Orongho and her 80 camels

lf I wanted to follow her, she asked. I met Orongho a few hours ago.

She is the oldest daughter of a nomadic family who live with their herd of camels in the desert of Mongolia.

My curiosity usually wins over my fear, but now that this young lady takes my hand and pulls me towards the herd of camels - about 80 of them - I notice that

a) I don't have much experience with camels and

b) this is their comfort zone , so in the context of pacing and leading I decide that following would be the best strategy.

For this young lady following is definitely not the strategy! She knows the entire herd of camels personally and walks purposefully, dragging me along, between the seemingly relaxed camels.

She wants to show me her favorite camel.

We approach a cute fluffy baby camel that towers far above her even in a lying position. Because the camels know Orongho but don't know me, the camels are a bit anxious. Baby camel also feels a bit nervous with such a strange-looking Westerner and starts to stand up on his feet.

At that moment, Orongho lets go of my hand, firmly approaches her favorite camel and speaks some words in a language I don’t understand. Not that I need to because her entire posture shows so beautifully that she is the one who is lovingly in control here. Baby camel sits back down and I have just witnessed a leadership lesson in the Gobi desert.