美国国家公共电台 NPR Sisters Find Home In Utah After Somali Civil War Made Them Refugees

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It's Friday, so it's time for StoryCorps. Today, we will meet two sisters from Somalia. Fatuma Abdullahi and Maryan Osman were little girls when their parents died in Somalia's civil war. They're teenagers now living in Utah. Annie and Randall Johnson took the girls in. Recently, Annie sat down with Fatuma and Maryan to talk about what it was like to become a family.

ANNIE JOHNSON: Not a lot of people become a mom at 28 to teenage daughters, so the learning¹ curve² has been steep.

MARYAN OSMAN: (Laughter) Yeah. What do you remember most about meeting me?

JOHNSON: You just walked up to me with all of the confidence in the world, stuck your hand out there and said hi, I'm Maryan. How old are you? Are you old enough to be a mom? You kind of, like, looked me up and down and sized me up a little bit. And, Fatuma, you were just so shy and quiet, which was OK because we were so nervous.

FATUMA ABDULLAHI: Yeah.

JOHNSON: What's it like to live in a family that has such a different culture?

MARYAN: Here, the neighbors, so quiet. You feel like you're living by yourself. Even in the jungle, animals made sounds, but here, the sounds you heard is only the cars.

JOHNSON: The funniest thing is teaching³ you guys weird⁴ American sayings. Like beating a dead horse...

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNSON: ...Was a good, fun one.

MARYAN: Why will you beat a dead horse?

JOHNSON: Exactly.

MARYAN: It's already dead.

JOHNSON: That's the whole point.

MARYAN: Also it's funny when you're learning Somali.

JOHNSON: I can say I love you, which is (speaking Somali).

MARYAN: I love when you say, what's your name? (Speaking Somali).

JOHNSON: (Speaking Somali).

MARYAN: It reminds me of when I was learning English, how I will speak in funny way (laughter).

JOHNSON: Yeah.

MARYAN: Hey, Mom, have you ever got scared for me?

JOHNSON: Yeah. Last year, around your birthday when you had some panic attacks, I went to the school and there were firemen there and all the teachers were surrounding you. I was scared for you because you were really struggling at that time.

MARYAN: I got overwhelmed⁵ about my past. And I remember that you told me that I'm always there to talk to you. And you hugged me a lot. That was awesome⁶.

JOHNSON: Yeah. You like to be hugged.

MARYAN: Yeah. The best thing I love about you guys it's no matter what I do, you still forgive me and give me chance to move on.

JOHNSON: It's hard being a mom. You doubt yourself a lot. You don't know if you're doing things right. I've learned⁷ a lot about patience. And I've learned a lot about love. You guys have just given so much joy and meaning to my life.

FATUMA: Thank you.

JOHNSON: I love you so much, so happy that you are my daughters.

(SOUNDBITE OF KETSA'S "HEART LEFT ON THE NIGHT TRAIN")

MARTIN: That's Annie Johnson with her daughters, Maryan Osman and Fatuma Abdullahi in West Valley City, Utah. Their interview will be archived at the Library of Congress⁸.

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 curve   

n.曲线，弯曲，曲球；v.弯，使...弯曲

参考例句：

• The train slowed its speed as it went around the curve.火车在弯道行驶时放慢了速度。
• The path of an arrow is a curve.箭的轨迹是一条曲线。

3 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

4 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

5 overwhelmed   

[ overwhelm ]的过去式

参考例句：

• She was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt. 她感到愧疚难当。
• If (one was) overwhelmed by passion, it could lead to serious blunders. 当感情完全淹没理智时，就可能铸成大错。

6 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

7 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

8 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。