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Moving to Somalia!

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dmcowen674 said:
???

Not likely
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Sarcasm, man, sarcasm.

Duder1no said:
Man are you kidding me, please do yourself a favor and read this: HELL ON EARTH - Simon Reeve in Somalia - Vice Magazine
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Pretty sure I'm beating a dead horse at this point. Again, this 2005 article is mostly in reference to Somalia and Mogadishu. The only section that mentions Somaliland states: "The first place we set out for was Somaliland in the north of Africa, the north of which people usually think of as being Somalia. Somalia in the south has no government, no police force, no army, no social structure, and no real civil structure at all, and yet it’s recognized as an independent nation by the rest of the world. Somaliland in the north has an army, police force, and an elected president. It has traffic lights, a tourism minister, hotels, internet access, etc."
 
I have to agree with what some of the people here are posting in that Somalia WILL be an extreme experience. But just ignore some of the troll posts in here. I've done a lot of travelling including living as a young child in China during the late 80s before it really opened up. Never anything as extreme as Somalia but enough to know the world is an interesting place and worth getting out there to explore. Have a great time and try to be safe!!
 
Some of the same advise as others again. Make sure to get all your shots including some you might not normally get! I'm sure you have but make sure to read up on the culture as much as possible. Expect to get sick!!! And don't let that turn you off either, you WILL get sick! I can almost grantee this. Your western digestive system will take some time to acclimatise to the new diet, and new bacterial landscape so expect to have some rough times at the beginning. Make sure you are comfortable living without some of the basic necessities you take for granted like freely available toilet paper, clean water, etc.. I'm sure you know all this already, just wanted to make sure.
 
I love ATOT's misogyny. Apparently because you're female you are not capable of accurately assessing risk and making an independent decision to pursue this opportunity anyway. Dumb gurl. 😛

Congrats on the opportunity, enjoy and stay safe. Not everything in life is safe and it sounds like you're taking intelligent precautions. It also sounds like you are are willing to accept the consequences if those precautions are not enough, in trade for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children. You WILL be providing an eye-opening experience for those boys and girls that shows them women can be educated, capable and equal, and they might not have that experience otherwise. It does change things.

For you who consider her agreement to wear the hijab oppressive, she's wearing it for the same reason I wear a shirt. It's culturally expected and avoids giving offense. There's nothing any more indecent about her hair than there is about my boobs, except that culture makes it so. There is no shame in accepting and abiding by cultural boundaries, only in inflicting them harshly.
 
Rill22 said:
Well, Somaliland to be exact. They're doing their damnedest to differentiate themselves from the rest of Somalia, and are hoping to become internationally recognized as an independent state.

I've accepted a teaching position on the horn of Africa beginning this summer. It's in a small village outside of Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital. Should be an interesting experience. I'll have to wear a hijab every day, cover my arms and legs and hair, and I'll be escorted by a very large gun-wielding guard when outside of the school. No television, no alcohol, lots of camels, satellite internet, and a close proximity to Ethiopia.

Should there be any interest, I'll post some web albums of the country and my impeccable Somali fashion upon my arrival. 🙂
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You are either very Nieve or Crazy or Both...Wish you would reconsder.

The World's not as safe as CO you know??
 
x26 said:
You are either very Nieve or Crazy or Both...Wish you would reconsder.

The World's not as safe as CO you know??
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You can neither spell or capitalize properly, nor can you put together a cogent and compelling argument and on top of that you added something that sounds slightly patronizing. As this is the internet and that's all I know about you, I'm hard-pressed to figure out one which grounds you hope she would be swayed by your appeal.
 
AreaCode707 said:
You can neither spell or capitalize properly, nor can you put together a cogent and compelling argument and on top of that you added something that sounds slightly patronizing. As this is the internet and that's all I know about you, I'm hard-pressed to figure out one which grounds you hope she would be swayed by your appeal.
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The Truth is:

I don't give a Flying Fuck about You or Her...You can both Suffer and Die in your Ignorant Arrogance...
 
AreaCode707 said:
You can neither spell or capitalize properly, nor can you put together a cogent and compelling argument and on top of that you added something that sounds slightly patronizing. As this is the internet and that's all I know about you, I'm hard-pressed to figure out one which grounds you hope she would be swayed by your appeal.
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16,000 posts on a Forum??

You have no life or meaning to anyone.
 
Locut0s said:
How much travelling have you done. Have you ever been to a 3rd world country?
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I've done quite a bit of travel:

Most all of Western Europe
Three corners of the US and all in between.
And probably within a few blocks of where you are in one of my Favorite places.

As far as a Third world Country?? I have no interest whatsoever in ever going to a Third world country.
 
x26 said:
I've done quite a bit of travel:

Most all of Western Europe
Three corners of the US and all in between.
And probably within a few blocks of where you are in one of my Favorite places.

As far as a Third world Country?? I have no interest whatsoever in ever going to a Third world country.
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Then you are the ignorant one in this thread.

