Hassan’s Story
by a Somalia community member
PA, USA
I am Hassan. I was born in Somalia. My native language is Mai Mai. When I was a baby, I went to the camp in Kenya.
In the camp, there was a school but it charged for tuition. My family did not have money. So, I did not go to school in the camp. I went to bed hungery and out to play to try to forget the hunger.
When I was six years old, my parents, siblings, and I traveled to the United States with refugee status. We first arrived at JFK airport in New York, and then moved to Seattle, Washington.
I started to go to school. I was scared, because I’d never seen a white person. In Somalia and Kenya, it’s all just dark skin.
I started to learn English through school and TV. They were the only ways that I learned English quickly.
I always wanted to see myself in a uniform, like a soldier, a doctor, and a policeman. I really wanted to become a doctor because I wanted to help people like those doctors who helped us in the refugee camp.
But then I came to realize that it would take so many school years to become a doctor. I was like “Whoa, I can’t do it.”
Now, I work on refugee settlement services in a family support center. I love my work. I like to help people.