Nyadeng: A Sudanese Survivor Tags: Sudan, Sudanese, survivor, family, winter, hardship Campaign: Women You Love — DVF Celebrates International Women's Day   1243 Reviews Added: 3/9/2008 6:07 PM PT Last Modified: 3/13/2008 9:51 PM PT	Auto Post to Websites
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Before I had begun my community service project in the fall of 2004, I was a single mother feeling down and out on my luck.  I was feeling depressed and stressed out because of my financial situation.  I was working two jobs and living from paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet, while attending school part-time.

Little did I know that my life was about to change for the better.  I was introduced to several new Sudanese refugees during my community service project, but it was one Sudanese refugee woman who changed my life forever.  She influenced me in such a positive way and made me want to become a better person, and I don't think she realized what an impact she had on my life.



This is Nyadeng.  I met Nyadeng for the first time on Halloween when I was in charge of the Sudanese Refugee Women English Survival Skills class Saturday morning at Grace Lutheran Church in Omaha, NE.  Nyadeng spoke very little English, so I had to show her and several other women what I was talking about by drawing pictures on the dry-erase board, using gestures, and doing role-playing to demonstrate what Halloween was all about in America.  We did this so that the women would not be frightened if the children in their new neighborhoods knocked on their doors in costume.

The following weekend, Nyadeng and I paired up for an interview.  I was to ask her what was needed for her family of five.  I was surprised to discover what little the family had.  For example, not one person in the family had any winter coats or clothing; they only had one bed and one blanket; they did not have a kitchen table; and they did not have any heat in their two bedroom house.  However, she came to class each day with a smile on her face because she was simply grateful to be alive and have her family members living with her in the US.  It amazed me that although she had so little, she was so happy.

It was at this time, that we, as students, decided that something must be done to help these refugees.  We organized a winter coat/clothing/blanket drive through our university, and we built a closet to hold all of this clothing in the church basement.  As chair of the university's daycare, I realized that I could get many of the parents to donate gently used items and sponsor some of the families, so the daycare operated as the drop-off site.  We were able to raise a coat for every single person in each family (over 80 people), at least two blankets, one bed (more, if needed), kitchen tables and/or furniture (if needed), etc.

What amazed me was the intense amount of generosity that these women showed for one another when they delved through the coat/clothing closet.  They wanted to make sure that each woman had enough clothing for each family, and if they felt that the other got more, that woman would give to the other.  They were the most generous, honest people I had seen in a long time.  If only we could all be as virtuous as the Sudanese!

After learning about the hardships that these people had overcome, it made my troubles seem minute in comparison...and it made me want to become a better woman/person!

Terror in the Mall...straight from Omaha, NE Tags: Campaign: none   3 Reviews Added: 12/6/2007 12:17 PM PT Last Modified: 12/6/2007 1:00 PM PT
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Most of you have probably heard the horrifying news, either on your local news stations, CNN, Good Morning America, or The Today Show, but for those of you who have not yet heard, my home town of Omaha, Nebraska, was tragically affected by a "Terror in the Mall" (according to CNN).  Yesterday afternoon, nineteen-year-old Robert Hawkins, a troubled teenager went on a shooting spree at the Von Mauer department store in Omaha's Westroads Mall.  This horrifying tragedy resulted in the death of 8 people, 5 injured people, and finally Robert Hawkin's suicide himself...for a total of 9 deaths.

I received word at approximately 2:15 p.m. from a co-worker that there had been a shooting at Westroads Mall.  Immediately upon hearing this horrifying news, everyone at work logged onto the various news station live webcasts to watch the unbelievable details unfold before our very eyes.  I can't begin to describe the sinking feeling I had in my stomach when I realized, this is Omaha we're talking about.  This is MY city...MY home...the place where I've lived since birth!

Westroads Mall isn't too far from my home, so I was stunned that something like this could happen.  It was so surreal because NEVER before has anything of this magnitude affected the city of Omaha or any of it's surrounding communities/suburbs.  I pass by this mall everyday to and from work.  In fact, I work at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which is where they were transporting several of the victims...so there was quite an unbelievable amount of panic amongst our staff.

Immediately, I picked up my phone and began calling/texting my family, friends, and loved ones to make sure that they were safe and sound.  Luckily, everyone I knew was OK.  However, some were not so fortunate.  I knew two people who were Christmas shopping yesterday, and they had just left Westroads Mall an hour before this event unfolded.  Several of my friends work around Westroads Mall, so they often take their lunch breaks there.  Thankfully, none of them had decided to visit the mall yesterday.

All night long, I received texts and phone calls from friends who wanted to voice their concern, and I, too, was concerned.  My heart was bleeding for these victims, as the terrifying details unfolded from victims who unfolded from the malls about "walking over bodies" and seeing so much blood that it looked like a scene from a movie.  I felt nauseated just thinking about this.  Then I began getting angry, but I also empathisized with the victims and their families.

My family sat glued to the television all night watching the news, waiting to hear if they would release any of the names of the victims...praying that it was nobody we knew, yet feeling guilty for feeling that way.  We began talking about the event, and once again, we asked the question, WHY?

According to news reports, Robert Hawkins left a suicide note stating that he was "going out in style."  So we began interpreting the meaning behind this, and we asked the rhetorical question that everyone else around the country is asking...WHY?  Why do people do such horrific things to one another BEFORE they take their own lives?  We saw this happen just over a year ago in Blacksburg (at Virginia Tech) when a gunman open-fired on campus before taking his own life.  We've seen this happen over a decade ago in Columbine when two troubled teenagers open-fired on their high school before taking their own lives.  So why do these people feel a need to punish others/kill others before they take their own life?  Your guess is as good as mine.

Personally, I can empathize with these individuals who have depression and have contemplated suicide, as I myself have been diagnosed with depression...and I've even attempted suicide in the past.  However, I absolutely do NOT understand, nor can I comprehend the rationale behind shooting others before ending their own lives.  I've never understood this!

Music and art tends to calm me quite a bit.  Right now, the only thing that comes to mind are the words of Counting Crows song, "Omaha" (below):

"Omaha, somewhere in middle America
Get to the heart that matters
It's the heart that matters most
I think you better turn your ticket in
And get your money back at the door"


Well, let me tell you something about Omaha...we are a fairly big city, but we ALWAYS come together in times of need, and I have no doubt in my mind that our community will come together again to help the families of the victims heal.  After all, why do you think they call this area "the Heartland"?  It's because the people here have such big hearts!