When Standing is the Only Option
I have run down many corridors. I have run down the corridors for various reasons. I do not run very fast. I am sure the correct term is fast, brisk walking! During my six years of high school, I interacted with girls in very female environments. One thing that used to make us run down corridors and in some instances get punished soon after, was hearing that our favourite boys` school had arrived and was walking on the driveway. I have also had to stand on many occasions. Sometimes standing has been because I am supposed to stand. In some instances, I have had no option but to stand.
By Fadzai Maposah (ZNFPC Mash East)
Article published in The Herald Newspaper
Back to the boys. Come to think of it now, I suppose it was part of the boys` strategy to walk on that driveway acting as if they did not know that there were some, no many girls watching from the windows. There would be many pretences of girls fainting just by looking at the well-dressed boys. While others acted out fainting others used anything nearby to fan themselves as they were running out of breath just by looking at the boys!
People always tell me that they cannot even imagine the ‘stress’ that we used to put ourselves through just by looking at boys. At times people think that I exaggerate about how we used to behave when boys` would visit. In these instances, I then simply task them to engage their friends and acquaintances that went to single-sex schools. These friends confirm that the only thing that changed was the time but everything else was basically the same. People who went to mixed-sex schools do not seem to understand why a whole boarding school would come to a semi halt just because a few boys were within the school grounds.
The preparation process before the boys’ arrival was a busy one, more complex for those that would come into close contact with the opposite sex. The definition of close contact between the girl and the boy should be defined. Sitting across one another in a literature seminar was deemed close, queuing for refreshments was close. Even being in the same school hall was close.
Let me take you through the preparation phase. Preparation began the moment the announcement was made that we would have male visitors at the school. Such preparation included getting rid of blackheads from the face. One needed a very clear face to face the male visitors. Next stage involved assessing what hairstyle would be appropriate on the great day. During my high school days we used to curl our relaxed or permed hair using hair rollers. It was a tedious process. So the day before the male visitors came, the routine would be something like this. After school, dash to the dormitory as soon as Matron Rose affectionately called Sisi Rose unlocked the huge gate. Then it was time to quickly change and rush to the laundry room to either wash or iron a set of uniform. If it was ironing, a proper crease had to be in place and it to be so sharp that if anyone tried getting an ant off, they risked being cut. There was extra attention to detail.
We were smart all the time, but we went out of our way to be extra smart for visitors, especially male visitors. We did not want to disappoint our beloved headmistress! We had to ensure that the school`s high standard was maintained! Before the curlers were put or what we called setting the hair, it had to be washed. If one did not have any shampoo, washing soap would do just fine, it just had to be rinsed out well otherwise one risked having an itchy scalp. Then quick rub using the towel such that some wetness would be maintained. Petroleum jelly or hair food was applied to the hair and the one doing the hair would put on the curlers. It was some experience, it could be painful depending on the hairdresser!
But we endured the pain, the focus being on what the end result would be. Looking back I can only say that we went through a lot of pain for sessions that did not last long and now I wonder if the boys really appreciated these hairstyles! The worst was yet to come. After the curlers were on, one would walk around without the head covered. It was covered when we went for supper and then during the study session.
One did not really sleep well that night. How could one sleep well with the curlers and the pokers that held the curlers in place? To get a bit of sleep one had to elevate their head in such a way so that the scalp was safe from pricks. Some girls on the day of the event, never got to sit down. They were busy, standing at the doors, ushering the guests and attending to various requests from different people. While some people who saw this thought that the girls were efficient or just busy bodies, for those in the inner circle , we knew that the walking and remaining on one`s feet was a cover, a coping mechanism for some of the girls. Not that I am saying all run around girls are under a cover or a coping mechanism.
The ‘it’ experience would not respect that there were male visitors. Now no girl wanted the ‘it’ experience to stain the skirt and have the boys witness the mishap. It was not because we wanted to protect the boys from seeing the mishap, we felt safer when that mishap happened when we were just on our own. Somehow we felt that we could deal with mishaps alone as females. Now years later and much older, I feel the boys need to know these issues from a young age and support the females. No-one should stand unless they want.
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