(and than there were boobs)

Thursday, October 11.
International Day of the Girl Child
 My first event! It was a success.  The girls had a blast.  I learned a lot and it was quite the experience.
 The girls participated in current dances, traditional dances, sang songs, and some even composed their own!  We had girls “Parade,”  which meant modeling.  I was pretty shocked and didn’t expect it when they came out in their outfits.  But hey, they sure were proud of being a girl!
 Rehearsals this week went well, although tough because of the language barrier.  The teachers helped out though.  We had two young girls MC the show, and they did a great job.  After lunch break we all began getting ready.  The teachers, well they were MIA.  At first the boys did not want to help, jealous of the girls getting their own day.  But after a minute of dislike, they soon were drawing on the chalkboards in support of the girls.  All of the students helped set up the school hall, which usually holds Grade 7.  The kids and I moved out the desks and they swept.  Than the grade 7 boys helped set up the chairs, a very chaotic scene.  Here, for assembly, every student carries in their chair.  Although hectic, we tried to keep things calm and the boys were a great help as the girls were getting ready.  They tried to control the flow of chairs into the hall from the 100+ kids trying to jam them in. 
 The girls were getting ready and I was helping set up the room.  I turned, and, not expecting it, saw all the 7th grade performers standing there, topless.  And than there were boobs.  I should have expected it.  These girls were doing the traditional Reed Dance, and so of course were dressed traditionally, meaning no tops.  But hey, they wanted to rock it, so rock it! And the judges voted them second place! Just after the sixth graders who also did the Reed Dance. 
 It is cool how boobs (should say breast, I know, but ‘boobs’ seems like a good word) are so accepted here.  What is not as acceptable are thighs, so bye bye shorts and my great looking legs.  Skirts aren’t always that bad, but are more restricting! I see breasts all the time, on kumbies with babies getting milked, at school with babies getting milked, out in the day when a woman’s shirt isn’t on correctly and she just doesn’t care.  And, in the talent show, of course.
 On a different note I have started making my garden.