Ahmed Mohammed Nur, 35, Near the North Street Community Gardens, This Afternoon. He Was Enjoying the Sunshine with a Friend When This Blogger Met Them Both.
“When I was five years old, my father was killed by highway robbers in Mugadisho, Somalia,” said Ahmed Mohammed Nur. 35 years old, this afternoon. He was a highly successful international trader from the Middle East and Asia Minor countries. They ambushed him and took his vast cargo and killed him Nur recalled unemotionally. His father was 34 years old at the time of his death – a year younger than Mohammed’s current age.
His mother feared for her only son’s life because he was now the head of his family. That position made him a target by unsavory robbers. She met a family with ten childen who were planning a move to the United States in the near future. The family agreed to add another chlld, Nur, in their application to move to America in exchange for a payment of $10,000. That was all the money his mother had said Nur. The payment to bring him to America was made in cash and gold. .
The family with the 11th chlld relocated to a Kenya refugee camp. But Mohammed registered at the refugee camp and then went to live in total luxury with a wealthy uncle in his exclusive hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. And Nur’s adopted family remained in the refugree camp. where conditions were poor because they did not have the money to do otherwise. During the six months that Nur lived in Nairobi, his wealthy uncle saw that his nephew received private tutoring.. That’s when he studied Englilsh and typing. It also accounts for his excellent command of the English language.
When he first arrived in the US, Nur lived in Memphis, TN. He found school discipline too strict for his taste. In 1999, a first cousin of his, who is the daughter of Somalie’s first president, adopted Nur because she was now living in the US. “She molded me,” he said. “She saw that I graduated from high school. She also taught me about kindness and love.” In 2005 his mother finally came to this country. ‘It was hard. My dad was dead. It was wonderful to see my mom after 11 years of missing her.” She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota now with her second husband and their children. She owns a restaurant there from which she just retired. At age 55. .
“I stay here in Maine because I have a son here who is five years old. I want to be physically near him because I know what it is like to not have a father. His name is Hamzah.” Nur lives in a 8 unit rental building on Munjoy HIll owned by his mother. He helps her manage it. He also customizes used bikes and sells them on-line. “I love living on Munjoy HIll. People are so friendly here,” he added.
“I was a spoiled brat. I had much more than I ever needed,” he acknowledged. “I’m not any more.”