxi driver to bring me to go to the Department of Justice. He told me where to go. He told me this was not America but it was safe country and my God it is a safe country.
At the Dept of Justice I was sitting down, I sat in front of a man at his desk we were separated by a counter. He was an oldish man and he was very kind to me. I laugh now, he could not speak Solamian and I could not speak English. At that moment I was really, really scared. He identified the language I spoke and then showed me a piece of paper, which was in Somalian and English and we both worked from this.
I waited and waited for him and I had my fingerprints taken. As I was a teenager I was given a social worker. The social worker spoke to me and she got a Somalian lady to translate for me. I was brought to a hostel. A Somalian girl opened the door of the hostel. I could not believe it, I just hugged her and cried. I only had the clothes I was wearing. She said it is ok we are here now we are both safe. I was freezing and I sat close to the heater. I was asked by the carer in the hostel if I wanted a drink - I did now know what a drink was. He then said tea or coffee so I knew what he meant. I sat cold and scared in the room for a few hours. The social worker gave me her jumper, a black jumper, it kept me warm and I wore it but I still did not have shoes to wear.
I still did not see any other black person. We had Indian food for tea – the Somalian girl gave me a nightdress to sleep in. I could not shower, the water was too cold. The following morning I was offered cornflakes for breakfast and I did not want to eat. They offered bread and I would not eat that either I only want eat Somalian food. I went to English classes and I knew I had to make friends and a new life for my self.
Coming to Ireland has made a big difference for me. I am happier now. I am having a good life here, there are a lot of Irish people around me and I trust them all. I work in the community and I am an activist against female ge***al mutilation (FGM). I am a victim of FGM and I want to do my best to prevent this from happening to other young girls. I integrated myself into Irish society, I went on the St Patrick’s Day parade and I really enjoyed it!
