When I was little, I always woke up to the Morning star through the tiny window of the mud house. I would feel warm and pleasant inside. A wide smile would always spread on to my face. The star twinkled and sparkled and seemed to smile at me. Then I would go back to sleep feeling satisfied. All through breakfast, I mumbled, "Morning star", but my parents did not understand and ignored me. Finally when I was a little older, and could say a few words, did they realize that I had been trying to explain how the Morning star had brought me so much joy. So they looked at me with sincere expression on their faces and made my Mia Accuwwa name "Morning Star", in remembrance of the happy times I had with that special star. Now whenever I see the Morning star, I smile widely just like the times I did when I was very little.

I turned thirteen this year. Like every child in the village, it was the time for the stray. I had to travel in the wild for a period of 15 days by myself with little food and water. I must survive on whatever I could find or catch. It was a test every child had to face. They either came back with head high to become an adult or humiliated and stayed as child for one more year. I waited for the day with both anticipation and anxiety. My old sister North light always told me about horrible stories in her stray. I knew that she was trying to scare me. I was not scared but my parents seemed more nervous.