So if you're from Africa, why are you white?

So those of who know me will know first hand that I constantly get annoyed when people ask me this question (be it as a joke or out of ignorance) but lets face it, if you come from Africa and look like me, chances are someone will ask you this question. About five minutes ago I passed my old school on the train down to Cornwall. It obviously hasn't changed and just the sight of it made me raise my eyes and give a knowing smile. I am sure the woman sitting next to me thought I must have been getting all nostalgic and sentimental as she unnecessarily put her hand on me knee and said in one of the thickest Somerset accents I have heard "sometimes it's just better to let go love" (although in hindsight she may have been referring to the fact that I had just finished the remains of my Lindt Easter bunny)

Anyway back to the reason for this blog- school, or to be more specific boarding school in the middle of nowhere -clearly the perfect place to send a child who wants to become a bit more independent, at least that's how my parents sold it to me! 

Me: I want to be independent 

Dad: I'll send you to England 

Me: cool 

Dad: sorted 

So as a social experiment lets take subject A - (me) a 16 year old Kenyan girl currently at an American school in Nairobi where uniform was not a thing, and team building involved the aptly named game 'capture the chicken' (to clarify we were never allowed to use real chickens, not in school anyway) then pop her in a school in the middle of Somerset where suits had to be worn at all times, people walked about in robes, words that didn't actually mean anything were used and the headmaster constantly referred to her as 'our South African student' and watch what happens.  Quite a lot as it turned out. 

Bearing in mind that I was still adjusting to the fact that I could walk around the streets by myself (as I am sure you know, the highstreet of Taunton is known for it's incredibly dangerous features -you can never be to wary of the little old women driving around in buggies having just done their weekly shop, quite terrifying) I am afraid I just didn't fit into the carbon copy of an I English school girl - I didn't spend hours on my hair trying to make it look as messy as possible, I had no interest in seeing just how high I could wear my skirt to chapel and I didn't cry when I wasn't selected to be a prefect (which is probably a good thing seeing as I would not have ever worn the robe, it takes one look at my graduation photos to realise why this is -I look like a complete twat).

Instead I did what I always do - pushed the boundaries and embraced being the weird one. The whole experience was weird to me, we had a curfew (do English people use that word??) for starters, a controlled amount of alcohol at the parties (this was probably a good thing, though it never worked. I have one friend who got suspended for drinking and then made a prefect in the same meeting which clearly says great things for the way the school enforced rules, though she was probably the best prefect there and I am not just saying that because she constantly let me skip the lunch queues) but the strangest tradition that I couldn't and still can't get my head around is the fact that the biggest competitive event was house singing!! What?? I had no idea what to expect with this one but it was quite an extravaganza to say the least. Houses had different chants (and no I have tried to remember them but that has been In vain). Although our house won so shouldn't complain too much. One thing I will never forget is the fact that I managed to convince some friends that I owned a Ferrari and drove it alongside the elephants back home - brilliant bit of banter which still gets brought up now and then. But hey you have to take what life gives you right? I soon got given the nicknames 'Kenya' and 'Shawza' which I'm still called on a constant basis and once people stopped trying to make me the perfect school girl I actually quite enjoyed my time there, though not to the extent at which I will be going back there anytime in the near future. 

Coming from Kenya it was an experience to say the least, I am sure I felt a similar feeling to what Harry must have felt when entering Hogwarts for the frist time. That said I am not sure anything can beat an school full of international students, so although boarding school England opened up loads of doors and was a stepping stone to me doing what I am doing now and knowing some of the most amazing I people I definitely wouldn't do it again, the closest I will be to that school isthat fleeting view you get when on the train down to the south west.