Part 1 of 2
I felt challenged to write this post during a meeting when someone said, "if you Google nairobi Girl all you see is negative results." and without a doubt we can be a handful. However,I will give you an aspect that is in true fashion "Untold Lives Of Women Kenya" so here goes my take on the Nairobi Girl.
Growing up, in the red,rustic,bushy village of her childhood .Where she spent her days ,barefoot going about her daily chores. Far away from the dreamy ,urban city of Nairobi. The only images she had of this magical place ,were the images the of town folk she saw, when they came home for the holidays .Their flawless skin, lavish clothes, fabulously styled hair and luxurious cars. She looked up to them because they spoke eloquently.
That is when she noticed that,she couldn't speak like them.All she knew was her mother tongue and a few English words, that had been taught to her. She looked at her dusty feet and longed for a day that she could be a "city girl".
It's high school graduation day now, and the next day . She smiles from ear to ear. Knowing she will be leaving farm life and finally become what she has always aspired to be.
Nairobi is exactly what she pictured and more. The sites ,sounds and smells overwhelm her senses. She realises she needs to re invent herself.
Slowly she changes her look, gets a new walk, a new accent and even pretends she doesn't know her mother tongue. But now, she has a new challenge. She wants to be like the the Kim Kardashians of today and the famous socialites she sees online. (of course she is now on social media and has learnt how to pout for a selfie)
She even has a boyfriend who has tasted of her forbidden fruit. She feels like she is a woman now. However she is still one step behind how will she get to the VVIP status with no money.
Days go bye and a lot changes soon she looks in the mirror and she can no longer recognise herself.
How she wishes she could go back to her simple days when she was just a girl from the farm. She has changed. Walking in town no longer excites her. She walks with a world of thoughts and regrets on her shoulders.
The city has stolen so much from her......... to be continued
