Given the general obsession many of the girls out here have with my hair, I decided that I would make Numpty's day and straighten it last week. And before we go any further - yes, that is possibly the most awesome name any of my kids have.
While it was a hit with the kids (even the boys were amazed), while I had 11B clustered around me during our usual 10 minute wait for the classroom to be unlocked, I also attracted some more unwelcome attention. Namely that of the groundsman who happens to be somewhat taller than me, about three times my width and who grabbed me, pulled me up to him and announced he was going to marry me. When I suggested that my boyfriend might object, he responded, "Then I'll kill him", in a rather threatening tone. So, it's probably just as well you're several thousand miles away, Alan.
What actually sticks out about this event, is that I didn't really think it was too odd until I told Mummy and she panicked about it. This is the kind of thing that we have all learnt to take for granted out here. All of the girls have received proposals/threats of marriage, and the fact that women here are still viewed as commodities by much of society is really quite evident in our everyday lives. While the guys receive frequent invitations, and Pav's teacher is still in search of a "bombastic" african wife for him.
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
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