Abdikadir Ali, 8, the son of refugee Abdalla Ali, and a friend race along a path after helping at a community garden in San Diego. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Abdalla Ali warms up with his soccer team. Like nearly 11,000 other refugees who were resettled in the United States this year, Ali was assigned a Jan. 1 birthday. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Abdalla Ali relaxes at home with his family. His wife, Halima Abshiro, also got a Jan. 1 birthday. Ali says he was surprised at the importance of birthdays in the United States. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Abdalla Ali has his hands full as his children romp in the bedroom of their apartment in the Somali/Cambodian neighborhood of City Heights in San Diego. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
