Random Thoughts of a Girl in Nairobi

   Growing-up in Africa in the 90s was a singular experience. Don't let my title fool you. I'm not racist or anything. I'd probably still be nice to you even if your skin was green and you were from Mars, because I have bigger things to worry about. Like how much paper and consequently trees are wasted in the making of campaign posters or something. But there really is no better way of putting it. Back then Africa was like its own Universe and some things you only saw on TV. Some things we’re just thought not to happen in Africa. But let’s just take a minute to appreciate the global village we live in. Anorexia. Girls who didn't eat because they felt. It made them look fat. Yeah, you always ate what my mother made because her house=her rules...fear of getting a major thrashing was also a major thrashing. So you can imagine how foreign this was. Paper cuts Yeah...this did not make any sense until I saw one with my own eyes when I was 16. The though...

   I’m going to make a confession. For the past approximately 4 years my hair has entirely been in braids. I’d undo one set of braids and get another re-done literally the next day...for four years! Don’t judge me yet because mine is a story many of you might identify with.     Like most African girls, I was told growing-up that my hair was ‘difficult’ or ‘too much trouble’ and therefore the only way to make it manageable was to relax it. I’ve only relaxed my hair twice in my lifetime and both times it ended with a haircut because the breakage was so bad. The first time was in primary school and the second was in form 2 of high school. You can only imagine how frustrated I was both times. The non-stop braiding regime began after high school. The aim being for me to grow my hair to a certain length then probably relax it ( again ). It’s not that I have anything against short hair; it looks incredible on some people. It’s just that some girls prefer flowers...