Many questions about everyday life (Hargeisa)

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I'll study something related to relief aid :)

Ah. So no shorts recommended, but T-Shirts are fine? That's 50% better than I originally thought.
Less packing, more sweating then.
Btw you are in for a culture shock.Hargeysa like most somali cities isn't as advanced as the West.However with your money the trip can be semi relaxing.

Aid relief? do you work for an NGO or something? if so I think more aid is needed in the country than the city.
 

Grigori Rasputin

Former Somali Minister of Mismanagement & Misinfo.
Staff Member
Wariyaha SomaliSpot
@scheinwelt havent you ever been to an African country?

Hargeisa will be similar to that with less begging like Addis Ababa and less robbery like in Nairobi.

I would encourage that you have a local person to be out with you the first weeks or so to teach you the robes of the ways of this place.

Once you get to know their ways then you'll settle in comfortably. You'll encounter a lot of questions, almost all innocent. Questions like "where you from" and "what is your name". I mean they like to practice their English on a real foreigner. Some of them would be kind of rude and insist that you convert to Islam but you must stand your ground and tell him "I respect your religion and please respect mine " or don't even reply to that idiot.

Folks down there are overwhelmingly friendly.

The magic words are "Somaliland will be independent ":siilaanyolaugh::siilaanyosmile:eek:nce they hear that it'll open doors for you
 
Btw you are in for a culture shock.Hargeysa like most somali cities isn't as advanced as the West.However with your money the trip can be semi relaxing.

Aid relief? do you work for an NGO or something? if so I think more aid is needed in the country than the city.

Yea - I heard food and transportation isn't actually that cheap (That true?) So I gotta look out for my dollarss either way, I'm just a "poor student" :whew:
No, I don't work for an NGO, I do research. Don't really want to say much more because this is a public forum and I'd like to keep my anonymity on the internet.

@scheinwelt havent you ever been to an African country?

Hargeisa will be similar to that with less begging like Addis Ababa and less robbery like in Nairobi.

I would encourage that you have a local person to be out with you the first weeks or so to teach you the robes of the ways of this place.

Once you get to know their ways then you'll settle in comfortably. You'll encounter a lot of questions, almost all innocent. Questions like "where you from" and "what is your name". I mean they like to practice their English on a real foreigner. Some of them would be kind of rude and insist that you convert to Islam but you must stand your ground and tell him "I respect your religion and please respect mine " or don't even reply to that idiot.

Folks down there are overwhelmingly friendly.

The magic words are "Somaliland will be independent ":siilaanyolaugh::siilaanyosmile:eek:nce they hear that it'll open doors for you

Thank you!

I haven't been to one in Sub-Saharan Africa yet, just in North Africa. I'd prefer a lot of questions over "please buy this carpet!" any day..
Thanks for the suggestion with the local, I'm definitely hoping to do that when I make my first contacts :)

About religion, I am baptised Christian by law, but I'm in fact an Atheist - I guess it's best to just say I'm Christian. Had some bad experiences with the other. What do you think?

And yea - my research is actually concerened with Somaliland's status, so I'll definitely do that haha!
What do you think about the upcoming elections?
 
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Yea - I heard food and transportation isn't actually that cheap (That true?) So I gotta look out for my dollarss either way, I'm just a "poor student" :whew:
No, I don't work for an NGO, I do research. Don't really want to say much more because this is a public forum and I'd like to keep my anonymity on the internet.



Thank you!

I haven't been to one in Sub-Saharan Africa yet, just in North Africa. I'd prefer a lot of questions over "please buy this carpet!" any day..
Thanks for the suggestion with the local, I'm definitely hoping to do that when I make my first contacts :)

About religion, I am baptised Christian by law, but I'm in fact an Atheist - I guess it's best to just say I'm Christian. Had some bad experiences with the other. What do you think?

And yea - my research is actually concerened with Somaliland's status, so I'll definitely do that haha!
What do you think about the upcoming elections?
Have you been studying up on somaliland? What are your thoughts on the State.

Food isn't that expensive nor is transport.Religion isn't a big factor , you are white so they probably immediately assume your religion.
 

