Yesterday there wasn't a single red or pink flower left on any plant in the compound of St. Monica's. Why? It was Valentine's Day. When I arrived for my 6:30 am class I was greeted with a bouquet of flowers on the teacher's table. Gazing out at the girls, they had flowers on their desks, in their hair or behind their ears. It made quite a sight. Instead of viewing a sea of faces above gray sweaters, there were splotches of reds scattered throughout the classroom. As I was teaching at one point I started laughing because it was such an unusual sight.
Sometimes during these warm afternoons if the lesson allows, I'll take my girls out to sit in the shade to hold class. Form IIs were having small group discussions. You can see that Rose is holding a small bouquet of flowers as they talk.
Most of the women teachers did wear red yesterday. It appears that Valentine's Day is starting to be celebrated by middle class Kenyans. The newspapers are full of advertisements for Valentine's Day gifts, but our fellow teachers don't celebrate it like we do. I'm guessing it is because they don't have discretionary income. This year with an inflation rate of 20% many people are struggling to feed their families and afford school fees.
No comments:
Post a Comment