There are a lot of guns in Somalia. However, you don’t really see them everywhere. So far, the only people with guys are security guards (those that guard houses/offices and those that guard individuals). I am surrounded by guys everywhere I go because I have to have security guards with me. This is because the NGO I work with has a lot of international staff that do not have the protection of a clan. Therefore, they need to be guarded 24/7. However, normal people on the streets do not walk around with guns. This does not mean that they don’t have one (they do trust me) but the idea is that if they want peace they must show they are willing to let go of their guns or at leas make it less visible.
I still can’t believe how safe this country is. When I am in Bososo, I walk around freely without anyone. No one bothers me or harasses me (except for those individuals that have nothing better to do with their time but to keep telling me to put my gabasar (cloth) over my head—THEY REALLY NEED TO GET A LIFE OF THEIR OWN).
One funny thing about guns is that you tend to be scared of them the first couple times you see them. But after some time they become normal to you. I never thought that I would actually have the courage to touch a gun after what it did to my people. During my first 3 weeks in Somalia, I was extremely against the idea of having a gun near me but after awhile, especially during the last week or so, I just can’t stay away from them. There is something about them that draws you near them. I just can’t explain it but it is an experience I am not willing to repeat.
Someone once told me that “Smart people make Guns. Stupid people use them”. Although this makes slight sense to me now, I think stupid people make guns and stupider people use them.
I still can’t believe how safe this country is. When I am in Bososo, I walk around freely without anyone. No one bothers me or harasses me (except for those individuals that have nothing better to do with their time but to keep telling me to put my gabasar (cloth) over my head—THEY REALLY NEED TO GET A LIFE OF THEIR OWN).
One funny thing about guns is that you tend to be scared of them the first couple times you see them. But after some time they become normal to you. I never thought that I would actually have the courage to touch a gun after what it did to my people. During my first 3 weeks in Somalia, I was extremely against the idea of having a gun near me but after awhile, especially during the last week or so, I just can’t stay away from them. There is something about them that draws you near them. I just can’t explain it but it is an experience I am not willing to repeat.
Someone once told me that “Smart people make Guns. Stupid people use them”. Although this makes slight sense to me now, I think stupid people make guns and stupider people use them.
No comments:
Post a Comment