Grigori Rasputin

Former Somali Minister of Mismanagement & Misinfo.
Staff Member
Wariyaha SomaliSpot
Yea - I heard food and transportation isn't actually that cheap (That true?) So I gotta look out for my dollarss either way, I'm just a "poor student" :whew:
No, I don't work for an NGO, I do research. Don't really want to say much more because this is a public forum and I'd like to keep my anonymity on the internet.



Thank you!

I haven't been to one in Sub-Saharan Africa yet, just in North Africa. I'd prefer a lot of questions over "please buy this carpet!" any day..
Thanks for the suggestion with the local, I'm definitely hoping to do that when I make my first contacts :)

About religion, I am baptised Christian by law, but I'm in fact an Atheist - I guess it's best to just say I'm Christian. Had some bad experiences with the other. What do you think?

And yea - my research is actually concerened with Somaliland's status, so I'll definitely do that haha!
What do you think about the upcoming elections?

Don't t tell them that you are an atheist. They can't imagine a godless person. It's an affront to them.

The election going down there can only be described as completely pathetic. It's thoroughly based on qabiil( clan) lines). The people are voting for allegiance to qabiil rather than a platform. It's sad state of affairs. What good does democracy bring if the vote is based on discrimination?

There's also massive corruption happening. The president is old and senile and is not running the state. He is a zombie now. There's a group of people running the place and running it with looting.

Btw I am unbiased because I don't support any party or the governments they had before and the one now.

They've been all corrupt
 
Have you been studying up on somaliland? What are your thoughts on the State.

Food isn't that expensive nor is transport.Religion isn't a big factor , you are white so they probably immediately assume your religion.
Hmm, well I think judging by general political science standards, apart from foreign recognition, Somaliland seems to be a de-facto state. Personally, I don't see why they should not be independent, especially given the events in the 60s with UN-sponsored union with Somalia and the 1991 war. But I am not familiar with the matter on the clan level etc..

Don't t tell them that you are an atheist. They can't imagine a godless person. It's an affront to them.

The election going down there can only be described as completely pathetic. It's thoroughly based on qabiil( clan) lines). The people are voting for allegiance to qabiil rather than a platform. It's sad state of affairs. What good does democracy bring if the vote is based on discrimination?

There's also massive corruption happening. The president is old and senile and is not running the state. He is a zombie now. There's a group of people running the place and running it with looting.

Btw I am unbiased because I don't support any party or the governments they had before and the one now.

They've been all corrupt

Thank you! That's very interesting - I read that the consitution forbids parties to organise along tribal lines.
Are they doing it anways, or does it just mean that there can't be an "Habar Awal" party?

Do you expect the election to go smoothly though, or are there parties interested in ruining it (e.g. riots, violence, blabla expected to happen?).
 

Grigori Rasputin

Former Somali Minister of Mismanagement & Misinfo.
Staff Member
Wariyaha SomaliSpot
Hmm, well I think judging by general political science standards, apart from foreign recognition, Somaliland seems to be a de-facto state. Personally, I don't see why they should not be independent, especially given the events in the 60s with UN-sponsored union with Somalia and the 1991 war. But I am not familiar with the matter on the clan level etc..



Thank you! That's very interesting - I read that the consitution forbids parties to organise along tribal lines.
Are they doing it anways, or does it just mean that there can't be an "Habar Awal" party?

Do you expect the election to go smoothly though, or are there parties interested in ruining it (e.g. riots, violence, blabla expected to happen?).


Whats written in the constitution are just words on a piece of paper, its another what is really practiced over there. From 1994 up to now SL has never seen such a blatant display of qabiil-politics. Now clear lines are drawn between the two major parties. One is led by Habar Yonis and the other by Habar Awal.

There will be no interruption and itll happen in November but I am disgusted about that I would not have voted. The place is in a terrible place when it comes to its politics and government management. Who ever wins is gonna assume power with the sole intention of feeding his tribe.
 
Whats written in the constitution are just words on a piece of paper, its another what is really practiced over there. From 1994 up to now SL has never seen such a blatant display of qabiil-politics. Now clear lines are drawn between the two major parties. One is led by Habar Yonis and the other by Habar Awal.

There will be no interruption and itll happen in November but I am disgusted about that I would not have voted. The place is in a terrible place when it comes to its politics and government management. Who ever wins is gonna assume power with the sole intention of feeding his tribe.

Thanks again. So the currently governing party (Kulmiye?) is Habar Awal, and the other one, Wadani, is Habar Yonis?
 
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