/The END
 
An Italian friend whose mother is from Somalia (or Ethiopa, I forget) has the dream of traveling to the Somalia/Ethiopia part of Africa to make things better and improve conditions. This dream has motivated her to pursue a master's degree in political science and she is now working as an intern at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland. She hopes the experience can lead to an eventual position that can significantly improve conditions in that part of the world.

I am mentioning this merely because of the OP's displayed similarity of personal drive to better that part of the world and to let people know that such dreams do exist for people.
 
x26 said:
16,000 posts on a Forum??

You have no life or meaning to anyone.
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x26 said:
16,000 posts on a Forum??

You have no life or meaning to anyone.
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Wow, you are a dick.

I have a job in software consulting, own a house and two pieces of property, am in the midst of construction on one of them. We are the most active home of all our friends, with dinner parties, movie nights, and as a jumping off point for attending plays and other activities. I'm headed to Italy in a month for a vacation with my husband, joining friends of ours on a wine and cheese sailing cruise on the Amalfi coast. Admittedly, it will be my first time outside of North America because I've spent most of my life working so far.

Post count as an indicator of value? You seem to be the one who thinks internet life is vitally important here, not me.
 
jjsole said:
Atleast Somaliland pretends to have a government.
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Somaliland doesn't pretend to have a Government. It has one. A democratically elected one at that. Which is more than our neighbours

I'm sorry, I stumbled onto this topic and the OP was so lovely until I started reading the replies has made me register to correct some misconceptions.

There is a massive difference between Somalia and Somaliland. Somalia (and no doubt everyone always assumes only Mogadishu is Somalia) and only the Southern half is in anarchy. The Northern half has been quite peaceful for 2 decades.

Somaliland is no more dangerous than our neighbours to the North and educators are highly respected.

You will be fine in Somaliland, the only difficulty I can see is your vegetarianism. We Africans love our meat and I am honestly stumped at what you can eat when you are there :$
I hope you visit our mango fields and visit Berbera. If you have time I hope you can also visit our prehistoric paintings in Somaliland.

I wish you the best of luck OP and I hope in a few years when I finish my studies, I'll be helping my home country as well. 🙂
 
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OP, I admire you. Someone like yourself can do more for freedom/democracy than can a 2,0000 lb bomb dropped from an F-16.

Your life is yours ... just remember that you do not live in a vacuum and that the risks you take will have implications for those who love you.

In an way your life belongs to those who care about you ...
 
Miski said:
Somaliland doesn't pretend to have a Government. It has one. A democratically elected one at that. Which is more than our neighbours

I'm sorry, I stumbled onto this topic and the OP was so lovely until I started reading the replies has made me register to correct some misconceptions.

There is a massive difference between Somalia and Somaliland. Somalia (and no doubt everyone always assumes only Mogadishu is Somalia) and only the Southern half is in anarchy. The Northern half has been quite peaceful for 2 decades.

Somaliland is no more dangerous than our neighbours to the North and educators are highly respected.

You will be fine in Somaliland, the only difficulty I can see is your vegetarianism. We Africans love our meat and I am honestly stumped at what you can eat when you are there :$
I hope you visit our mango fields and visit Berbera. If you have time I hope you can also visit our prehistoric paintings in Somaliland.

I wish you the best of luck OP and I hope in a few years when I finish my studies, I'll be helping my home country as well. Except maybe without the fear from others than somehow women will be stoned to death or something lol.

Edit: Oh and if you are coming to Somaliland in time for the party this week. Have fun. Somaliland is celebrating it's 20th independence anniversary since it separated from the union 🙂
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It's a matter of semantics.

I can get together with people in my neighborhood, start a government between us, and call it an autonomous country called United Statesland.

If no one messes with me and elect our leaders democratically, does that make it a legitimate government? Even if no other government recognizes it?

I applaud the Somaliland people for their intention and democratic ways...hopefully for them they will have an internationally recognized government someday.
 
jjsole said:
It's a matter of semantics.

I can get together with people in my neighborhood, start a government between us, and call it an autonomous country called United Statesland.

If no one messes with me and elect our leaders democratically, does that make it a legitimate government? Even if no other government recognizes it?

I applaud the Somaliland people for their intention and democratic ways...hopefully for them they will have an internationally recognized government someday.
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No. That is absolutely incorrect.

Somaliland was a independent country before the Union with Somalia.
Somaliland has a separate history to Somalia as the colonial country of the British and most importantly it was given Independence by the British and the world within those borders and recognized as separate from Somalia.
All Somaliland has now done is gone back to the original borders of it's country.
Very different to just setting up a Government in your backyard.
Legally Somaliland should be recognized as it has followed international law down to the T and even has held many elections but we all know law means very little when it comes to Africa when countries interests and politics plays a role
 
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AreaCode707 said:
I love ATOT's misogyny. Apparently because you're female you are not capable of accurately assessing risk and making an independent decision to pursue this opportunity anyway. Dumb gurl. 😛.
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Do you really believe that people would think it was a good idea if she were a guy?
 
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