Hargeisa

My Hometown

Hargeisa city 

My home town is Hargeisa, which is a city situated in the Woqooyi Galbeed region of the self-declared but internationally unrecognised Republic of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa. It is the capital and largest city of Somaliland and not many people know about it, that's why Hargeisa is considered as the second capital city of Somalia. Please watch the following video to have an idea of Somaliland: SOMALILAND.

Attractions

There are no so many local attractions in Hargeisa, the most visited places are restaurants and coffee shops. the following list is composed of the well known restaurants and coffee shops:

• Sultan Restaurant
• Lalays Restaurant
• Cafe Barbera   
• Cookies Time Bakery -the best and the first bakery in Somaliland that produces cookies.

 However, there are nearby natural attractions and historical sites to Hargeisa, and they are also considered as tourist attractions. The most common ones are:

Laas Geel

Laas Geel

The number one tourist attraction in Somaliland. Ancient Cave Paintings Las Geel is probably the most significant Neolithic rock painting site in the whole of Africa. These ancient caves have been recently discovered by the outside world. The vibrant colourful paintings are remarkably well-preserved and are believed to be one of the oldest in Africa dating back between five and 11.000 years. The caves contain images of humans worshipping cattle. Other images such as cows, dog, wild antelopes and giraffe can also be found. It’s just a matter of time before Las Geel becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just outside Hargeisa it can be best done with a tour in Hargeisa.

Daallo Forest & Mountains 

Daallo Forest & Mountains

Daallo is the green paradise of Somaliland with its 60-miles-long thick forest. It’s located near the town of Erigabo, in the middle of the Sanaag region in the North-eastern Somaliland. The highest mountains in the region are reaching over 2400 meters. It has a rich biodiversity of different plant species, birds and other animals. The scenic green mountain landscape and its many trails are great for trekking and spotting wildlife.

Sheikh Sightseeing 

Sheikh Mountains 

The small town of Sheikh lies at a relatively loft y altitude of 1,470m in the Golis Range, a mountainous escarpment that separates the coastal plain from the main Somali Plateau. Also sometimes spelled Sheekh or Shiikh, the town straddles the 120km surfaced road that runs southeast from Berbera to Burao, and lies exactly halfway between these two larger towns.

The ascent here from Berbera along the Sheikh Pass follows one of the most dramatic roads in Somaliland, starting from the village of Hudisa at the base of the Golis Range, and then climbing some 700m over a 10km series of switchbacks that offer fantastic views of the plains below.

Amongst these places, Sheikh is my favourite town as it has a nice weather and beautiful nature and I had a real adventure driving in its dramatic roads. 


Reference:https://somalilandtravel.com/top-sightseeing/

My family, my life Journey and my Secondary School

My Family

Somalis are known to have so many children as it is a sign of  pride, and as a Somali I have a big family that consists of ten members, six girls including me, three boys and my mother. My father had passed away when my mother was pregnant with my youngest brother, who is one year younger than me. Sadly, I didn't have the opportunity to see or know more about my father, since I was only 6 months.

My family had moved to a number of countries before my birth and at the age of one year, we moved from Somalia-Mogadishu to Syria, we stayed there for four years then we moved to Saudi Arabia- Jidda, we settled down for 11 years, then we moved back to Somaliland-Hargeisa when I turned 15 years old. Even though, I was young during our transitions from one country to another, I had fun having friends of different nationalities and backgrounds.

However, during my time in Jidda my mother got married to a family friend who took care of us and loved us just like his own children, though, he had none. He was just like my real father as he raised me from the age of four years old. Unfortunately, he suffered from Hepatitis B for two years and died soon after we moved back to Somalia. I was in a deep grief for a couple of months and my heart ached every time I thought about him, because I didn't get the opportunity to thank him for his kindness and the love of a father that he gave me when I didn't actually have one.

My life as everyone's life had ups and downs! I encountered a lot of difficulties and struggles, but I had a supportive and a lovely family that helped me survive in this world and taught me how to fight for my way to achieve my goals. 

My Secondary School

I finished my Form1 in Jidda before moving to Hargeisa, where I completed my secondary school. My High school in Jidda was called Altasa'a, it was a public school and the language of teaching as well as the curriculum were in Arabic, and being a student in these public schools for the entire period I stayed in Jidda, meant that I was only taught the basics of English as a language, but I couldn't speak or write in English. However, I had to start from scratch after I moved to Hargeisa and started my Form2 in Sky Secondary School (British School), I had a lot of difficulties adapting to the new environment, I was confused and lost, not knowing what to do or where to start from, but with the help of my two favourite teachers Mr Abdi and Ms Anne, I managed to pass my IGCSE with high grades. Ms Anne was both my school and home teacher, she helped me understand the basics of science subjects as well as English. On the other hand, Mr Abdi was the principle and the science teacher in my school he used to give me tuition in Maths, Chemistry and Physics after school hours until I mastered them. 

Anyway, struggling in my studies doesn't mean that I didn't have fun, I actually had crazy and humorous friends who made me laugh all the time. I was the 
quietest among them, so they always had fun making silly jokes of me just to get on my nerves and make me laugh at the same time. To be honest, I consider my life in secondary school the best, I had gained valuable knowledge and learned English which was the most difficult subject for me, I also had great teachers who supported and assisted me in my studies and not to forget to mention the entertainment I had with my friends.

In conclusion, life is hard so we also have to work hard to make our dreams become reality, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes us to accomplish our goals. As Les Brown said “easy come easy go”, so don’t you ever take the easy way or you’ll end up losing everything. For those of you who are having hard times, I advise you to watch motivational videos they will definitely make you feel better. Below is one of my favourite motivational videos:

Push through it