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Somalia

I am just a girl who has been abused, beaten, raped and disrespected. From the day I was born, I was told I was nothing. As girls in Somalia, we are told that we are put on earth only to serve men. One of my first memories is of seeing my mother cry, not tears of joy, but tears of sadness, when my younger sister was born. In my country, when a boy is born the mother receives gifts and a celebration. If she has a girl, there are no gifts. There is no celebration.

At just five years old, I lived in the African bush and remember looking around thinking, “This can not be it!” Somewhere in my mind, I couldn’t help thinking, “How had I ended up here, born a girl, in such a place?” Everything seemed like chaos. I felt as if I somehow I was dropped in that place and had to be lifted out. I repeatedly asked the Universe to rescue me.

It was around that time that I found a magazine at the military base where my father was stationed outside of Mogadishu.

The magazine had a photo of a girl in a pretty dress lying peacefully in the grass. Seeing that there was another world out there gave me so much hope. That day changed my life forever. The girl in the magazine looked so free and relaxed. I wanted to be that girl and I felt like I belonged in that world.

When I asked one of the American servicemen is that photo was a real girl and a real place, he said, “It sure is. That’s America.”

When I walked home, I was jumping around - almost floating - I felt like God had answered my prayers right then and there. The world I was born into was not it! The vision of that girl kept me alive when all hope seemed lost. I never forgot my vision of that girl.

In December of 1990, I was ten years old and living in Mogadishu. Overnight, the Hawie, a tribe seeking nationwide supremacy, overthrew the government. They attempted to wipe out all other ethnic groups in the country, including my own, the Darod. Pandemonium broke out and within hours my mother and I, along with my four younger siblings, grabbed a few articles of clothing and ran out into the panic-stricken streets leaving absolutely everything behind forever.

Bombs and gunshots thundered behind us. All we could do was run.

For six months, we ran without any down time. We slept twenty minutes here, twenty minutes there, but the surge of the genocide-seeking Hawie was relentless. Dead and dying bodies were strewn about, some too hungry, thirsty, or exhausted to continue. Somehow, a force and strength inside us kept us a step ahead. With only our legs, we accomplished unimaginable feats of human will and endurance – fueled on most days by only a splash of powdered milk mixed with water.

During those years, I witnessed too many deaths to count and nearly died from starvation and malaria. I had to climb trees to escape charging lions and lived completely alone in the wild for most of my life, back at comp, where I had take cows daily, and when I was separated from a caravan going to a refugee camp in Kenya.

Running saved my life.

I never stopped thinking about the girl in that photo and my dream of making it to America.

My life has been one seemingly impossible challenge after another, but I’ve found that even the most incomprehensible tests could be overcome with persistence.

If I’ve learned anything so far, it’s that all challenges have their rewards if you’re completely unwilling to give up. I am writing to you because I have a mission. Sometimes it feels like Mission Impossible, but this is what I need to do. I must help other women and children who do not have a voice to be heard. Who have been brain washed also. And here for them, because I know that is like to be ignorant, and of course tCan you hear what they are begging for ? ...Peace

I looked wisdom for every place

When need denied

I asked a fellow who before me sought counsel

When need denied again

I returned to where I searched before

When need denied again

I searched once more where others failed

when imbecility whispered to me.

We are their hope

Thank you

All of the obstacles I’ve been through have lead me to you. I say this with the same Mighty Power that has been telling me to reach out because I believe you may understand.

I have come a long way from the place I was forced to leave as a child and when I jog today my shoes hit the pavement as a symbol of the God-given strength that allowed me to survive such an ordeal. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for having kept my feet moving, despite being so exhausted that death often seemed the better option.

But I have not reached the finish line yet.

The turmoil in my home country rages on and my family is still there, struggling for their lives. When their refugee camp in Kenya closed down in 2000, I lost all contact with them. In October 2008, I had my first sign of hope. My brother and sister found me from a YouTube video I had posted online in search of them.

Now that I know where they are and have spoken to them, I believe we will see each other again. I also believe that the horrors of Somalia can be put to an end, despite the rest of the world having practically given up on them. I know, just as I knew when life was at its darkest and the landscape around me was covered with dead and dying bodies, that there is always hope.

I am just an ordinary girl born into extraordinary circumstances, but I am symbol for many who have lost faith and given up hope in their own lives. Running saved my life and continues to allow me to find peace with others and within. Now, I must use my voice to save my family and other innocent women and children who feel that hope is lost.

I know that my running alone can do nothing. To accomplish my mission I need the support of people like you. It is my hope that you will read my story and realize that it is a remarkable story worth telling.

Layla Sheikh is a 28-year old Somali refugee living in exile on the island of Maui. She first arrived in the United States in 1998. She has appeared on local television in a short documentary called “Layla Runs” about her plight, as well as newspaper articles in the Maui News and Maui Weekly. As an activist raising awareness for Somalia, she has rapidly become a recognizable figure in Maui, especially following a recent speech delivered to an audience of more than a thousand at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event – receiving a standing ovation. She speaks five languages, including Somali, Arabic, and Swahili, and has two young children – Mohammed and Hana. In addition to working as a professional model, she is currently working on an autobiography to expose the horrors of the Somali conflict and her breathtaking fight for survival.

Layla on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e139-gK5sCU

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RE: DO NOT MOVE TO TENNESSEE!

I agree with Justine, Tennessee is quite possibly the worst place to live. Housing is overpriced, the education system is absolutely terrible, taxes (already mentioned), and there is rampant corruption in the Tennessee state political system. I moved here from Indiana five years ago and plan on moving back as soon as I can.

DO NOT MOVE TO TENNESSEE!

I am extremely upset with Miss Brandon for including Nashville, Tn in her list of low tax places to live. The whole state of Tennessee is a tax rip off. Sure, they have no official state tax, however, they tax EVERYTHING ELSE!!!We live in a tiny town with a modest 1700sf home and pay TWO TAXES on it. 1. County tax

2. City tax

Together they equal the taxes we paid last year on our $500,000 house in Arizona!!! And guess what, we had a large pool,excellent schools, and all the amenities that come with Arizona living.

Not only that, there are rumors that Tn will soon have "state taxes" added to the humongous taxes we already pay. Did I mention that we also pay taxes on FOOD??? IN ADDITION, SALARIES ARE 50% lower than in Arizona. Ms. Brandon needs to write an immediate correction before her readers do what we did: move to Tn!!! The weather is also lousy. There are no compensations for living in this state. The schools are moronic... my son is taking a 9th grade computer class, and there are NO COMPUTERS in the class!! Unbelievable. There must be a lot of corruption re where all the taxes go in this state. Don't move here!!