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Personal Narrative: My Response To Somali

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Searching for a way to translate what I wanted into say to Somali and resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I continued to argue with my parents for what seemed like the hundredth time. The argument was about the form of transportation that I would take home from school. Unlike many of my peers, I wasn’t advocating for a cushy car ride home, but instead to take the rancid crowded train. My parents, bless their hearts, were very protective of me. My mother knew that I wasn’t fragile, but she constantly warned me that the sexism, racism, and Islamophobia that I could experience on the train would be worse than I’ve ever seen. When I finally convinced her to let me take the train, she would text me every morning, reminding me to recite the safety …show more content…
Even though my experience hasn’t been lovely every ride, I haven’t had the heart to tell my parents. While sitting across from strangers who called me a terrorist, or told me they’d love to watch me be hanged with my headscarf, I would always start to regret my decision. When I was younger, I took these racist remarks personally, not understanding why someone would behave this way. As I’ve grown though, I’ve accepted that people aren’t always going to be nice to me, regardless of how polite I am. Understanding this lifted the weight of worrying about what I could be doing wrong, and made me realize that if I were to run away from every place where I’ve been told Islamophobic insults, I might as well stay at home.

By taking the train, I’m walking into a situation where I may be taunted or insulted, but realizing that this was beyond my control, was freeing. I’ve been angry, scared, and have cried quite a few times, but I’m thankful to have had these moments because it taught me more about myself and what I needed to figure out as I got older and more exposed. It made me more confident in my headscarf and more confident about who I knew I

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