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The year was 2008, I had just completed my Primary school education and was waiting to join High school the next year. I was happy that I finally had a long break from the status quo of exams and teachers. Additionally, my mother informed me that we were set to travel to Moyale, her home town to see her parents; this news was very exhilarating as I had never visited this town ever in my whole life. The day to travel came and we set to board a lorry which was the only means of transport that could cope with the terrain and distance through the now known “The Great North Road”. We carried extra water and snacks in preparation for the three day journey ahead of us. The lorry left at night and we began day 1 of the travel, the road was smooth and clear from the city of Nairobi. However, no one prepared me for the cold that would freeze me to death despite being in the front with the driver, how I felt sad for those who could not afford to pay for these seats and had to travel at the back of the lorry with the luggage. We arrived at Isiolo in the morning and here we had breakfast and continued with the journey, this town also marked the end of civilization as we lost our cell reception and a decent road network. We seemed to be heading to a particular direction that only the driver knew of in the middle of nowhere, the heat was scorching and the atmosphere humid which led to us halting ever so often due to blowouts and punctures. The road was rough and the environment was semi-arid with scanty trees spread out and huge rocks that were layered gracefully as if they were in an art gallery. We were so far off the beaten track I started to wonder whether or not we were still on the same planet. Despite the hardships of the travel, I was in awe of the wildlife riches from huge elephants, to the zebras and giraffes and the ecosystem in general but nothing could beat the site of Merile, a small village inhabited mainly by the Rendile. The women looked like peacocks with their beads from their head to their ankles and their men tall dark and handsome hurdled under a barely leafy tree for shade. We stopped for a quick meal and continued with our travel. As we were about 10 km away from Merile some two children a girl and a boy stood at a far distance and waved signaling for water, the driver stopped like it was routine and placed a bottle and we drove off. Sensing that we were far away, the children rushed to the bottle and waved perhaps to show gratitude, I was mesmerized by how far detached from reality this people were and how marginalization was real in this part of the country. In my mind Moyale was going to be a small town filled with indigenous people who were locked out of civilization and was already dreading my survival. We came to a winding road that was engulfed in large rocks and untamed mountains and thicker desert trees and from a distance I could see two story buildings scattered and just after it was a town with la lot of people, well compared to what I had seen in the two days prior. “Welcome to Moyale ” read the sign as we approached the heart of the town, the roads were sandy, the people nomads, the environment had some sense of civilization and the cell reception was back on. It was also great to know that Ethopia was just across the border which meant new culture experience.