Schmidt was an ordinary oil and gas field engineer who was sent to Mogadishu because of a 30 billion oil and gas development agreement between ExxonMobil and the Somali authorities.
Even though he had made preparations before coming here, the level of poverty here exceeded his expectations.
He once saw in travel magazines, that before the Civil War, this place was called the white pearl of the Indian Ocean.
But now, the historic buildings had broken walls, with clearly visible bullet holes in the walls. Most of the roads were broken, and there was almost no greenery in the entire city. Sand was everywhere.
It wasn't just the environment that was criticized.
Because of the local culture, there were no bars here, and casual drinking was punished by caning.
