Real life stories

My name is Abdiwali, I am 18, I am from Somalia and I love cars. I used to live in a small village and there were not as many cars as in a big city. Since I could barely see one, I really got into cars.

I am so passionate about cars that I was able to convince a mechanic to teach me for free how to do basic cars’ repairs. Almost every day I asked him to spare some time for me; he was the only person who really understood how much I love cars.

Life is great when you can achieve your dreams and get what you want. But it is not when you cannot have what your peers have, even if you did not do anything wrong.

Living in Somalia was not easy, there was not anyone I could rely on and my mother was poor. On top of that, I had to deal with the threats of Al-Shabaab and eventually I left.

What can I tell you about my journey? The time spent in Libya was the worst of my life. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It is something that no one should ever experience in life. I don't know if I will ever be able to overcome and forget it, but now that I am in a better place, I will try with all my might.

I will never forget when they used to wake us up in the morning, forced us to take off our clothes, tied us and made us lie belly down on the asphalt to torture us, despite the season, wearing only our underpants. Not to mention food and water: they used to give us one meal a day, probably outdated, and they added petrol to water in order not to make us drink too much. In short, it was hell on earth.

Now I am here and I can still tell what I like: I love football and I like playing with my new friends I met here.

My dream is travelling around this beautiful country, bringing with me all the people who have been helping me since I am in Italy.