Starting with the gratitude of Allaah the Almighty is one striking manner I imitate from the good people I admire, All my praise belongs to Allah (swt) for granting us this existence; giving us this potential to achieve very high standards of existence, and to appreciate life through trials and tribulations.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I have recently learned how true Lao Tzu’s statement is and started to realize even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point, It wasn’t too long ago when my journey of pursuing the book started, I was only four years old when I sat for school, for I couldn’t complete my KG alone when my older brother mastered it, despite my cowardness of not studying without my two elder siblings I used to get up early and rush to school, I remember me running to school with some rough books not knowing the value but still had pleasure to go to school.
It is always reflective to think of the past life especially my school days which is one of the most memorable phase of my life. I was very normal child and had attended school like many students, school days where the long journey began was the foundation building of the one I am, I didn’t really care about weather Albert Einstein who left school or the Bill gates and many other who failed to attend school were the world’s top men. I believe school had shaped my future and felt lucky enough to had all good memories, mistakes, lessons, happiness, misfortune, joy, drama, and most importantly, fun. Soon school got to an end and starting University was another life changing experience. This made my stomach turn at every thought of it. It started from where should I enroll? To what should I study? Like a lot of my school batch I deeply had wish of studying abroad but due to some impediments I joined Amoud University which was the most wonderful decision I have ever made in my life. It holds many enjoyable memories for me. for I always thought going AU was only big man’s job I began the journey as a scared cub out in the open wild park, but continued with the dreaded, of Will I survive on my own? And finally made the best of it and hiked forward becoming a willful tiger.
My search of doing things unique and challenging my capability directed me start another degree, and again started another faculty @Eelo Univeristy, the first thing that hit me was the workload. It was definitely much heavier and intense. The major challenges to get past were the large volumes of reading, the short deadlines and the intensive writing, the crushing exam and class schedules which sometimes led to great deal of stress, we could all feel what it requires when trying to balance studying two universities, taking more than fourteen courses, and have a social life. The demands of doing many different things with very little time can become overwhelming. But a habit I inherited from my family of aiming to perform the excellence of whatever we may be doing helped me to handle both with honor.
The environment of university necessarily forces the development of the student, their mind, their thoughts, their opinions, who they are and whom they friend, apart from the academics we experienced from Amoud far amazing lessons which no other institute offers. I have learned so many new things in such a short period of time, I have learnt importance of being classmate, I have met great fiends whom together we shared ups and downs, there were best memories–with my classmate I had best times, stress of exams, cheers of the good results, a wedding festivals, end of semesters– and as worst moments, was losing someone I never thought I will, she was my closest friend, best sister, great classmate, she had all the perfect manner, we laughed and cried together, shared dreams and got our way together , as I have witnessed how pretty she was on her her wedding night, and how happy she was on the day she gave birth to her son and thought I will as well watch her achieving her long dream, but realized this Addunyo is shit and real success in where Ayan-badan is gonna, the Jannah. (May her good soul rest in peace).
So many memories and it have gone by so fast. I didn’t think that the time to graduate would come soon enough. I was the happiest creature and we all know how it feels on the rewarding minute, tears of happiness shed from my eyes when Prof Suleiman A. Gulied started telling loudly the world that we have done our bachelors with all the requirements, he advised us like father talks to his son in farewell time, the glowing faces of graduates and their families, the participation of country’s head in our ceremony and my mother’s deep smile watching her two daughters and only son graduating was what made that day the big day.
I am happy like the hundreds of graduates but what made me write about my happiness is my eagerness to tell the world that my mother is the greatest, Somali women in general are world’s strongest mothers, there millions of Somali women that lonely raising children and making them nation’s pillars, and mine was a miracle gift to my life, since my Papa May Allah grant him annahta Farduza passed away, our entire success revolves around her. She was everything to us — a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a guide, a mentor and above all — our mother. She has single-handedly raised us, she had gave us everything and proudly made her five children live into the fullest, who else women is strong enough and would let her five children all follow into the university without the back of any other creature, Except Allah the almighty, I have seen her go through some tough times. Since childhood my only ambition was to grow older quickly so that I will let her watch her effort and the brilliant daughters she produced.
Congratulations to everyone who has paid effort then graduated. Congratulation to my mom she was the reason of the graduation of three of us, May Allaah protect her.
Alhmdulilah Alhmdulilah Alhmdulilah
Read below another article by Umayma in Somali:
Umayma A. Issa Goad
Umayma_022@hotmail.com.