"I'm Looking For a Life."

Abdi Nor

The podcast entitled, Abdi and the Golden Ticket, Abdi Nor, a Somalian refugee seeking a Visa in order to come to America with a green card. He spoke of his childhood dream of coming over and living in this great nation. He read books and learned English because he wanted to become an English teacher. He worked hard, and applied for the lottery that would determine whether or not he was eligible. During the period he waited for approval, many violent people raged the streets, causing catastrophic events and threatened lives. He went through a lot and felt his dream was nothing, but he pushed through although disheartened. One of the most impactful things about the podcast was the fact that much of it was recorded in real time. As Abdi was going through the tough moments, it was being recorded. You could hear the trouble and then the triumph in his voice.  You could hear his hope. 

It is evident to me that I am ignorant when it comes to understanding how blessed I am to live in America. I think it's safe to say that many citizens of this country are similar. We get up every morning when we want, have food at the ready so we can eat it when we want. We have opportunities for education and employment and friendships and transportation and safety and FREEDOM. I myself rarely think about how every step and every breath I take is a gift, and the very fact that I get to wake up in the morning with a day of possibilities ahead of me means that I live in a free land, and there are hundreds and hundreds of people don't even know what that's like. We have life here, and that's what people desire more than anything else. When I listened to this podcast, my eyes were further opened on this subject. Abdi is now one my heroes.