Greens Farms Academy is a PreK-12, coed school in Westport, CT

'The Very Essence of Stars'

'The Very Essence of Stars'

Fifth graders recently read the graphic novel When Stars are Scattered — which tells the true story of a young boy who fled his home in Somalia in the early 1990s when civil war broke out and walked for weeks to get to a refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya. The story inspired them to write a newspaper report of his tale. Below is the second of three submissions:

By Soren Honavar

Omar Mohamed is a story of hope. In the 1990s, a little boy named Omar and his little brother, Hassan were sent to the refugee camp Dadaab where they would hopefully get resettled. Born in Somalia, the two had to escape when the war broke out, and they were sent to the camp. Their story shows how resilient a person can truly be, even when countless challenges are shot at them.

Hassan had a disability since he was a child. The only thing he can say is hooyo, which means “mama.” Omar quotes that “every day here is the same.” This shows that every day for 15 years, he did everything the same… if he hadn’t gone to school. One day, Tall Salan went over to their tent and asked Omar if he wanted to go to school. At first, he didn't want to. But eventually, he decides to and he doesn’t regret it.

I feel as though Omar believes in resilience, as I have stated before. One major event that shakes Omar’s confidence is when his brother, Hassan, gets badly injured by some other kids. Omar’s friend, Maryam, tells him that he has to keep going. She also said that Hassan is more mature than he thinks. Omar used Hassan as an excuse to not do school and other things. He states that “he’s hungry but he’s getting the food he needs for his brain.”

Omar Mohamed and Hassan Mohamed now live in Arizona, and as Maryam once said, “The stars are not lost. They form patterns. Constellations. If you know how to look, there are stories woven into the very essence of stars.”