World Vision Ireland is a child-focused overseas aid organisation and has worked with Fighting Words on a number of projects. These pieces were written by children World Vision has worked with in Syria and Somalia.
My first Visit to the Coastal City of Bosaso
My name is Mohamud Abdinur. I am 15 years old. My school is called Dillin Primary School. In this story, I will explain my first trip to the biggest coastal town of Puntland called Bosaso.
What a day it was! A village boy’s dream was about to come true. I couldn’t believe it when my sister broke the news to me about our family trip to Bosaso, the famous and beautiful coastal city. It was about time for me to get out of my comfort zone and take a trip I was longing for and to a city that in my view is a coastal icon in Somalia.
After having breakfast we headed to the bus stop where we could board the bus. I was so excited about the trip: it was in the middle of January, the weather was perfect, cold with the morning breeze. I could see the goats and camels grazing on the slopes. The bus took off and in a short while we passed through the capital city of Garowe Puntland state.
It was quiet and beautiful, but my eyes were waiting for something else. It would be my first time to see the sea and experience a whole new chapter of adventures.
One village after another, one town after another, it was getting better and better and most importantly, closer! I saw amazing landscapes and beautiful ranges of mountains in the Bari region. What a trip so far ... and the suspense! You can’t imagine how high it was when I saw the sea from a distance. I knew then that we were very close and after a short while the driver said to me with a big smile on his face, “You see those houses on the horizon? That is Bosaso.”
When we arrived at Bosaso, a new atmosphere, a new environment struck me: what a big city it was. The tall buildings, the glamorous cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, malls... and so many people. I already liked it. We got off the bus at Aunt Zeynab’s house right in the centre of the city. We were warmly welcomed and I had fish for lunch for the first time in my life. It was magnificently yummy. Since we were tired we had a siesta, and I woke up after asar (afternoon) prayers.
My Uncle Ahmed asked me: “Do you want to see around the neighbourhood? I can show you around the place.”
Who was I to quibble? It was exactly what I wanted, so we went out. I saw where he played football, where he hung out with his friends. He showed me a big masjid where they pray, and took me to a nearby market called Suuqa Canaha. I was stunned by the number of market stalls, the shops and how crowded it was. There were people selling meat, fish and lobsters. There were others selling clothes and cosmetics. Surprisingly, he told me it was not a busy day.
I remembered what they say in the village about people in the cities; that they are really busy people, but until this point I had not suspected how busy.
We then headed to a nearby cafe, had tea and some sweets that were really nice. At that moment the thought of never going back to the village crossed my mind. When I saw this school, well, I became a bit jealous; it was such a big school. Everything seemed big here, I wished I lived here.
We got back to my aunt’s home and dad told me that we would go to the sea the following day. I couldn’t wait till then, I had heard many stories about this sea. It was time for me to experience it for myself.
On the next day as dawn broke and we prayed, I didn’t go back to sleep afterwards, I went outside the house and sat on a curb thinking about how I could move here one day. How I would convince my parents and get their unanimous approval. After a while everyone woke up, had breakfast and then we went off to the sea. It was also an opportunity to see some parts of the town.
When we reached the sea, it was spectacular! I can’t express how jubilant I was, the waves hitting my toes and the cold breeze from the shore. I saw boats leaving and coming and when I asked about them, I was told they were fishermen. What a struggle they went through. I was eager to accompany them but also scared of drowning since I didn’t know how to swim. I asked my mom for consent. She hesitated, because I couldn’t swim, so I couldn’t go. I loved the view, birds flying over the sea, the sound of the waves. What more could I ask for?
It was now a dream for me to learn how to swim so when I got back to the house, I asked my cousin if he could be of help and he accepted my request without hesitation.
In the afternoon I left with my cousin to go to the sea, and there the lesson began. After several hours I could try to swim and we swam for a while but it is a craft that needs practice to perfect it. I got really tired and we headed back home, tired but over the moon. I ate my dinner and went to sleep.
The whole of the next day was dedicated to family and visits to relatives. In the afternoon we went with mom to the market and she bought us some stuff. I got new shoes and I loved them. We had one last tour around the city. My siblings and I started talking to mom about moving here and the opportunities this place holds and how we liked it so much. She said she would consider it and let dad know about it. We were very hopeful that one day we would be here permanently and not just for a visit. I felt sad knowing we would travel back to the village the following day; but was happy because I had discovered so much. Plus I was going back home with a whole new life experience that would forever be cherished and the beginning of travel adventures.
A trip for a village boy like me to a big industrial coastal city was a milestone.
