Bullied

Culture shock hit me immediately. It was no longer girls only and being center of attention. 

There were boys now who were rowdy and bullies. Their games were intense and so the girls played alone most of the time. The students too were from well off families and would carry nice snacks for break. During lunch hour, some were brought for lunch from home by their parents or house helps. Usually I would be given lunch money and that meant that during lunch hour I go out of the school compound and buy food for my niece before I come back and take my nephew home.  

I realized I was not alone and made friends with those in the same ‘life class’ as I was in. In my previous class, there were boys who were bullies. It seemed like they were just born to harass others, particularly me! In fact the more I tried befriending them, the more they bullied me. I was now on the other side of the fence, not the bully but the bullied. One time one of the boys found me sitting on his sit as I chatted with a friend. Instead of requesting politely, he pulled me out of his sit using my ear, making my earring to come off. I had to find that earring or my sister would kill me. Another time, as I was going home with a friend, there was a group of like 4 boys (the bullies) behind me. They started hulling insults at me and throwing stones with no apparent reason. What!!! Of course they hurt me on the leg which started bleeding so I had to run for my life. I didn’t mention any of these to my sister because home was not any better.

I have always had this lovely forehead, but growing up it was not so lovely because it was an excuse for the bullies to joke around and make fun of me. They would call it all sorts of names, like a landing ground for flies, or when I turn a corner the first thing they see is the forehead. It made me hate it completely but I could do nothing about it. Sometimes they would hit me and giggle away. I do not understand myself sometimes because at no point did I hold it against them. I would still say hi to them. I guess I wanted acceptance. Just when I thought going back a class would bring freedom, they still harassed me on the corridors or the playground when we met. 

I made new friends now and decided to settle because being angry at my sister did not change anything. My mother could not say anything because she was so far and there were no mobile phones to call her and vent but I took them to the Lord in prayer.