How Did You Know I Was There?

In Kenya, students stay put in one classroom and the teachers rotate between classrooms. A Form II student is the official time-keeper and rings the bells when each period is over. The teacher currently in the classroom will have to come out and the next one will enter.

As a muzungu, I keep time. As soon as the bell rings, I finish what I was saying and exit. Some teachers are notorious for overstaying their lesson. They might even take 10 or more minutes of the next teacher's lesson. I don't. The other teachers have gotten used to my unusual habit of being on time. If I am the lesson after theirs, they know that I will be standing outside the door waiting my turn.

My Form III East classroom is in the back corner of the academic part of the compound. The door stays closed most of the time because it is cool in that area. The path to the classroom cannot be seen from the door and the windows on that side of the room are about six feet high so teachers can't see out them.

I arrive and stand back out of the way so when the door opens I won't get hit. Unless the teacher is taking a lot of my time I stay away from the windows so they can't see me.

Yesterday Mr. Siwa was finishing his biology lesson when I arrived. I stood in my usual waiting place. After a few minutes he asked, "Is she here?" I heard many student reply in the affirmative.

I had gotten nowhere near the windows or door. Now that I am wearing regular shoes, they couldn't have heard by boot and cane. My shadow hadn't gone across the windows.

When I got in class I asked, "How did you know I was standing outside the door or were you guessing?"

Their answer was, "No, we could smell you!"

"What! I take a shower every morning. What do you mean you can smell me?"

"It's your perfume."

Concerned I asked, "Is it too strong? Do I need to stop wearing it?"

Laughingly they told me they liked it.

Who would have ever thought that my presence could have been detected when I was standing at least four feet away from the open windows!