By Abdisalam Garjeex
Sunday, January 24, 2021
It’s been a ritual that a little group of us Somali Virginians would meet for coffee or tea every Saturday.
What started as a small impromptu gathering has now been going strong for close to 20 years. When we meet, we chat and catch up on the political events back home but most of the time we reminisce about the good old days of the Somalia we left behind before the outbreak of the Civil War.
Even after some 30 years away from home, we still yearn to hear about our dear Somalia and fervently hope she will experience peace and good governance—that our return home is imminent. But even with all the earnest hope and well-wishes, we remain painfully aware that it’s unlikely that circumstances will change so soon.
During weekdays, when we can’t meet, we stay in touch via a WhatsApp group that we dubbed the “Armchair Warriors”.
Tonight, in a different setting than our regular coffee house, we meet at an Olive Garden in Falls Church.
Our guest of honor this evening, the former Prime Minister and President of Puntland—affectionally known, simply as “The President” and while he’s passing through this way to visit family, we’ve extended to him temporary membership to the exclusive Armchair Warriors, but to forever remain an Ambassador-at-Large.
Abdisalam Garjeex
Ashburn – Virginia (USA)
[email protected]