As a nomadic boy in Somalia I used to look after cattle, but sometimes when it was dry we had to take the cattle to wetter places where there was good pasture, which may be sometimes were hundreds of miles from our families. Once there was a shortage of rain in our area and we had hundreds of cattle, so the elders told the healthy youths to take cattle to pastures which were very far from where we lived at that time. They did this because it was hard for the families with young children to move so far, and also maybe the rain would come to where they were anyway and make the grass grow. The youths took the cattle but left some with calves for the families to have their milk. They also took with them some very young boys to help them with their duty. I was one of the boys.

The young cattle herdsmen were very well known for their lack of kindness and their hard work. They had full permission to beat the younger boys with sticks anytime they wanted to, without any pretext, or if we disobeyed them for handling the orders they gave badly, or for not bringing back the cattle in good condition at midnight. They would call you and if you did not hear them call two or three times they would beat you. Actually it depended on the person and whether he felt you deserved punishment anyway. Apart from these hardships you did not have any special work. It was not like coming to school where you know what it is you must do. You had to ask what was needed or wait till they gave you orders. It might be looking after cattle or looking after weak heifers or those about to give birth. Another task could be going to the well where someone had to go every three days. This was the best job, because you often met other people, or other kids, and you sometimes got food from some small good stalls near the well. At least you saw different faces from those of the herdsmen you hated, even though in the evening, you had to go back to them and the cattle.

Thinking back it was a great adventure and a valuable experience for me. It was the first time I had gone with the young men. My mother gave me a lot of advice and warnings in case I refused their orders. She told me to be very obedient, and she told me how cruel they could be once we left the protection of our parents, and the old people.

She told me, it would be good for me to learn and to cope with hard work without her and my father, who always made excuses for me like "he is sick", "he is not feeling good", "he does not want milk, he wants tea". I had to forget all that and be ready for anything. My mother said "never try to confront your masters, and remember it is only a couple of months so be patient". I had all those lectures from my mother and then I left.

One day after we had been walking for six to seven days to the pasture, I was extremely tired, and orders were coming from everywhere - "Abdinafi do this". "Abdinafi give me that", but I never forgot my mother's words. Even now I still remember and sometimes I cry I loved her so much then and I still do. We did not eat any food except milk from the cows and some sugar which we bought when we went to the well. Occasionally we had meat if a hyena or a lion attacked the cattle and wounded one. Then we would slaughter it and make a fire. We roasted our meat in an earth oven, because we did not have any other way to cook it. It was delicious.

One day I was told to look after the cattle and not to let them mix with any other cattle belonging to someone else. While I was getting these orders, another boy said, "make sure they are kept in good condition". I was scared so I nodded my head and took the cattle very far away to find a good place with clean pasture and I kept them there despite the heifers who wanted to go back early to feed their calves.

When the sun had nearly set I let them return and around nine o'clock at night, I arrived at the camp. The cattle were in good condition but everyone was worried about me. They blamed each other "you are the one who scared him", "no it was you". Ten or twenty minutes after my return the cattle started urinating and trying to escape because suddenly they had smelt a lion. We lit a fire quickly and everybody took a flaming torch in their hands. The youths started shouting and throwing burning sticks at the lions to frighten them away. After half an hour the lions left and everybody came to me. They said, "you are very lucky they must have followed you back". "Please if you go again looking after the cattle come back early". It was a very frightening experience in retrospect, but I had no idea of my unseen stalkers, and all of a sudden the young herdsmen seemed very wise.

From my cattle herding experience I learnt how to be self sufficient and follow orders. I also realized that if you follow your parents' and experienced people's advice you are more likely to survive and learn no matter what the difficulties are. That memory helps me to carry problems more gently. It helps me live happily and more easily, no matter where am I. Even in Australia, which is one of the most modern countries in the world, I always carry that experience with me and it still sustains me.