Leaving Somalia was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I didn’t want to leave behind my friends and family, but most of all, I didn’t want to leave my favorite banana tree. This sounds silly, but this tree was planted by my grandfather before he passed away. I helped him water it every day. It was located in the middle of our yard facing towards the north side of our house. It gave a cool shade in the hot, humid summers and in the winter, we sat below it, enjoying the cool air of the night. It was where I learned how to read and write the Quran and where I learned how to ride a bike. It was also where my grandparents used to tell me bedtime stories and stories about our family in the past and about how Somalia was before the war started.
